so how do you like the 7550 vs the 90? I thought the former was the new version of the 90? And when is your kicker due?

jameswalker said:

  so how do you like the 7550 vs the 90? I thought the former was the new version of the 90? And when is your kicker due?

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if you can afford the price jump from the 90 to the 7550 do it but you'll still want to own the 90 regardless. the 7550 is actually older than the 90 but same driver on the inside as far as we can tell.
 
the 7550 has less bass than the 90... until you tape the vent and poke that hole. aside from that it just sounds more open and lets a little more detail in at the expense of some bass impact. the tape brings back the 90ex-like impact.
 
kicker is due monday. i will post alllllllllllllll about it. don't worry

I don't seem to be able to find a reliable source for either of the sony's to even see a price!

jameswalker said:

I don't seem to be able to find a reliable source for either of the sony's to even see a price!

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Try searching Sony MDR 7550 and Sony MDR EX800ST

jameswalker said:

  I don't seem to be able to find a reliable source for either of the sony's to even see a price!

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Don't know where you live but Amazon and eBay both have plenty of both model Sony. Heck you can get the 90EX on Amazon Prime if you have it.
 
if you're int'l there are lots of ebay sellers based out of Japan and they usually have the lowest prices too. they ship worldwide
 
the 7550 is also sold as ex800st
 
The 90EX is like $80-90. The 7550/800st you're gonna spend like 175-200 maybe a lil more.

jameswalker said:

 

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 I like the 2.5
I was the one who did the first review and they are pretty much twins at the top of bass mountain.
 
I gave my Sz1k away as the SZ2k made it redundant. The 800 makes the 2.5 redundant as I don't really collect stuff.
 
The 2.5 has always been 100% open port since about 2 hours after I bought it. It is a blow dryer when done that way. Today I listened to:
 

 
 
 

 

 
 

 
 
 
The clarity in the mids is outstanding on the ex800  and the 100% open port is causing a comparative recessed mids on the 2.5
 
 
studio cans or IEM are kinda funny and I have talked about it before in over ear. They are hard as **** to boost. My AKAI Studio headphones laugh at eq boosts. I had to pull the drivers and mod ports/baffle vents. They are impressive in that way. Some cans are not hard to boost but others are a ************.
 
Go find the AKAI thread which is dead because everybody was trying to boost them including @Oregonian but the drivers were studio tuned. They laugh at **** all the way up to vintage amps with a straight tap.
 
These 800 are ex800st  They are Studio tuned. flat from 20-2k roughly then falloff so no artificial sense of space or detail beyond the master.
I got them because the 500mW.
 
These drivers can get damaged by over heating the voice coils among other ways but that unusual high input spec gives me the basshead a lot of headroom.
 
I HAVE to vent mod just like the AKAI because a simple eq boost and some gain won't do much. Instead of ripping out drivers i can just slap a tiny piece of black electric tape..pin prick it to let it breath a bit and the sub bass is up but the mids are not. I don't know your music tastes but electric guitar with distortion pedals is a nightmare for folks who raise sub bass.
 
 
This sounds ******* epic:
 

 
Never heard the combo of bass and clear guitar of this track on any IEM before (Mojo is maybe part of this) but I'm not going back.
I'm building an uber cable for this bad ass.
 
 
EDIT:
The xb90ex are automatic.
They stay in my stable x3 because they are awesome.

I am from UK, so amazon:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sony-MDR-7550-Pro-Studio-Headphones/dp/B005IFCSHA
 
7550 are unavailable. 
 
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sony-MDR-EX800ST-SONY-Japan-import/dp/B0046ESVVG
 
800 are $490. Seems a bit high when you said it should be 175?!

I don't have permission to link to amazon, but the 7550 aren't available and the EX800ST are $490! I am from the UK. 

jameswalker said:

  I am from UK, so amazon:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sony-MDR-7550-Pro-Studio-Headphones/dp/B005IFCSHA
 
7550 are unavailable. 
 
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sony-MDR-EX800ST-SONY-Japan-import/dp/B0046ESVVG
 
800 are $490. Seems a bit high when you said it should be 175?!

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 I paid $175 or 17,000 yen roughly.
 
