[tolis626]

I often use a Fiio A1 with mine and that works well.

The fakes look really good. It surprised me. Since then, I also got hold of a fake Sennheiser Momentum in ear and made a video comparing them with the real thing, It is quite amazing how similar the copies look to the originals.

The MSR7 can be a bit picky and like you, I like a warmer signature but I have found that the Fiio tend to be a bit warmer and that helps the Audio Technica be less gritty.

The A1? That tiny little thing works, huh? I'm thinking of experimenting with it in the future. I may buy a ZuperDAC from Massdrop next time it drops (It has an ESS9018) and pair it with an A1 for a super portable little rig. Or maybe a K1? Or go full out and buy a Dragonfly? (And by all-out, I mean that I wouldn't spend more money on super portable stuff, I'd go bigger if I spent more)

Yeah, people have been saying the Q1 and the MSR7 make a great pair here, so I figured it'll work for now and at least make them usable out of my phone. The time will come for something better (tube amp maybe?), but for now it'll do. I also got a case along with the Q1 from Amazon.de and I really hope it fits the MSR7, because I get anxious carrying them around in a bag. It's a nice bag, but it's a bag.

 

[ModiHiFi]

Thought I'd just fill in a few more details about my experimenting with various materials to make my MSR7s sound good after upgrading the pads to the HM5. Get the leather ones people, NOT the velour. The velour are TERRIBLE as are angled ear pads to a lesser extent.

Besides the fabric fleece, another modification that I made and stuck with that cut down on the accentuated high end that the HM5 pads made was a type of medical tape called Fixomull Stretch. This material is very stretchable but a huge pain to apply because the glue that the manufacturer used is designed to stick to your skin - and it REALLY does stick to your finger tips! I applied it in various places around the driver, but the area around the circumference of the driver's protective shield so the outermost holes of the shield were covered worked the best. Surprisingly the high end frequencies were somewhat lessened while the overall sound levels and bass response weren’t affected after applying the tape. I thought I'd post a few photos but I can't seeing that I'm a New Head-Fier. Perhaps another time.

Also, there's one thing I want to bring to the fore with others about this experience is that when modifying headphones (or even A/B headphones) is that your ears get used to a headphone's sound signature when listening to them for a period of time. I know that this is well known and has been talked about at length, BUT it is important to note that when listening to changes you definitely need to give your ears some rest time by leaving the headphones alone for 5 to 10 minutes before doing any critical listening to a change that you have made. It's OK to quickly compare headphones or modification changes, just don't do it if you're tending to listen to the headphone your interested in for a lengthy period of time because your ears will get too accustomed to its particular sound signature, thus affecting the perceived signature of other headphones in the short term.

 

[tolis626]

While waiting for the Q1 to arrive, I couldn't just leave the MSR7s alone, and I knew that sound from my PC isn't all that great, just a lot better than my OnePlus 3. So I decided to revive my old, half-broken, slow and bootlooping Galaxy S3. And man, am I almost shedding tears with how good the combo sounds. Now I can't wait for the Q1 to arrive so that I can enjoy these cans more.

For context, the Galaxy S3 (original Exynos model) has a Wolfson WM1811 (or something like that) DAC that, while not the best, is much better than what most phones sport, even today. At stock it didn't perform all that great, but mod the thing with software from XDA Developers and damn can it sound good. And sound good it does. There's bass now, ACTUAL bass on the MSR7. Not mid-bass that only kicks in every now and then, but full bodied, nice bass. I think they sound a tad more narrow than the Cirrus Logic DAC on my PC, but they sound warmer and overall much nicer. The hardware EQ in the S3 (can be modified with Boefla audio when rooted with a custom kernel) does wonders. You can make it sound as warm or as analytical as you want, within reason of course. And the highs, oh the highs... I'm listening to Anathema's Alternative 4 album and I'm picking details now that I hadn't heard in the album's 19 years (ok, I only listened to it for the first time in the late 2000s, but still, you get my point ).

Thought I'd just fill in a few more details about my experimenting with various materials to make my MSR7s sound good after upgrading the pads to the HM5. Get the leather ones people, NOT the velour. The velour are TERRIBLE as are angled ear pads to a lesser extent.

Besides the fabric fleece, another modification that I made and stuck with that cut down on the accentuated high end that the HM5 pads made was a type of medical tape called Fixomull Stretch. This material is very stretchable but a huge pain to apply because the glue that the manufacturer used is designed to stick to your skin - and it REALLY does stick to your finger tips! I applied it in various places around the driver, but the area around the circumference of the driver's protective shield so the outermost holes of the shield were covered worked the best. Surprisingly the high end frequencies were somewhat lessened while the overall sound levels and bass response weren’t affected after applying the tape. I thought I'd post a few photos but I can't seeing that I'm a New Head-Fier. Perhaps another time.

