[iancraig10]

Yes, the inside of the housing is different. Outside looks fine and in isolation, you might not know until you heard it!!

 

[FYLegend]

Do the real one sound very different from the fakes? There were some people reporting fake M50x and that they don't sound different except for slight channel imbalance and different leather material in the "fakes", but then again many reviews indicate the channel imbalance is normal in the M50x anyways. Then a few months later Audio-Technica said they were an authorized seller. There were a also reports about the some CKR9s on Aliexpress being real or OEM so they sounded the same as the real thing.
 
I just read on Reddit how someone got 3 MSR7s for 80$ at the recent AT warehouse sale in Stow, Ohio.

 

[iancraig10]

The drivers are different so it's likely to sound different, I think. Trouble is that no one would put them side by side.

What put me off was that the reports concerning the real MSR7 sound concerned lack of quantity of bass and edgy treble. The fake one virtually had a non existent bass and was very edgy and I accepted it as normal because of the reports.

A few people came back to me saying that they didn't hear what I felt I was getting and I did become suspicious. A friend tried to mod it both physically and electronically but it wouldn't calm down easily. Then someone noticed that the drivers were incorrect.

Externally, it would be hard to tell. The fakes are built really well. I was extremely surprise just how good they looked.

The company selling them went into denial but on production of photos, reimbursed the money without even having to return the headphone which was no longer available.

My guess is that $80 might well turn out to be fakes!!

I wouldn't mind if the companies declared that they were copies TBH.

Also, imagine how many people might have had one bought by the wife as a Christmas present. A bit difficult.

 

[FYLegend]

My guess is that $80 might well turn out to be fakes!!
 

I think they exaggerated it. It should be one for 80$ but it's probably cheaper if you buy more than one. They were factory seconds and it was an official warehouse sale by Audio-Technica.  Some people bought the M70x for 100$. However, the real products were said to be more expensive than Amazon prices.
 
Did you get to try the real ones then? I find the treble edgy at times especially my right ear is more sensitive to the sibilance (either hearing loss or position of my ears). I need to wear them with the right earpad rotated slightly and the left earpad further down (the top of my ear rests on the pad). Generally, more distance from my ear = more sibilance, almost no siblance if I press the drivers against my ears. I got mine from a reputable authorized seller in Taiwan,

 

[iancraig10]

No. I haven't heard a real MSR7 unfortunately.

The problem with the fake ones is that they sound like what has at times been described on here, except maybe worse. Trouble is, how bad is bad? I wouldn't know since I don't know the sound of a real one!!

YouTube descriptions are strange as well ... some say very little bass while others say a nice controlled hard hitting bass although less quantity is mentioned a lot...... so I'm quite puzzled.

Some say it's sibilant and others say it's very clear in the top.

I have a feeling that the copies might be similar in characteristic from what I've read.

The only answer for me is to start again I guess. Following this experience, I'm a bit nervous of getting another.

 

[FYLegend]

The bass is fine most of the time, usually smooth and slightly rolled off at the lowest end, but punchy when it needs to be. However, I did notice in an orchestral song with tympani they didn't reach as low as the Sony MDR-1000X I tested out recently (NC could not be turned off in the store demo unit so EQ might be a factor). The M50x also reaches lower but the drum still didn't sound quite as low as the Sony. The MSR7 has more detail in the strings but sounds slightly brash with the volume turned up.  Test track: Merry Chrismas Mr. Lawrence by Ryuichi Sakamoto (from the album Music for Film on Spotify).

 

[majid-az]

Yes there are now more matches by my search engines. They are now being released in Japan four days ago. Just takes time for the search engines to update themselves. I am looking for bass emphasized headphones and the one that I tried at RMAF was the beyerdynamic DT 1770 very nice. The problem with bass emphasized headphones is to make the mids clear without bleed. Hard to do. I ran a test with my MSR7 using my IFI Retro amp and with xbass engaged I was getting similar results as my HE-400 using the balanced outputs on the Oppo HA-1 amp. I was playing back Arron Copland: Billy the Kid, gun battle.  The bass drum along with the tympani playing at the same time. The trick is to separate the bass drum from the tympani and  the MSR7 does well here. I did had the DT1770 on order but canceled it for the time being. 

Hey buddy
Thanks for your input but may i ask you a question?
Could you by any chance remember the exact sound signiture differences between DT1770 and ATH MSR7?
As i'm pulling the triger to buy one of them and where i live there is no accessibility to test them i could use some help
I'm purchasing a closed backed can mostly for metal/rock/deep house
I really hate it when bass bleeds to mids but i'll appreciate a normal deep extended sub-bass to bring joy to my music
Thanks in advance!

