[sejsel]

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/audio-technica-ath-sr9-impressions-thread.832040/

 

[desmoface]

I did read that impressions thread, just not a lot in there.

Steve

 

[sejsel]

I did read that impressions thread, just not a lot in there.

Steve

Well, I have read the posts in the thread, and there was a good deal of info on SR9, compared to MSR7 throughout the thread.

I picked out and put here most of it (if not all) :

I demoed them briefly a few days ago. It's not as harsh as the MSR7 but not as warm either, treble extends higher . It feels quite recessed in the midrange. I think the DSR9 was a bit warmero, I didn't notice DSP artifacts but I felt like the instrument separation more spotty

In the comment above I meant to say the SR9 is not as peaked in the treble and midrange as the MSR7.

I wouldn't say the MSR7 is warm but relatively speaking it sounds more coherent. The SR9 doesn't have any nasty peaks but the treble sounds quite detached from the rest of the frequencies. It reminded me of the M70x in some ways but the treble wasn't quite as bright, it just extends really high. The low end does have some warmth but it doesn't sound very coherent with the higher frequencies. I tried Touch by Daft Punk as a test track and it sounded too lean losing its "organic" sound which the MSR7 is able to preserve.

As for the "warmero" DSR9 lol.. I'm still not entirely sold on wireless/USB only as that's another thing I need to charge to listen with my phone. They should have went with USB Type C as well for the wired connection. From what I recall the DSR9 is more coherent than the SR9, but it sounds somewhat conflicted as if instruments are trying to compete with one another. I had a problem like this with my JBL Charge 2 Bluetooth speaker before.

Listened to the ATH-SR9 for a couple hours. Here are my impressions copied from the thread I posted in /r/headphones:




Introduction: The ATH-SR9 is Audio Technica's new entry in the closed-back portable headphone market. It is now the top model of their Sound Reality line above the much beloved MSR7. New features include their 45mm driver now having OFC voice coils and a diamond-like carbon coated diaphragm which supposedly increases stiffness. The headphone comes in at a $450USD MSRP which is significantly above the price of the MSR7. Listening was done again from my phone into Dragonfly Red with 320kbps MP3 and FLAC files.

Build Quality, Comfort And Isolation: These headphones are very attractive to my eyes. Clean, sharp lines with the ever-so-popular minimalistic industrial Design. It is very well built. As good as the Oppo PM-3 which it should be since these are directly competing in the same segment. Unlike the MSR7 these now have one connector going to each cup. The cable is improved and seems sturdy while being supple without any coiling or stiffness. It terminates in a right angle connector that like the MSR7 is a little too big for my tastes but has adequate strain relief. Comfort is good. The pads feel like they are higher quality than on the MSR7. One would hope that these will also last longer. The Oppo PM-3 might still be a little bit more comfortable but these have bigger openings in the earpads so people with larger ears might prefer these. Isolation is improved from the MSR7 but also doesn't quite reach the levels of the Oppo PM-3.

Sound: Starting with the bass, I immediately noticed that it's definitely accentuated. Extension is much improved from the MSR7. Sub-bass becomes quite present although I do believe that these have more mid-bass than sub-bass. Usually I prefer a even low end like with my LCD-2s but the mid-bass here is very tight and punchy. These have more mid-bass than my 2016 LCD-2. I can report that the mid bass does not come with problematic bleeding into the mids. Bass has good speed and detail although the sub-bass seems to lose some detail and texture in the lower frequencies.

Mids are recessed. They are detailed and clear but vocals appear to take a back seat. The vocals really were odd to me. While they are definitely recessed they sometimes have a weird light trumpety, shouty character to them. In contrast, strings and guitars sounded good to me with good texture and definition. I'm very torn on the mids of these. I prefer more forward vocals but the clarity and detail is there. There might be a slight peak somewhere in the upper mids as well which gives the strings and guitars body but also introduces the slight trumpety/shouty nature when a vocalist or brass instrument player hits a certain note.

The treble is typical Audio Technica. It is again accentuated and very detailed and well extended. These are less sibilant than the MSR7s. They still keep the airiness and sparkle of the MSR7 without being quite as bright. Hi-hats and cymbals are realistic sounding with good decay. I believe these have more treble in the presence region and less in the 6-8k region compared to the MSR7.

