YAMAHA YH-E700B Wireless Headphone Review

In a world where immersive audio experiences are a gateway to musical euphoria and unparalleled entertainment, the YAMAHA YH-E700B Wireless Headphones emerge as a sonic revelation. Join us as we embark on a journey to explore these headphones in-depth, dissecting their features and unveiling the audio excellence they promise.

Design

The YAMAHA YH-E700B Wireless Headphones are positioned as a product designed specifically for portable music listening. Another choice is for “personal cinema” or “audiophiles”

Considering this, two key factors for creating an outstanding portable music product are battery life and weight. Fortunately, the E700B excels in both aspects.

The YH-E700B weighs 335 grams, 40 grams lighter than the Sennheiser Momentum 4 but 50 grams heavier than the Apple AirPods Max. The weight is evenly distributed along the top of the head, providing a secure fit. When worn, the earpads rest half on the ears and half outside, a common design for noise-canceling headphones, but they appear particularly soft.

Its construction may not be as luxurious as current Bowers or Bose products, but it is visually appealing, especially in white. The headband features a soft faux leather cushion that is sturdy, and the buttons have minimal movement.

All of this contributes to a lightweight experience, and they fold neatly, taking up only a small portion of your bag’s space, but they don’t feel overly lavish in hand.

However, when you have such powerful technology, who needs a luxurious experience? It’s great to see Bluetooth 5.2 included here; as a result, I had no issues with connectivity or coverage range. The aptX Adaptive codec is also a welcome addition, with the advantage of a low-latency gaming mode.

I was satisfied with the results when testing it with some games on my Steam Deck; the almost invisible latency over Bluetooth was rare.

Not only does the YH-E700B excel in codecs, but it also offers advanced adaptive noise-canceling features, some crazy “sound adjustment based on ear fit” technology, and a claimed battery life of up to 32 hours. Considering I only had to charge the headphones once during my review period, I believe these figures.

The driver units are specially matched, and the baffles are thoroughly inspected to create a perfect mirror image between the units. Yamaha states, “Both sides of the stereo image achieve perfect balance, sound positioning is fixed at the expected points, ensuring the perceived position of every instrument and sound, as well as the overall ambiance of the music, is perfectly experienced.”

It’s always delightful to see new proprietary listening settings when a new headphone version is released. Typically, this setting carries over from one model to another, and the accompanying app and backend make everything come to life.

I also appreciate Yamaha for allowing traditional 3.5mm headphone jacks for listening. Unfortunately, this feature is becoming increasingly rare, making headphone use for in-flight entertainment more awkward.

When launching the app, I encountered the “Yamaha conundrum” once again. There are two apps in the app store for Yamaha headphones; one is called “Headphones Controller,” and the other is “Headphone Control.” If you’re confused, watch for other Yamaha listening-related apps like “AV Controller” and “MusicCast Controller.”

After taking a big sip of coffee and reading the manual, I figured out which app was right and dove in. There, I found some interesting features—a five-band equalizer, a game mode switch, and something called “listening care” that provides full-range sound at lower listening volumes.

It’s well done, and some of this DSP wizardry might be inherited from Yamaha’s home theater lineup.

The controls on the headphones are very intuitive—hardware buttons for volume up and down, an ANC toggle switch, and power. There are no fussy touch panels or customization needed. What you see is what you get, and I appreciate the straightforwardness and specificity of these controls.

This concept also extends to the connection; while the Bluetooth 5.2 connection is strong and offers wide coverage, the E700B doesn’t allow simultaneous multi-device connections. I hope to see multi-point options to stay in sync with competitors in the next iteration.

Sound Performance

Listening to Yamaha products often brings to mind the classic NS-10 studio monitor speakers. Many Yamaha products aim for a unique sonic character, and this draws inspiration from those legendary compact speakers.

With that in mind, playing “Better Days Will Come” by Leaving Lauren seems perfect. This pairing is spot on. The 40mm drivers of the E700B portray the gentle, melancholy piano notes with lean, neutral accuracy, delivering the music just right without too much coloration or distortion.

When the bass kicks in, it extends without the deep rumble I expected, leaving me with a clear, analytical performance.

The E700B provides a solid, tidy presentation regarding vocals, but the 40mm drivers can’t deliver the deep bass to make bass-heavy music shine, as in the case of listening to “La Luh” by Choomba. Nevertheless, with the 5-band equalizer in the app, I could dial in that preference on the headphones and then enjoy the deep bass to my heart’s content.

The 40mm drivers capture plenty of detail and dynamics, creating a vivid sound for Chilla and Sofiane Pamart’s “Sonatine.” This design shines with acoustic and heavy music. While this track isn’t overly gentle, it’s not harsh either, and it takes advantage of the strengths of the E700B by combining perfect piano and vocals to create delightful harmonies.

The active noise-canceling (ANC) feature is improved compared to its predecessor, coupled with the headphones’ sturdy passive attenuation, providing an overall good ANC experience. Compared directly to more expensive competitors, the E700B’s performance might be even better, but it’s already quite impressive.

The transparency mode of the headphones is similar in effectiveness; it works well. It allows a broad spectrum of sound to pass through, making it a crucial component of the pass-through options, but it won’t give you a full-frequency “I forgot I’m wearing headphones” experience.

However, it’s great for listening to announcements during a flight, hearing your children’s voices, or eavesdropping on the conversation at the adjacent table (if that’s your thing).

Call quality is impeccable; based on my testing, listeners on both ends of the call didn’t encounter any issues, even while walking on busy streets. The microphone pickup pattern isn’t entirely centered on the wearer and still lets in some external noise.

However, the E700B would be a perfect office companion with excellent battery life and quick connectivity.

Conclusion

The performance of the YAMAHA YH-E700B Wireless Headphones is outstanding, with significant improvements over its predecessor, the E700A. The E700B’s Bluetooth 5.2, exceptionally long battery life, convenient low-latency gaming mode, adaptive noise-canceling, and ear-fit technology make it an appealing choice in its price range.