[sejsel]

Good times

Indeed, with the one exception, sometimes (seldom) taken up:
We have a lot to choose from in the headfi realm.
However, it would/could have been far better if the trend of the spiraling prices of the so called flagship headphones was not started - correct me if I'm wrong, with the HD800.
From then on, it really went straight "dowhnill".

 

[Audiophile2019]

Interesting threads of agreements & disagreements up there.. Which I've learnt a lot from.. I've no intention to add to the confusion.. One thing for sure, most of us here have either listened to or owned at least one of MSR7 or MSR7B.. It's up to one's personal taste or preference.. I tested both & compared them side by side for about 1 hour before finally buying the B.. And it has been superb ever since - even beating sound signature of headphones 2-3 times its price..

 

[tolis626]

... while, couple of posts ago :



So, I am going to leave this part of debate with that, as I do appreciate when people actually read what was actually written and conveyed, by others and by themselves, in entirety of the posts as a whole.

Just for the sake of shedding the different (albeit subjective, as always) light on the matter of MSR7b vs. MSR7 - here is the review from the amazon
(for the record, I wish the guy who wrote it is completely wrong, since I do intend to purchase the MSR7b at some point in the future) :

Well, wrong choice of words on my part, so sorry for that. I didn't mean to discredit anyone's opinion. Having said that, I still maintain that, at least for the music I hear, the MSR7b is better at stock. But that's just my opinion, I guess, so I'm not going to continue this further. Let's agree to disagree.

Regarding that guys review, my 2 gripes are these : 1) He actually provides valid reasons why the MSR7b may be a better option (like bigger soundstage, balanced option, better/more bass without EQ) and doesn't mention it again and 2) He compares using EQ. I get using an EQ to tailor a headphone to your needs/desired sound, but having corrected one of the MSR7's biggest flaws (the shoutiness) and then comparing is IMO a little biased. The fact that the MSR7 reacts to EQ better than the MSR7b is actually a valid argument in favor of the former, sure, but I'd compare flat to flat and EQ'ed to EQ'ed, just to make it apples to apples. It's not like the b can't handle -2db at 2kHz.

Now, he touched on a pretty interesting point. What did they get rid of to reduce the weight? I mean, apart from the obvious change to the headband, which I don't think accounts for all the weight savings, what else did they change? I'm going to hazard a guess and say that they may have changed the internal damping a lot, so that it doesn't require a solid mid plate in the cup. But that's just a guess and I'll only know when I dissect these.

One last thing I want to leave in here is that, when I use the same pads, the b sound an awful lot like the modded (felt ring removed) MSR7. Which is nice if, like me, someone can't use them comfortably with the stock pads, because they sound pretty great with HM5s too, whereas the MSR7 didn't take kindly to ANY pad change at stock form. I'm gonna have to AB the two, but I haven't been able so far due to time constraints. Maybe next week I'll be able to play with them more.

PS : In your defense (and the Amazon guy's too), while I find the MSR7b to be an amazing can, they haven't yet made me fall in love with them like the MSR7 did. They do some things better, but the originals were a revelation to me. The fact that a headphone I bought for 105€ (granted, it was used, but it can be had for 160-ish € new now) can directly compete in many areas with headphones many times its price is astounding.

 

[Pewterlocks]

I have always wondered why someone would purchase a pair of headphones just to change how it sounds, why not just buy a pair that has what you want. Imho I think if you mess with what the sound engineers have created you are basically saying they are not good enough.

 

[sejsel]

I have always wondered why someone would purchase a pair of headphones just to change how it sounds, why not just buy a pair that has what you want. Imho I think if you mess with what the sound engineers have created you are basically saying they are not good enough.

Even though I would always leave some space open for wanting / needing to alter the sound signature (somewhat) or add some physical comfort (shallow pads are one example), in principal +1 to what you are saying.
I am rather confident that both MSR7 and MSR7b are good enough to begin with to not need any further alterations sound-wise. People have different needs and different tastes, so whatever serves and satisfies their needs, in the end...

 

[tolis626]

I have always wondered why someone would purchase a pair of headphones just to change how it sounds, why not just buy a pair that has what you want. Imho I think if you mess with what the sound engineers have created you are basically saying they are not good enough.

There's a lot of reasons why I and a lot of others would do that, and none of them include saying that what the engineers did wasn't good enough.

First off, modding can change actually very little. Usually tuning and maybe some parts, but the underlying driver design is, most of the times, left alone (unless you're talking about T50 mods).