I found these to possess a V-shaped sound signature. More mid-bass than sub-bass and overall keeping part of the bright character of the other SR headphones.

Soundstage is outstanding for a closed headphone. It's deeper than the one of the MSR7 while keeping or maybe even slightly improving on width. Imaging is also very good. The transitions from left to center to right image are more coherent compared to the MSR7. This still is one of the strong points of the SR line.

Comparisons: Now these quite obviously compete directly against the Oppo PM-3. The Oppos have a warm, relaxed sound signature with rolled-off treble. The SR9 is very different. The treble is a strong point of the SR9s. While the Oppo can sound a little dull at times, lacking sparkle and excitement, the SR9 is quite lively with its accentuated treble and bass. The mid-bass has more impact on the SR9 but the Oppos beat it in terms of sub-bass detail and texture. In the mid-range I found the Oppos to have a clearly superior vocal presentation. They're smoother and more present. While the SR9 could have a hint of sibilance at times, the Oppos never had anything of that sort. Aside from that the SR9 clearly beats the Oppos in terms of treble, being much better extended and more detailed in this region. The soundstage of the SR9 is a bit wider than the Oppo. Imaging and depth is about equal.

Compared to the MSR7, my favourite closed-back portable headphone under $200, these are less bright and have a good amount more bass. While I don't think that the SR9 have a lot less midrange than the MSR7, the accentuated bass makes it seem so in relation. The MSR7 lacks in bass extension which is remedied with the SR9. Again the staging depth and imaging is also significantly better with the SR9. Overall the SR9 is more competent and resolving. It provides more detail and an improved bass and treble response.

Conclusion: The ATH-SR9 is in a class of headphones with not many competitors. Aside from the Oppo PM-3 I can think of the Shure SRH-1540 and possibly the B&W P7 and Audeze SINE. I am very fond of vocals but with many tracks, especially modern music such as EDM and Hip-Hop and I found myself preferring the SR9. I can also see these working well with some metal. I loved the bass response of these headphones which I thought was very tasteful for being accentuated. The impact of the midbass was quite welcome on tracks like Sing About Me, I'm Dying Of Thirst or Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe by Kendrick Lamar. Treble is toned down from the MSR7 so more treble-sensitive people will be able to enjoy these than before.

As you may be able to tell, I have a very split opinion of the ATH-SR9. Mostly because I don't usually go for V-shaped heapdhones. I did think these were better than the Shure SRH-1540 and B&W P7. I sadly haven't had a chance to listen to the SINE but I generally don't appreciate the fit of on-ear headphones. I would probably pick up the Oppo PM-3 myself but if I did, I can definitely see myself missing the strong treble of the ATH-SR9. I also didn't find like I was giving up much in terms of bass response compared to the planar-magnetic PM-3 so it does come down to my preference in terms of vocal presentation. If you love the V-shaped sound signature and are looking for a portable headphone in this price segment, you should strongly consider these.

Shoutout to JM-Plus near MRT Gongguan in Taipei for letting me listen to these.

Great review - I agree with most of what you described, especially that the midrange is recessed and sounds somewhat off. I think that's why I thought some tracks lack warmth and sound detached. I think they're fine for electronic music or rock music but aren't so good for warmer-tuned tracks. Just wondering have you have tried the M70x before and if you can compare them?

I tried these at the AT Showroom and at My Sound in Syntrend in Taipei. At the showroom I played it directly from my Xperia Z5 while at Syntrend it was connected to an AT amp (can't remember the name). They didn't sound that different aside from volume. I was mainly looking for new IEMs rather than headphones though.

Hope to check out JM-Plus soon. Did you see if they had Yaxi stPads in stock? I just saw it listed on their Ruten site.

Had a demo today but decided to go for the Sine instead. To me, the Sr9 is VERY v shaped. Too much for my taste. It sounds like when the loudness button is activated on an amp in addition to the bass and treble dials turned up. Initially it may sound impressive but, with time, it becomes unsatisfying. It has a very "hollow" character.
The bass sounds quite bloated to me, and quite loose. The treble is well extended, however, and has quite an airy character for a closed can.
Overall I feel it is overpriced for it's sq, and build quality. Just my 2c worth.

