Audio-Technica ATH-DSR7BT (bluetooth twin of the MSR7?) and ATH-DSR9BT
Nov 27, 2016 at 11:01 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 34

ejswa51

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Last week released in Japan.
https://www.audio-technica.co.jp/atj/show_model.php?modelId=2902
(Translated: https://translate.google.nl/translate?hl=nl&sl=auto&tl=en&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.audio-technica.co.jp%2Fatj%2Fshow_model.php%3FmodelId%3D2902)
It says released 25th of november, but I don't speak or read Japanese, so my info is limited to google translate and Pocketlint:
http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/139156-ditching-the-dac-audio-technica-dsr9bt-bluetooth-headphones-go-all-digital-with-pure-digital-drive-tech
 
9bt's preview: 
http://www.pocket-lint.com/review/139169-audio-technica-ath-dsr9bt-preview-a-digital-future-for-high-end-headphones
 
Bluetooth headphones without 3,5mm-jack. Very interesting if you ask me. The 7bt being some sort of twin of the MSR7, allthough they do mention 4 voicecoils in the 9bt an one in the 7bt, which would make it sound slightly (?) different from the msr7's. The 9bt is probably another ball game, or same game but different league
wink_face.gif
  
Any thoughts or aditional info? I'm heavily interested in the 7 (the 9 being over my budget) since my ESW9's literally broke, and I don't want cables anymore. So I'm waiting on Audiocubes to add it to their store, or otherwise BuySmartJapan might be an option (nope, can't wait for the possible European release
wink_face.gif
).
 
Dec 28, 2016 at 1:41 AM Post #4 of 34
Yeah, would also love to hear your impressions!
 
Especially as it relates to the sound signature and comfort. I currently have the Beoplay H7 and SR5BT- I like the SR5BT's sound but as someone with glasses, the on-ear design is non-negotiable. I hope these are better and also don't have the clamp force of the MSR7s.
 
Dec 28, 2016 at 8:25 AM Post #5 of 34
Unfortunately I don't have the MSR-7's myself, but starting from what I've read about these I think the sound signature is similar. I use Samsung Tabpro S (Win10) and Lumia 950, both with bluetooth apt-x (non-hd) streaming Deezer premium (mainly folk: Agnes Obel, Ben Howard, Jason Isbell, Jonathan Wilson)
At first I was listening them without any eq, and found them very bass-light (coming from ESW9). However, I just figured out how to eq (using APO Equalizer) them a little over bluetooth (providing them with a small bassboost) and now I must say that they sound marvellous. Bass goes very deep and is tight, mids and highs are prominent: certainly female vocals shine. Just like the MSR7's I assume.
Difference between wired and bluetooth is very small as far as I can hear. Treble is a bit more sparkly wired compared to bluetooth. When listening carefully you can hear the codes used is of slightly less quality, so using aptx-HD might help, but I don't own an aptx-hd compatibal DAP (yet). But as said, the difference is very small.
 
Than on practicalities: Connecting is easy, and seems solid (I haven't had any drops in bluetooth connection so far). There is a play/pause and phonecall-answering touchbutton, which I sometimes pressed accidentally when removing the cans from my head. Since this automatically pauses the music playing, it's not a big issue. Volume-control and skipping tracks is the same swtich whereas volume is slight ticking it up, and skipping forward is keeping it up for a while. You do hear a bleep when an action is done. The button is however very plasticky, and wobbles a bit. When walking and sitting it's fine, but I did hear it wiggle when I was jogging the other day. I don't expect this from a $3-400 headphone. The USB-cable provided is very thick and rigid. So using them wired on the go (in case of a dead battery) doesn't seem comfortable to me. I am looking for a flexible usb-c to micro-usb cable for these emergencies. I haven't tried their batterylife yet.
Isolation and buildquality is probably similar to the MSR7's: very good. However I would have liked to see a bit more metal used. Clamping is quite strong (again, probably alike MSR7), but the cushions are very comfortable and I'm wearing them now with glasses and they don't press extra on them.
 
Comparisons are a bit hard, because I'm comparing wired with non-wired, and when I use these wired, it's a whole different story (usb vs audiocable). But I will try and post some experiences comparing these with ESW9 and W1000x as these are the ones lying around here.
Overall: very happy! Small boost in the lower bass makes them very good sounding, isolating, comfortable headphones, but if you liked the MSR7, and want to go wireless, this is the way to go.
 
