[WilliamLeonhart]

   
I would rate MSR7 soundstage for FPS gaming 3.5/5 (or 7/10). MSR7 soundstage is not 3D as MDR-1A. I don't know SRH940 or AKG K55#
MSR7 is wide, but don't have great depth. But, for me, I don't have annoying problem everytime I playing CS:GO
Atleast with MSR7 I always org...eargasm because sound quality and really suit with my preference 

 

Nice simple impression
About bass, that is common problem of MSR7. Let us blame recording quality and the sound engineer, not the headphone 

 Because some song have nice impact kick drum, and the other have boomy kick drum
 
I have cheap smartphone (Acer Z160), make MSR7 sound harsh too. I hope I can upgrade my phone so I can use OTG, buy DAC like Calyx PAT, and sell FiiO X1

Actually I'm perfectly fine with the bass on MSR7. What surprised me the most was that the onboard soundcard of my laptop, which is supposed to sound worse than anything with audio output, actually outshine the iPhone, which is supposed to at least match the iPod in terms of SQ. On my laptop things sound just... right, treble is not harsh nor broken, bass is more full-bodied and impactful, mids is natural.
 
I have never tried the MSR7 with my ODAC and LD I+ tube amp though.

 

[stereoguy]

I have been using a pair sent from Japan in black that cost $218  for the past month or so. The head phone sounds clean and transparent, very good detail, it has a decent stage for closed design and handles different kinds of music well. Bass is not lacking for me, and the overall balance seems to be well judged. ATMSR7 delivers the sonic goods. As with any headphone using your portable device equalizer (or the one in itunes, windows media, or sony media go) can dial down any perceived instrumental edge or vocal sharpness. If seeking cans for work or play, These are a definite option. That said I don't know if they are a no brainer. They are pretty heavy (especially for a set billed as "portable"), they are tight on head (and I've done quite a bit of bending and stretching to ease their clampdown), and the drivers are not very flat in the housing. The driver housing is actually convex and sticks out towards your ear (maybe to get that "high res" spec going on? but the ultrasonic frequency curve was not a factor in my consideration) and I'm guessing will touch and put various degrees of pressure on the ears of many wearers- as far as how they feel physically, for me they don't have that  long term warm and fuzzy thing going on, and we know the down side of moving drivers further out from the sound as designed in stock form. Listening wise I did'nt get fatigue- though I can hear where some would- this is more of a bring stuff to life phone than a tame the nasties phone. So in short I'm mostly satisfied, but I can't stress how important comfort is, these are nowhere near Beyer 880 or even sennheiser HD280 for comfort, and I rank the AT's towards the bottom of the scale in that department. They do ok for my intent, which was for a nice sounding pair to keep and use at work. Since I am up and about at various times during the day I don't have a need to wear for very long stretches of time, but I want good sound for those times I do listen. Most philes will probably want better cans for exclusive home use, and others still will want less mass for true portable use. I anoint the MSR7 "the office" phone. 

 

[WilliamLeonhart]

Yep they're more uncomfortable than the M50X, at least to me. Isolation is not good either. On the Singapore subway train I can still hear the woooooooooshhhh sound of the night winds
 

 

[zazex]

  I have been using a pair sent from Japan in black that cost $218  for the past month or so. The head phone sounds clean and transparent, very good detail, it has a decent stage for closed design and handles different kinds of music well. Bass is not lacking for me, and the overall balance seems to be well judged. ATMSR7 delivers the sonic goods. As with any headphone using your portable device equalizer (or the one in itunes, windows media, or sony media go) can dial down any perceived instrumental edge or vocal sharpness. If seeking cans for work or play, These are a definite option. That said I don't know if they are a no brainer. They are pretty heavy (especially for a set billed as "portable"), they are tight on head (and I've done quite a bit of bending and stretching to ease their clampdown), and the drivers are not very flat in the housing [....text redacted; see original for full text]

 
+1

 

[jedy617]

Hey guys, looking for a replacement for my AKG K550's and I'm considering these, mainly want a good increase in comfort and overall sound quality, do you think there are noticable differences? Also, what's a solid sub $100 amp for these? Thanks

 

[zazex]

  Hey guys, looking for a replacement for my AKG K550's and I'm considering these, mainly want a good increase in comfort and overall sound quality, do you think there are noticable differences? Also, what's a solid sub $100 amp for these? Thanks

 
I had the K550's about a year ago and returned them.
I think the MSR7's are better sounding all around.
The only place where the 550's beat them is in wearing
comfort, because the MSR7's can be a bit strong in the
clamping force.  Nonetheless, I'd rather have the MSR7's.
They are really fine headphones.