Also, there's one thing I want to bring to the fore with others about this experience is that when modifying headphones (or even A/B headphones) is that your ears get used to a headphone's sound signature when listening to them for a period of time. I know that this is well known and has been talked about at length, BUT it is important to note that when listening to changes you definitely need to give your ears some rest time by leaving the headphones alone for 5 to 10 minutes before doing any critical listening to a change that you have made. It's OK to quickly compare headphones or modification changes, just don't do it if you're tending to listen to the headphone your interested in for a lengthy period of time because your ears will get too accustomed to its particular sound signature, thus affecting the perceived signature of other headphones in the short term.

You're the man. When I decide to mod my MSR7s (which will probably happen sooner rather than later, as my ears touch the drivers and after a while they aren't so comfortable - big ear people problems) you're gonna be my savior. Especially considering that HM5 pads are the only ones I can easily get my hands on, at least without getting ripped off by shipping. Thank you good sir!

 

[Slim1970]

Anyone got their hands on the new special edition version of these for sound comparisons?

 

[ModiHiFi]

Anyone got their hands on the new special edition version of these for sound comparisons?

Not yet. However, I for one am very eager to get my hands on a pair of these bad boys. They're still on "pre-order" status here in Sydney Australia and availability is expected in late November or early December. Christmas might just come early this year.

 

[Quadfather]

I just broke out my Audio-Technica ATH-MSR7GMs to use with Lotoo Paw Gold Diana. I must say, I am glad I did. I will be listening to these for quite some time. The combination of LPG with these headphones is unbelievable.

 

[Slim1970]

Not yet. However, I for one am very eager to get my hands on a pair of these bad boys. They're still on "pre-order" status here in Sydney Australia and availability is expected in late November or early December. Christmas might just come early this year.

Yeah, they have my interest as well. I bought the ATH-WS1100iS and tried to like them but they just didn’t sound all that great to my ears. Hoping these fit the bill.

 

[honeybee123]

Has anyone found any good cases for msr-7's on amazon? Preferably on EU amazon

 

[tolis626]

Has anyone found any good cases for msr-7's on amazon? Preferably on EU amazon

Well, no, but I have this one on order from Amazon.de and it's probably arriving later this week or early next week, so I'll make sure to post my impressions here!

PS : I also bought this cable from Amazon a couple of weeks ago and, while it's otherwise awesome (high quality metal connectors, not too bulky and it looks and feels awesome), it's very stiff and springy. Is there any way to remedy that in your guys' experience? It's a nylon braided cable, so I guess that's what I get for cheaping out on my cables (I don't like the stock ones at all). Maybe I'll also get some fabric ones that aren't 2m like the V-moda cables (althought these are nice) and be done with it.

 

[Quadfather]

Has anyone found any good cases for msr-7's on amazon? Preferably on EU amazon

Gocase F2

 

[headwhacker]

Has anyone found any good cases for msr-7's on amazon? Preferably on EU amazon

UltraShell Headphones Case for Parrot Zik, B&O PLAY by BANG & OLUFSEN BeoPlay H2, H6,... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01I4MVPA4/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_apip_e6EvDwp1hsgoK

 

[BigDave]

I use this one and it fits perfectly.
https://www.gearbest.com/headphone-accessories/pp_663071.html?

 

[honeybee123]

Thanks for all the suggestions!

 

[Quadfather]

Thanks for all the suggestions!

Here is a picture of the Gocase F2...

 

[tolis626]

Well, just got the Q1 and my first impressions are OH MY FFFFFFFING GOD. If these cans sound so good from a portable sub-100€ DAC/amp, what have I been missing by not having a proper desktop setup? I also finally understood that they can produce a lot of bass, they're just tuned to be light on the low end. God damn... Amazing!

EDIT : Just to verify my last point, I connected the Q1 to my phone through its line in, so I was using my phone's DAC and on my phone I used Viper4Android and its bass boost function ("Viper bass", lol) while also having the Q1's bass boost on and... Oh sweet mother of baby Jesus! It can produce dat bass! Like, shaking my head kind of bass. I could feel the air move between the driver and my ears. And what's best is it sounded good enough. Sure, it was unnatural and artificial and whatnot, but listening to Eminem's Rap God (first bass heavy tune that came into my mind, I'm a metalhead and don't really know my rap/hip hop/EDM that well) with the bass cranked all the way up... Well, it was fun. The low end got overwhelming, but just because it was THERE, not because the headphones lost all control over the frequency range. You could still clearly hear the vocals and highs no problem, you just had explosions happening around too. Damn...