I thought MSR7 was smoother while the SR9 was overwhelming in detail. The DSR9 was bassier than SR9 but highs not as detailed.

Our supplier for Audio Technica was kind enough to drop by with a set of pre-production SR9s, I jumped at the chance to try them out.

I started out with Infected Mushroom - The Rat, a track with which I am well versed. I was initially overwhelmed with the emphasis in the 5-6KHz space. It was piercing to the point almost being painful, until the bassline kicked in to offer relief. They are V shaped, tipping more towards being bright.

Initially I was trying to understand what Audio Technica were trying to achieve with the sound of the SR9s. But then I began A/B-ing them with the MSR7, which are on of favorite portable headphones, and it sounded as though a veil was being lifted when switching over to the SR9s, they were incredibly articulate (at the expense of occasionally being murdered by a high-hat).

I like neutral audio gear, so I knew right away that the SR9s weren't the headphones for me, but there are plenty of people that like a V shaped signature, and almost as many people that like bright headphones.

An interesting listen for sure!

// Alex

 

[ModiHiFi]

Just wanted to chime in.

Installed the Dekoni Audio Elite Sheepskin Ear Pads on my pair of MSR7s and absolutely love how it feels and sounds.

I tried ZMF Cowhides and could never get them to feel and sound right. To me it sounded like the cowhides elevated the treble and upper midrange to much and the sound got fatiguing.

The Dekoni's are just so soft and they bring up the midrange a bit but keep the sparkly treble.

I normally just use my MSR7s for gaming (with a vmoda boom pro) but now I'm sitting here listening to all my music.

I've had a similar problem with the MSR7 pads too. I read a few comments from others who have looked at buying something better and after reading what had been written I went ahead and bought a pair of HM5 leather pads. Now, this fixes one problem (much better ear comfort and listening longevity), but unfortunately it introduced a few changes to the MSR7's sound signature. A change in a headphone's ear pads will often change the way they sound to some degree. In this case it made them sound somewhat more open and airy, but they also accentuated the high end while also weakened the low end giving the MSR7's an overall anaemic sound. Not by a great deal mind you, but there was a difference in their sound signature. Personally I didn't care for the change in sound that the new ear pads made. I quite liked the way the MSR7 sounded as originally intended. That was until I did some serious research and modifying with various types of acoustic filters.

To cut a very long story short, you need to get some of the following material that will (as was my experience) both lessen the high end emphasis while boosting and enhancing the low end register. The material I chose out of dozens that I tested and re-tested was a fabric fleece - Vlieseline low loft batting volume fleece 248. You may want to try various other volume fleece materials that are available (and there are a few), but for me the low loft batting volume fleece was the best choice. With this type of fleece cut to shape and incorporated into the back of the HM5 leather pads was to my ears quite astonishingly good with the end result (if you include by Fixomull Stretch mod too) possibly being superior than the original headphone's sound signature. I highly recommend that you make the time to incorporate this particular fabric fleece (or something similar) into a new pair of HM5 pads to make your MSR7 sound their best.

Hope this helps!

OK. Here's a few pics for anyone who's interested in the modifications I made to my pair of MSR7s using alternative ear pads to make them feel and sound their best. For ear pads I used Brainwavz sheepskin leather HM5 pads which I think are on par with the Dekoni's. To lessen the high end emphasis and mild sibilance of the larger alternative ear pads I would suggest using use some Vlieseline Fleece 248 (which is a low loft batting volume clothing fleece). To give it a more nuanced, smoother top end I tried a few things and decided to use Fixomull Stretch (which is a very flexible skin-orientated medical bandage) around the outer perimeter of the headphone drivers (see the photos).

One important thing to keep in mind if anyone does want to try this mod in any way is to let your ears adjust to the new sound signature. Give it a few songs for everything (ears / brain / biases etc) to adjust to the changes. The modified headphones may not sound fantastic straight away, BUT if you're willing to let the headphones do their thing, it's very important to let the changes happen gradually, and not after 10 seconds of listening say what you're hearing is a load of rubbish. It's a strange-ish phenomenon and it's been noted many times on this forum in various threads (including this one), but it's real, it's a thing. I bet there's probably a term for it too. Perhaps. Interesting to know what it might be if one does exist.

