Hifiman R7DX JM Edition Mod

Where to get them:
https://www.jmaudioeditions.com/

First off, If you are looking for a set of closed back headphones in the sub the sub $750 range, look no further than these headphones. They are incredible and out preform many of the closed backs I've tried that cost 2-4 times as much. Seriously, try these headphone you won't be disappointed.

I have the new version of the mod, the Bass+ version. Which adds a bit more emphasis to the bass over the base mod.

I first heard of the JM edition from @John Massaria when I was having him mod some other headphones I own. He is a great and trust worthy guy who is super passionate about his mods and takes great care in modding headphones.

Details:
~$250
16ohms
101 db/watt
~450g
Detachable dual 1/8" plugs on the cup
Flexible rubber 5' cable terminated in 1/8" with 1/4" adapter
Closed Back

Now on to the review.

Comfort:
The comfort in fine. The pads are large enough for my ears not to touch the sides or the driver cover. They are also quite soft, though, they can get hot after long listening sessions. The headband is kinda thin and a little wonky to adjust.

Portability:
Most phones/laptops should be able to drive these headphones with out any problem or real lose in the low end or details.

Sound stage:
The sound stage, while not huge, is a quite impressive for a closed back of this price. Don't go into these expecting them to be an open back level of sound stage. The sound reaches a little past the distance of the cups. Making a decent sized circle of sound around your head. The sound stage is on par with most closed backs in the in the $500-$1000 range. Which is very impressive given that the R7DX is around $250.

Details and Accuracy:
The detail and accuracy are great too. The placement of instruments with in the sound stage is easy to pick out with very accurate plucking and reverberation. Especially on live recordings. The only thing I have noticed is that on some super busy and hectic songs some of the minor details can be lost and some of instruments and sound a little congested.

Highs:
The high are slightly recessed in the very top end range to give an overall more accessible and enjoyable sound signature. If you love the sound signature of the HD800 or any of the Grados high end headphone it may be a little lacking for your tastes. but to my sibilant sensitive ears they are just about the perfect balance of detailed and presence. With none of the occasional pain I get from something like the HD800. GO GO Cactus Man by the Seatbelts reaches just high enough to deliver a decently powerful presentation of the whistling in the song with out ever being overbearing.
Are they the be all end all of highs? No. But they are fantastic for a closed back.

Lows:
The lows are where this headphone truly shines. They reach deep and have fantastic rumble and power without bleeding into the mids. In 2049 by Hans Zimmer the bass presentation on these headphones reaches deep into the lows and reproduces the heavy rumble in the song with out sounding lose or bloated. In Sober by Childish Gambino and Trenches by Duke & Jones the bass has a very clean and powerful snap with fantastic speed and no bleeding into the mids.

Mids:
I'm never really been sure how to describe the mids. I would say they are natural with no real emphasis given to any particular range. So, very pleasant and enjoyable.

Overall:
The headphones are absolutely fantastic and are going to be very hard to beat for the price. Even with the minor problems with the detail and comfort(not part of the mod) I'm still going to give the headphone 5 stars. I can't think of another headphone in the sub $750 range that competes with these headphones. Truly they set a new standard for closed backs in the price range.

This review will be concise and pardon for my English since it’s my 3rd language.

This headphone gave me a surprise. I am typically a sucker for modded headphones and have owned Argons T50 and T60, modded Grados, HD700 etc. So when this came out, for such a good price, I grabbed them. I have the 5th headphone that he made. Other reviews have already talked about the build and the specs so I will skip that. I will only be talking about the exceptional sound it makes.

SOUND
So I’m trying to think of a headphone that is similar in sound. LCD2C’s have wonderful texture, almost palpable, and I think this headphone has that same characteristic. Imaging is on par with HD660s. I can easily place instruments in the soundstage without trying hard. Instrument separation is also excellent like the Elegia. Soundstage is good but my reference is the HD820 which has an expansive soundstage. The soundstage in this headphone is definitely smaller compared to the HD820/HD800s but the R7DX has a pretty good verticality. Surround sound is okay but not great. It doesn’t make look behind my back thinking that there was someone behind me like how the HD800 does.

