[zssyed]

  Teac ha-p50 pairs really well with the msr7.  It is a warm, full bodied sounding dac/amp, has a very black background and really brings out the low end. And since you don't need that much power for the msr7 it works great.

 

  Go for the C5D. It leans a bit on the warmer side and can be considered the perfect companion to the MSR7. When I had the MSR7 I used it with the C5D more than with the iDSD Micro and that says a lot because as a whole I like my iDSD Micro with anything else. But the MSR7 have this special synergy with warmer sources and the C5D fits the profile perfectly (YMMV). There's also a middle-level bassboost if you like a even warmer MSR7. 
 
Don't get anything Cayin, the one I tried had noise interference . I think some people from head-fi have met the same problem with the Cayin C5. And in the price range, I've been disappointed with anything else from Fiio or iBasso. 

Thanks for the suggestions! I can't try either the ha-p50 or C5D in person, but I'm leaning towards the C5D...since JDS does engraving. Also, doesn't look like ha-p50 is Android compatible.

 

[WilliamLeonhart]

The c5d looks glorious in red too! But on the other hand it can get scratched and you'd better put it in a pouch for daily use

 

[FYLegend]

Which pads are not as sibilant and give a better seal? My right ear seems to be more sensitive the sibilance (or maybe it's just the pads, it's not the drivers as I swapped sides and the sibilance was still on my right ear) but when I wear them "on-ear" both sides are more balanced. I like to wear them with my upper earlobe inside the flange but that seems to be when the imbalance happens. It happens on both the stock and the SoundPro velour pads.

 

[theaudiologist]

does the nano idsd pair well with these headphones

 

[WilliamLeonhart]

Should be. But I don't quite like the idsd nano. Perhaps the idac2 will be a better choice

 

[theaudiologist]

what are the differences?

 

[jbattermann]

New owner here & while I do like their sound quite alot, I am somewhat missing velour pads on them. Does anyone happen to know and can recommend velour ones that might fit these?

 

[Sp12er3]

HM5 pads fits most headphone fine.. I have the hybrid for my M40x, and yes they fit (in my experience the MSR7 and M series pads are swappable)

 

[jbattermann]

HM5 pads fits most headphone fine.. I have the hybrid for my M40x, and yes they fit (in my experience the MSR7 and M series pads are swappable)

 
Perfect - thanks! I'll give the HM5s a try then..
 
Cheers,
-J

 

[WilliamLeonhart]

what are the differences?

Better soundstage, cleaner, more details etc. Of the very good p/p bar set by the idac2 and idsd micro, the idsd nano was a letdown for me.

If you're not willing to go much higher than the idsd micro, buy some used odac/o2 or c5d

 

[FYLegend]

Is the "sibilance" more pronounced with the HM5 pads? It seems more harsh on my right ear with my Massdrop Sound Professional velours and stock pads unless I wear them in an awkward position. I think it's probably my hearing or how they're sealing on my ears. I flipped them around and it still sounds more harsh on the right. It's better if I'm using the stock pads and move them forward so that my earlobes touch the back of the pad - it sounds more balanced on both ears but the sound is a tad warmer. That might be one reason some people are describing the sound differently...

 

[theaudiologist]

the c5d and the o2 only go up to 24/96. so my choice is between idsd nano and idac2 since the micro idsd is too expensive. but the nano has battery but the idac2 doesn't both are very good for their price. i'm just worried about how they pair with the msr7's.
 
edit: nevermind....even the idac2 is above my price point. i guess the nano idsd it is then

 

[WilliamLeonhart]

My advice is that you should really think if you need idsd or 24bit, cause it's very hard to find music in that format. And I don't think they will make a change to the msr7. It's not that "high resolution". Lastly, a DAC that doesn't sound good will still not sound good no matter what file you feed into it. If dsd and battery is a must, go for the xDuoo xd05

 

[theaudiologist]

omg thank you soooooooooo much for another choice besides the nano idsd. it's a little more expensive but wow. it's smaller and has an even more powerful amp. thank you very much. if only i can find it in my country. also the pcm only goes up to 192khz but who cares. do you know how the sound is like?
 
and i sort of do need higher resolutions. my library consists of:
 
16/44.1
16/48
16/96
24/48
24/96
24/192
1 32/384 album (although the 32 bit is floating point)
DSD64
DSD128
DSD256
1 DSD512 song (only upsampled from DSD256 though, don't need a DSD512 DAC)

 

[theaudiologist]

do you also know if a nano idsd + nano ican combo would be good? does the quality sensitivity of the headphone depend depend on the DAC or amp?