Comparisons: 36 of the Top Closed/Portable Headphones Around
Oct 28, 2013 at 8:56 PM Post #751 of 4,373
   
MH, highly recommend you try the Sony 7520. 

I'd love to...but this thread has been a bit expensive for a summer project while I waited for home renovations to conclude so that I could setup my main rigs...so if anyone wants to send me a review pair, I'll be happy to add it to the list.
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 So far, I am extremely satisfied with the P7s, M500s and Momentums. 
 
Oct 29, 2013 at 3:44 AM Post #753 of 4,373
How is the M500? I love the Momentum but i trade it awhile ago with HD600 which i really love it like none other... And how is P7 as well?

When you look at the first post in this thread you will see his impressions :)
 
Oct 29, 2013 at 10:09 AM Post #754 of 4,373
When you look at the first post in this thread you will see his impressions :)


Seems like P7 will be my next buy, but how do they isolate and sound leakage? I am very particular with this as my Momentum doesn't isolate much but it really does a good job from preventing sound leakage. Does the soundstaging that he described is as huge as open headphones like hd600?

I am curious to get my first B&W hp
 
Oct 29, 2013 at 10:30 AM Post #755 of 4,373
Seems like P7 will be my next buy, but how do they isolate and sound leakage? I am very particular with this as my Momentum doesn't isolate much but it really does a good job from preventing sound leakage. Does the soundstaging that he described is as huge as open headphones like hd600?

I am curious to get my first B&W hp

When I tested them for nearly two weeks I found the isolation to be quite good for a closed headphone. And I think sound leakage is low to non-existent (of course depends on the volume level). I tested the sound leakage using a microphone about 3 feet away set to very high sensitivity and then I listened at what I consider a normal volume and the mic didn't pick up anything.
 
As for the soundstage, it probably can't beat an open headphone like the HD600, but it's very good for a closed headphone. Also the sense of 3D space is quite incredible, I could easily place instruments front, back, left, right, center, above and below. Quite a feat if you ask me. So, excellent imaging.
 
Oct 30, 2013 at 11:25 AM Post #756 of 4,373
Bought the P7 after reading the review. Thanks M-hero!
 
I also wonder why P7 gets a "4" whereas M500 gets a "5" for mid, although the former's mid sounds "more natural".
 
Oct 30, 2013 at 5:10 PM Post #757 of 4,373
Guess what guys, tried the P7 again! This time I made sure I was in a more quiet environment and I adjusted the headband correctly and made sure I had the pads perfectly sealed around my ears. Whether it was the fit or some burn in that did the trick, this time they sounded right. 
 
And boy did they sound good! Quick impressions were actually so positive I can't wait to get my Momentum's sold and buy the P7s. 
 
They are very neutral through the mids and highs and they don't suffer from the slight treble hardness/unnaturalness of the KEF M500. The midrange is less forward than the KEFs and just a tad more neutral. The bass was great to, possibly a tad boomier than the M500 but very strong, extended and enjoyable without coloring the mids at all. 
 
I see now what all the fuss is about. Even from just listening to the P7s for about 20 minutes, I can say that they are my new king of the hill as far as portable headphones go! 
 
And it doesn't end with the sound. They are gorgeous, comfortable and isolate well too! 
 
Oct 30, 2013 at 5:25 PM Post #758 of 4,373
  When I tested them for nearly two weeks I found the isolation to be quite good for a closed headphone. And I think sound leakage is low to non-existent (of course depends on the volume level). I tested the sound leakage using a microphone about 3 feet away set to very high sensitivity and then I listened at what I consider a normal volume and the mic didn't pick up anything.
 

 
Can you compare the P7 to the 7520?
 
Oct 30, 2013 at 5:59 PM Post #759 of 4,373
  Guess what guys, tried the P7 again! This time I made sure I was in a more quiet environment and I adjusted the headband correctly and made sure I had the pads perfectly sealed around my ears. Whether it was the fit or some burn in that did the trick, this time they sounded right. 
 
And boy did they sound good! Quick impressions were actually so positive I can't wait to get my Momentum's sold and buy the P7s. 
 
They are very neutral through the mids and highs and they don't suffer from the slight treble hardness/unnaturalness of the KEF M500. The midrange is less forward than the KEFs and just a tad more neutral. The bass was great to, possibly a tad boomier than the M500 but very strong, extended and enjoyable without coloring the mids at all. 
 
I see now what all the fuss is about. Even from just listening to the P7s for about 20 minutes, I can say that they are my new king of the hill as far as portable headphones go! 
 
And it doesn't end with the sound. They are gorgeous, comfortable and isolate well too! 

Finally you agree with the rest of us :) It was about time you joined the club, haha.
 
Yeah, they're great headphones!
 
Oct 30, 2013 at 6:07 PM Post #760 of 4,373
   
Can you compare the P7 to the 7520?

Well, the short version is that the P7 has more bass extension than the 7520, especially in terms of quantity. Quality wise, I can't really say as my memory is not that perfect, but I'm leaning towards the 7520 being slightly more defined and more tight, it decays faster so it conflicts less with the next bass wave :) The highs are crisper on the 7520, definitely, and the mids are more neutral on the 7520. The P7's mids are a bit recessed by comparison. Still, I'd describe the mids of the P7's as luscious, I've likened it to the way B&W's yellow kevlar drivers sound on their speakers (a fairly unique sound).
 