Bass
I’m not a bass head but this headphone makes me enjoy bass heavy music. Like I said earlier, this has texture. I used to own the TH900 and Lawton modded D7000 but the bass in those were too much for me. I would say that this has the same quality as the D7000 but tamed and controlled. I do not hear any boominess.

Midrange
I think this is where it shines. It is akin to the Elex or 6xx. Vocals are fleshed out, both for male and female vocals. I don’t know what else to say but they are superb. It feels like that in some songs, I’m very close to the artist.

Treble
It is not sibilant at all but still retains the sparkliness of the higher frequency sounds. I guess the treble has some characteristics of an HE6se. It is very natural sounding meaning that when a bad recording has an annoying triangle being smacked on the left corner, you’ll hear it. Cymbals sound realistic as well. What I do when I want to hear if a headphone is good at reproducing music is to play one of my middle school band recordings. I want to hear if it reproduces how bad the sound is because most live music currently is pretty bad.

Overall
This a good all rounder in the $700-$1000 range or even more. This feels like a mixture of the good parts of different headphones that cost between $100-$2000. For me the midrange and bass are its strongest features. I highly recommend this. Apparently, there’s a bassier version of this but I don’t have that one.

I highly recommend this!

I guess I'll start off with a bit of background, I purchased this pair off of another user on the subreddit r/Avexchange close to a month ago. This pair was originally a part of the first batch of JM modded R7DX headphones and was #2 of 20. My initial impressions with that version of this pair were very favorable, I found them to be very impressive, especially for the price. The only thing that was lacking a bit for me was the bass performance, I found them to be fairly bass light. Fast forward a few more days and I decided to contact JM and he offered to upgrade my pair to the + Bass edition, and so I gladly sent my pair off to him. Now, after spending a few weeks listening to them almost everyday I can say with absolute confidence that these are the best headphones I've owned under $500. I think it can also trade blows pretty competently with some other closed backs in the $1000 range, specifically the ZMF Atticus and Audeze LCD XC 2021.

Vocals: I think the most impressive aspect of this headphone was easily the vocal performance. Vocals are clear and intimate, but not too forward in the mix and not shouty. I think they are perfectly placed within the mix to my personal preference. I listen to a lot of music with female vocals and I think they are just as good with vocal performance as my Audeze LCD-2Cs which have been my favorite pair for vocals.

Soundstage/Imaging: The second thing that impressed me the most was the soundstage and imaging. Most of my playlist consists of orchestral music, and I could clearly tell the position of different instruments within a respectably large space. While soundstage and imaging are good, I found that on some busy tracks, instrument separation starts to become a little unclear and undefined, not to the point of being unenjoyable, but to the point of being noticeable.

Sound Signature: The sound signature of this headphone is very inoffensive and balanced, but not to the point of being boring. Bass quality is impressive and bass quantity is lacking for bassheads, but provides sufficient rumble and punch, it reminds me a lot of the bass of the Focal Clear, but doesn’t reach as deep as the clears. Mids are perfect to my ear, can’t really complain about any aspect of the mids. Lastly, I think the treble is in a good spot as well, there is some smoothing at the top end which I actually appreciate and prevents the headphone from being overly bright or sibilant in the highs, the treble is just right.