Secondly, you can take a hugely capable headphone, like the MSR7, and tailor it to your liking. Its tuning wasn't quite right for me, so I tuned to something that I find better. The fact that it allowed me to do that and that the result was great just goes to show how great the engineers' work was, not the contrary. They just stuck with a tuning that didn't fit my needs quite right, simple as that. Now, couldn't I have bought a different headphone in the first place? Sure, but none of my options were technically as good as the MSR7, so I'm glad I went that route.

Third, sometimes trying to solve one problem, you create another. My biggest gripe with the MSR7 was the comfort, as my ears protrude a bit too much and would touch the drivers. Combine that with a high clamping pressure and the headband that creates a hotspot at the top, and I couldn't use them for long. So I tried using HM5 pads and these fixed the comfort, but they destroyed the sound. Then I opened the headphones up to try and fix the sound while keeping the HM5 pads, and so on and so forth. My original target wasn't sound, it was comfort. I would've been happy with the stock sound too, I just prefer how it turned out.

Finally, and probably most importantly, it's fun to mod stuff. Maybe it's not for everyone, maybe it's not for you, but taking something, messing with it and making it mine is something I find deeply satisfying. It has nothing to do with disrespecting the engineers' work, nothing to do with me not liking what I got, I just like getting my hands dirty. From simple stuff even, like changing pads or getting nicer cables, that's modding. The extent to which you do it is mostly irrelevant, what matters is that you enjoy the process and, hopefully, the end product.

Cheers!

 

[Pewterlocks]

There's a lot of reasons why I and a lot of others would do that, and none of them include saying that what the engineers did wasn't good enough.

First off, modding can change actually very little. Usually tuning and maybe some parts, but the underlying driver design is, most of the times, left alone (unless you're talking about T50 mods).

I have a problem when ever I tinker with stuff " bad juju " happens. I did not mean to insult anybody, I actually respect those of you who can do this as I have really really low pickup when it comes to the mid/highs as in almost none. The MSR7 sounds (pun intended) like what I want.
Now if I could find one in Canada that cost less than $250 Canadian

Secondly, you can take a hugely capable headphone, like the MSR7, and tailor it to your liking. Its tuning wasn't quite right for me, so I tuned to something that I find better. The fact that it allowed me to do that and that the result was great just goes to show how great the engineers' work was, not the contrary. They just stuck with a tuning that didn't fit my needs quite right, simple as that. Now, couldn't I have bought a different headphone in the first place? Sure, but none of my options were technically as good as the MSR7, so I'm glad I went that route.

Third, sometimes trying to solve one problem, you create another. My biggest gripe with the MSR7 was the comfort, as my ears protrude a bit too much and would touch the drivers. Combine that with a high clamping pressure and the headband that creates a hotspot at the top, and I couldn't use them for long. So I tried using HM5 pads and these fixed the comfort, but they destroyed the sound. Then I opened the headphones up to try and fix the sound while keeping the HM5 pads, and so on and so forth. My original target wasn't sound, it was comfort. I would've been happy with the stock sound too, I just prefer how it turned out.

Finally, and probably most importantly, it's fun to mod stuff. Maybe it's not for everyone, maybe it's not for you, but taking something, messing with it and making it mine is something I find deeply satisfying. It has nothing to do with disrespecting the engineers' work, nothing to do with me not liking what I got, I just like getting my hands dirty. From simple stuff even, like changing pads or getting nicer cables, that's modding. The extent to which you do it is mostly irrelevant, what matters is that you enjoy the process and, hopefully, the end product.

Cheers!

 

[tolis626]

I have a problem when ever I tinker with stuff " bad juju " happens. I did not mean to insult anybody, I actually respect those of you who can do this as I have really really low pickup when it comes to the mid/highs as in almost none. The MSR7 sounds (pun intended) like what I want.
Now if I could find one in Canada that cost less than $250 Canadian

Well, I don't think anyone would take it as an insult, so no worries. It's not like I did anything special, there's people building headphones practically from scratch here.

I also understand that it can be intimidating at first. But after a while you kind of get used to dissecting things, so meh.

Do you want the MSR7 or the MSR7b? I find it hard to believe there are no MSR7 for less than 250 Canadian rupees (as Linus calls them). Check Amazon Warehouse deals, many times you can score some pretty great deals in there. I got my MSR7b in "very good" condition for ~170€, and the only thing that wasn't like new was the packaging.

 

[Mhog55]

Finally pulled the trigger. Looking forward to hearing these.

 

[Pewterlocks]

Well, I don't think anyone would take it as an insult, so no worries. It's not like I did anything special, there's people building headphones practically from scratch here.