 

[HiFiChris]

The MSR7 has got a sound signature that will definitely sound bass-light and treble-y for people who are coming from a bassier and warmer headphone, hence I think that the majority of those who described such kind of sound got a legit MSR7 and not a fake. Buying from untrustworthy sellers and stores instead of official retailers or Amazon is somewhat foolish of course, especially as there are so many imitations floating around of about any popular headphone and in-ear.

Anyway, I'd describe the ATH-MSR7's sound as being neutral and sounded at the same time - overall, it has got a neutral tendency, however it was tuned so that it has specific colourations in some areas of the frequency response so that it doesn't become analytical/flat.

I'd say that the bass has neutral quantity and also extends very low (InnerFidelity's measurements back this up) but doesn't follow any "modern" compensation curve such as the one by Harman. And it is quite fast and tight.
The the midrange features a moderate recession in the lower mids and some emphasis in the upper midrange, bringing female vocals out more and creating clarity. As a negative effect though, trumpets don't sound like trumpets at all but like some squeaking.
A dip can be found in the middle treble - at the same time, it generates headroom for the lower treble and upper treble elevation, but also makes the sound, especially in the midrange, appear smooth and non-offensive.
The upper treble is slightly elevated, which adds some clarity and sparkle.


I'd say it is a very nifty sounding that doesn't appear too coloured overall but isn't boring-flat either.

Anyway, I really love my MSR7, especially for electronic music.

 

[iancraig10]

Thanks Mr Legend and Chris. I think I'll be getting my hands on a real one soon for a short while, so I'll get to hear one.

This whole episode has made me nervous of buying headphones from anyone other than a firm that I know of. For instance, Amazon do sell them but you don't know who the stockist is, so even they could be the wrong deal........

At least there's a return policy, but if you don't know the sound of the MSR7, you really might be unaware.

 

[john57]

One issue I had with the MSR7 is that the ear pads are kind of small and had to replace it with a bit larger ear pads. The MSR7 is crisper, faster sounding with a bit more upper midrange and low treble headphone as compared to the DT1770. The MSR7 is not going to win the best for sound isolation. Another headphone that I like and owned is the HD380 which has far bigger ear cups than the MSR7 and a bit more sound isolation. The HD380 sits somewhere between the MSR7 and the DT1770 as far sound balance goes and cheaper.

 

[iancraig10]

I just heard a real one!!!

I was talking to a friend last night on the phone. He uses one all the time, so I went over this morning to listen.

I'm converted!!! I think I'm going to get one.

I looked the real one over closely for any giveaways that would point out a fake. In all honesty, I couldn't find anything different. The copies are really very good. It's just the insides and the sound that give it away. If you don't know the sound of the MSR7, you wouldn't know using this thread as a pointer.

One thing that may give it away (the fake has now long gone) is the stitching on the headband. On the real one, the stitching goes right on the edge of the band at the front and slightly under at the back by just under 1/4 inch. On the copy, I don't think it lined up with the edge of the band quite as well. Now, I wish I'd kept it!!

The sound is a giveaway. From this thread, I got the feeling that it lacked bass and was harsh up top. The one I heard this morning was superb. Balanced from top to bottom. Slam in the bass. Slightly less bass quantity than some other portable headphones like the Momentum in that there is no big mid bass hump. Bass though is excellent. I also didn't find the treble edgy. It's really well defined and clean. Picks out distortion or hiss in older recording very clearly though.

The fake kind of sounds like some of the descriptions on here. Lacks bass. Harsh. Edgy. Not able to play loud without it being a truly nasty sound.

The real thing is a REALLY good listen. Proper amounts of bass and well balanced.

I am going to find an outlet that I can trust and get one for myself. They are excellent and I must apologise for the negative rubbish that I wrote based on a fake headphone. I have deleted my descriptive posts earlier in the thread.

Honestly, if you suspect that yours is overly harsh in the treble, take a look at one of the drivers. It isn't easy to tell and I was totally fooled.

Lesson learned.

 

[Sp12er3]

Yep it ain't bad at all

 

[majid-az]

Hi every body
Can anybody chime in and help me out
I'm considering buying a msr7 but for the amp/dac part i just wanted to know how is the synergy between these and creative soundblaster e5 ? How does it sound compared to a smartphone like 6s?
Thanks in advance

 

[WilliamLeonhart]

It's better connected to a warm-ish source so the 6s is not the best choice. I've never tried the sound blaster e6 but if it retains the traditional creative sound then it's not quite good for the msr7 either. Anyway it's not a bad pairing, just not optimum in my books

 

[Gregio]

Guys
Maybe you will now because i can't find any information about it.
Is there option to use balanced cable with msr-7?