The soundstage on the P7 is bigger than the 7520, but I'd give the edge in terms of instrumental separation to the 7520. In terms of imaging and creating a sense of 3D space, probably the P7 wins there. I was amazed at how well I could place the various instruments all over the place, especially in classical music. I honestly haven't listened to much classical music yet on the 7520, so I can't fully compare that aspect here.
 
Otherwise, in terms of clarity, the 7520 wins hand down. As I mentioned in my 7520 review, all the headphones I've tried so far sounded veiled compared to the 7520 (and trust me, that's just because the 7520 sounds extremely clear, not because the other headphones are actually that veiled). Also in terms of detail I'd say the 7520 wins.
 
No matter how you put it, the P7 is a very good headphone. If it would've been perfectly comfortable for me, I would have kept it and stopped looking for another headphone. But now that I found the 7520, I'm glad I found that instead because to my ears it just sounds better :) Yeah sure, all the detail and clarity has its drawbacks, as you will hear sooner when a recording is badly mastered than with the P7. But I can live with that :)
 
Oct 30, 2013 at 9:20 PM Post #762 of 4,373
  Bought the P7 after reading the review. Thanks M-hero!
 
I also wonder why P7 gets a "4" whereas M500 gets a "5" for mid, although the former's mid sounds "more natural".

 
As good as the P7's mids are, I still feel that the M500s do it a bit better. 
smile.gif

 
  Guess what guys, tried the P7 again! This time I made sure I was in a more quiet environment and I adjusted the headband correctly and made sure I had the pads perfectly sealed around my ears. Whether it was the fit or some burn in that did the trick, this time they sounded right. 
 
And boy did they sound good! Quick impressions were actually so positive I can't wait to get my Momentum's sold and buy the P7s. 
 
They are very neutral through the mids and highs and they don't suffer from the slight treble hardness/unnaturalness of the KEF M500. The midrange is less forward than the KEFs and just a tad more neutral. The bass was great to, possibly a tad boomier than the M500 but very strong, extended and enjoyable without coloring the mids at all. 
 
I see now what all the fuss is about. Even from just listening to the P7s for about 20 minutes, I can say that they are my new king of the hill as far as portable headphones go! 
 
And it doesn't end with the sound. They are gorgeous, comfortable and isolate well too! 

Hey congrats! Actually I think owning both can be easily justified...they are both that good. But if I could only own one, it would be the P7s due to their isolation.
 
Oct 31, 2013 at 4:18 AM Post #763 of 4,373
As good as the P7's mids are, I still feel that the M500s do it a bit better. :smile:

Hey congrats! Actually I think owning both can be easily justified...they are both that good. But if I could only own one, it would be the P7s due to their isolation.


Thanks! I will definitely keep the M500. While I did feel the P7 is a little better, it's certainly not in a different class like I think the M500 is compared to the Momentum. :)
 
Oct 31, 2013 at 9:55 PM Post #764 of 4,373
Thanks! I will definitely keep the M500. While I did feel the P7 is a little better, it's certainly not in a different class like I think the M500 is compared to the Momentum.
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Just settling in with some Black Sabbath (felt it was appropriate for Halloween) and my P7s....I really like these cans!
 
Nov 1, 2013 at 5:46 AM Post #765 of 4,373
  Well, the short version is that the P7 has more bass extension than the 7520, especially in terms of quantity. Quality wise, I can't really say as my memory is not that perfect, but I'm leaning towards the 7520 being slightly more defined and more tight, it decays faster so it conflicts less with the next bass wave :) The highs are crisper on the 7520, definitely, and the mids are more neutral on the 7520. The P7's mids are a bit recessed by comparison. Still, I'd describe the mids of the P7's as luscious, I've likened it to the way B&W's yellow kevlar drivers sound on their speakers (a fairly unique sound).
 
The soundstage on the P7 is bigger than the 7520, but I'd give the edge in terms of instrumental separation to the 7520. In terms of imaging and creating a sense of 3D space, probably the P7 wins there. I was amazed at how well I could place the various instruments all over the place, especially in classical music. I honestly haven't listened to much classical music yet on the 7520, so I can't fully compare that aspect here.
 
Otherwise, in terms of clarity, the 7520 wins hand down. As I mentioned in my 7520 review, all the headphones I've tried so far sounded veiled compared to the 7520 (and trust me, that's just because the 7520 sounds extremely clear, not because the other headphones are actually that veiled). Also in terms of detail I'd say the 7520 wins.
 
No matter how you put it, the P7 is a very good headphone. If it would've been perfectly comfortable for me, I would have kept it and stopped looking for another headphone. But now that I found the 7520, I'm glad I found that instead because to my ears it just sounds better :) Yeah sure, all the detail and clarity has its drawbacks, as you will hear sooner when a recording is badly mastered than with the P7. But I can live with that :)

Damn, the 7520 is like the ultimate portable headphones for me. Just by reading impressions like yours makes me crave for them. I really want to gradually step my way up though towards the 7520, and spend time appreciating inferior models. Could you please tell me though how much the 7520's actually benefit from portable amps?
 

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