Audio-Technica ATH-MSR7 Discussion Thread
May 5, 2018 at 6:28 PM Post #2,416 of 2,803
So, I got to modding the MSR7 so that they play better with the HM5 pads. And boy, oh boy, did I do just that... Let's start!

First thing you do is take the pads off, and undo the 8 screws underneath. Should be pretty self explanatory. Then you gently take the baffle off (GENTLY, unless you like soldering) and you can see a small hole covered by a felt in the center.

Then you have to take the middle plate off the cup. To do this, you lift the small piece of tape holding the wire (don't yank it because it may pull the wires with it, and save it somewhere safe) and then pull (again, gently, there's more soldered thin wires beneath that) the whole thing while wiggling it a bit. After a while the cup should be seperated from the middle plate. Line up the top baffle that holds the driver with the lower part so that the little wire is straight and pull the midplate upwards so that it goes away from the cup and closer to the baffle. Here you can see the little felt ring from behind.

Remove it gently, so that you don't rip it (although it does hold itself together well, even though the adhesive is quite strong) and save it somewhere in case you want to revert the whole thing. Then put the whole thing back together. Boom, that's it. No potentially distortion causing materials in front of the drivers, no nothing. Just added bass. I think that there's even more than stock, even when using the HM5 pads. I also think it sounds a bit more open and leaks a bit more sound, but that could be the pads, so I digress. Now I have to make the pads fit more snuggly in the groove somehow, 'cause they're big and they got stretched when I was using them over the whole cup and now the elastic band is a bit loose. Meh.

@ModiHiFi I think you more than anyone will appreciate this. Just give it a try, you're gonna love the result! Maybe even give it a shot with your own mods with the batting fleece over the driver and see what happens! Down the road I'm gonna experiment with filling the cups with cotton or, if I can find any, polyfill. But as it stands I'm more than happy with the result!

Wow! Yes (to say the least), I am very interested and a tad curious as to why you went in this kind of direction with modding the MSR7 to regain the bass response after fitting the HM5 pads. I will be trying it for sure and I'll get back to you regarding my own impressions. But what made you go for removing the felt ring behind the driver assembly? Has that been mentioned anywhere in the head-fi forum? I would have thought that was a critically important design element. Then again, I guess if it works then it works! Perhaps I'll even replace it with other types of materials as well as removing it completely and give that a try. I'll be sure to post my initial impressions (that's usually at least a day of critical listening) when I do. Nice work!
 
May 5, 2018 at 6:48 PM Post #2,417 of 2,803
Reading this last post, can't help thinking and wondering about that soft packing thin material, ever so present, very dark grey. Thin, rather thin sponge-like material, is it perhaps to porous for the purpose mentioned in the post above ? Or is it the same (in its properties) as the already present material (dampening or whatewer ) between the driver of the can and the ear, when headphones on.
I would guess, if variation of the density of the holes in that material would be present, than that would be a very neat material for experimenting with ss.

Yes! Be sure to give anything a try. There are all sorts of filters that can and should be tried and not just the typical felts that are often used. Perhaps the dense nature of packaging materials might be a tad too much for being a useful acoustic filter. Air filter materials would be a good material to try. The cheapest and easiest to get a hold of would be the air filters you get with vacuum cleaners. To be honest they were one of the things I had planned to try, but after doing an exhaustive trial and error programme on a number of materials and thicknesses I came away with a material that I felt that did an exceptional job in providing a sonic signature that I felt was almost impossible to beat (Vlieseline batting / clothing filling material 248). That being said I'm always up to trying different mods and materials. It was just at that time that I decided to settle on something that I was more than happy with. This could change in the future when I have the time, money and inclination to try something different. I'm interested with @tolis626 new mod and I have a few ideas of my own to try as well. I'll be back with some input soonish.
 
May 5, 2018 at 7:09 PM Post #2,418 of 2,803
Wow! Yes (to say the least), I am very interested and a tad curious as to why you went in this kind of direction with modding the MSR7 to regain the bass response after fitting the HM5 pads. I will be trying it for sure and I'll get back to you regarding my own impressions. But what made you go for removing the felt ring behind the driver assembly? Has that been mentioned anywhere in the head-fi forum? I would have thought that was a critically important design element. Then again, I guess if it works then it works! Perhaps I'll even replace it with other types of materials as well as removing it completely and give that a try. I'll be sure to post my initial impressions (that's usually at least a day of critical listening) when I do. Nice work!
Well, I was reading about headphone modding in general, especially mods about the T50rp's are very interesting. A common way people try to get more bass is by increasing the amount of air the driver has available to move. That works up to a point, when your design really becomes open and then you get a roll off in the bass response. What I guess removing that little felt piece did is let the air flow to the back chamber unimpeded, so it effectively increased the amount of air the driver can compress. Back there is another piece of felt opposite of the little grilled bass port that's in the bottom of the cup. That leads outside, so removing it would probably increase the size of the cans' bass ports. I guess that would maybe take it a bit too far though.