Value King: You can’t go wrong with buying this modded R7DX. For less than $300 you get a headphone that easily surpasses a number of closed backs below $500 and can trade blows with other closed backs around the $1000 mark. I’ve tried the Beyerdynamic dt 770 pros, Focal Elegia, Emu Teaks and I think all of those headphones lacked something for me. The 770s sounded muffled and were too bassy to be enjoyable, The Elegia had intimate vocals, but they overpowered the rest of the mix and could get too shouty, The Emu Teaks had very good bass quantity and quality, but made the midrange sound wonky and boxed in. All of these headphones I’ve listed had their good qualities, but they all failed in some aspects for me, while the R7DXs have not. The JM R7DXs neutral but still fun sound signature combined with its competent technicalities and low price make this headphone a keeper for me and an excellent addition to my collection.

To end off, I’m so glad I found out about JM’s modded R7DX, these are great headphones and I will definitely continue to watch out for other modded creations JM comes up with.

Hifiman R7 JM Stealth Edition + top Hifiman comfort headband

Background- Bought these on a whimsy after seeing his headphones being sold on AVE and right before Canjam too so I was already in hype-mode. I don't regret it!

I mostly listen to pop and indie with example artists as: Eden/The Eden Project, Mother Mother, The Karma Killers, The Gromble, and more. I tend to stick to the same genres, but I do test hp's occasionally with other genre's for fun (Classical, R&B, and House)

Previous headphones I still have are: HD 6XX, Dan Clark Audio Aeon Closed X.
Headphones I previously had and sold/given away include: Hifiman Sundara, Koss Porta Pros, Senn HD 598.
Headphones I've demoed for over a few days include: Focal Elegia, Hifiman Ananda, HE-4XX.
Before grabbing the R7, I used the 6xx with bottlehead crack and the DCA ACX paired with a Fulla E. Currently pairing the R7 with the Fulla.

Disclaimer 1: Listened for about 12 hours spread across a few days before writing this review
Disclaimer 2: I have not tried the regular R7 and as such I will not be attempting to compare the stock form and I will be treating these headphones as their own beast. That being said, I kept in mind that this is a stock $150 hp. However I paid $329 USD and I will be treating them as such. Oh yeah, not sponsored- wish I was though.

Headband + Comfort- I will start out with my head is smol. I usually go to the smallest setting and maybe click once up or so on most headphones. These guys are no different, lowest setting + 1 click. I do find it very comfortable, but not as comfortable as the ACX, which I will attribute to weight. The weight is well distributed on the headband itself, with little to no hotspots on my head. The clamp pressure, however, I think is lacking and I could do with a little more to keep the back and forth movement minimized. I cannot really fault JM for any of these issues, the headband itself was installed just fine with no issues.

Sub-bass- Extends much deeper than I expected, I usually don't pick up sub-bass during relaxed listening session but this guy had it!
Mid-bass- Thumpy and punchy and quite fun to listen to. I'm not exactly a bass-head though, so take my opinion here with a grain of salt. I enjoyed it, but I can also be kind of sensitive to bass

Mids- This is kind of hard to describe for me, I don't really know technical terms all that well for describing technicalities and the likes, but I did find the mids to be pleasant but definitely overshadowed by the lows and highs. The mids really took a backseat but there were definitely there and I definitely enjoy them in the more bass light songs I listen to.

Treble/Air- I am a touch sensitive to treble as well, but I do prefer more treble than most I think. These have really solid, really present treble, almost toeing the line of too much for me but I think it's tastefully done and just right. I definitely enjoy the articulation present in the instrument parts of my music.

Soundstage- This is what I was looking for in my next pair! I absolutely adore the soundstage in these cans- much bigger than my two current headphones and allows for a really good contrast in conjunction with its enjoyable and more fun sound signature. The soundstage isn't massive like some other headphones, but that is the nature of closed back. To me, it felt like it extended past my ears by about a foot or so which is much more than I can say about the 6XX.

Hype- I do want to address the hype issue- while anxiously waiting for this hp to arrive I wanted to justify the purchase and learn more, as one does.
I looked at the testimonials and reviews and heard lots of good things, but I think the hp is overhyped. I think my expectations were a little too tempered after reading all the review and all the positive wonderful great things, but I know I can't really stop myself from reading them. I would much rather be super wow'd by these cans than go into it thinking it's a $1k can in a $150 shell and be nervous about it's performance. I wish I didn't read the reviews, or at least only read the stock reviews.

