[richbass]

   
TH600 doesn't have the clarity of the MDR-7520.

Have you compared them ?

 

[AUserName501]

Spoiler: Quote: richbass

 
Have you compared them ?

 

Honestly, no. The TH600 headphone is not known for being extremely detailed.
 
I've had my second sale fall through because they wanted to know whether the 7520 could be repaired at a Hifi shop and they got the Momentum over-ear instead. An opportunity to get a rare headphone that is leagues ahead of anything at a similar price and they get the over-priced Amperior.

 

[bixby]

   
TH600 doesn't have the clarity of the MDR-7520.

 
 

 
Have you compared them ?

 
 

  Honestly, no. The TH600 headphone is not known for being extremely detailed.
 
I've had my second sale fall through because they wanted to know whether the 7520 could be repaired at a Hifi shop and they got the Momentum over-ear instead. An opportunity to get a rare headphone that is leagues ahead of anything at a similar price and they get the over-priced Amperior.

fyi - Currawongs rules of posting on the forums here at headfi:
 
Please don't recommend equipment you don't own or otherwise don't have a reasonable amount of familiarity with. You wouldn't recommend someone a car you've never driven or suggest someone live in a country you haven't been to, so recommending headphones and equipment you haven't owned or used is unhelpful. Even if you've seen the same comments about something from a dozen members, save discussion of that if you're intending to buy it yourself.
 
Likewise, please avoid trashing equipment you haven't used or aren't familiar with. Having doubts about something you see in a design is fair enough, but to quote Robert Pirsig: "The test of the machine is the satisfaction it gives you. There isn't any other test. If the machine produces tranquility, it's right. If it disturbs you it's wrong until either the machine or your mind is changed." So remember that you can derive satisfaction from listening with any audio gear as much from your appreciation of the design (whether how it looks or how it measures) as much as how it reproduces music.
 
Also, Please don't post a review of a product in the Head Gear section that you don't yet own or have only heard briefly. People use the reviews to decide what product to buy, and brief impressions or comments by people who don't own a product (or at least haven't had it in their possession for a sufficient amount of time) are unhelpful.

 

[AUserName501]

Spoiler: Quote: bixby

   
 
 
 
fyi - Currawongs rules of posting on the forums here at headfi:
 
Please don't recommend equipment you don't own or otherwise don't have a reasonable amount of familiarity with. You wouldn't recommend someone a car you've never driven or suggest someone live in a country you haven't been to, so recommending headphones and equipment you haven't owned or used is unhelpful. Even if you've seen the same comments about something from a dozen members, save discussion of that if you're intending to buy it yourself.
 
Likewise, please avoid trashing equipment you haven't used or aren't familiar with. Having doubts about something you see in a design is fair enough, but to quote Robert Pirsig: "The test of the machine is the satisfaction it gives you. There isn't any other test. If the machine produces tranquility, it's right. If it disturbs you it's wrong until either the machine or your mind is changed." So remember that you can derive satisfaction from listening with any audio gear as much from your appreciation of the design (whether how it looks or how it measures) as much as how it reproduces music.
 
Also, Please don't post a review of a product in the Head Gear section that you don't yet own or have only heard briefly. People use the reviews to decide what product to buy, and brief impressions or comments by people who don't own a product (or at least haven't had it in their possession for a sufficient amount of time) are unhelpful.

 

Guess I better borrow a Fostex TH600.

 

[Ikarios]

Something I've learned over years of being on Head-Fi is that the only way to truly compare two headphones is to listen to them with your own ears, side by side. Just reading about headphones isn't enough, because everyone has different ears, a lot of people tend to recount comparisons from memory (which is notoriously inaccurate, even over a short period of time), subjective opinions vary, etc etc. After reading through this thread and getting hyped about the 7520, on top of not being able to find one for weeks on end, I have to say I was pretty underwhelmed with it when I finally got my hands on a pair. A lot of it is personal preference, because the strengths of this headphone don't appeal to me while the weaknesses really detract from how much I enjoy it.

 

[AUserName501]

Spoiler: Quote: Ikarios

  Something I've learned over years of being on Head-Fi is that the only way to truly compare two headphones is to listen to them with your own ears, side by side. Just reading about headphones isn't enough, because everyone has different ears, a lot of people tend to recount comparisons from memory (which is notoriously inaccurate, even over a short period of time), subjective opinions vary, etc etc. After reading through this thread and getting hyped about the 7520, on top of not being able to find one for weeks on end, I have to say I was pretty underwhelmed with it when I finally got my hands on a pair. A lot of it is personal preference, because the strengths of this headphone don't appeal to me while the weaknesses really detract from how much I enjoy it.

 

Headphones rarely live up to their hype.

 

[Ikarios]

  Headphones rarely live up to their hype.

 
That's not true. Of the headphones I've listened to recently, a bunch of them have - MrSpeakers Mad Dogs, NAD HP50, Hifiman HE500 and RE400 in particular. Each one has its own issues with comfort and fit but that's a personal issue with my head, mainly. Some headphones earn the praise they get, especially if they're as widely recommended as some of those I listed. I think I just expected something different from the 7520, like I expected an improved 7506. Part of it has to do with the scarcity of well-known reviewers who share personal preferences with me and whose thoughts I can easily distill. Part of it is just preferences not aligning with the headphone.