Things I would like to try in the future is, firstly, as I said in my post, filling the cup and seeing what comes out of it, and then maybe trying different materials covering the hole in the cup and the bass port. Maybe also use a rubber band to seal the groove between the baffle and the midplate to reduce leaking (similar to what putting the pad over the whole cup does, but without the ugly factor). Although I have to say, I'm way more than happy with the sound I'm hearing now, and the comfort with the HM5 is phenomenal. Wearing the cans went from a struggling "ugh" when putting them on and a "meh" when having them on for a while to an "ahhh..." when putting them on and nothing when wearing them for a while. They don't let me forget they're there like some lighter cans with lower clamping pressure, but I never feel the need to take them off. Plus, my big left ear isn't touching anything, so I'm happy. So happy, in fact, that I'm considering spending the extra monies to get even better pads, like the HM5 sheepskins or maybe even a pair of Dekoni or ZMF pads. Pleather's nice and all, but real leather would be even better.
 
May 5, 2018 at 8:08 PM Post #2,419 of 2,803
Well, I was reading about headphone modding in general, especially mods about the T50rp's are very interesting. A common way people try to get more bass is by increasing the amount of air the driver has available to move. That works up to a point, when your design really becomes open and then you get a roll off in the bass response. What I guess removing that little felt piece did is let the air flow to the back chamber unimpeded, so it effectively increased the amount of air the driver can compress. Back there is another piece of felt opposite of the little grilled bass port that's in the bottom of the cup. That leads outside, so removing it would probably increase the size of the cans' bass ports. I guess that would maybe take it a bit too far though.

Things I would like to try in the future is, firstly, as I said in my post, filling the cup and seeing what comes out of it, and then maybe trying different materials covering the hole in the cup and the bass port. Maybe also use a rubber band to seal the groove between the baffle and the midplate to reduce leaking (similar to what putting the pad over the whole cup does, but without the ugly factor). Although I have to say, I'm way more than happy with the sound I'm hearing now, and the comfort with the HM5 is phenomenal. Wearing the cans went from a struggling "ugh" when putting them on and a "meh" when having them on for a while to an "ahhh..." when putting them on and nothing when wearing them for a while. They don't let me forget they're there like some lighter cans with lower clamping pressure, but I never feel the need to take them off. Plus, my big left ear isn't touching anything, so I'm happy. So happy, in fact, that I'm considering spending the extra monies to get even better pads, like the HM5 sheepskins or maybe even a pair of Dekoni or ZMF pads. Pleather's nice and all, but real leather would be even better.

I have the HM5 sheepskins and they feel great! I have nothing bad to say about them at all. There might also be a sonic difference between the sheepskin and the pleather versions. I personally haven't tried the pleather. I'd be interested in your thoughts if you do get the sheepskin version and compare them to your pleathers.
 
May 5, 2018 at 8:17 PM Post #2,420 of 2,803
I have the HM5 sheepskins and they feel great! I have nothing bad to say about them at all. There might also be a sonic difference between the sheepskin and the pleather versions. I personally haven't tried the pleather. I'd be interested in your thoughts if you do get the sheepskin version and compare them to your pleathers.
Will do if I get them! I got the pleathers on Massdrop on the cheap. Like, in Greece they aren't even available, and if I ordered them from eBay or Amazon.de they cost about 30€ without shipping. Add shipping and I would be looking at about 40€ for the pleather ones. For that kind of money I'd be looking at better pads, certainly not pleather ones. But I also wouldn't order more expensive pads like the sheepskin ones without knowing I could somehow make them work. So voila, Massdrop drops the HM5 pleather and velour pads and I got them for 18.5€ shipped to Greece. For that kind of money I regret not getting another pair, to be honest. Too bad they didn't offer sheepskins, but oh well. Even the pleather ones are extremely nice!

One question I have for you is this. Can you somehow quantify how much louder you have to run your MSR7 when using the HM5s compared to stock? I mean, there's times I think they're much quieter, then there's others I think I have them too loud and I think I may be going deaf here. :p

Although, it seems the mod I described above has somewhat alleviated this too. Maybe the reason I had to push them harder was to get more bass out of them, but now that it's there all the time I don't feel the need to? I have no idea, honestly. I also want to put on the stock pads and compare now, but I really don't want to use them again too. First world problems man, gotta love 'em!
 
May 5, 2018 at 8:23 PM Post #2,421 of 2,803
Yes! Be sure to give anything a try. There are all sorts of filters that can and should be tried and not just the typical felts that are often used. Perhaps the dense nature of packaging materials might be a tad too much for being a useful acoustic filter. Air filter materials would be a good material to try. The cheapest and easiest to get a hold of would be the air filters you get with vacuum cleaners. To be honest they were one of the things I had planned to try, but after doing an exhaustive trial and error programme on a number of materials and thicknesses I came away with a material that I felt that did an exceptional job in providing a sonic signature that I felt was almost impossible to beat (Vlieseline batting / clothing filling material 248). That being said I'm always up to trying different mods and materials. It was just at that time that I decided to settle on something that I was more than happy with. This could change in the future when I have the time, money and inclination to try something different. I'm interested with @tolis626 new mod and I have a few ideas of my own to try as well. I'll be back with some input soonish.