Sound Stuff tl;dr: Very agreeable, The strong points of this headphone is the soundstage and bass for me.

Conclusion/Ending notes: By no means am I an audio expert, but I do love my headphones dearly. This pair has earned itself a spot in my rotation, right alongside the 6XX paired with the Bottlehead crack. Treating this headphone as its standalone I would say it definitely punches above its $329 price point, but I dont think I'd say that it's near the $1k area- just because I don't think it'd be healthy to go into these guys with that expectation. I am happy with the hp at the price I paid, but that value diminishes very quickly past it.
Huge Huge props to John for creating a very value headphone. I definitely recommend the headphones and I love them the more I use them, but I just wouldn't buy into any of the hype- I think it would have ruined it for me if I came into this headphone with the expectation that they would perform near the $800 mark. He did say this particular can was his best work out of the R7s so far and I believe it! I really apppreciate the time, effort, and love put into this headphone- I can definitely tell. John is also very attentive and I don't feel unsafe buying from him- which is a wonderful strong point because I buy used a lot and sometimes I feel like I could get screwed when I interact with some listings.

tl;dr Amazing headphones, performs and sounds beautiful. Don't listen to the hype and enjoy the cans

Originally, I had ordered the Drop + Hifiman HE-R7DX while it was on sale for $99. I was excited to get them because of the reviews that kept mentioning its great soundstage and bass while maintaining a neutralish sound signature. However, when I received them, I immediately ran into the common clamp issue. The clamp force wasn’t enough to properly seal the ear cups around my ear. This kept leaking bass, even after I tried to bend and shape the headband. As I researched ways to fix this clamp issue, I stumbled on some reviews of the JM modded version of this headphone that looked pretty good. And so, I decided to contact JM and see what he had to offer.

Quick disclaimer: I don’t really consider myself an audiophile. I just dipped my toes into the world of good audio and I’m kind of satisfied just hanging out on the budget side of things. I daily drive a set of HD600’s through a $200 Schiit stack for most things when I’m on my PC. I have a few pairs of Koss’s famous on-ear headphones, and some KZX ZS10 Pros for outside the house. My point is, I like amazing sound for as cheap as I can get it. I’m going to try my best to convey my thoughts and opinions on the Drop + Hifiman HE-R7DX JM Stealth Edition Extreme Edition (Bass Edition). That said, take everything I say with a grain of salt. Comparisons to the stock edition were done on my Schiit Modi/Magni stack.

Headband- I can’t praise this headband enough. It beats out the stock headphone in every way. It looks awesome. The seal is supreme. The comfort strap feels great. Contrary to most, I liked the look of the stock headband and I really wish it did a better job at clamping force, but the new one just simply looks better and feels more premium. I even tried to bend the headband to increase clamp, but I still felt the need to press the earcups in to hear good audio. The clamp force with the JM headband is amazing and solves the major issue I had with the fit and seal of the stock model. I’ve tried a pair of $1200 LCD-X and this headband is better.

The only gripe I can have with this headband is the adjustment mechanism is smooth on one side but clicks on the other. The smooth side just kind of moves a little on its own when handling the headphones. But when I adjust them and put on them on, the headband doesn’t move and it’s comfortable.

Sub-bass- Extends much deeper than the stock edition and my HD600 and has amazing articulation.

Mid-bass- Sounds punchy, but not thumpy (if that makes sense). I don’t know if bass heads would like it, but it sounds great to me (a former “bass head” reformed with good old, neutral HD600). Either way, bass lines sound tight and defined while not covering up mid frequencies (unlike the stock model). The clamp force issue on the stock headphone made the mid-bass nearly non-existent for me. I had to press the cups into my ear quite forcefully to get the bass to come through.

