[earfonia]

I wonder how much they'll charge

There will be special price at this Saturday AT event in Singapore.

 

[productred]

Tried. Paid. Left with the MSR gunmetal on my head and a huge grin on my face.

It's top stuff. Not in this price range, but in any price range. Top top stuff. Except a not too wide soundstage, everything about the MSR is top quality. Simple as that......really shocked at how good it is right out of the box. It's a steal even at 3 times its MSRP. No exaggeration. The MDR-1A and the Ultrasone Performance 880 I tried as well are no competition at all in any department - extension, details retrieval, timbre accuracy, layering, comfort, apparent build quality, looks etc. All that added to a mildly sweet and moderately intimate vocal presentation. Still shocked right now with my new cans stuck on my head since a few hours ago. I've listened to too many headphones in all these years to know that ATH has something really special here (and I'm not even an ATH fans). Every note it renders is breathtaking.........this is insane.

 

[DannyBai]

Oh man, thanks for sharing.  Getting excited.

 

[productred]

I wasn't too excited about its release tbh, mainly due to the rather boring looks that resembles many existing options. I went to the store mainly to try out the ultrasone 880 while hoping to get a glimpse of the ath-esw9ltd. The esw9 hadn't arrived yet, and I just happened to be underwhelmed by the 880 and mdr1 that I thought y not try these out as well since they r new in the house. I can only be sooooooo glad that I did. And the gunmetal version looks really cool in real.

 

[vlenbo]

  Oh man, thanks for sharing.  Getting excited.

+1
 

I wasn't too excited about its release tbh, mainly due to the rather boring looks that resembles many existing options. I went to the store mainly to try out the ultrasone 880 while hoping to get a glimpse of the ath-esw9ltd. The esw9 hadn't arrived yet, and I just happened to be underwhelmed by the 880 and mdr1 that I thought y not try these out as well since they r new in the house. I can only be sooooooo glad that I did. And the gunmetal version looks really cool in real.

Ohohohoho. Seems that I made a good decision regardless, but the ath-msr7 ltd still looks pretty good imo.
 
Anyway, thanks for sharing your impressions! Just a quick question if you don't mind me asking.
 
Is the soundstage wider than the usual closed-headphone at least?

 

[Bakemono858]

Tried. Paid. Left with the MSR gunmetal on my head and a huge grin on my face.

Did you by chance purchase them in a store in the US? I'm currently trying to find a place.

 

[twister6]

  Did you by chance purchase them in a store in the US? I'm currently trying to find a place.

 
Not available in US yet, but coming soon.  The same with CKR9 and CKR10

  The last I heard from AT US was CKR9/10 by the end of November, maybe beginning of December, and MSR7 in January.  Will ping my contact to confirm.
 
.... CKR9/CKR10 already listed and sold in US: http://www.audio-technica.com/cgi-bin/product_search/headphones/headphones_cat.pl?select_multiple_3=In-Ear
 
Just checked my last email communication with AT US, MSR7 either end of Jan/begin of Feb.

 

[Bakemono858]

   
 
Just checked my last email communication with AT US, MSR7 either end of Jan/begin of Feb.

Hmm I may just order them online then. Thanks for the confirmation!

 

[twister6]

  Hmm I may just order them online then. Thanks for the confirmation!

 
Just keep in mind, AT US is very strict about warranty coverage on products purchased outside of US.  Warranty coverage is not global, but rather territorial and based on where you purchased it.  Probably OK if you have removable cables, but when you don't on something like CKRx series, it can bite you in the arse

 

[productred]

+1

Ohohohoho. Seems that I made a good decision regardless, but the ath-msr7 ltd still looks pretty good imo.

Anyway, thanks for sharing your impressions! Just a quick question if you don't mind me asking.

Is the soundstage wider than the usual closed-headphone at least?

I'd say it's wider than most PORTABLE closed-backs - it's not bad at all, quite impressive indeed considering its compactness, but home use large closed-backs with bigger earcups can do better in soundstage.

 

[productred]

Did you by chance purchase them in a store in the US? I'm currently trying to find a place.

Nope I got it in Hong Kong

The limited red version is also available but while I kinda like the metallic red, the gold accents make them kinda gaudy looking....and I AM a limited version freak lol

 

[productred]

One note tho: definitely not a bass head cans. It's a very clean and balanced presentation. I think its a presentation that no one can object to, but not the fun sound some may be after. It's fidelity oriented.

 

[ForceMajeure]

There is a Unboxing/Review video in youtube but it's Japanese and the integrated auto translate caption thing didn't do a good job...
 
Anyway if someone knows Japanese the sound review should be at ~ 7:30min
 

 

[nightdance]

I got a couple questions for you - If by any chance you have heard the KEF M500s before, how would you compare it to the MSR7? And are the headphones comfortable for long wearing sessions? I'm really looking forward to your impressions as I might grab one in Hong Kong too!

 

[productred]

I'm not too familiar with the M500 apart from a brief demo session around the time of its release, which was quite a while ago. I didn't recall any wow factor back then, but obviously the M500 wins in ultraportability and possibly comfort too, with the MSR7 being quite a bit heavier. But soundwise I think MSR7 offers a bit more of everything. Maybe someone more familiar with the M500 can do a better comparison.
 
OK now I may be tempted to get the LTD version as well, maybe to use during weekends. It's THAT good. I guess for many non-hardcare head-fiers (hardcore ones HAS to try sth new, yea?) who dun follows the beats trend, the MSR7 can be the end of their search for a portable pair of cans that does everything right sonically while looking stylish and feels like quality stuff (The black one looks kinda bleh tho imho).