Thank you; it was merely a friendly pointer on my demand, and I thought spontaneously about that material, due to its thickness and how it looks in general.
To me, ATH-MSR7s are good as they are in their stock form, and mine might have been well burned in (or not?), they were a demo in the store, looking as good as new.
Couldn't live with the Denon AH-MM400, which sounded like having the tighter bass than B&W P7 (all of these are sort of portable), but turned to be a bit too dark and a bit too much bass to my taste, in the end. Went for the MSR7 in the end, and for the purpose, really never looked back.
 
May 6, 2018 at 6:14 AM Post #2,422 of 2,803
Funny thing is that I have found it better than I first thought as well. I have tried numerous other headphones that are similar, but end up returning to the MSR7.

Tried Senn Momentum on and over ear, Sony MSR1, Vmoda M100, Takstar Pro82 and for me, the MSR7 is an improvement.
 
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May 6, 2018 at 10:32 AM Post #2,424 of 2,803
What about msr7 vs fidelio x2?
Oh come on man, that's even less of a valid comparison. The only thing these two have in common is that they make sound happen. One is closed, the other is as open as open goes. One is detailed and up-close sounding, the other is one of the widest sounding headphones on the marker. One is bright and detailed, the other is very bassy to dark sounding and laid back. That's about the least valid headphone comparison you can make while keeping the prices similar. If I could, I'd get both, they complement each other very well, but between one or the other? There isn't a point thinking about it.
 
May 6, 2018 at 2:22 PM Post #2,425 of 2,803
Usage is not an issue mate... I just need cans that have enough bass... Can you compare the two, if you happened to hear both.

You should really determine your use case for the headphones. I own AT MSR7 and Sennheiser HD 600 and I can tell you that Msr7 is a good well rounded pair of headphones that is great as a portable pair and a gaming pair if you want to hit 2 birds with one stone. On the other hand the hd600 is great for music, movies but lacks the portability and sucks for gaming as the sound separation is inferior to the MSR7.
In the comfort department Hd600 is the winner by a landslide.
I know that I wrote about de 600 instead of the 650 but that's what I have and I think they are close enough to prove the community's point.
Also if you want crazy bass, neither are a good buy as both are Hi-fidelity headphone, meaning that both will aim to reproduce the source as good as possible.
Then there is the thing where the MSR7 really doesn't need an amp so you can save a couple of bucks there.
 
May 6, 2018 at 10:23 PM Post #2,426 of 2,803
You should really determine your use case for the headphones. I own AT MSR7 and Sennheiser HD 600 and I can tell you that Msr7 is a good well rounded pair of headphones that is great as a portable pair and a gaming pair if you want to hit 2 birds with one stone. On the other hand the hd600 is great for music, movies but lacks the portability and sucks for gaming as the sound separation is inferior to the MSR7.
In the comfort department Hd600 is the winner by a landslide.
I know that I wrote about de 600 instead of the 650 but that's what I have and I think they are close enough to prove the community's point.
Also if you want crazy bass, neither are a good buy as both are Hi-fidelity headphone, meaning that both will aim to reproduce the source as good as possible.
Then there is the thing where the MSR7 really doesn't need an amp so you can save a couple of bucks there.
Agreed completely.
@shahkhan If you want more bass, there're some good choices in the price range like VMODA M100, ATH-M50X, TX-0/T50RP etc. If you can stretch your budget, go for the TH-X00, I hugely recommend it. I don't know where you got the ideas for comparison with the Fidelio x2 or the HD600, but those cans, like others have pointed out, have nothing in common with the MSR7. Like, at all.
 
May 7, 2018 at 4:44 AM Post #2,427 of 2,803
Guys please dont make fuss out of this. After all HD 650, X2, MSR7 all are cans and suppose to produce music. I just wanted to know bass quantity and quality out of these three cans, irrespective of open/closed, ANC etc. Actually I have to choose among these 3 and my concern "specifically" is low end frequencies, as simple as that.
 
May 7, 2018 at 5:48 AM Post #2,428 of 2,803
Guys please dont make fuss out of this. After all HD 650, X2, MSR7 all are cans and suppose to produce music. I just wanted to know bass quantity and quality out of these three cans, irrespective of open/closed, ANC etc. Actually I have to choose among these 3 and my concern "specifically" is low end frequencies, as simple as that.
No, we make a fuss because it does matter. Try using the X2 or the HD650 in a bus and you'll see why it matters. Comparing the MSR7 to these 2 is downright stupid. Even more so when considering the noise canceling version.
With all that said, for bass quantity go with the X2. The other 2 are kind of light on the bass.
 
May 7, 2018 at 9:11 AM Post #2,430 of 2,803
No, we make a fuss because it does matter. Try using the X2 or the HD650 in a bus and you'll see why it matters. Comparing the MSR7 to these 2 is downright stupid. Even more so when considering the noise canceling version.
With all that said, for bass quantity go with the X2. The other 2 are kind of light on the bass.

Are you lot still arguing with that guy. I clicked the ignore button, now I can only see one side of the argument. :)
 

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