Mids- The mid-range frequencies are very neutral and stand out quite well. Harmonies are intense and upper-mids are very well pronounced. Electronic music that utilizes a wide range of synth sounds benefit a lot from this. Clarity is where I was blown away between stock and JM edition. I mean, WOW! The stock edition had a very muted mid-range and while didn’t completely get muddied by the bass, just felt very lacking. John really turns this into a new headphone when it comes to this range.

Treble/Air- Not too bright or fatiguing, sounds as natural to me as I can imagine. Then again, I’m not too sensitive to this area. The reverb and decay is amazing with these. I can almost hear the individual reverb sounds from each instrument in busy electronic tracks and I can hear them fading out. The stock edition didn’t even come close to articulating the reverb as well as JM did.

Soundstage/imaging- This was the main attraction to the headphones even in stock form. The R7 just has a surprisingly wide soundstage even when compared to a few open backs. Even the imaging was already great stock. I don’t know how he did it, but John managed to improve both of these areas. Whatever technology he is using to tune these things is amazing. The imaging is now superb. I feel like I can throw a dart and hit one of the sounds floating around me. This is fun with house music tracks that play with different stereo fields on the recording.



Conclusion- Do yourself a favor and just buy these headphones. They’re open sounding, detailed, and just wow. You won’t be sorry. Especially if you already bought and returned the stock model (like me). It’s an entirely new headphone now and I’m completely satisfied and happy with it. Dropping my stock headphone return off tomorrow!

First I apologize for my less good English.
I stumbled across headphones with this mod of John on a random stroll through the forum head fi, It really intrigued me, it seems to be a very interesting work, and the ability to create from a relatively simple ear to a premium earphone only through acoustics really impressed me, I told myself it was worth the bet, I contacted John who turned out to be a very kind and honest guy,I ordered a unit for myself,
I'm now sharing my impressions from listening to her ears with the mod es,
Listening equipment:
qls qa361
caiyn n3 pro
cayin c9
I listened to jazz and classical music, From minimalist music to powerful Mahler symphonies,
The first things that caught my attention were the large and realistic sound stage and the realism of the sound, Not a false sense of warmth and three-dimensionality but the music sounds as natural as in reality, you feel the music present just as if the musicians are in the room, It's a special experience that in no ears I did not feel it so strongly, I also have an hd800 which I really like but also in hd800 as its sound is very natural I still have not got such a 'correct' feeling of a sound like here, There are plenty of details, lots of air and space between the instruments, vocal sounds sound intimate properly, In general, everything is in the right place exactly and a very accurate and correct sound image is obtained,
Even in rich and full music like Mahler Symphonies everything sounds airy, each instrument gets its own place and setting, there is no overload, the headphones convey the whole orchestra accurately, and a perfect recording image is obtained,
More minimal music also sounds like it is in reality, for example Bass and mandolin album from chris thil & edgar mayer sounds very intimate, you clearly hear every fingering accurately and realistically, again - without heat and fake feeling but real and natural, like that in every recording,
These are headphones that transmit music as accurately as music sounds in reality, listening to them you are sucked into the music itself and forget about the equipment, you just want more and more music,
They get along with any frequency range without a problem, they have accurate and great bass that goes down very low when needed, live and clear intermediate, and perfect highs,
Can't believe this headphone with the mod costs less than $ 300,
Even if you have a collection of headphones with luxury headphones it is well worth your while to try these - they are not at all related to their cheap price, and they give something that others do not give,
I place them high in my collection of headphones which also includes some luxury headphones, and I am very pleased with this purchase,
Thank you for taking the time to read my impressions.

It's kinda hard to list cons for this review. I put some in to be fair, I can't mislead anyone and proclaim this is the end all be all pair of headphones. They aren't going to be in the best of the higher end. For midrange? Yea, you probably want to get excited now.

