[ModiHiFi]

OK. Just continuing on from where I left off.

I have been able to carry out the previously mentioned mods as noted above. They were as follows;

1. Acoustic absorbent material in outer ear cup, and
2. Replace the manufacturer’s existing thick white 10mm diameter pads that seal the circular gap that connects the outer cup to the inner cavity directly behind the driver with Fixomull Stretch.

The long story short... the Fixomull Stretch modification is the better option.

The acoustic absorbent material used was a wool type material that is often used in clothing / pillows / soft toys. A thick type of clothing batting. The effect of using this as a mod was similar to the original headphones existing thick white 10mm diameter pads that cover the circular gap. It effectively stops any sound from getting into the outer cup structure leaving the sound signature issues that are the same as installing the HM5 pads with no other modifications. The resultant sound is lack of bass with accentuated treble response. Not good.

The second option used was the use of the Fixomull Stretch. This modification provided a very happy medium between having the 10mm pads in (anemic bass with extended treble response), and not having the 10mm pads (lots of bass response with reduced treble and reduced detail signature). The Fixomull Stretch is a porous type material that helps skin injuries heal - it’s breathable and extremely flexible which is exactly what’s needed here. And it works!

Bass response is balanced. Treble response is balanced. The super detailing is there!! I have to say that this might just be the end game for mods associated with giving the best sound signature the MSR7s can give. The only other mod i’d like to try is a fenestrated leather ear pad (if they exist for the MSR7). I’m keen to give this idea a go with my current mods.

Hope this help some. Cheers!

EDIT: I've some additional testing on other equipment (iPhone, work computer) and noticed that the Fixomull Stretch performed well, but not as well as my home stereo and headphone stereo systems. The sound signature on the work computer especially seemed to take on the similar (not the same) characteristics as per the manufacturers setup with the HM5 pads. Don't get me wrong, there is more bass and less treble extension with the Fixomull Stretch in place - the bass extension and treble reduction are more noticable when the MSR7s are paired with good equipment compared to equipment of lesser quality.

EDIT: It should be noted that the above sonic signature description above was probably due to the fact that the headphones were very cold at the time of listening (it's winter here at the moment), which I feel had an influence on the headphone's bass and treble response. I came in from the cold, put the cans into the work computer once I got to my desk and they seemed to be slightly lacking the bass I'm now very used to. Also, it's an old work computer with a very aged PC and the DAC wouldn't be the best thing to do critical listening on. I thought that this info would be important to note.

Just be mindful of this if you're thinking of using this mod.

 

[tolis626]

OK. Just continuing on from where I left off.

I have been able to carry out the previously mentioned mods as noted above. They were as follows;

1. Acoustic absorbent material in outer ear cup, and
2. Replace the manufacturer’s existing thick white 10mm diameter pads that seal the circular gap that connects the outer cup to the inner cavity directly behind the driver with Fixomull Stretch.

The long story short... the Fixomull Stretch modification is the better option.

The acoustic absorbent material used was a wool type material that is often used in clothing / pillows / soft toys. A thick type of clothing batting. The effect of using this as a mod was similar to the original headphones existing thick white 10mm diameter pads that cover the circular gap. It effectively stops any sound from getting into the outer cup structure leaving the sound signature issues that are the same as installing the HM5 pads with no other modifications. The resultant sound is lack of bass with accentuated treble response. Not good.

The second option used was the use of the Fixomull Stretch. This modification provided a very happy medium between having the 10mm pads in (anemic bass with extended treble response), and not having the 10mm pads (lots of bass response with reduced treble and reduced detail signature). The Fixomull Stretch is a porous type material that helps skin injuries heal - it’s breathable and extremely flexible which is exactly what’s needed here. And it works!

Bass response is balanced. Treble response is balanced. The super detailing is there!! I have to say that this might just be the end game for mods associated with giving the best sound signature the MSR7s can give. The only other mod i’d like to try is a fenestrated leather ear pad (if they exist for the MSR7). I’m keen to give this idea a go with my current mods.

Hope this help some. Cheers!

Nice job mate! Cheers!

