[Quadfather]

  Thank you for detailed view on both of these headphones. The MSR7 certainly has my attention and according many users these are really solid quality. Despite all that I do prefer a bit warm sound with slightly expanded bass signature plus I have already one Denons which I have to admit sound amazing. They seem to be my first choice at the moment.
 
I might end up buying both of these as the MSR7 sci-fi design looks fantastic plus would be great to have a option to listen to both according my mood. I went to few shops to check them out but the MSR7 were sold out. Once I get any of these I will be posting my reviews and photos here. 

The Audio-Technica ATH-MSR7s are fun, punchy, aggressive, well-detailed cans.  They have great bass, but not artificial.  These can get a little bright for lengthy listening periods, but are extraordinarily fun.  I would liken my ATH-MSR7s to spicy salsa, whereas my Shure SRH1540s are smooth, laid-back, creamy butter.  I love them both and switch off depending on my mood, or the music. My source is a fully burned-in Questyle QP1R.

 

[240z]

From ath m40x, beyer dt770 and custom one pro, vmoda m100, sony mdr1a, msr7 is my favourite. Now im planning to buy some iem that sounds like the msr7, what are you guys recommend me? Fyi, my budget is less than $150. Thanks all, have a great day

 

[CycleMotion]

From ath m40x, beyer dt770 and custom one pro, vmoda m100, sony mdr1a, msr7 is my favourite. Now im planning to buy some iem that sounds like the msr7, what are you guys recommend me? Fyi, my budget is less than $150. Thanks all, have a great day

It's hard to find similar IEMs, but maybe 1More Triple Driver is nice and best value option.

 

[240z]

It's hard to find similar IEMs, but maybe 1More Triple Driver is nice and best value option.

It cost $90 in my local store, does it sounds better than ath im50 or im70?

 

[CycleMotion]

It cost $90 in my local store, does it sounds better than ath im50 or im70?

It's diffeerent, IMs are rounded, bassy, relaxed and midrange oriented while 1TD are clearer woth better top end and bass is not so heavy, similar to MSR7.

 

[Smokescreen0623]

From ath m40x, beyer dt770 and custom one pro, vmoda m100, sony mdr1a, msr7 is my favourite. Now im planning to buy some iem that sounds like the msr7, what are you guys recommend me? Fyi, my budget is less than $150. Thanks all, have a great day

I'm looking for the same. I have the 1More Triple Driver and it is not the answer. Much darker than the MSR7, vocals are recessed, and the bass is nowhere near as taught.
Out of the few (5) iems I own, the KZ ZST closest fits the bill for me, at a whopping 9 dollars.

 

[BigDave]

I have the msr7 and my closest sounding iem that I have is the dunu titan 1's.  They have that aggressiveness across the whole frequency range as well as some spaciousness to the sound that reminds me of the msr7's.  They are also very comfortable, like the msr7's.

 

[Dave Inferno]

From ath m40x, beyer dt770 and custom one pro, vmoda m100, sony mdr1a, msr7 is my favourite. Now im planning to buy some iem that sounds like the msr7, what are you guys recommend me? Fyi, my budget is less than $150. Thanks all, have a great day

You can try Audio-Technica ATH E40. It's sound is almost like MSR 7,but with smaller soundstage and less detailed. However, it's sound signature is almost like MSR7, the vocal performance is really good.

 

[FYLegend]

Yes, the E40's bass is similar and it also has upper-mid and lower treble emphasis, but seems to roll off early while MSR7 extends very well. I've only heard it briefly but I think the LS200 sounds even closer to the MSR7 in terms of detail (some reviewers have commented it has even more clarity than MSR7).

 

[DancingShade]

MSR7s with the ZMF cowhide earpads (they slip right on the same way as the stock ones) transform these headphones into an amazingly comfortable and long term listening headphone.
 
Definitely doesn't hurt the isolation either.

 

[iancraig10]

To the new pads down the treble a little?

 

[Computer Lounge]

I'm also curious to hear how the ZMF Cowhide pads affect the sound, does the soundstage widen at all?

// Alex

 

[DancingShade]

Well it's hard for me to say. You see the original stock pads are simply too small for my ears period. Or my head - they crush flat with the clamp. I can kind just cram my ears in with a stretch but then the angled drivers are then crushing my lobes very uncomfortably and I can barely wear the MSR7s for even one or two songs. I did like the stock sound but as you might understand I didn't go through my library of tracks to make a definitive comparison.
Anyway the point is that I bought them knowing I would need to pad swap so that's what I did.

The first pad swap I tried was the Brainwavz HM5 angled lambskins. Lost a lot of bass response and felt... so-so. Comfort was very much improved but I wasn't completely happy with the sonic change. I think this was possibly because they were softer than the cowhides but most likely because the 4cm horizontal diameter is a bit tight for my large ears so they weren't being hit with the sound from the drivers evenly After a couple weeks I ordered and tried the ZMF cowhides and basically "wow".

I would describe the difference as being a better bass emphasis and better soundstage with superb all day listening ergonomics if you were so inclined. The brightness doesn't diminish so you still can't crank the volume without melting your head. This is purely my subjective experience of course and I should point out I have a large head and wear my MSR7s at maximum extension - not even enough skull room remains for me to squeeze a pilot pad in. A great deal of the sound you will personally experience is going to be dependant on how your ears fit inside the pads - whether stock or aftermarket.

For me the ZMF cowhides were so good I had to order another set because I'm not taking the first pair off my MSR7s - that's their new home. You could wear the MSR7s with those pads all day if you wanted to.

Edited for typos

 

[Kumbaya]

So I have the MSR7s, and they've been quite nice to my ears. However, my audio bug is acting up again, and I can't but help wonder about a few things:

1) Do cable upgrades make that much of a difference? Having long scoffed at Monster Cables and any non-generic audio cables, to now think that the upgrade cables sold by Audio-Technica and Sony make a difference is a difficult pill to swallow...

2) Does an MSR7 benefit from a DAC/Amp such as a Schiit Fulla 2? From what I have observed, my MSR7 is quite sensitive and responsive to my on-board audio and phone. Would something like a Fulla 2 improve on the sound characteristics, or would it be overkill for an MSR7?

Finally, if it came down to cable or DAC/Amp, which would would people recommend first? There are DAC/Amps that cost less than cables nowadays...

 

[iancraig10]

I'd recommend Dac/amp route first.

Discussing cables can get a bit daft on HF!!!!