When everyone says they compete with headphones two times the price and more...Yea, they do. They punch above their weight class, into midrange, and all the way on to the doorstep of high end. Excellent value.

I've spent about a week listening to these now. I've used the Loxjie balanced tube hybrid amp and the Monolith THX 887 amp with them. I've listened to mostly rock, electronic, downtempo, and some pop with these headphones.

I have not listened to the stock R7DX so I can't say how much better these are compared to those. What I did do was take two of my favorites and compared them. This would be the Focal Elegia and the Audioquest Nightowl. So I'll use that compare and contrast qualities.

While I didn't each for the Meze Classic 99 which would be in the same price range, this should tell you something. Pitting the R7DX JM up against a pair of Focal and Audioquest that's more than double the modified price is kinda nuts. Tl;dr I think the Elegia and Nightowl are better headphones overall, but there's a lot to look forward to with the R7DX JM and they have earned a spot on my desk for a while to come because they offer something different.

Build Quality / Headband

Sturdy enough so far, but I've never had many problems with any pair of headphones because I listen mostly at home. The earcups have a somewhat limited range of motion. The headband needs to be bent to get a proper seal, otherwise bass will be thin.

The R7DX JM mod with bass will do this for ya. It will add thickness to the bass by not letting it escape out the sides there. However, this is the issue that you'll see from all reviewers for the stock R7DX. Even the modded pair aren't immune to some comfort issues (a little bit of a hotspot on my head right now after 3 hours of listening). Depending on your head shape, it may not be a great fit.

All in all, I'm ok with the headband. It works for me. The rest of the assembly seems sturdy enough. The cups don't have anything to snag or really get damaged. They attract may some finger prints, but they're fine.

I usually take the Meze Classic 99 or even the Elegia with me when I travel. I think these are going to replace those for my travel headphones (I just need to find a case).

Quick note on the cable. It's not bad, though I did switch to use a balanced cable I had on hand. It's not making a huge difference. Not that I'm into snake oil with audio cables, but I can have some noise in my equipment so I switched to balanced everything for that reason. Surprisingly sometimes the headphone cable will make a big difference. It did with the Elegia for example. I'd use the stock R7DX headphone cable, it's fine.

Sound Characteristics

These are a balanced pair of headphones with JM's mod. Bass is present and it is clean. It doesn't bleed into the mids. Sometimes I feel like it is too clean and stops a little short. I sometimes want it to hang around a little longer in that some reverb is ok by me. However, the mod is going to take that out I believe by design. You're going to love that if you're listening to something and you need it to be fast and clean.

At first I wasn't overly impressed with the bass, but in my (albeit limited) experience, I haven't really seen any Hifiman headphones that understand what bass is. Is it anemic? No way. It's there. It doesn't dig as deep or hit as hard as some other headphones, but it's satisfying. I get a nice softer thump and it comes out when called for.

The AQ Nightowls dig a bit deeper and have a nice rumble. The R7DX doesn't "punch" or "slam" but neither do the Nightowls. The Elegia (with appropriate ear pads) are more punchy and dynamic. The R7DX JM is tighter than the Nightowls and a little more controlled. The Nightowls are good bit more musical, fluid, silky in the bass department. So the R7DX JM just has something different to offer here between the three.

These can take some EQ though I don't think they need too much. It'll be mostly for personal preference.

These aren't dark nor bright. They're pretty neutral in my opinion. Not fatiguing nor sibilant.

Soundstage

A popular subject matter here. This is a big part of what the JM mod is all about. Again, not being able to compare, I can only say the soundstage is wide for a closed back pair of headphones.

The soundstage is wider than the Focal Elegia but the Audioquest Nightowls have the edge. It's not quite fair since those are kind semi-open and all. The Nightowls are more airy and have a slightly wider soundstage.

There are absolutely open back headphones out there with worse soundstage than the R7DX JM. For sure. I'd say JM did a fantastic job here and his mod worked in this regard.

