[tolis626]

Well i have some shure 940 pads. Do you think they will sound ok with velour?

Nah, I don't think there's a chance with those. You could try, sure, but I wouldn't get my hopes up. Trust me, get HM5 flat sheepskins and use them with the felt removed, you won't regret it!

 

[FULLAUDIO]

Hello everyone,

I just wanted to ask if anybody could help me with choosing an alternative to the MSR7.

I have borrowed the MSR7 from a friend because I wanted to buy them, but there are a few things that I am not that happy about.
So I am looking for an alternative headphone in the same price range as the MSR7.
I have searched this forum and many others and found a few alternatives but I am still not sure which one to choose.

I found the earpads on the MSR7 to be quite small and really uncomfortable, I wear headphones 6-12 hours a day without any breaks.
I do not mind the clamping force but my ear just keeps pressing against the back of the earpad and also against the bump inside which is protecting the driver.
This was the main reason I decided to go for other options.
Uncomfortable headphones are a deal breaker to me.

I quite like the MSR7 sound, but it is just a touch too bright and thin sounding for my taste.
So I was wondering if any of you can recommend me any other closed back headphone (does not matter if portable or not, it just has to be closed), that has similar sound to the MSR7 but just a bit warmer sounding if possible?

The alternatives I have found are:
Sony MDR-1AM2 (Watched a few comparisons of the MDR-1A with the MSR7 and most of them recommended the MSR7 instead, dont know about this new version though)
Beyerdynamic DT 770 (I fear these might be too bass heavy for me)
AKG K 550 MKIII (I think that these would be the most comfortable, but I have heard some negative feedback on the sound)
NAD Viso HP50 (I fear that the sound would be too relaxed )

What are your thoughts?
Thank you for any suggestions.

 

[435279]

@FULLAUDIO

An alternative to the MSR7 with bigger earpads, how about the MSR7 with larger Brainwavz pads.

To fix the issue with Brightness you could try a different source or add some EQ.

The other headphone I would try is the Sennheiser Momentum, again quite small earcups but that is normal for portable closed back headphones and they may also be too relaxed.

 

[FULLAUDIO]

@FULLAUDIO

An alternative to the MSR7 with bigger earpads, how about the MSR7 with larger Brainwavz pads.

To fix the issue with Brightness you could try a different source or add some EQ.

The other headphone I would try is the Sennheiser Momentum, again quite small earcups but that is normal for portable closed back headphones and they may also be too relaxed.

Thank you for the response.

I have read that people tried changing the pads on the MSR7 and it destroyed the sound (bad seal probably - quote "bass disappeared and the highs came forward even more" or something along those lines), so I am worried about changing the pads.
I was looking at the HM5 sheepskin flat and I was on the verge of ordering them, but then I read the above on multiple forums.

As I said, they do not need to be portable I will be using them 99% of the time at my desk at home and portability is only a bonus.
The problem is that there are a lot of things going on around me and I can't listen with open back headphone.

 

[tolis626]

Thank you for the response.

I have read that people tried changing the pads on the MSR7 and it destroyed the sound (bad seal probably - quote "bass disappeared and the highs came forward even more" or something along those lines), so I am worried about changing the pads.
I was looking at the HM5 sheepskin flat and I was on the verge of ordering them, but then I read the above on multiple forums.

As I said, they do not need to be portable I will be using them 99% of the time at my desk at home and portability is only a bonus.
The problem is that there are a lot of things going on around me and I can't listen with open back headphone.

I'm one of these people that said that. If your purpose is to just put the pads on there and be done with it, don't even bother. The sound becomes terrible. You can't even salvage it with EQ, I tried and failed miserably. You added bass? It became muddy. You decreased the highs? All detail would disappear. You try to calm the mids down? They sound hollow and distant. And through most of that there was a sibilance that persisted.

So, for you there are two options, which depend on how much you are willing to mess with your stuff.

One is to get another pair of cans. I've heard great things about the MDR-1AM2, which are probably a more refined version of the MDR-1A that I almost got instead of the MSR7. These are very comfy, very laid back sounding, with lush bass and good enough mids, but they kind of lack in the details and liveliness of the sound compared to the MSR7. They are great, don't get me wrong, but they're just strong where the MSR7 isn't and lack where the MSR7 is strong. They are as different as they could be. The HP-50 are supposed to be great, but they are oogly IMO, worse than plain ugly. Then you also have the M40x with Brainwavz pads (preferably angled HM5 sheepskins), some of the closed models of Sennheiser's 5 series (the Momentum are kind of an option too, like SteveOliver said, but I found them too small for my ears, worse than the MSR7 stock, and the sould was, while pleasant, too laid back) and, if you have a powerful enough amp, maybe the Fostex T50rp with any other pad than stock.