One comment I have is about the method you used to fill the cup. Stuffing it with thick materials or a lot of anything will completely block it off, like it did in your case. Serious modders (https://www.head-fi.org/threads/sound-science-approach-to-modding-headphones.694963/) suggest using either polyfill or teased cotton balls. None of these are dense or thick. The way I understand it is that, if the material you choose has a lot of free air in it, it will effectively make it as if the sound chamber is bigger than it actually is. Overstuffing it has the opposite effect, it just dampens the back wave completely and reduces the cavity size. If you decide to try again, just take some cotton, pull the fibers apart and put a little of it in there. Preferably, the cotton should be almost see-through. Polyfill should be easier to do, but it's also more expensive and not as readily available as good old cotton. I'm gonna try this as soon as I sort my troubles out!

On another note, my sheepskin HM5s came today. They are really nice on the skin, but the differences from the normal pleather ones stop there when it comes to comfort. They also have a slightly smaller ear cavity, but by like 5mm, so no biggie. Sound wise, I think they sound a bit more V-shaped than the pleather ones. Can't really tell accurately, as my left channel decided to stop working properly again (gonna go to AT's local service center at some point, but it's in Athens, about 250km away from me and I don't really have the time to deal with that now), but that's my first impression. It's a good sound, though, as punchy as ever. Glad I took the plunge and removed that little thing in the cup, made these cans breathe!

A question for everybody that may know the answer. Could a slightly damaged internal cable (the small wire that connects the driver to the jack) cause decreased volume and a bit distorted, hollow sound? I mean, it's a very slight thing and I'm not even sure about the distortion bit (I do listen to metal music after all), but it's driving me crazy. The only thing I can see wrong with my cans is that the little wire that connects to the left driver is a bit crushed at 2 points and it's got a larger "naked" portion close to the driver, as if I pulled the sheathe or tugged it at some point. The contacts seem fine, but what do I know? Any ideas? Anybody?

 

[ModiHiFi]

Hey Tolis!

With regard to the material I used in the ear cups, I'll be sure to send through a photo or two of what and how much I used. The amount used was very little and was not at all thick (about 2mm in thickness if I remember correctly. For giggles I'll try some cotton wool by itself and see what that does.

With regard to your left driver not working, I can tell you that happened to me too. The reason why - a severely crushed wire within the outer cup.

When I completed making my mods to my set of cans, I fitted the outer cup to the driver holder cup as per usual BUT the wire was caught between the square plastic box molding in the outer cup and the driver cup - completely squashing it. The result was no sound out of the left hand driver. Initially I thought I pulled one of the wires from its soldered connection, but no it was fine. Then I looked at the wire and I noticed it had been severely squashed and mangled. Thinking that I had cut the wire with the cup plastic molding I was devastated. But no. I played around with it, squishing it back into shape and tried it again. Luckily it worked!

So, be very careful when putting the ear cups back together after taking them apart - you might just squash (or even worse) cut the wire with the plastic molding of the outer ear cup.

Hope this helps and good luck.

 

[tolis626]

Hey Tolis!

With regard to the material I used in the ear cups, I'll be sure to send through a photo or two of what and how much I used. The amount used was very little and was not at all thick (about 2mm in thickness if I remember correctly. For giggles I'll try some cotton wool by itself and see what that does.

With regard to your left driver not working, I can tell you that happened to me too. The reason why - a severely crushed wire within the outer cup.

When I completed making my mods to my set of cans, I fitted the outer cup to the driver holder cup as per usual BUT the wire was caught between the square plastic box molding in the outer cup and the driver cup - completely squashing it. The result was no sound out of the left hand driver. Initially I thought I pulled one of the wires from its soldered connection, but no it was fine. Then I looked at the wire and I noticed it had been severely squashed and mangled. Thinking that I had cut the wire with the cup plastic molding I was devastated. But no. I played around with it, squishing it back into shape and tried it again. Luckily it worked!

So, be very careful when putting the ear cups back together after taking them apart - you might just squash (or even worse) cut the wire with the plastic molding of the outer ear cup.

Hope this helps and good luck.

