jackson1 said:

  TC electronic BMC-2 headphone out: Optimized for 32 to 600 Ohms headphones.
Very detailed and crystal clear overall (analytical), extremely clean and extended low end - bordering to lean.
 

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I did some checking on the TC electronic BMC-2 and found this:

Headphones Output
 
Impedance  80 Ohm
Power @ 40 Ohm Load: 200 mW
Freq. Response: +0/-0.2 dB, 20 Hz to 20 kHz
 
 
I am trying out another amp with the Sony 7520 the Emotiva mini-X.

jackson1 said:

  Note on channel imbalance on the above two amps:
 
Benchmark DAC1: Not good. Big imbalance at low listening levels.

Click to expand...

 
I have the DAC2 HGC which does not have this issue, but if you can reduce the gain of the headphone output to -20dB on your DAC1 it should improve things a bit.

jackson1 said:

  Question about the 7520 impedance (24 ohm) and headphone amps.
 

1. What is the headphone output impedance of the amp you most often use with your 7520?
2. Do you think the 7520 is sensitive to impedance mismatch, meaning does the 7520 frequency response get skewed when driven from a headphone amp with an output impedance above 3 ohm?

 
I primarily use two amps/dacs and their headphone out sounds a bit different driving the 7520. The main difference between them as I hear it are listed below. The keywords used are subtle differences, nothing dramatic. I love them both driving the 7520.
 
Main sound signatures using 7520:
 
Benchmark DAC1 headphone out: 0 Ohm.
Dark top end, round/soft low end, non-analytical. These are not negative observations. The unit is very transparent and punchy.
 
TC electronic BMC-2 headphone out: Optimized for 32 to 600 Ohms headphones.
Very detailed and crystal clear overall (analytical), extremely clean and extended low end - bordering to lean.
 
These impressions could be attributed to the characteristics of the amp/dac itself, but who knows? Impedance mismatch could also be contributing to the differences.
Any thoughts?
 
 
Note on channel imbalance on the above two amps:
 
Benchmark DAC1: Not good. Big imbalance at low listening levels.
TC electronic BMC-2: Fantastic. Zero imbalance. Both volume pots (main out + HP out) are digitally controlled. Thank you, TC!

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I've owned both and your comments on the sound seem to be more characteristic of the dacs and hp amps in each.  The only thing that is a bit different from what I observed with the benchmark is that I did not notice the bass as soft or round.  But in comparison to the TC electronic perhaps.
 
Sorry cannot help you more on the impedance question.  I do know that on the Violectric 100 which has close to zero ohms impedance they sound very good indeed.

Just got my pair. Wow, the build and packaging from Sony is impecable, really first class, feels like luxury item.
First 5 minutes of listening:
- Wow, they are the bassiest phones in my stash right now, on par with D5K I used to own, only bass is not bloated, contrary quite controlled and doesn't creep into midrange at all.
- Details, gee, that's what I am talking about, put Mad Dog to shame.
- Mids, lush and forward, ATH like.
- Treble is slightly softened, almost like there is slight roll off at the very top, we'll see how it changes after burn in.
- Overall very clean, no grain or anything, smooth and fun reproduction.
 
All impressions are out of AURALiC stack.
 
My Mad Dog are gone to do formal head to head, but based on 2 days memory these sound like a better deal, much, much better deal to me, they always sounded "sleepy" to me.
 
EDIT: Just did a quick test out of portable DAP (Sony NWZ-X), stunningly good reproduction considering the source. Lots of details, great clarity, the bass is just a bit more bloated comparing to desktop setup. Very efficient as well.

Having scoured the web, reading reviews, including I believe everything said about them on headfi, the reports vary dramatically for this headphone. 

imackler said:

  Having scoured the web, reading reviews, including I believe everything said about them on headfi, the reports vary dramatically for this headphone. 

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"What we think" section and customer review here are pretty accurate, I think.
This is Z1000 but still applies to 7520, customer review actually is on 7520. The only thing I don't understand how headroom FQ graph for Z1000 shows less bass than K550. They really have world class, earth shattering sub bass.

andrew_wot said:

  Just got my pair. Wow, the build and packaging from Sony is impecable, really first class, feels like luxury item.
First 5 minutes of listening:
- Wow, they are the bassiest phones in my stash right now, on par with D5K I used to own, only bass is not bloated, contrary quite controlled and doesn't creep into midrange at all.
  All impressions are out of AURALiC stack.
 

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I used to own the D2K and the bass on that was like a slug very uncontrolled as compared to my 7520. I looked up the AURALiC stack beautiful piece of equipment.

john57 said:

  I used to own the D2K and the bass on that was like a slug very uncontrolled as compared to my 7520. I looked up the AURALiC stack beautiful piece of equipment.

Click to expand...

No kidding, I dynamat modded D5K like on day two. LOL.
The drivers look like MDR-1R, only bigger, 50mm vs 40mm and better damplened magnesium cups. But they sound tons better than MDR-1R, cleaner, bass, mids, and treble more seamlessly integrated with each other, the only thing that stands out for me is low bass, can be too much on some tracks. But it seems to get better with use already, hopefully pink noise overnighter will tame it down even more.
I really like them quite better than all other closed I owned (MDR-1R, Mad Dog 3.2, K271S, D2K, D5K, etc.). Of course W5K is still a king, but it's not really closed and definitely not portable, even remotely.
 