Anyway, hope you like the new sound to anyone who's willing to give them a go.

Cheers!

 

[tolis626]

Hey guys, how is everyone?

Wanted to ask a question, 'cause I'm thinking of buying a set of open cans for use at home. As nice as the MSR7 are, they are closed and are best used as such.

To the question. Is there anyone here who either owns or has extensively tested the Philips SHP9500, Fidelio X2 or the Hifiman HE4xx from Massdrop (or other variants, like the HE400i or s) or a combination of those 3? How close are they to the MSR7 in sound signature? I know I'm comparing very different things here, but I don't want to have another bass-light, bright and somewhat cold sounding headphone. I have the MSR7 for that and adore them, but I want my next cans to be something different, at least slightly.

I'm asking because at this point I'm probably getting one of those. I wanted to go with the Monoprice M1060 because 106mm planar driver FTW, but something about them blatantly ripping off Audeze rubs me the wrong way. Next in my list is the SHP9500 because you can't beat that price. X2 is supposed to be bassy in a good way and have wide AF soundstage and the Hifiman... Well, it's a planar and that's a good thing in my book!

 

[Magol79]

Hey guys, how is everyone?

Wanted to ask a question, 'cause I'm thinking of buying a set of open cans for use at home. As nice as the MSR7 are, they are closed and are best used as such.

To the question. Is there anyone here who either owns or has extensively tested the Philips SHP9500, Fidelio X2 or the Hifiman HE4xx from Massdrop (or other variants, like the HE400i or s) or a combination of those 3? How close are they to the MSR7 in sound signature? I know I'm comparing very different things here, but I don't want to have another bass-light, bright and somewhat cold sounding headphone. I have the MSR7 for that and adore them, but I want my next cans to be something different, at least slightly.

I'm asking because at this point I'm probably getting one of those. I wanted to go with the Monoprice M1060 because 106mm planar driver FTW, but something about them blatantly ripping off Audeze rubs me the wrong way. Next in my list is the SHP9500 because you can't beat that price. X2 is supposed to be bassy in a good way and have wide AF soundstage and the Hifiman... Well, it's a planar and that's a good thing in my book!

In that case I can't recommend the audio technica R70x highly enough. I've owned both the he-400i and X2. I also own both the MSR7 and MSR7SE. The R70x puts all of them to shame imo. It just sounds so natural and effortless. The music is just "there". With the above models you know you are still listening to headphones, the R70x in contrast are so light and natural sounding that I forget they are there at all. All I hear is music and not the headphones. I'm going to stop gushing about them now, but seriously give them a try.

 

[ModiHiFi]

Hey guys, how is everyone?

Wanted to ask a question, 'cause I'm thinking of buying a set of open cans for use at home. As nice as the MSR7 are, they are closed and are best used as such.

To the question. Is there anyone here who either owns or has extensively tested the Philips SHP9500, Fidelio X2 or the Hifiman HE4xx from Massdrop (or other variants, like the HE400i or s) or a combination of those 3? How close are they to the MSR7 in sound signature? I know I'm comparing very different things here, but I don't want to have another bass-light, bright and somewhat cold sounding headphone. I have the MSR7 for that and adore them, but I want my next cans to be something different, at least slightly.

I'm asking because at this point I'm probably getting one of those. I wanted to go with the Monoprice M1060 because 106mm planar driver FTW, but something about them blatantly ripping off Audeze rubs me the wrong way. Next in my list is the SHP9500 because you can't beat that price. X2 is supposed to be bassy in a good way and have wide AF soundstage and the Hifiman... Well, it's a planar and that's a good thing in my book!

I’ve recently tried a few more expensive cans and if I were to recommend anything it would be Beyerdynamic’s DT1990. I have to agree with Zeos from Z Reviews, these cans are pretty good.

 

[GraveNoX]

Hey guys, how is everyone?

Wanted to ask a question, 'cause I'm thinking of buying a set of open cans for use at home. As nice as the MSR7 are, they are closed and are best used as such.

