Yamaha YH-L700A Wireless Active Noise Canceling Headphones Review: Unique in sound and features!
Yamaha YH-L700A are flagship over ear headphones, priced at Rs 34,990. Advanced Bluetooth codec support has been provided in these. There’s a 3D Sound Field mode, which also has head tracking and active noise cancellation for directional sound. Are These the Best Premium Wireless Headphones You Can Buy? Let’s find out in this review.
Yamaha YH-L700A headphones look great, but are heavy
Yamaha YH-L700A It has been given a bold and unique design. Its handset is not sleek and trim like Sony and JBL, but looks big and premium like Apple AirPods Max. Although it is slightly smaller in size than the AirPods Max, its ear cups and padding are quite thick.
Their style is also unique, fabric has been used liberally on the headband and ear cups. The ear cups have thick foam padding to provide a good over-ear fit, it completely covered my ears and provided complete isolation from outside noise. Its headband has a metal frame with comfortable padding, which is also adjustable for a good fit. The ear cups can rotate and tilt to improve the fit. 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, weighing in at 330 grams. If you have to listen to music for a long time, it will feel quite heavy. At times, I felt more pressure on both the ear cups with the glasses on. Later I got used to it, but even then I had to take a break every 45 minutes or so.
In other such products, both physical and touch control options are available, but in Yamaha YH-L700A you have been given physical buttons to control everything. On its right side, power button, 3D sound button, USB Type C port for charging and playback and volume controls are provided. On the left side, there is a button to switch between active noise cancellation and ambient sound modes and a 3.5mm socket is provided for wired connectivity.
Playback and volume control buttons are provided on the side of the right ear cup. It looks good but the buttons do not feel very tactile. Sensing them is also not the way I like. Even after a few days of use, I still pressed the wrong button many times. Overall, I would say that its control buttons do not seem very easy to use.
In these you will get Yamaha’s Headphones Controller app which is available on both Android and iOS platforms. With its help, the basic functions of the headphones can be controlled as well as customized. After pairing with Bluetooth, the app discovers them.
In the app, you also get settings for 3D Sound Field mode, Hearing Care and Hearing Optimizer, Active Noise Cancellation and Ambient Mode activation, and Auto Power Off Timer. You can also check the battery level of the headphones, but you are not given the option to change the equalizer settings. Overall, the app controls its functions but it is quite basic for such a high-end headset.
Yamaha YH-L700A has 40mm dynamic drivers. Its frequency response range is 8-40,000Hz. For connectivity, Bluetooth 5, SBC, AAC and Qualcomm aptX Adaptive Bluetooth codec is supported. Voice assistant support is also provided in it. 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. Excessive 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 used 3D sound with ANC occasionally and it lasted 23 hours on a single charge. This means you can listen to them all day long without recharging.
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 provide a great listening experience. When it comes to sound quality, these are amazing. ANC and 3D Sound worked well but you might not want to overuse 3D Sound.
Features like Listening Care and Listening Optimizer work in the background and provide a better experience. With the help of Listening Care, the volume level is maintained and the Listening Optimiser feature customizes the sound based on the sound level coming inside the ear cups. I did not feel any significant difference in the music by turning them on or off.
With the help of Qualcomm aptX Adaptive support, the audio quality becomes even better. I got a better sound experience with the OnePlus 9 (Review) than the iPhone 13 (Review). Starting with The Avalanches’ Frankie Sinatra, I learned how the company has worked for years to create a better audio experience.
The sound stage felt quite spacious and luxurious. Slow sample elements, mid-tempo beats and instruments could all be heard, and this was even without 3D Sound mode on. Thanks to its large drivers and super tuning, it enhances even a simple stereo signal. With full size speakers it was able to produce good detail. Its sonic signature is balanced and refined, allowing all frequencies to come out well.
The bass on David Guetta’s Dirty Sexy Money was tight 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 among high-end headphones.
A special feature of 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 this is switched on, it works for almost any audio content regardless of app or operating system, and is not limited to certain apps, as is the case with Spatial Audio. It happens.
It gave different listening effects but the audio quality reduced. Audio Room mode was the only one that maintained good sound quality. Head tracking also worked well. It was switching channels accurately with head movement. However, overall, I found the mode to be a bit gimmicky and only really worth using when watching TV shows or movies.
The 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 indoors. It didn’t do much good outdoors. It relies on a noise blocking seal and my glasses were causing a gap in it so it wasn’t working so well.
Ambient sound mode works well but it seems as if the sound is coming from a pipe. The natural effect like AirPods Max was not available in it. The headphones are quite good for calling and the connection remains stable. There was no deficiency in their quality either. It was able to work well even at a distance of 4 meters from the source device.
Verdict
There are some well-known brands that dominate the premium headphone segment. Among these, the 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.
Its average active noise cancellation performance lets the experience down a bit. These headphones from Yamaha provide detailed, enjoyable sound like the Sony WH-1000XM4. In the price range of Rs 35,000, they are slightly more expensive than Sony WH-1000XM4 and JBL Tour One. Still, if you are looking for a product with top notch sound quality then this is the device for you.
