The Yamaha YH-L700A is a flagship over ear headphone priced at Rs.34,990. Advanced Bluetooth codec support has been given in these. There is also a 3D Sound Field mode, which also has head tracking and active noise cancellation for directional sound. Are These The Best Premium Wireless Headsets You Can Buy? Find out in this review.
Yamaha YH-L700A headphones look great, but are heavy
Yamaha YH-L700A It has a bold and out-of-the-box design. The handset is not sleek and trim like the Sony and JBL, but looks big and premium like the Apple AirPods Max. Although, it is slightly less in size than AirPods Max, but its ear cups and padding are quite thick.
The styling is also unique, with a generous use of fabric on the headband and ear cups. The ear cups are padded with thick foam to ensure an over ear fit, it completely covered my ears and provided complete isolation from outside noise. The headband features a metal frame with comfortable padding that is also adjustable for a snug fit. The ear cups can be rotated and tilted to get a better fit. The Yamaha logo is given on the outer parts of both the ear cups.
The padding certainly felt comfortable, but the headset is still quite large and heavy at 330 grams. If listening to music for a long time, then it will feel quite heavy. The pressing force of both the ear cups was also felt more with glasses at times. Later I got used to it, but even then I had to take a break every 45 minutes or so.
Other similar products offer both physical and touch control options, but the Yamaha YH-L700A gives you physical buttons to control everything. Its right side has power button, 3D sound button, USB Type C port for charging and playback and volume controls. The left side has a button to switch between active noise cancellation and ambient sound modes, and a 3.5mm socket for wired connectivity.
The playback and volume control buttons are placed on the side of the right ear cup. It looks nice but the buttons don’t feel very tactile. Sensing them isn’t even the way I’d prefer. Even after a few days of use, I used to press the wrong button many times. Overall, I would say that its control buttons do not seem very easy to use.
In this you will find Yamaha’s Headphones Controller app which is available on both Android and iOS platforms. With its help, along with controlling the basic functions of the headphones, they can be customized. The app finds them after pairing with Bluetooth.
In the app, you also get settings for 3D Sound Field mode, Listening Care and Listening Optimizer, active noise cancellation and ambient mode activation, and auto power off timer. You can also check the battery level of the headphones in it, but you are not given the option to change the equalizer settings. Overall, the app controls its functions but it’s pretty basic for such a high-end headset.
Yamaha YH-L700A has 40mm dynamic drivers. Its frequency response range is 8-40,000Hz. Bluetooth 5, SBC, AAC and Qualcomm aptX Adaptive Bluetooth codec are supported for connectivity. Voice assistant has also been supported in this. Charging cable, stereo cable, flight adapter and hard carry case are also provided in its package.
Their battery life depends on how you use them. Heavy use of ANC and 3D drains the battery quickly. They are rated to last for 34 hours with ANC on and 11 hours for 3D sound with ANC on.
I occasionally used 3D sound with ANC on and it lasted 23 hours on a single charge. This means that you can listen to them for a whole day without having to charge again.
Sound is good in Yamaha YH-L700A, but 3D sound is not for everyone
Many people turn to high end over ear headphones from Sony, Bose, and Apple. However, the Yamaha YH-L700A also offer a great listening experience. They are amazing when it comes to sound quality. ANC and 3D Sound worked well but you would not want to use 3D Sound much.
Features like Listening Care and Listening Optimiser work in the background and provide a better experience. Listening Care maintains the volume level and the Listening Optimiser feature customizes the sound based on the sound level coming inside the ear cups. I didn’t feel any significant difference in the music with them on or off.
The audio quality gets even better with the help of Qualcomm aptX Adaptive support. With the OnePlus 9 (Review), I got a better sound experience than the iPhone 13 (Review). Starting with Frankie Sinatra of The Avalanches, I learned how the company has worked over the years to deliver the ultimate audio experience.
The sound stage felt very spacious and luxurious. Slow sample elements, mid tempo beats and instruments etc could all be felt, and that too without 3D Sound mode turned on. It enhances even a simple stereo signal thanks to its large drivers and super-tuning. With full size speakers it was able to produce good detail. Its sonic signature is balanced and refined, giving all frequencies a chance to come out well.
David Guetta’s Dirty Sexy Money had tight bass but didn’t feel aggressive. Listening to Onur Ozman’s Only Human was also a very enjoyable experience. I have a similar experience with my Sony WH-1000XM4, which is currently my top choice for high-end headphones.
One of the standout features of the Yamaha YH-L700A headphones is its 3D sound. This is similar to Apple’s Spatial Audio technology which is used in AirPods headphones and earphones. Interestingly, when it’s switched on, it works for almost any audio content, regardless of app or operating system, and isn’t limited to certain apps, as in the case of Spatial Audio. It happens.
It gave different listening effects but the audio quality decreased. Audio Room mode was the only one that maintained decent sound quality. Head tracking also worked well. It was switching channels accurately with head movement. However, overall, I found the mode a bit gimmicky and only really worth using when watching TV shows or movies.
Active noise cancellation in Yamaha YH-L700A is quite good. But it is not like the Sony WH-1000XM4 and Apple AirPods Max. Its silence effect was quite good and was better detected in indoor. It didn’t do much in the outdoor. It relies on a noise dampening seal and my glasses were causing a gap in it that didn’t work so well.
The ambient sound mode works well but sounds like piped sound. Natural effect like AirPods Max was not available in it. The headphones are good enough for calling and the connection remains stable. There was no shortage in their quality either. It was able to work well even at a distance of 4 meters from the source device.
Verdict
The premium headphone segment is dominated by some well-known brands. Among them, Yamaha YH-L700A is like a breath of fresh air. This is a good looking over ear headphone pair. It has good sound quality and some interesting features. The company’s years of expertise in audio products makes this product an interesting option at this price point.
Its average active noise cancellation performance drags the experience down a bit. These Yamaha headphones deliver detailed, fun sound like the Sony WH-1000XM4. In the price range of Rs 35,000, they are slightly more expensive than the Sony WH-1000XM4 and JBL Tour One. Nevertheless, if you are looking for a product with top notch sound quality then this is the device for you.