Audioholic123
500+ Head-Fier
This is a short comparison of the Audio Technica ATH-MSR7 and the Sennheiser HD600. Two very different headphones (aesthetically) but i believe they are a perfect match...
Please note; This is a sound characteristics comparison only!
Equipment used; Cyrus CD6 connected to Oehlbach XXL Dac Ultra headphone amp via standard analog cable.
Music; Coldplay - O. Janice Joplin - Piece Of My Heart. One Republic - Apologize.
I believe these two headphones to be an interesting pairing, their sound singnatures are generally not that different IMO and i think they are the best match money can buy for under $500. Both headphones are fairly neutral bordering bright-sounding though have one major difference; One is open-back and one is closed-back. My personal belief is that a closed-back headphone has the potential to be more natural to an open-back equivalent.This is because ( in particular) the low-end and high-end of the frequency spectrum tend's to get pulled into the air with open-backed headphones, resulting in an mostly mid-centric sound signature. However,- that is off topic. So now on to the comparison itself!
MSR7 frequency response graph;
HD600 frequency response graph;
HD600 V MSR7 BASS TEST: ( For this I use the song Apologize by One Republic)
Both headphones define the strong sub bass of this song with pinpoint accuracy. The MSR7 is more rounded ( more natural IMO) and the HD600 more linear. I can hear the lower note's with the MSR7, but it maintain's it's accuracy with perfection! Upper bass integration with mid's goes to the HD600's, but the MSR7 is faultless, better than most closed headphones in this regard. Overall, the MSR7 win's the Bass Test!
MID'S: ( For this I use the song O by Coldplay)
This song has ALLOT of background detail in it, and listening through the MSR7's I hear Chris Martin's finger's hammer down in time with every single note he play's on the Piano. I find the mid's on the MSR7 to have a liquid-like quality, a quality I recognised in my old Denon AH-D-5000's. The mid's are faultless with the MSR7's, and integration with lower treble is bang-on too! The HD600 is more tonally detailed here (in terms of instrument tonality) and I can hear the same level of background detail though it's not as obvious.
The MSR7's integrate to the lower treble just as well as the HD600's do. This is a tough one and particularly so due to the HD600's being strong in the mid's, but overall the MSR7 win's the Mids Test, it's just better overall to me.
TREBLE/SOUNDSTAGE: (For this I use the song Piece Of My Heart by Janice Joplin)
This song has many high frequency lisp's and raw buzzes due to the unique sound of Janice Joplin's voice. It's also a good song to test how wide the soundstage is.The HD600's are incredibly defined up here and have zero sibilance whereas the MSR7 has the tiniest hint of sibilance. The MSR7 has far better resolution though and it show's. I'd say the soundstage seem's more natural with the MSR7 due to it having angled drivers, the HD600 has a much narrower soundstage. Overall i'd have to give the Treble/Soundstage Test to the MSR7, even though it's not as defined ( tonally) as the HD600's, overall i find it to be better.
VERDICT:
The reason i made this comparison is because i believe that the Audio Technica ATH-MSR7 and the Sennheiser HD600 are a perfect match for each other ( under $500) and for anyone looking for the best of both worlds. Truth be told, there is no "better" headphone (subjectively speaking) of the two but in certain area's one can do what the other can't. I'd say overall the ATH-MSR7 was the more technically advanced headphone.
Thank's for reading!!
Please note; This is a sound characteristics comparison only!
Equipment used; Cyrus CD6 connected to Oehlbach XXL Dac Ultra headphone amp via standard analog cable.
Music; Coldplay - O. Janice Joplin - Piece Of My Heart. One Republic - Apologize.
I believe these two headphones to be an interesting pairing, their sound singnatures are generally not that different IMO and i think they are the best match money can buy for under $500. Both headphones are fairly neutral bordering bright-sounding though have one major difference; One is open-back and one is closed-back. My personal belief is that a closed-back headphone has the potential to be more natural to an open-back equivalent.This is because ( in particular) the low-end and high-end of the frequency spectrum tend's to get pulled into the air with open-backed headphones, resulting in an mostly mid-centric sound signature. However,- that is off topic. So now on to the comparison itself!
MSR7 frequency response graph;
HD600 frequency response graph;
HD600 V MSR7 BASS TEST: ( For this I use the song Apologize by One Republic)
Both headphones define the strong sub bass of this song with pinpoint accuracy. The MSR7 is more rounded ( more natural IMO) and the HD600 more linear. I can hear the lower note's with the MSR7, but it maintain's it's accuracy with perfection! Upper bass integration with mid's goes to the HD600's, but the MSR7 is faultless, better than most closed headphones in this regard. Overall, the MSR7 win's the Bass Test!
MID'S: ( For this I use the song O by Coldplay)
This song has ALLOT of background detail in it, and listening through the MSR7's I hear Chris Martin's finger's hammer down in time with every single note he play's on the Piano. I find the mid's on the MSR7 to have a liquid-like quality, a quality I recognised in my old Denon AH-D-5000's. The mid's are faultless with the MSR7's, and integration with lower treble is bang-on too! The HD600 is more tonally detailed here (in terms of instrument tonality) and I can hear the same level of background detail though it's not as obvious.
The MSR7's integrate to the lower treble just as well as the HD600's do. This is a tough one and particularly so due to the HD600's being strong in the mid's, but overall the MSR7 win's the Mids Test, it's just better overall to me.
TREBLE/SOUNDSTAGE: (For this I use the song Piece Of My Heart by Janice Joplin)
This song has many high frequency lisp's and raw buzzes due to the unique sound of Janice Joplin's voice. It's also a good song to test how wide the soundstage is.The HD600's are incredibly defined up here and have zero sibilance whereas the MSR7 has the tiniest hint of sibilance. The MSR7 has far better resolution though and it show's. I'd say the soundstage seem's more natural with the MSR7 due to it having angled drivers, the HD600 has a much narrower soundstage. Overall i'd have to give the Treble/Soundstage Test to the MSR7, even though it's not as defined ( tonally) as the HD600's, overall i find it to be better.
VERDICT:
The reason i made this comparison is because i believe that the Audio Technica ATH-MSR7 and the Sennheiser HD600 are a perfect match for each other ( under $500) and for anyone looking for the best of both worlds. Truth be told, there is no "better" headphone (subjectively speaking) of the two but in certain area's one can do what the other can't. I'd say overall the ATH-MSR7 was the more technically advanced headphone.
Thank's for reading!!