 

[jedy617]

   
I had the K550's about a year ago and returned them.
I think the MSR7's are better sounding all around.
The only place where the 550's beat them is in wearing
comfort, because the MSR7's can be a bit strong in the
clamping force.  Nonetheless, I'd rather have the MSR7's.
They are really fine headphones.

Cool, just ordered a pair...now time for an amp/dac...never used one before. What's a good option for me to plug into my laptop and it's relatively inexpensive (under $100, the cheaper the better) I hear the sound can very quite a bit on these depending on the amp.

 

[WilliamLeonhart]

  Cool, just ordered a pair...now time for an amp/dac...never used one before. What's a good option for me to plug into my laptop and it's relatively inexpensive (under $100, the cheaper the better) I hear the sound can very quite a bit on these depending on the amp.

It's really hard to recommend anything in that price range, because amp/dac in that range don't offer that much value in comparison to the onboard soundcard on your laptop. I think the iBasso Dzero may be a good choice. I'm not too keen on the Fiio range due to past problems I had with these.
If you can afford the Modi+Magni I think you'd be blown away by the value you get. The total price is quite a bit higher than what you're willing to spend, though

 

[DisCHORDDubstep]

Cool, just ordered a pair...now time for an amp/dac...never used one before. What's a good option for me to plug into my laptop and it's relatively inexpensive (under $100, the cheaper the better) I hear the sound can very quite a bit on these depending on the amp.

FiiO E10k and Schiit Fulla

 

[jedy617]

God I love the sound quality from these but now I'm thinking I'm going to return them..they just aren't comfy to me. I might pick up a set of momentum 2.0's or something else, not sure yet.

 

[FYLegend]

I'm considering getting these but is the comfort really that bad? I tried them briefly in some places and while the clamping force was a bit strong (not a lot), I didn't think these were particularly uncomfortable. Are they more comfortable with velour pads (I have the Sound Professionals earpads for the M50x)? Do these ones alter the sound quality?
 
Does the headband on these creak? I think I've been a bit too rough on my M50x and there's some creaking in the headband and the swivel hinge... :S

 

[jedy617]

  I'm considering getting these but is the comfort really that bad? I tried them briefly in some places and while the clamping force was a bit strong (not a lot), I didn't think these were particularly uncomfortable. Are they more comfortable with velour pads (I have the Sound Professionals earpads for the M50x)? Do these ones alter the sound quality?
 
Does the headband on these creak? I think I've been a bit too rough on my M50x and there's some creaking in the headband and the swivel hinge... :S

I don't think the comfort is horrible, but I'm going to be using these as my main headphones so I want them comfy as possible. Yes, they creak a lot, but only when you are adjusting them on your head. I bought the brainwavz pleather pads and I wasn't crazy about the setup, it just felt too bulky on my head, and that's coming from an owner of AKG K550's which are huge. I would buy them on amazon, and then you have a month to return them if you don't like them. That's what I'm doing, I'm going to give them a little more time however and see if I change my mind.

 

[riposte]

  I'm considering getting these but is the comfort really that bad? I tried them briefly in some places and while the clamping force was a bit strong (not a lot), I didn't think these were particularly uncomfortable. Are they more comfortable with velour pads (I have the Sound Professionals earpads for the M50x)? Do these ones alter the sound quality?
 
Does the headband on these creak? I think I've been a bit too rough on my M50x and there's some creaking in the headband and the swivel hinge... :S

 
Depends on the person too
I'm prefer MSR7 over MDR-1A. I have bit problem for 1-2 days because the clamping too tight for my preference. After stretched it, I like it, and I can use MSR7 for over 2 hours without any hurt
I don't think changing to velour is better for MSR7. It can affects the sounds (check earfonia's review of HM5 velourpads)
 
bit creak, but I don't care about it.
 
---
Check this for everyone who like Japanese instrument, shimasen

 

[tendou]

Is it true that is sort of m50x tuned for upper mids and treble?

 

[john57]

Is it true that is sort of m50x tuned for upper mids and treble?

Nope, it is a more of a different design.