Why don’t Yamaha’s headphones get more attention? They have the cachet of an established Japanese audio brand. They have the track record — including a number of industry awards in recent years. Yet they don’t often seem to make the recommendations lists that are stocked with the more usual candidates. Perhaps that will change with this move into the mainstream category of wireless noise-cancelling headphones. The newly-introduced YH-E700A wireless NRC headphones launch at what can now (thanks to Apple’s eye-wateringly expensive AirPods Max) be called a ‘midrange’ price.
There’s also a pair of on-ear noise-cancellers, YH-E500A, at just $229.
BUILD AND FEATURES
The YH-E700As are substantial headphones, their earcups 90mm in diameter, fully circumaural and spaciously so, with leatherette-covered foam earpads that are 25mm thick, sealing firmly yet lightly around the ears. While these earpads were very comfortable, I needed a tad more extension to the headband for my admittedly fairly large head: I had to pull the Yamahas down to get them fully centred over my ears, so that the padded headphone band pushed a little hard on the top pressure point.
The headphones both pivot and swivel, so they tuck away neatly into their hard carry-case, though you should take note that this case is substantially larger than those of competitors such as Sony and Bose, simply because the Yamaha