To the question. Is there anyone here who either owns or has extensively tested the Philips SHP9500, Fidelio X2 or the Hifiman HE4xx from Massdrop (or other variants, like the HE400i or s) or a combination of those 3? How close are they to the MSR7 in sound signature? I know I'm comparing very different things here, but I don't want to have another bass-light, bright and somewhat cold sounding headphone. I have the MSR7 for that and adore them, but I want my next cans to be something different, at least slightly.

I'm asking because at this point I'm probably getting one of those. I wanted to go with the Monoprice M1060 because 106mm planar driver FTW, but something about them blatantly ripping off Audeze rubs me the wrong way. Next in my list is the SHP9500 because you can't beat that price. X2 is supposed to be bassy in a good way and have wide AF soundstage and the Hifiman... Well, it's a planar and that's a good thing in my book!

I do have SHP9500 and MSR7 for at least 1 year, they are completely different in tonality and timbre.
MSR7 - a little on the cold side, but mostly neutral, bass is textured but nothing special, very different bass than SHP9500 (closed vs open lol).
SHP9500 - on the warm side (regarding highs, they are a little sparkly and rolled off, opposite to HD700/800 metallic highs), bass is mostly one note, uncontrolled, fluffy, I can feel vibrations of the entire headphone every time bass plays and is annoying, I can listen louder than MSR7 but I don't feel like it's playing louder but I notice quickly that my ears hurt because of high loudness, pretty sure of the grainy sound which makes everything sound mushy and dirty. Too much decays. Boring signature, i get bored fast while listening to music. Rock sound very busy and boring. Vocals are more intelligible on SHP9500 than MSR7 (yes, I said it). SHP9500 gives impression of big soundstage but it's fake soundstage created by decays (every note sound "longer" than it should (wet sound). MSR7 is opposite: dry, thin and slight metallic. HD700/800 is pure metallic. SHP9500 it's plastic knife. MSR7 is good for gaming. MSR7 are good for gaming only for the improved imaging, but soundstage is weird and having a thin signature, it sounds really weird on games/movies. SHP9500 are more enjoyable for gaming or movies. $60 is the right price for them, too much hype.

for me: cold (metallic highs), warm (sparkly highs), neutral (between cold and warm).

Anyway, JBL LSR305 studio monitors, same price as MSR7, destroys both in resolution and musicality and everything else.

MSR7 should only be used for the purpose they were created and that is music enjoyment on-the-go.

 

[sejsel]

Hey guys, how is everyone?

Wanted to ask a question, 'cause I'm thinking of buying a set of open cans for use at home. As nice as the MSR7 are, they are closed and are best used as such.

To the question. Is there anyone here who either owns or has extensively tested the Philips SHP9500, Fidelio X2 or the Hifiman HE4xx from Massdrop (or other variants, like the HE400i or s) or a combination of those 3? How close are they to the MSR7 in sound signature? I know I'm comparing very different things here, but I don't want to have another bass-light, bright and somewhat cold sounding headphone. I have the MSR7 for that and adore them, but I want my next cans to be something different, at least slightly.

I'm asking because at this point I'm probably getting one of those. I wanted to go with the Monoprice M1060 because 106mm planar driver FTW, but something about them blatantly ripping off Audeze rubs me the wrong way. Next in my list is the SHP9500 because you can't beat that price. X2 is supposed to be bassy in a good way and have wide AF soundstage and the Hifiman... Well, it's a planar and that's a good thing in my book!

The only way to choose and be really satisfied with your choice is to give each and every can a listen, hopefully with well paired amp, and feel for yourself. No amount of written material, neither here nor anywhere else can give you the picture that matches your preferences.

 

[cpmsan]

Hello

I've been meaning to get the MSR7 for quite the time, but my local shop also carries the MSR7-SE. Can anyone give impressions on how the SE is different from the MSR7? I can't find any comprehensive reviews on the web yet.

 

[tolis626]

Thanks everyone for the suggestions! Sorry for taking so long to reply but it was a hell of a week at work and I just ignored many things.

In that case I can't recommend the audio technica R70x highly enough. I've owned both the he-400i and X2. I also own both the MSR7 and MSR7SE. The R70x puts all of them to shame imo. It just sounds so natural and effortless. The music is just "there". With the above models you know you are still listening to headphones, the R70x in contrast are so light and natural sounding that I forget they are there at all. All I hear is music and not the headphones. I'm going to stop gushing about them now, but seriously give them a try.