 

[Maxx134]

Guess I better borrow a Fostex TH600.

Lol, yes

Think of the th600 as a bigger, more spacious grander smoother bassy-er and MORE DETAILED version of your Sony(!)


Edit;
Just remember the to sonic signatures are vastly different according to their intended use.
The Sony is more of a monitor,
While the th600 is more a bass head can..

 

[Mike F]

  Something I've learned over years of being on Head-Fi is that the only way to truly compare two headphones is to listen to them with your own ears, side by side. Just reading about headphones isn't enough, because everyone has different ears, a lot of people tend to recount comparisons from memory (which is notoriously inaccurate, even over a short period of time), subjective opinions vary, etc etc. After reading through this thread and getting hyped about the 7520, on top of not being able to find one for weeks on end, I have to say I was pretty underwhelmed with it when I finally got my hands on a pair. A lot of it is personal preference, because the strengths of this headphone don't appeal to me while the weaknesses really detract from how much I enjoy it.

 
So was I, initially. What were the weaknesses in your opinion?

 

[Ikarios]

I haven't spent a lot of time with the 7520s yet so I don't want to make any harsh judgments, but primarily: midbass bloat and something going on with the mids, making voices not sound "natural". Rather, the mids aren't "recessed", per se, but the bass bump coupled with clean clear treble just kind of leaves the mids behind. I'm pretty sure there's some kind of resonance that messes with vocals but I'm not a critical listening expert. Part of it is that I prefer warmer headphones in general.
 
As a side note, I find that the shallow pads press into my ears after a few hours, so I have to take them off and rub my ears for a while. The 1R, in comparison, is a dream, it's so ridiculously comfortable. Just a personal nitpick.

 

[Mike F]

  I haven't spent a lot of time with the 7520s yet so I don't want to make any harsh judgments, but primarily: midbass bloat and something going on with the mids, making voices not sound "natural". Rather, the mids aren't "recessed", per se, but the bass bump coupled with clean clear treble just kind of leaves the mids behind. I'm pretty sure there's some kind of resonance that messes with vocals but I'm not a critical listening expert. Part of it is that I prefer warmer headphones in general.
 
As a side note, I find that the shallow pads press into my ears after a few hours, so I have to take them off and rub my ears for a while. The 1R, in comparison, is a dream, it's so ridiculously comfortable. Just a personal nitpick.

 
Well, I have to say I'm not at all surprised by your description of what you find 'wrong'. I think I could say that my initial reaction was very similar; too much bass, especially mid bass, and something strange about the mids - not recessed, but somehow not as open or natural as I expected.
 
All I can say is give them a really good burn in (150-200hrs), and then give them a good listen allowing your self time to adjust to the sound. The bass improves a lot becoming much tighter and cleaner and then the whole spectrum seems to fall into place. I find them to be very fast, accurate and detailed (and at times sibilant if it's present on the recording) but at the same time dark and musical. A very unusual combination.

 

[groovyd]

They def could use fatter more comfortable pads that don't have your ears touching or pressed against the driver grill on the inside.

 

[groovyd]

... I do love how efficient and light yet durable they are though, no amp necessary.

 

[ForceMajeure]

@Ikarios Try to take the cups down a notch or two, it will sligthly weaken the clamping side force and will allow the cups to be less vertical and a little bit more diagonal thus weaken pressure against your upper ear (helix).
 
About the the mids you expected a 7506 kinda sound which is not what the 7520 is.
And I don't recall a post in this thread stating that the 7520 is a better 7506,
if I'm not wrong Mike F talked about it quite a bit saying that they are quite different sounding or maybe ti was the 7509... 
 
Anyway after checking the 7506 freq response 

 
it seems that I was right about my assumption that they have a bump in upperbass lower mids making voices sounding more authoritative/throaty.
No matter how long you will burn the 7520 you will not have those 7506 mids, But the good thing is that you could simply use EQ to achieve it quite easily then you might have a 7506 with better base.A 5db bump at 500hz and a 1db or 2db bump at 1000hz will be a good start for perfecting your equalization if you have control over Q's and specific freqs in your EQ will even be better.
 
Of course IMO comfort issue is a deal-breaker if it can't be overcome no matter how good a Headphone might sound it will always tinker with your mind and not allow you to truly appreciate its sound.

 

[typhoon838]

7520s or NAD HP50s (or B&W P7s...or anything else that possibly fits my needs)?

I want a portable pair of headphones that I can take everywhere with me, that don't leak noise, that have a "wow" factor for someone who has never used a good pair of headphones or listened to a good pair of speakers, and that will sound good when listening to aggressive music - hard rock, metal, hardcore, and the more aggressive electronic sub-genres. Above anything they need to be very comfortable. I had V-Moda Crossfade LPs and HATED the fit, so if anyone knows what those are like, that should give you a reference point.

Most likely won't be using an amp or any sophisticated hardware, but one might be in my future if it's a one-and-done sort of purchase.

I listen to music through Spotify Premium. Not sure if that's good or bad quality.

Finally...I've seen pictures of the HP50 that make it look rather silly on your head, and have heard people say that it does. What do you guys think?