The other option is this mod https://www.head-fi.org/threads/the...dphone-mods-here.867426/page-13#post-14446717 (I know, I'm like a broken record, but I will insist until people realize how great the MSR7 can be). The tl;dr of it is that you get the MSR7, a pair of HM5 sheepskin pads, open up the headphones by removing 4 screws, remove a felt ring sticker that is in there and put them back together, put on the HM5s and that's it. That calms the MSR7's highs and mids down just a bit, smooths them out quite a lot and adds quite a bit of bass, just as much as they need to sound full and thick and nice. And, IMO, none of the above headphones are capable of competing against the MSR7 like that, they're on a completely different level, hands down.

The choice is yours.

 

[FULLAUDIO]

I'm one of these people that said that. If your purpose is to just put the pads on there and be done with it, don't even bother. The sound becomes terrible. You can't even salvage it with EQ, I tried and failed miserably. You added bass? It became muddy. You decreased the highs? All detail would disappear. You try to calm the mids down? They sound hollow and distant. And through most of that there was a sibilance that persisted.

So, for you there are two options, which depend on how much you are willing to mess with your stuff.

One is to get another pair of cans. I've heard great things about the MDR-1AM2, which are probably a more refined version of the MDR-1A that I almost got instead of the MSR7. These are very comfy, very laid back sounding, with lush bass and good enough mids, but they kind of lack in the details and liveliness of the sound compared to the MSR7. They are great, don't get me wrong, but they're just strong where the MSR7 isn't and lack where the MSR7 is strong. They are as different as they could be. The HP-50 are supposed to be great, but they are oogly IMO, worse than plain ugly. Then you also have the M40x with Brainwavz pads (preferably angled HM5 sheepskins), some of the closed models of Sennheiser's 5 series (the Momentum are kind of an option too, like SteveOliver said, but I found them too small for my ears, worse than the MSR7 stock, and the sould was, while pleasant, too laid back) and, if you have a powerful enough amp, maybe the Fostex T50rp with any other pad than stock.

The other option is this mod https://www.head-fi.org/threads/the...dphone-mods-here.867426/page-13#post-14446717 (I know, I'm like a broken record, but I will insist until people realize how great the MSR7 can be). The tl;dr of it is that you get the MSR7, a pair of HM5 sheepskin pads, open up the headphones by removing 4 screws, remove a felt ring sticker that is in there and put them back together, put on the HM5s and that's it. That calms the MSR7's highs and mids down just a bit, smooths them out quite a lot and adds quite a bit of bass, just as much as they need to sound full and thick and nice. And, IMO, none of the above headphones are capable of competing against the MSR7 like that, they're on a completely different level, hands down.

The choice is yours.

Thank you for your input.

I am not that happy about taking them apart, so I am now looking at the T50RP MK3 which are almost half the price of the MSR7 in my country, even with Shure 1540 pads they will still be 20% cheaper than the MSR7.
I just wish the MSR7 would be more comfortable for me because I got used to the sound and I really, really like it.

 

[tolis626]

Thank you for your input.

I am not that happy about taking them apart, so I am now looking at the T50RP MK3 which are almost half the price of the MSR7 in my country, even with Shure 1540 pads they will still be 20% cheaper than the MSR7.
I just wish the MSR7 would be more comfortable for me because I got used to the sound and I really, really like it.

Well, no need to be afraid of doing it, it's really easy. Just remove 4 screws, remove a sticker, put the screws back while watching the cables, done.

Other than that, if you're gonna go with the Fostex, you better have a serious amp on hand. Like, multiple watts per channel serious. These things take power to run, gobs of it.

 

[FULLAUDIO]

Well, no need to be afraid of doing it, it's really easy. Just remove 4 screws, remove a sticker, put the screws back while watching the cables, done.

Other than that, if you're gonna go with the Fostex, you better have a serious amp on hand. Like, multiple watts per channel serious. These things take power to run, gobs of it.