Yeah, wanted to mention that. You should get in the habits of documenting everything you do with photos, if you don't do that already. Not only will people here find it interesting if you do something that turns out to be cool, but you can always use that as a point of reference if you want to, I dunno, reverse something. It's a nice habit, saves a lot of hassle sometimes!

As for the cable thing, that's exactly what's up. I don't know if moving it will help, I've already tried that, but another try won't harm anyone! Will do that and let you know! Thanks a lot bud!

PS : If it turns out that that little person is causing my problems because it's not comfortable in there, I'll be pissed!

PS 2 : If you are able, please take a photo showing how you left these wires in there. I can't for the life of me get them to sit properly. It's driving me nuts!

 

[tolis626]

@ModiHiFi

Welp, guess I found the culprit. See where the little wire is damaged? If they're as delicate as I think, that's the problem. I'm gonna dress that part up with some electrical tape and hope it does the trick. If it doesn't, I guess it's either repair center or soldering time. Oh well, at least the driver is ok, I guess. Maybe. I hope.

 

[ismax]

Hi, I've seen many reviews about msr7 and it comes in a black box. Yesterday I bought a new one from amazon and it was inside a white box.
Should I be worry about this?

 

[tolis626]

Hi, I've seen many reviews about msr7 and it comes in a black box. Yesterday I bought a new one from amazon and it was inside a white box.
Should I be worry about this?

If it is, indeed, MSR7 in a white box, it does seem fishy. I mean, they could've changed the box down, but I doubt they'd do that 4 years after the release of these cans. Do you mind posting a photo of the box in question? Also, did you open it?

If I remember correctly, even the fake ones (the very convincing fake ones) came in a black box similar to the genuine ones, so I don't know what's up here.

 

[ismax]

If it is, indeed, MSR7 in a white box, it does seem fishy. I mean, they could've changed the box down, but I doubt they'd do that 4 years after the release of these cans. Do you mind posting a photo of the box in question? Also, did you open it?

If I remember correctly, even the fake ones (the very convincing fake ones) came in a black box similar to the genuine ones, so I don't know what's up here.

Ups.

 

[onevstheworld]

Hi, I've seen many reviews about msr7 and it comes in a black box. Yesterday I bought a new one from amazon and it was inside a white box.
Should I be worry about this?

Contact Audio-Technica, they should be able to clear things up for you.

 

[mimmo69]

My first MSR7 was a brown one in a white box.
My second was a black in a black box.
The third and last is a black one ina black box.

The second one wase a fake. Chinese text on the box could be an important sign but the best thing you can do is to remove tjw pads and take a picture of the speaker to compare it with a genuine one.
I think I can say to you if it's a good one.

 

[mimmo69]

You can also read something good here https://www.head-fi.org/threads/audio-technica-ath-msr7-discussion-thread.738758/page-133

 

[zazex]

Contact Audio-Technica, they should be able to clear things up for you.

Must agree 100%.
IME, phone calls are better. Get someone's name and email; send pictures as they direct.
You won't void any warranties (assuming they're authentic),
you'll be dealing with the #1 experts on the product,
these types of companies tend to be responsive.

Unfortunately, counterfeit merchandise has become a plague and such firms
want to know all they can about it. They highly value the support of their
customers in this regard (as well, of course, for purchasing their product).

Be prepared, of course, to answer their (usually polite) questions > where
and when the headphones were bought, price, and similar.

 

[ledzep]

Just had a quick browse of this thread as I'm looking in a pair of portable cans for my daughter, but in my true mod style I going to re wire to pure silver internal cables and re wire to balanced with a 4 pole 3.5mm PCB mount or might even open both cups and duel input them, question is basically about the bass mod the pads and damping that's been tried, what's the overall best results so far so to give me a head start, also going to make up a balanced cable got choices of solid silver , pure copper , hybrid mix so any results with the metallurgy change would be appreciated.

 

[tolis626]

Just had a quick browse of this thread as I'm looking in a pair of portable cans for my daughter, but in my true mod style I going to re wire to pure silver internal cables and re wire to balanced with a 4 pole 3.5mm PCB mount or might even open both cups and duel input them, question is basically about the bass mod the pads and damping that's been tried, what's the overall best results so far so to give me a head start, also going to make up a balanced cable got choices of solid silver , pure copper , hybrid mix so any results with the metallurgy change would be appreciated.

