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We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
Updated: 2026-09-19 · 8 min read · Independent comparison
• Yamaha HPH-100WH — biggest strength: a full, finished headphone with a 90-degree swivel driver mechanism, a 2 m cable and gold-plated connectors, tuned for balanced bass and treble.
• Yamaha HPH-100WH — biggest trade-off: it is a wired, closed-back design with no noise cancellation and no wireless mode, so it stays tethered to whatever you plug it into.
• beyerdynamic EDT 700 — biggest strength: a genuine replacement ear pad set with soft memory foam and breathable velour, plus fleece pads and a clamping ring in the box.
• beyerdynamic EDT 700 — biggest trade-off: it is not a headphone at all. It only fits the beyerdynamic DT 700 PRO X, so it is useless without that specific model.
• Who each pick is for: the Yamaha is for someone buying their first proper pair of instrument headphones; the EDT 700 is for an existing DT 700 PRO X owner whose pads are worn.
The HPH-100WH is a self-contained product. You open the box, plug it in, and you are listening. That sounds obvious, but it matters in this comparison, because the other item here is a spare part. Yamaha's set is a dynamic, closed-back headphone with a 46 ohm impedance, a 20 Hz to 20 kHz frequency response and a 103 dB sensitivity figure. It weighs 133 g with the cable attached, and the plastic housing comes in white with a matching white carry case colour. Nothing about that spec sheet suggests a heavyweight studio reference tool. It suggests a light, portable, everyday headphone that is easy to drive from a keyboard, a small mixer or a phone.
The feature I keep coming back to is the swivel mechanism. The driver housing turns through 90 degrees so the earcup can sit at the angle of your ear rather than pressing flat against your head. Combined with a smoothly adjustable headband and the over-ear, rounded earcup shape, that is a design clearly aimed at long sessions. Yamaha's own wording leans on comfort for extended listening, and the hardware backs it up. If you practise for an hour or two at a time, that adjustment range is the difference between "fine" and "I forgot I was wearing them."
Who should buy it: instrumentalists who want a compact closed-back pair for practising without disturbing the room, students who need something light and comfortable for long practice blocks, and anyone who wants one wired headphone that handles both a 3.5 mm phone output and a 6.3 mm instrument output without an adapter hunt. The white finish is a deliberate choice too, since it is meant to pair visually with a white instrument.
Who should skip it: anyone who needs wireless freedom, active noise cancellation or a microphone for calls. The control method here is touch-based volume control, and noise control is listed as none, so this is not a commuting or call-taking headphone. If you want to block out a train carriage, look elsewhere. And if you already own a beyerdynamic DT 700 PRO X and your problem is worn pads, buying a whole second headphone is not the fix.
beyerdynamic EDT 700: Who It's For
This is where the comparison gets unusual, and I would rather be blunt about it: the EDT 700 is not a competitor to the Yamaha headphone. It is a consumable for one specific product. beyerdynamic sells it as a replacement ear pad set for the DT 700 PRO X, and the compatibility list says exactly that — no other model. If you do not own that headphone, this item has no use to you at all.
What you actually get is a pair of velour pads in grey, built around soft memory foam, plus two fleece pads and a clamping ring. Velour is the interesting material choice here. It is supple and it allows a high level of air circulation, which is the traditional reason velour pads feel less swampy than pleather over a long session. The memory foam underneath is there to distribute pressure rather than let the pad collapse into a hard ring against your skull. Between the two, the design goal is clear: keep the headphone wearable for hours without heat build-up or pressure hotspots.
The other thing worth flagging is installation. beyerdynamic describes self-assembly without additional tools, which is the right way to build a wear item. Pads are the part of a headphone that degrades first — foam flattens, velour compresses, and the seal around your ear slowly changes. When that happens, you are not shopping for a new headphone, you are shopping for pads. A set that clips on by hand turns a slow decline into a ten-minute job.
Who should buy it: DT 700 PRO X owners whose current pads have flattened, hardened or started flaking. Also anyone who wants to keep a spare set on the shelf so a worn pad never interrupts a session, and anyone who prefers velour's breathability over a sealed synthetic surface on a closed-back headphone. The standard version is grey, and the fleece pads and clamping ring in the box mean you are not left improvising.
Who should skip it: everyone who does not own a DT 700 PRO X. That is not a knock on the product — it is simply what it is. There is no headphone in this box, no cable, no plug. If you arrived here looking for something to plug into an instrument, this is the wrong item. It is also worth noting the pad material is velour, not leather or synthetic leather, so if you specifically want a different surface feel, this set will not give it to you.
• Best for actually listening to something → Yamaha HPH-100WH. It is a complete headphone; the EDT 700 is a pad set.
• Best for instrument practice → Yamaha HPH-100WH, thanks to the 2 m cable, the 3.5 mm and 6.3 mm plugs and the 90-degree swivel driver angle.
• Best for long-session comfort out of the box → Yamaha HPH-100WH, with its adjustable headband, over-ear rounded cups and light 133 g weight with cable.
• Best for breathability and pressure relief → beyerdynamic EDT 700, whose velour surface and memory foam are chosen for air circulation and softness.
• Best for DT 700 PRO X owners → beyerdynamic EDT 700. It is the only product here that fits that headphone, and it is designed for tool-free fitting.
• Best for a self-contained purchase with no prerequisites → Yamaha HPH-100WH. The EDT 700 requires you to already own specific hardware.
• Best for a maintenance kit rather than a new device → beyerdynamic EDT 700, which includes two fleece pads and a clamping ring alongside the pads.
• Best for wireless or noise-cancelling needs → neither. The Yamaha is wired with no noise control, and the beyerdynamic item is a wear part.
My Verdict
No. It is a replacement ear pad set for the beyerdynamic DT 700 PRO X. It contains velour pads with memory foam, two fleece pads and a clamping ring — no drivers, no cable, no plug.
No. The compatibility is listed as the beyerdynamic DT 700 PRO X only. The Yamaha is a different headphone with a different earcup design, so these pads are not intended for it.
Neither. It is a wired, dynamic, closed-back headphone with 3.5 mm connectivity and no noise control. The closed-back design reduces some surrounding sound, but that is passive isolation, not active noise cancelling.
They are not comparable purchases. The Yamaha is a complete headphone; the beyerdynamic is a maintenance part for a specific model. If you need something to listen with, the Yamaha is the value pick. If you already own a DT 700 PRO X with worn pads, the pad set is the cheaper way to fix it than replacing the headphone — check the current price on Amazon for both before you decide.
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