Based on the comments I was afraid of getting monitoring, closed in sounding cans, but they sound reasonably spacious, more spacious than K271S and from memory on par with Mad Dog. Positioning is laser cut precise though.
 
The only question I am asking myself now is why it took so long for me to get them. They really deserved more attention on head-fi.

I also like the 7520 a bit more than the Mad Dog 3.1.
 
The dog went back to Dan and the 7520 was here to stay. That fat bass will calm down a bit after burn-in Andrew_WOT. Things will keep getting better.
 
Not sure if it's the hardness of the LCP diaphram but I think the 7520 benefits from a good long burn-in. Just my personal bias opinion of course.

Dam I am finding the 7506 an 900 online search easier than the 7520
Not many places to purchase..

maxx134 said:

Dam I am finding the 7506 an 900 online search easier than the 7520

Not many places to purchase..

Click to expand...

B&H Photo? They seem to have the best price. They also carry used at like $250.

andrew_wot said:

  B&H Photo? They seem to have the best price. They also carry used at like $250.

Click to expand...

That's where I got mine.

Is this headphone perfect or something?
I can tell some differences between the yamaha hph mt220 and Sony 7520 easier now. Cool thing is that they didn't jump at me right away. Both are great.

grizzlybeast said:

  It's a tough one for me gelocks, a humbling comparison that makes me question my hearing abilities and source etc... and confirms how far from an expert I am.
 

---

zazex has the sony mdr 7520, and the NAD viso. I am interested in impressions of how those two compare as well..
 
any thoughts zazex?

Click to expand...

 
 

zazex said:

   
Sure, plenty of them.  Thanks for asking.
 
I'm not sure if I should start a new thread comparing the two, or just
post in this thread.  My concern is that doing so in this thread could
be seen as a hijack which, of course, I'd want to avoid.
 
 
In the meantime, feel free to send me a PM and I'll be glad to share
my thoughts with you about the Sony and the NAD.  I'll just say here
quickly that I prefer the Sony's.

Click to expand...

 
 

starfly said:

Just go ahead and post your impressions here. This thread isn't just here for 7520 owners, but also for people trying to make up their mind about which headphone to get. So comparisons to other headphones are always welcome

Click to expand...

 
 

m-13 said:

 
This is so true. Everyone I see here are people from various FOTM closed headphone threads searching for the perfect closed phone. LOL. My search also led me to the 7520, and this is where I stopped cause I really couldn't think of anything else. And the 7520 was "good enough". Well maybe a little bit better than good enough.

Click to expand...

 
 
It took a little while to get this together because of the busy-ness around the US holiday,
and also because I've been comparing some amps at the same time.
 
The 7520's have greater clarity throughout the spectrum, greater extension particularly up top,
and a wider soundstage.  Sometimes, on some recordings, I feel they have too much bass and
switch over to their "cousins" i.e. the MDR Z1000's. 
 
The HP50's, to me at least, are somehow addictive.  They have a sort of softness to their SQ
that's quite unique.  They "take the edge off" along with some of the fine detail.  They are simply
never strident or even close to it.
 
So to me, while they're not champions when it comes to accuracy, they sure sound good.
Flat more or less - no bumped up bass or sizzling treble - the treble is, again, gentle,
yet there; same with the bass.  The bass is articulate and there is no sibilance.
Perhaps there's a slight midrange recess...perhaps.
 
 
These headphones have a very interesting sound.  I know, of course, that Barton and NAD
are touting "Room Feel" or whatever, and this doesn't mean much to me.  Products generally
benefit from a back story, marketing, call it what you will. 
 
But what struck me is that it took me a few days to decide if I really liked them. 
Because generally, I can tell if I like the sound of audio gear almost immediately.
 
I knew I liked these from the first moments, but there was something puzzling about
them that was preventing me from just saying "these are keepers".  And, after listening
to them for a few days, I've decided it's that tension between their softness and their
lack of fine detail.  I really enjoy listening to them, but at a certain point when I want
to hear what something 'really' sounds like I'll take them off and put on the 7520's
(or otherwise).
 
Immensely comfortable and very easily driven.
Big, thick semi-firm earpads aid in their excellent isolation.
Isolation is on par with or even perhaps greater than the 7520's.
Comfort is similar, and build quality seems similar as well 
No rattling, squeaking, or any other type of random noises
generated from the structure.
 
I definitely recommend the HP50's at their current street price
of $279.  (Might be significantly less over the next day or two,
actually.)   If you're in a position to pick up the 7520's, I definitely
recommend them more highly. 
 
___________________
 
 
Listened to a bunch of stuff;
some of it =
 
Year of the Cat (Remastered)
Al Stewart
(Produced by Alan Parsons)
 
The Sun Awakens
Six Organs of Admittance
 
Toy Matinee
Toy Matinee
 
Bluffers Guide to the Flight Deck
Flotation Toy Warning
 
Fancy Ultra Fresh
Freezepop
 
Karnataka
Delicate Flame of Desire
 
Octet
Steve Reich
 
Oxygene (Remastered)
Jean Michel Jarre
 
several others
(contact me for full list if you wish)
 
All FLAC files on an iBasso DX50
Amps:
JDS Labs O2
ALO The National
Cable: Cardas
Cable HP-50: Plain (w/o volume controls)

Thanx zazex... Very interesting. seems like its good to have both...