I also understand that it can be intimidating at first. But after a while you kind of get used to dissecting things, so meh.

I'm great at the taking apart stage, it's the put back together stage where things literally fall apart. Always seem to have left over parts.lol.

I have tried Amazon warehouse and the stuff that I have looked at the prices were usually $5-10 less than full price. It seems that Canadians are really greedy when it comes to selling used gear.

I have looked at Amazon USA, while the prices are much better the customs,exchange rate, taxes and then the shipping which sometimes will be outrageous such as $50 for my N3.

I am looking for either model

Do you want the MSR7 or the MSR7b? I find it hard to believe there are no MSR7 for less than 250 Canadian rupees (as Linus calls them). Check Amazon Warehouse deals, many times you can score some pretty great deals in there. I got my MSR7b in "very good" condition for ~170€, and the only thing that wasn't like new was the packaging.

 

[thatsage]

I got these headphones and I want to buy another 3.5mm cable as a spare. One that's a bit longer or ideally that is half spiral, like the one that comes with the m50x. Having trouble finding compatible cables because of the A2C connectors, and even then, the physical form factor needs to be compatible as well. Does anyone have recommendations where I can find compatible cables online? Reasonably priced too preferably

 

[Mhog55]

I have a new pair for sale at a solid price, if anyone is interested. Listed in the classifieds section.

 

[Mhog55]

I have a new pair for sale at a solid price, if anyone is interested. Listed in the classifieds section.

Well, what can I say - I changed my mind. I had these listed for a few weeks. I gave them about 3 hours before I decided they weren't for me. I didn't not like them, it was only the bass was shy and flat for my tastes. Kick drums and snares seemed hollow and paper like. Keep in mind my favorite headphones are the 99 Classics, and I was comparing these to them. I'm not a bass head, but I do like a present low end, a little above neutral. The Msr7b was simply to shy, and below my standard level of neutral.
So I decided to unbox them again and give them another shot. I'm SO very glad I did. They respond quite nicely to equalization. A little bump here and there in the lows, and they really came alive. Drums are now tight and visceral, no mid range bleed, and bass guitars are much more present.

Build quality - leaves something to be desired. I'm not sure anything on these isn't plastic. They creak. The cables remind of something hanging out the back of a box fan, though I don't find them cumbersome. These drivers are quite capable and competent. However, I think they would really shine inside a cup made of different material - wood, metal, etc.
I find the Soundstage a bit artificial sounding, otherwise it's good for a closed back. Not as good as the Beoplay H6 imo though Thing is, listening to hard rock as much as I do, I'm not a big fan of a completely out of your head experience. And that's what makes these so great for rock music. Just enough space to avoid feeling boxed in. Imaging is accurate, and detail retrieval is above average.
Here's where these really shine imo. GUITARS AND VOCALS, OH MY. As I mentioned, the 99 Classics are still my baby's. But, here's why the Msr7b is really dang close. Both are forward sounding cans, but in different areas. The 99s are fantastic in the mid lows, low mids, and mids. The Msr7b is fantastic in the mids, high mids, low and mid treble.
With the Msr7b, guitars are hot and sizzle - in a really good way. They have both attack and decay. The 99s shine from the mids down, the Msr7b shines from the mids up. The other end of both headphones spectrum are excellent as well, just different. That's why these two cans will remain my portables. A little different flavor, but both do rock and metal extreme justice. So much so that I sold my beloved Beoplay H6.
I just finished up listening to the Highway to Hell album (40th anniversary), and figured it was time to write a little about these headphones. I have a really nice 2.5mm balanced cable coming from Luna Shops. I'm really looking forward to hearing these balanced from my Opus#1s.
I'm curious for those who use equalization with these, to see your EQ settings. I've attached a picture of mine in case anyone might be interested. Here is a list of all the portables I've owned. I've ordered them starting with my favorite, to least favorite. At number 2 is the Msr7b, but let's just call it 1B. Rock On!
1) 99 Classics - Original pads
2) Msr7b
3) Beoplay H6
4) Thinksound On2
5) Sennheiser HD 25
6) 1 more triple driver over ear
7) Audeze Sine
If I'm missing anything I should try, please let me know.

 

[bizkid]

I don't feel the need to eq these at all. Bass is plenty for me, mids are balanced really well. I don't like the Classic 99 and would prefer the MSR7b anytime. Oh yes the build quality.... as long you don't touch them they look great imho. In your hands they do creak but they never do it on my head so I'm fine with it.

 

[Mhog55]

Different strokes I suppose. Without EQ, I think the low end sounds like someone farting on a piece of paper - Thud