I have a Fiio K5 on my main setup (it should drive it, but not with much power to spare) and Xonar Essence ST (should be more than enough) on my other setup.
I hope it will be OK

Also the MSR7 with the HM5 pads would cost 6500 Kč (around 300$) and the Fostex with 1540 pads would cost 4400 Kč (around 200$) so... its quite a lot cheaper.
And what I read so far the Fostex are nearly as good sounding as the MSR7, but I am not sure about that, cause MSR7 sound really good.

 

[tolis626]

I have a Fiio K5 on my main setup (it should drive it, but not with much power to spare) and Xonar Essence ST (should be more than enough) on my other setup.
I hope it will be OK

Also the MSR7 with the HM5 pads would cost 6500 Kč (around 300$) and the Fostex with 1540 pads would cost 4400 Kč (around 200$) so... its quite a lot cheaper.
And what I read so far the Fostex are nearly as good sounding as the MSR7, but I am not sure about that, cause MSR7 sound really good.

What? Why is it so expensive? Where do you live? Czech Republic I guess from the Kč.

Well, in Greece they are expensive too. Cheapest I can find is about 250€. I didn't get mine from Greece for that reason, but you can find them on eBay regularly for 100-150€ from within the EU. You can also get them for about the same price on Amazon.de. They have warehouse deals for used MSR7 in that range, or new for about 180€. I'd say that for your use case, the MSR7 would be better. The T50rp needs too much power and tinkering to get the most out of. Like, if you aren't willing to open them up, I'd say you're missing the point. I'd much rather go with the TR-90 or TR-80 from Fostex if you want their sound flavor if I were you. Also, a very good buy overall that I forgot about earlier is the Audio Technica WS-1100is. They are very similar to the MSR7, but have a larger driver, more bass, are narrower sounding and more comfortable. Their stock pads are great and could be used as an upgrade for the MSR7, but I don't know to what result.

 

[zazex]

Hello everyone,

I just wanted to ask if anybody could help me with choosing an alternative to the MSR7.

I have borrowed the MSR7 from a friend because I wanted to buy them, but there are a few things that I am not that happy about.
So I am looking for an alternative headphone in the same price range as the MSR7.
I have searched this forum and many others and found a few alternatives but I am still not sure which one to choose.

I found the earpads on the MSR7 to be quite small and really uncomfortable, I wear headphones 6-12 hours a day without any breaks.
I do not mind the clamping force but my ear just keeps pressing against the back of the earpad and also against the bump inside which is protecting the driver.
This was the main reason I decided to go for other options.
Uncomfortable headphones are a deal breaker to me.

I quite like the MSR7 sound, but it is just a touch too bright and thin sounding for my taste.
So I was wondering if any of you can recommend me any other closed back headphone (does not matter if portable or not, it just has to be closed), that has similar sound to the MSR7 but just a bit warmer sounding if possible?

The alternatives I have found are:
Sony MDR-1AM2 (Watched a few comparisons of the MDR-1A with the MSR7 and most of them recommended the MSR7 instead, dont know about this new version though)
Beyerdynamic DT 770 (I fear these might be too bass heavy for me)
AKG K 550 MKIII (I think that these would be the most comfortable, but I have heard some negative feedback on the sound)
NAD Viso HP50 (I fear that the sound would be too relaxed )

What are your thoughts?
Thank you for any suggestions.

Sony MDR1A Premium Hi-Res
Shure SRH 1540
Audio Technica ATH M50X
Sennheiser HD 598Cs

 

[FULLAUDIO]

Sony MDR1A Premium Hi-Res
Shure SRH 1540
Audio Technica ATH M50X
Sennheiser HD 598Cs

Thank you for the recommendations, tomorrow I am going to listen to the 1 More triple driver "over ear".
I will see if the sound and comfort is good and if yes, I will probably leave with them.

Also I don't like the ATH M50X pads and comfort overall.
The Shure 1540 cost 10500 Kč (cca 500$) so that is a no go...

My next choice is probably the MDR-1AM2 if the 1 More does not impress me.

Thank you for the input.

 

[zazex]

Thank you for the recommendations, tomorrow I am going to listen to the 1 More triple driver "over ear".
I will see if the sound and comfort is good and if yes, I will probably leave with them.

Also I don't like the ATH M50X pads and comfort overall.
The Shure 1540 cost 10500 Kč (cca 500$) so that is a no go...

My next choice is probably the MDR-1AM2 if the 1 More does not impress me.

Thank you for the input.

Very welcome; hope your hunt comes to fruition shortly.