Yeah, I've heard good things about the R70x too (contrary to what is said about the unbearably bright and detailed M70x). Thing is, they're just out of budget for me (right now, even the M1060 I had in mind were stretching my budget really thin) and I find them ugly af. Now, I know, they're supposed to sound good, not look good, but if two products are similarly good at what they try to do, I'll pick the better looking one. Main reason I won't get one, though, is it's Audio Technica. I love them, but I just bought a pair of ATs. I plan on taking a while to buy something from the same company, out of principle. That is, unless I manage to find them used somewhere for a good price, then I'll snatch them in a heartbeat. Thanks for sharing!

I’ve recently tried a few more expensive cans and if I were to recommend anything it would be Beyerdynamic’s DT1990. I have to agree with Zeos from Z Reviews, these cans are pretty good.

The only Beyerdynamics I've heard are my little Byrons (they're IEMs and I adore them for the bassy, funny mess that they are) and the Custom One, but that was at an audio show a few years back and memory isn't trustworthy that far back (With that said, I do remember liking them for what they were). The DT1990 are probably great (I mean, Z says so), but sadly they're way out of budget right now. Would love to have a listen though, and sadly there were no BD headphones at an audio show I went to in Athens back in October. Thank you anyway!

I do have SHP9500 and MSR7 for at least 1 year, they are completely different in tonality and timbre.
MSR7 - a little on the cold side, but mostly neutral, bass is textured but nothing special, very different bass than SHP9500 (closed vs open lol).
SHP9500 - on the warm side (regarding highs, they are a little sparkly and rolled off, opposite to HD700/800 metallic highs), bass is mostly one note, uncontrolled, fluffy, I can feel vibrations of the entire headphone every time bass plays and is annoying, I can listen louder than MSR7 but I don't feel like it's playing louder but I notice quickly that my ears hurt because of high loudness, pretty sure of the grainy sound which makes everything sound mushy and dirty. Too much decays. Boring signature, i get bored fast while listening to music. Rock sound very busy and boring. Vocals are more intelligible on SHP9500 than MSR7 (yes, I said it). SHP9500 gives impression of big soundstage but it's fake soundstage created by decays (every note sound "longer" than it should (wet sound). MSR7 is opposite: dry, thin and slight metallic. HD700/800 is pure metallic. SHP9500 it's plastic knife. MSR7 is good for gaming. MSR7 are good for gaming only for the improved imaging, but soundstage is weird and having a thin signature, it sounds really weird on games/movies. SHP9500 are more enjoyable for gaming or movies. $60 is the right price for them, too much hype.

for me: cold (metallic highs), warm (sparkly highs), neutral (between cold and warm).

Anyway, JBL LSR305 studio monitors, same price as MSR7, destroys both in resolution and musicality and everything else.

MSR7 should only be used for the purpose they were created and that is music enjoyment on-the-go.

I see your points and I completely agree. Let me start with the spearker statement first. I would never have gotten into headphones, I much prefer speakers and studio monitors and whatnot. Thing is, I live in an apartment complex with terrible sound insulation. The guy that lives above me has a not so big speaker rig and he's put some sound insulation foam around the room and I still hear it blasting like I'm there if it plays. Sound leaks through the floors/ceilings like crazy. So I won't be able to enjoy my speakers as long as I live here. I know I can play them during the day, when it's not quiet hours, but I don't want to be THAT guy. I'll be moving away from here come September anyway, so by Christmas 2018 I'll probably have a pair of speakers. 'Till then, it's headphones for me.

Now, reagarding the SHP9500. It's a 60-70$ headphone (closer to 100€ in Europe if you find them or import them) and should be treated as such. True, I don't get the hype of people comparing them to 500$+ headphones, but the consensus seems to be they're nigh on unbeatable under 200$. I find that hard to believe when there's things like the T50RP (which I would be strongly considering if they didn't need a damn speaker amp to run properly). But for under 100€ I am willing to experiment with them. Best case scenario, I love them and keep them. Worst case scenario, I don't and I sell them or give them to a friend down the road, when finances are a bit better.