Detail, Imaging. Separation

Please keep in mind the R7DX is $99-150 stock brand new. The JM mod is a bit more, but you're still under $300. Don't expect these to be as resolving as the Elegia that with a pad swap cost double even at the best price. Original MSRP was much higher for the Elegia and the AQ Nightowl I'm using as a comparison here were $700 stock brand new.

All that said, the R7DX JM holds its own. Not as resolving, but for half or less than half the price? Heck yea. I think there's some other headphones in the same price range that have good detail and imaging, but the R7DX JM is a great value here.

Since I haven't listened to a more diverse range of music genres, I can't offer up too much by way of good genres to pair with the R7DX JM. So far I have the sense it's pretty good at all genres due to its balanced tuning.

I pieced this review together while listening to Crytal Method - Vegas. I ended up playing the whole thing through. I haven't listened to it a while and didn't realize that it is a surprisingly good album to test headphones. It's a very dynamic album with a lot of things going on. A lot of layering and a lot of movment.

So if you want to check out timbre and separation, it's not a bad album to try. You will hear a lot going on and you can clearly pick all of the things out. The R7DX JM does a great job here with separation. It's a smooth and clean sound that you're getting and it helps a lot. The mod really helps you position things in a wider than you'd expect soundstage. Comin' Back is a great track for picking out a variety of things going on. You'll find nothing clashing or bleeding into one another. Not muddy at all.

Vapor Trail was another interesting track for showing some of the soundstaging and positioning. You may just catch yourself turning your head there.

In my opinion, this is sitting in the $300-500 range for detail. In this price bracket you will find some headphones with slightly better detail and a whole lot with less detail. Usually you're trading off for something, but I don't really see many compromises with the R7DX JM.

Overall, does this pair of headphones live up to the 2x or 3x quality? Yes, I think they absolutely do. So if your budget is under $500, I honestly don't think you can go wrong with these. Fantasic value and fantastic work by John Massaria.

I've been using these headphones for about a week now alongside my HD 560S. I'm no audiophile but I'll do my best to describe my experience. I'll be honest, I wasn't blown away my first time listening to it, and the more I did, the worse it got. I eventually realized it was due to my head size/shape in relation to the stock headband. With that said, John did an excellent job bending the headband into a position of both sufficient force clamp, and ceiling height. I spent about an hour fiddling with it myself, but ultimately made it worse. John offered to repair/replace it, or sell me a R9/10 headband, to which I agreed. My god... was the difference shocking. I could hear details I hadn't before, and feel the bass. I wish I could compare to stock R7's, but they literally would not stay on my head, unlike the modified pair, prior to my attempt!

It's quite impressive how airy and wide the soundstage is given the closed back nature of this headphone. At the same time, I still feel swaddled intimately. I find it easier to listen to for long periods of time as compared to my HD 560S. I certainly don't feel like I'm missing any detail the 560S have, but I don't feel forced to listen to them either. The imaging is phenomenal in "Take On Me", almost like a chill going down my spine resulting in goosebumps. Contrarily, I don't enjoy their sound profile in competitive shooters for positional tracking. I believe it is due to the closed back noise isolation (albeit slight) and increased bass presence. Ambient story driven games do feel more immersive with this pair of headphones though.

Unlike the HD560S that can become fatiguing at times, the R7DX was very calming and I don't worry about sound leakage as compared to the open-backed 560S. Personally, I feel the R7DX's vocals compete with that of my HD 560S and Moondrop Chu's. I don't know that I'll ever be a bass head, but these cans certainly do help me empathize with that demographic. It does not sound overbearing, or congested, but rather up to the task. I just listened to New Order - Blue Monday and was giddy with excitement from the liveliness of that track and more importantly, these headphones.