 

[la1n]

Nice to see that there's recommendations regarding pads. Mine are starting to fray. Looks like the sheepskin HM5's is the way to go.
I kinda wanted a pair of HM5 pads in another colour, do the PU leather ones differ that much from the sheepskin? I guess they won't last as long though..

I'm sure this have been asked before, but have any of you replaced the headband? It's also starting to fray unfortunately..
Would be kinda nice if one could add some extra padding there.
If you got any suggestions i'm all ears!

 

[tolis626]

Nice to see that there's recommendations regarding pads. Mine are starting to fray. Looks like the sheepskin HM5's is the way to go.
I kinda wanted a pair of HM5 pads in another colour, do the PU leather ones differ that much from the sheepskin? I guess they won't last as long though..

I'm sure this have been asked before, but have any of you replaced the headband? It's also starting to fray unfortunately..
Would be kinda nice if one could add some extra padding there.
If you got any suggestions i'm all ears!

Don't get HM5s of any kind unless you're fine with modding the headphones internally. It's not hard, but just putting HM5s on them just doesn't work, the sound is garbage. No bass, harsh highs, sibilance, thin sound... Ugh. Modded with HM5 they are the best thing ever though. Pleathers give a more laid back sound, a bit darker, the mids are more recessed. The sheepskins are closer in tonality to the stock pads config, but with much better bass (more of it, but also tighter and it extends way lower - as it does with the pleathers) and a bit more forward mids. Personally, I quite prefer the sound of the sheepskins, but again, only after modding.

Other pads that may work without modding (none as nice, though) : Stock MSR7 replacement pads (duh!) cheap off of eBay, WS-1100is pads (I really want to try these at some point, they seem great, are comfy and cost ~15$ on eBay, would be my choice if I hadn't modded my pair), Yaxi ST pads (someone mentioned them in this thread quite early), Shure 940 pads and maybe, MAYBE the Dekoni pads for the M50x, but I wouldn't count on them working either because they're quite a bit larger than stock, just not HM5 large.

Regarding replacing the top padding... Well, I guess it wouldn't really be that hard if you had a replacement piece. I've seen people get the gunmetal MSR7 and swap the pleather pieces from brown to black ones (look sexy btw), so it's definitely possible. If mine frays, I may get some real leather and try to make a headband and maybe sacrifice a headphone pad to use in there. Or maybe replacement head pads for the HD 600/650 could work, I dunno.

Anything else you may need, post back. Until then, good luck!

 

[la1n]

Don't get HM5s of any kind unless you're fine with modding the headphones internally. It's not hard, but just putting HM5s on them just doesn't work, the sound is garbage. No bass, harsh highs, sibilance, thin sound... Ugh. Modded with HM5 they are the best thing ever though. Pleathers give a more laid back sound, a bit darker, the mids are more recessed. The sheepskins are closer in tonality to the stock pads config, but with much better bass (more of it, but also tighter and it extends way lower - as it does with the pleathers) and a bit more forward mids. Personally, I quite prefer the sound of the sheepskins, but again, only after modding.

Other pads that may work without modding (none as nice, though) : Stock MSR7 replacement pads (duh!) cheap off of eBay, WS-1100is pads (I really want to try these at some point, they seem great, are comfy and cost ~15$ on eBay, would be my choice if I hadn't modded my pair), Yaxi ST pads (someone mentioned them in this thread quite early), Shure 940 pads and maybe, MAYBE the Dekoni pads for the M50x, but I wouldn't count on them working either because they're quite a bit larger than stock, just not HM5 large.

Regarding replacing the top padding... Well, I guess it wouldn't really be that hard if you had a replacement piece. I've seen people get the gunmetal MSR7 and swap the pleather pieces from brown to black ones (look sexy btw), so it's definitely possible. If mine frays, I may get some real leather and try to make a headband and maybe sacrifice a headphone pad to use in there. Or maybe replacement head pads for the HD 600/650 could work, I dunno.

Anything else you may need, post back. Until then, good luck!

Sure, i'll be modding them as per your recommendation earlier! I actually had a pair of HM5 pads for another pair of headphones, but way before i got my MSR7's, and i loved how they felt.

Regarding the headband i'm leaning towards making some sort of leather and/or cloth headband with foam inside for extra padding, which would be attached with some sort of buttons (similar to what you can find on ebay/aliexpress). We'll see what i'll come up with (will post if it turns out nice).
The mod you've posted earlier, do you still get any benefit from it with the stock pads? I'm considering doing it later tonight just for fun, but i just might wait 'til i get the HM5 pads in the mail.