Sport
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- Jun 16, 2015
- Posts
- 1
- Likes
- 0
Hey there audio pros,
I've been researching a good pair of cans for a little over a week now and found that the ATH-M40x and ATH-MSR7 might suit my tastes. I've considered many other headphones, but these stood out for me.
Here's my current audio situation:
My highest quality pair of headphones are the Monoprice 8323 headphones, which are around $24. I have no amps, and I only listen to music on my LG G3, iPod Touch (4th Gen), and my laptops. Also, all of my music files are 128 kbps MP3s since my untrained ears cannot notice the difference between 128 kbps and loss-less files (this could be due to my underwhelming audio equipment though). The genres I listen to are indie rock, hardcore, death metal, metalcore, pop punk, pop rock, hard rock, chiptune, some CCM, some spoken word, some folk, and some ambient/instrumental rock stuff. I've also taking a recent liking to jazz. Also, I play my electronic drums a whole lot, and it’s my main use for my current phones.
So, now that you know that, here's where I'm stuck.
My friend recommended the ATH-M50x's, and he let me try them out. Though their sound, to me, was great, I figured I should survey my other options. After researching, I found that the M40x's would probably suit my tastes better. I liked the idea of a relatively flat response headphone, plus the price was perfect for me (around $97). However, I recently stumbled upon the Audio Technica MSR7's, and man, I think I would absolutely love those. I definitely think I'd like the sound signature, with its mildly recessed bass and a tad more forward upper-mids. However, these are priced on Amazon at around $213 ($250 if I want the gun metal grey color). For me, there is a huge price difference between the MSR7's and the M40x's (around $115), and I just don't know if that extra price difference will be worth paying given my audio setup.
Some things that are important to me:
Detachable cable: The MSR7's have the edge, as I prefer it to be usable with a non-proprietary cable. Although many cables will not fit the MSR7's, it's nice to have the option of after-market cables.
Durability: I am not the slightest bit rough with my tech, but I plan on having this for many years. From my knowledge, it seems the MSR7's surpass the M40x's in terms of durability.
Okay sound isolation: Like I said, I play electronic drums, which aren't loud, but do require some sort of isolation to sound optimal. I also enjoy just hearing music and nothing else.
Comfort: I will not wear these out of the house. These are only for home listening periods of 1 to 4ish hours.
Clear and detailed sound that is fit for many genres: I think both of these will be clear and detailed, but I'm not sure which one will be better for my purposes; seeing as the M40x's are advertised as a studio headphone, and some describe it as boring.
Looks and portability don't matter much to me, but I prefer the looks of the MSR7's while I prefer the portability of the M40x's.
So there you have it.
Will this extra money spent be well worth it in my case (I'm talking REALLY well worth it)? Or shall I go for the cheaper alternative that I'm sure I would still be sonically satisfied with?
Any and all help is much appreciated.
I've been researching a good pair of cans for a little over a week now and found that the ATH-M40x and ATH-MSR7 might suit my tastes. I've considered many other headphones, but these stood out for me.
Here's my current audio situation:
My highest quality pair of headphones are the Monoprice 8323 headphones, which are around $24. I have no amps, and I only listen to music on my LG G3, iPod Touch (4th Gen), and my laptops. Also, all of my music files are 128 kbps MP3s since my untrained ears cannot notice the difference between 128 kbps and loss-less files (this could be due to my underwhelming audio equipment though). The genres I listen to are indie rock, hardcore, death metal, metalcore, pop punk, pop rock, hard rock, chiptune, some CCM, some spoken word, some folk, and some ambient/instrumental rock stuff. I've also taking a recent liking to jazz. Also, I play my electronic drums a whole lot, and it’s my main use for my current phones.
So, now that you know that, here's where I'm stuck.
My friend recommended the ATH-M50x's, and he let me try them out. Though their sound, to me, was great, I figured I should survey my other options. After researching, I found that the M40x's would probably suit my tastes better. I liked the idea of a relatively flat response headphone, plus the price was perfect for me (around $97). However, I recently stumbled upon the Audio Technica MSR7's, and man, I think I would absolutely love those. I definitely think I'd like the sound signature, with its mildly recessed bass and a tad more forward upper-mids. However, these are priced on Amazon at around $213 ($250 if I want the gun metal grey color). For me, there is a huge price difference between the MSR7's and the M40x's (around $115), and I just don't know if that extra price difference will be worth paying given my audio setup.
Some things that are important to me:
Detachable cable: The MSR7's have the edge, as I prefer it to be usable with a non-proprietary cable. Although many cables will not fit the MSR7's, it's nice to have the option of after-market cables.
Durability: I am not the slightest bit rough with my tech, but I plan on having this for many years. From my knowledge, it seems the MSR7's surpass the M40x's in terms of durability.
Okay sound isolation: Like I said, I play electronic drums, which aren't loud, but do require some sort of isolation to sound optimal. I also enjoy just hearing music and nothing else.
Comfort: I will not wear these out of the house. These are only for home listening periods of 1 to 4ish hours.
Clear and detailed sound that is fit for many genres: I think both of these will be clear and detailed, but I'm not sure which one will be better for my purposes; seeing as the M40x's are advertised as a studio headphone, and some describe it as boring.
Looks and portability don't matter much to me, but I prefer the looks of the MSR7's while I prefer the portability of the M40x's.
So there you have it.
Will this extra money spent be well worth it in my case (I'm talking REALLY well worth it)? Or shall I go for the cheaper alternative that I'm sure I would still be sonically satisfied with?
Any and all help is much appreciated.