Also, my point wasn't asking for a direct comparison between the MSR7 and the SHP9500 or any open back headphone for that matter. I know how stupid that is. What I wanted to know was how close the sound signature is. The character of the sound produced. A bass light, cold and metallic sounding pair of cans is that, regardless if it's closed or open. I just don't want my stuff to sound too similar to each other. There's a wealth of headphones out there, it's a pity to have yours sound the same when you only have two of them.

Thanks for the insight!

The only way to choose and be really satisfied with your choice is to give each and every can a listen, hopefully with well paired amp, and feel for yourself. No amount of written material, neither here nor anywhere else can give you the picture that matches your preferences.

Amen to that. Unfortunately, it's just not always possible to do so, so I have to make do with the next best thing, which is collective knowledge. Things I've heard, I have an opinion about. But things I haven't heard, I can only rely on others. The town I live in sorely lacks audio gear stores, so I'm in a bit of a pickle here.

 

[ModiHiFi]

Hey tolis626, you might want to consider one of the following open-back headphones that are cheapish and well considered favourites throughout the hi-fi community;

1. Massdrop AKG K7XX
2. Massdrop Sennheiser HD-6XX
3. Sennheiser HD-599
4. Beyerdynamic DT990 Premium

I'm sure there are a few more than this but these seem to be the better lot to look at first.

 

[tolis626]

Hey tolis626, you might want to consider one of the following open-back headphones that are cheapish and well considered favourites throughout the hi-fi community;

1. Massdrop AKG K7XX
2. Massdrop Sennheiser HD-6XX
3. Sennheiser HD-599
4. Beyerdynamic DT990 Premium

I'm sure there are a few more than this but these seem to be the better lot to look at first.

I knew I could count on you to give me more information than I know how to find useful.
But seriously, thanks a bunch mate! Much appreciated!

I'm thinking about the first two actively. Thing is, both of them would require me to invest in a better amp if I'm to enjoy them. I mean, the HD6xx will probably sound better than fine out of my Q1, but I digress. The AKG... I dunno. I don't like the design, they probably requite gobs of power to run properly and it's probable that I won't even like their sound signature, but I keep thinking about getting a pair because I have a soft spot for AKG and the K7xx have been praised in reviews, so...

Regarding the other two, I haven't heard any of the HD5xy line from Sennheiser, nor any of the "better" Beyerdynamics. Would love to, but I ain't in a hurry, if you know what I mean. Out of the two, I'd prefer the Senns both because of the design and because, well, I've liked most Senns I've listened to (Even their G4me line of gaming headsets wasn't terribly gamer-y). I'd love to get my hands on a pair of 599, 598, 558 or whatever, but I'm not sure I'd pick them over the myriads of great cans in their price range. So I'm probably gonna get something else now and then try to find a used pair for a bargain price later on in life. Or, I dunno, job might start actually paying at some point and I won't care for 50 or a 100€ more, but until then I have to cheap out here and there if I'm to keep on enjoying this hobby, along with my other ones. And here I was, naive little Tolis, thinking PCs were an expensive hobby to keep...

 

[iems0nly]

In that case I can't recommend the audio technica R70x highly enough. I've owned both the he-400i and X2. I also own both the MSR7 and MSR7SE. The R70x puts all of them to shame imo. It just sounds so natural and effortless. The music is just "there". With the above models you know you are still listening to headphones, the R70x in contrast are so light and natural sounding that I forget they are there at all. All I hear is music and not the headphones. I'm going to stop gushing about them now, but seriously give them a try.

How would you compare the msr7 to the Special edition? Is it much better? Please throw some light on this. Thanks!

 

[Magol79]

How would you compare the msr7 to the Special edition? Is it much better? Please throw some light on this. Thanks!

The MSR7SE improves slightly on the MSR7. The special edition sounds a bit more natural and fuller. In comparison the regular MSR7 can sound metallic and hard sometimes. But the price difference makes it hard to recommend the SE version, you already get pretty much the same sound quality with the MSR7.

The SE can be worth it if you value the higher quality cable, the travel case, the improved build quality (no creaking) and like the color scheme.