The price has gone up in Japan too
 
but still close
 
http://kakaku.com/search_results/mdr+800st/?cid=shop_gs002
 
This shop has sold me strobe lights, smoke machines,   and the 800
 
http://kakaku.com/shop/1367/?pdid=K0000160964&lid=shop_itemview_shopname

How is the fit of the 800 over the x90? Appears to be over ear, memory wire? And how is isolation of both? For now lets ignore their sound signatures and look at other possible reasons for me to buy them

jameswalker said:

  How is the fit of the 800 over the x90? Appears to be over ear, memory wire? And how is isolation of both? For now lets ignore their sound signatures and look at other possible reasons for me to buy them

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 I love the xb90ex flat cord. Never bunches up.
ex800 cord is a ******* horror show. Needs a sleeve which is easy as **** but stock drove me ******* nuts.
 
Ear hooks are no issue and help stabilize which gets me a slightly better fit than the xb90 for pushing in deep and I use the bigger sony hybrid tips.
I am very selfish and self centered and don't care about other folks hearing my music. If you mean blocking out outside noise for yourself they seem fine aside from really noisy enviroments where hearing a tad of the outside world might be good....hello bus.....hello train....kinda stuff

I decided to hear all 3 versions of the $12 KZ ATE to evaluate them for basshead budget purposes.
 
From what I understand the silver KZ ATE is the 1st generation, the translucent black KZ ATE is the 2nd generation, and the ATE-S is the 3rd generation. The ATE-S has the most bass but it's unbalanced and too bloated sounding when amped so I have given it away. The silver ATE does not have as much bass as the translucent ATE.
 
The translucent ATE takes to EQ'ing very well. When I use it with my Arrow 5TX is is actually very similar in sound to the XB90EX. The main difference is less clarity, a warmer sound signature, and just a tiny bit off the bottom end of frequency response.
 
I have to admit when I was switching between my Xb90EX and the translucent ATE just now I forgot which one I was listening to a couple times. The 90ex has more alive highs,  and is less flat seeming across the top than the ATE. They both have closed headphone style sound. The 7550 is considerably more open sounding than the 90ex but the ASG 2.5 is the most open sounding I know... well behind the KL-SANKA and KL-REF.
 
When listening to 2pac - So Many Tears with my Arrow 5TX on max high bass boost the 90EX is pushing serious heavy bass. The ATE actually comes very close but the 90EX definitely gets the edge. But one of these is $12 and one of these is $90. Additionally, if you think the highs are too present on the 90EX maybe you should think about getting an ATE.
 
Would I listen to them daily? Because I have the XB90EX, probably not. these will sit in my bag I bring back and forth to work and maybe I'll leave a second set on my desk just in case something terrible happens and I forget all my IEMs.
 
If you are on a super budget, maybe have access to a vintage stereo receiver but no other amp, or just want a new set of cheap IEMs go ahead and drop $12 on the translucent ATE's, this will bring you a lot of the way towards the XB90EX experience for a fraction of the price.
 
The ATE-S is just OK unamped, but it has too much bloat to be good when amped. I gave it to a friend to try out. If he doesn't like them they will be stomped on. The silver ATE is no good IMO. It is too bright and too light on bass even when amped and EQ'd. It lacks the rumble of the translucent one. I have owned two of the translucent ones and they both have great rumble that can come close to the 90EX.
 
BTW I only used my Comply T500 tips on the KZ ATE's I tested, I didn't even try the stock tips on the KZ's.
 
Real excited for the Kicker to get here. When it does I will see if I like it more than the 7550/800ST.
 
However.... one day I will own the KINGS.
 

 
 
(edit: lol, apparently i'm not the only one excited to get the kicker! 3 people PM'd me asking to compare it to different IEMs i've owned )

jameswalker said:

  I don't have permission to link to amazon, but the 7550 aren't available and the EX800ST are $490! I am from the UK. 

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I don't know the mechanics of buying from overseas in the UK, but Amazon USA has 2 pair
of the MDR7550 remaining, stocked in the USA, Amazon prime for $315
Amazon USA also lists 148 sellers of the EX800, almost all Japanese, starting at $207 w free ship.
 
It seems like USA availability is almost over, but getting them from Japan seems plentiful. I've bought
a few things from AmazonUK and it wasn't any particular hassle, is it different in the reverse direction?
 
I just got a set of MDR7550's yesterday and have been comparing and listening since. They definitely have
the bass. So far, I'd say these are a no brainer if you can get them around $200 or a bit more.

Originally Posted by bada bing /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
I just got a set of MDR7550's yesterday and have been comparing and listening since. They definitely have
the bass. So far, I'd say these are a no brainer if you can get them around $200 or a bit more.

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Have you taped the vents yet?

Got my impressions done today - that was NOT a pleasant experience  The things I'll do for this hobby