Although these cans are nowhere near as comfortable as my SHP9500's, I would gladly accept the added modification weight (and more) given it's performance. Surprisingly, the stock cable is both appreciated and underwhelming at the same time. I like that it is balanced, but it could be a bit longer. Regardless of the original sound quality improvements, it feels as though HiFiMan let John down. Though that might sound negative, it signifies an incredible feat to me. It showcases John's ability to overcome plenty of obstacles (including things out of his control), and elevate cheaper headphones into possible end-game territory.

First review, here we go:

This is mostly going to be a comparison with the stock R7:

Overall, excellent for the price and absolutely worth the hype. Balanced, detailed, and surprisingly wide for a closed back.

However, comparing against the stock pair of the R7DX's really makes me appreciate the magic of this mod.

To that end, I'm comfortable saying the JM edition is an improvement across the board: bass is more controlled, sibilance/sharpness is toned down, and soundstage widened.

The biggest difference is definitely in the enhanced midrange portions to the point where the stock R7's feel almost as if 10-20% of the music is just missing.

Last thing to mention is a 100g weight increase from 337g to 437g when modded. Noticeable, but well worth it in my opinion.

Note: I'm rating this more on an absolute scale. For the ~$200 I paid, nothing comes close.

I purchased these JM modded R7DXs from John himself a few weeks ago now. John is obviously very passionate towards his work. Shipping and payment were a breeze and it took only 2 days to get to my doorstep.

After spending some time with them and comparing them with other cans I own, I've come to the conclusion that these are an absolutely superb value for the sonic quality that they offer.

Bearing in mind that these at their base model are sub $200, and often can be found closer to $100, my thoughts and opinions with these certainly are oriented around the value that they offer at an entry-to-mid-level price bracket. JM's time and expertise certainly warrant the upcharge for the mod, albeit very conservatively marked up IMO

Running off of a Schiit Modius // AAA 789 combo, I find these very easy to drive at any volume with plenty of head room to spare on medium and high gain.

If there's one general description I can give to these headphones without being too technical, I would say they are probably the easiest/most non-offensive listening experience amongst my modest collection (HD6XX/Sundara/Hifiman EXS/LCD-X- 2021)

Now, it's certainly unfair to compare to something like the LCD-X when trying to gauge clarity/soundstage/imaging/etc., but considering the sheer value these cans offer, I must admit that I do believe the untrained ear will probably find more similarities than differences between the two.

The only reason I am hesitant to give a full 5 stars is because in certain tracks that involve live-recorded instruments, it can occasionally come across as stuffy and the details can get lost in the mix, although remaining very non-offensive in their overall tonality. It's hard to expect a sub-$200 headphone to manage that completely, so that assessment may actually be a little unfair. Regardless, I have a feeling that JM's mod on the base model made a noticeable improvement in this regard.

All-in-all, I think that for a pair of closed backs at this price range, the JM Modded R7DX is an absolute steal at the price, and I can imagine it will continue to gain much notoriety moving forward.

Thanks, John.

Soundstage: Absolutely blows my other closed back headphones out of the water (177X Go, Fostex Ebony), and creates a true psychoacoustic illusion of soundstage between its cup and your ear. Trades blows equally with my absolute favorite open back, the Philphone.

Bass: The Bass on the JM R7 is dynamic and well controlled. If the track calls for the subtle backing plucks of an upright bass, then this headphone delivers and if you need the THUMP of something like an orchestral bass drum or taiko drum, then the R7 is gonna give it to ya. Handles my rock library like a champ.

Mids: The mids are clear and sound natural to my ear. No one section seemed to get undue attention or step out, and the headphones seem to give even hand to both male and female vocals. They sound intimate in the best way.

Treble: Treble has the right amount of sparkle without hitting sibilance and easily matches wits with my more expensive headphones, some of which are three to four times the price of this one.

Control: Above all else, this headphone manages it's entire frequency range with an astonishing level of control way above its price bracket.


Hats off to John Massaria for taking a "low-fi" headphone and elevating it to end game territory.