Dec 29, 2016 at 3:55 AM Post #6 of 34
  Unfortunately I don't have the MSR-7's myself, but starting from what I've read about these I think the sound signature is similar. I use Samsung Tabpro S (Win10) and Lumia 950, both with bluetooth apt-x (non-hd) streaming Deezer premium (mainly folk: Agnes Obel, Ben Howard, Jason Isbell, Jonathan Wilson)
At first I was listening them without any eq, and found them very bass-light (coming from ESW9). However, I just figured out how to eq (using APO Equalizer) them a little over bluetooth (providing them with a small bassboost) and now I must say that they sound marvellous. Bass goes very deep and is tight, mids and highs are prominent: certainly female vocals shine. Just like the MSR7's I assume.
Difference between wired and bluetooth is very small as far as I can hear. Treble is a bit more sparkly wired compared to bluetooth. When listening carefully you can hear the codes used is of slightly less quality, so using aptx-HD might help, but I don't own an aptx-hd compatibal DAP (yet). But as said, the difference is very small.
 
Than on practicalities: Connecting is easy, and seems solid (I haven't had any drops in bluetooth connection so far). There is a play/pause and phonecall-answering touchbutton, which I sometimes pressed accidentally when removing the cans from my head. Since this automatically pauses the music playing, it's not a big issue. Volume-control and skipping tracks is the same swtich whereas volume is slight ticking it up, and skipping forward is keeping it up for a while. You do hear a bleep when an action is done. The button is however very plasticky, and wobbles a bit. When walking and sitting it's fine, but I did hear it wiggle when I was jogging the other day. I don't expect this from a $3-400 headphone. The USB-cable provided is very thick and rigid. So using them wired on the go (in case of a dead battery) doesn't seem comfortable to me. I am looking for a flexible usb-c to micro-usb cable for these emergencies. I haven't tried their batterylife yet.
Isolation and buildquality is probably similar to the MSR7's: very good. However I would have liked to see a bit more metal used. Clamping is quite strong (again, probably alike MSR7), but the cushions are very comfortable and I'm wearing them now with glasses and they don't press extra on them.
 
Comparisons are a bit hard, because I'm comparing wired with non-wired, and when I use these wired, it's a whole different story (usb vs audiocable). But I will try and post some experiences comparing these with ESW9 and W1000x as these are the ones lying around here.
Overall: very happy! Small boost in the lower bass makes them very good sounding, isolating, comfortable headphones, but if you liked the MSR7, and want to go wireless, this is the way to go.

 
Thanks for the prompt feedback! I also have glasses (and a big head) so comfort is probably my #2 priority next to audio quality. Let me know how it feels for you long-term.
 
The Beoplay H7s and MDR-100AAPs are my daily drivers atm and I love them because they are beyond comfortable. 
 
Jan 3, 2017 at 12:38 PM Post #7 of 34
I received the DSR9BT three days ago. It's the real deal if you're asking me !
 
I've been searching for the perfect bluetooth headphones for a long time now, and the DSR9BT is basically a perfect combination of the Sony MDR-1ABT, the ATH WS99BT and the Bose SoundLink Around-Ear.
 
First, it's really comfortable. I've never used the MSR7, so I can't compare, but I find it very similar to the MDR-1ABT. The clamping is stronger, it's true, but if you're stretching the hoop a little, it's perfect. For me anyway. But maybe it can be hard for the big head, because I'm not used ordinarily to stretch the hoop and here I had to.
 
Two, the sound is amazing. It's similar to the Bose SoundLink, because it sounds pretty neutral. It's great in the upper and the middle, but it's doesn't have much bass. But what's great, it's that the sound is powerful like the WS99BT. Unlike the Bose SoundLink, the sound can go very loud (and it stays clear!).
 
Three, the look is stunning and it's very easy to use ! I like that it has a touch sensor system like the MDR-1ABT, but yet has also good old buttons. More importantly, those buttons are PERFECTLY placed and conceived. Within 15 minutes of use, I knew already where they were. Neither the MDR-1ABT, the WS99BT and the Bose Sound-Link are so easy to control. I find instantly the volum/tracks button and it's perfectly recognizable with the finger (because it's a "switch" and not a button per se). Plus, the on/off button is also a switch (but not on the same side), and so there is no "if you press it 5 seconds, you're on pairing mode, blablabla". You press it, you're connected. It's that easy. The headphone is doing the rest if it has to be paired. I like also the light system, which is very discreet but shows the battery's level (something that's too often missing on bluetooth headphones) and also the codec used (apt-x, apt-x HD, etc.). It's very easy to understand.
 
The only disadvantage is the absence of a "cable mode". It's true that you can listen to it with the USB cable on your computer (I haven't tried it yet), but it's not really interesting since you're supposed to have bluetooth on your computer. I would have liked to use it wired with my hi-res player, but without a USB port, that's not an option.
But if you're looking only at the bluetooth quality of it, the DSR9BT is one of the best around and the best I sure tried (even if the DSR7BT is maybe a better value for money, I don't know!). Too often, I found that so many bluetooth had always one little inconvenient. This one is perfect ! Even though it's not for the bass heads around here !
 
Here's some pictures !
 








 
Jan 11, 2017 at 9:01 AM Post #8 of 34
Wow these look and sound great. Can't wait to try them. By any chance do you know how these sound compared to the Bowers & Wilkins P7 wireless/Bowers & Wilkins P5 wireless and the Sony MDR-1000X? These are the other HP that I am considering.
 
