Hi guys,
Just received today my
YAXI MSR7 Comfort pads for my MSR7b.
Here are my impressions
Overall, in terms of sound, these pads give the MSR7b much more character. They are really interesting.
Compared to the original pads, the sound space is slightly wider but less deep (as more centered on the sound stage, which is not bad for a more intimate and realistic listening, in my opinion).
On the other hand, the upper midrange is quite boosted and becomes a bit aggressive to my ears even on some voices (especially female ones). But generally speaking, the midrange gains in naturalness and grain in particular. I recommend 1db less in the 3kHz section.
The highs (or rather low highs) tend to be slightly impacted by the high medium, we gain in detail but it is not so necessary according to me because the listening was already perfect in the original pads and this region did not need anything more. Afterwards, it remains subtle but you can see the difference. With the decibel less in the 3kHz, the highs take their place.
The bass is (as expected, given the alcantara design) less pronounced. It is especially obvious in the region of the sub-bass which becomes almost non-existent (already they were not much in stock pads...). Clearly, for dynamic music, stock pads are still the best choice, but for everything else, I now prefer the Yaxi. In this region, I increased by +4db the sub-bass (20Hz) to find what I missed from the stock pads, I could increase more but I prefer to limit the "cheating" and superficial effect that it could generate.
Concerning the isolation, it is slightly reduced (nothing surprising here too, with the contact of alcantara ears versus leatherette).
The comfort on the other hand is much better than before, my ears don't sweat at all, it's softer, and the alcantara seems to be quite durable (to be seen with time, but I'm generally careful with my stuff). To end this late summer, it will be perfect. Note that the ears seem to be closer to the speakers now so I had to lower the overall volume by a few decibels, and move the MSR7b headband setting up a notch.
In short, I highly recommend these pads. The sound signature gives something slightly different and it's actually quite pleasant. I find that with these pads we are at the level of much more high-end headphones (at least in what we have the right to expect for mediums and highs of quality).
Thanks
@Nostoi for this nice discovery!
I hope that my opinion will be useful to you