Regarding the mods, the most tried one is using a pair of Brainwavz HM5 pads (pleather gives a bit more laid back sound, leather is a bit punchier with more highs, but they're pretty damn close - I have both) while removing the felt ring that sits under the whole in the middle of the backplate. You remove that by removing the 4 innermost screws and accessing the back of the cup. It's quite easy, but beware of the wires, especially on the left side where the 3.5mm jack is. They get damaged really easily and it's a bit of a pain to get them back in position when closing the thing back while not having them get pinched from the sharp-ish plastic. You have to coil them a bit beside the jack's housing, which is easier said than done and did mess up my pair as it turns out. Now they need a new wire or I could cut the damaged bit and hope the excess wire is enough to resolder the same cable. You can find my posts about all of this in the last 10 or so pages of this thread with any piece of information you may need.

You can also try filling the cups with very little teased cotton balls. But when I say "very little" and "teased", they should be almost see-through. More than needed will lead to a sound very close to what you get without removing the felt ring, ie shouty/piercing highs and next to no low end (with the HM5 pads installed, that is). I haven't got around to doing that as my pair isn't working properly at this point, but it should be easy and 100% reversible. @ModiHiFi may be able to help you further with this.

Regarding the wiring... Well, I don't really see the point of replacing the wires. Silver/pure copper and stuff sound cool on paper, but any difference they make, if they make any at all, will be really hard or even impossible to make out, so it's not worth the trouble. Especially seeing the way the right channel is wired. You'd either have to drill a hole in the right cup and get a second jack there, or you'd have to use a really thin wire and somehow have it follow the groove for the stock wire in the headband. That's an awful lot of work for what will probably turn out to be absolutely no improvement.

What I won't discourage you from, however, is rewiring the thing for balanced. The way I see it, this is gonna be quite easy. What probably needs to happen is :
-You take the cans apart and unscrew the PCB with the 3.5mm jack. I'd take a picture of the way it's wired in stock form for guidance down the road, as it's nicely labeled and thank God, it's not wired on a PCB that sits on the back of the driver but rather it's completely seperate.
-You unsolder the stock wires and set aside the stock PCB.
-Find a TRRS jack that would fit in the housing of the stock one (if you don't want to hack anything off, but there's room in there) and solder the wires from the left and right drivers like they were stock, just seperating the two grounds instead of having them go to the same lead like the stock wiring.
-Reassemble the whole thing and see if it works.

To be honest, I have no idea why AT wouldn't make these cans balanced capable. Unless I'm missing something, the internal wiring is already set up in a way that allows them to easily be run balanced, as the drivers are wired completely independently to the jack. And, while they need next to no power to run, they do scale nicely with amp quality, so I guess a balanced setup would show. I really am curious to see how that would turn out and I could easily see myself doing that if I get a balanced amp down the line. I was eyeing the Fiio Q5 if financials allow it. Please post back with what you decide and what you end up doing, especially if you do any sort of rewiring work to them. I'm still debating whether I should just try repairing my pair myself or if I should fork the cash that the AT service center will ask of me, so if it turns out to be easy, I'll probably do mine myself.

Good luck in your endeavors! Also, your daughter will be lucky to own these amazing headphones!

 

[ledzep]

Thanks will look into it and will post pictures of my mods when done, yeah I hear you on the rewire maybe not essential all depends on if I duel cable entry of put a 4 pole female in the one cup, just use silver in general and not a fan of the ultra thin wires internally. Balanced is my main objective as the extra power and no noise floor cross over is always a welcome addition, modded a lot of cans from single to balanced and it's a definite plus when hooked up to a good balanced source, got the daughter a X7ii as she wanted to stream etc and it came with the AM3A amp so might as well use it. Just modded a pair of B&W P7 & 9's for a mate to use with his WM1Z and he's well impressed with the difference. If anyone as an opinion on this price bracket of portable phones let us know what you think eg Sony MDR1A / AM2 , MSR7's and such like.