Jan 11, 2017 at 6:07 PM Post #9 of 34
Wow these look and sound great. Can't wait to try them. By any chance do you know how these sound compared to the Bowers & Wilkins P7 wireless/Bowers & Wilkins P5 wireless and the Sony MDR-1000X? These are the other HP that I am considering.

Sorry but I don't ! I really like Audio Technica sound signature, so after I discovered the WS99BT I decided to say with them. And now, with the DSR9BT, I don't think I will need another bluetooth headphone soon ! But I hope someone will be able to help you. When the DSR7BT/DSR9BT are gonna be available in the States I'm sure reviews will come and it will be easier. 
 
Jan 23, 2017 at 11:22 PM Post #11 of 34
Sorry but I don't ! I really like Audio Technica sound signature, so after I discovered the WS99BT I decided to say with them. And now, with the DSR9BT, I don't think I will need another bluetooth headphone soon ! But I hope someone will be able to help you. When the DSR7BT/DSR9BT are gonna be available in the States I'm sure reviews will come and it will be easier. 


Hey there,

I noticed in both threads you've been getting a lot of questions lately about the bass in the DSR9BT. But after reading your replies and the few reviews online about the headphones I'm not entirely certain what specific differences there are between this pair and the WS99BT, which I own currently.

So I wanted to ask you, as I think you said you own both- what specifically, in as much detail as you can please(especially with regards to the bass components), are the differences between this headphone and the WS99BT?

The tech specs suggest that the DSR9BT can dig a few Hz lower, but do you notice that(more tactile power/rumble)? How punchy is the bass, how powerful?

I EQ my headphones to an Equal Loudness Contour, and my WS99BTs are boosted(and to combat distortion other, higher frequencies are reduced) a fair deal, esp around sub 30Hz. Do you know how well the DSR9BT could handle EQing? If you've tried, was there any distortion or negative effects?

Any and all information you can offer will be much appreciated.

Thanks again!
 
Mar 22, 2017 at 5:53 PM Post #12 of 34
So, I've been using my dsr7bt's for some months now, and am still very happy. I found it somewhat remarkable that there aren't any reviews, and the attention is also not too big certainly considering the change in audio-design. Must have to do something with the international release, but then again, if I can get it, reviewers can get it.
But what are my remarks after longer use:
Batterylife is imperssive. I use it at the office, usually multiple hours a day, and I have to charge it not even once a week. What helps is the standbymode in case you forget to switch it off.
Pairing is fairly easy, although I sometimes have some trouble that windows won't recognize it as an audio device (it connects it as a headset with terrible audioquality as result). The fastest (and only?) solution is to connect it by wire, and disconnect it again and use bt.
Buttons are okay: usability is very good, but it wobbles during jogging which is annoying. The touch play/pause button is also touched too easily which causes accidentally pause/play music when taking off your headphone because your finger is on that button.
Comfort is pretty good. The pads are nice and soft, but clamping is rather strong. After some hours I do get some irritation on my head where the headband rests, and my ears get warm and want to get air.  
Builtquality is okay I'd say. For a >$300 I was hoping for a bit better quality. My main issue is the connection between the cups and headband being plastic. This is also where the cups rotate, and this part squeeks and creaks a bit too much if you ask me. If they would have made it metal it would be so much better. However, it doesn't seem fragile, but it makes it feel a bit cheaper than it is.
Because where it does show it's value is in sound. Everybody I put these headphones on their head are impressed. Bass goes deep (allthough I do recommend some eq'ing, since with flat eq it's not that strong) and tight, mids are nicely in front (certainly vocals) and treble sparkles. Overall very nicely balanced. Isolation is rather good, collegues really need to touch my shoulder in order to get an answer from me. So overall I really recommend these! 8/10 at least with the main downside is the builtquality of the swivling part and the buttons...
(source is Deezer, paid: highest quality available, transmitted through Sony NWZ-F886 Android rooted with Viper4AndriodFX as eq)
 
May 1, 2017 at 2:27 PM Post #13 of 34
does the dsr9bt sound harsh or metallic , once i owned the m50x wired and i hated it for it sounded so metallic and harsh

are mids full or thin sounding?
 
May 26, 2017 at 12:12 PM Post #14 of 34
Ordered a pair of DSR9BT's from Amazon last night. Trying to see how they compare to the Sony 1000Xs I've been using since October. I have a LG V20 so I'll be able to take advantage of the AptX HD in these. Right now with the Sonys i'm using standard AptX.
 
Jun 3, 2017 at 2:33 AM Post #15 of 34
Mine arrived yesterday. I'm listening to them at the moment. Trying via USB and Bluetooth apt x hd. Not come to any conclusions yet and think they may need a few hours burn in too. I have the dsr9bt.
 

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