[Quadfather]

Hey boys (and girls, maybe)! I'm back!

Long time no see indeed. I stopped coming to this forum after a long vacation I took and for some reason never made it back. Well, that changes because I got an email today about a PM I got and I'm trying to catch up with you guys. Glad to see the discussion on the MSR7b is going strong!

As for your question, no, I didn't get any new pads. My sense got the best of me, it seems. I'm "stuck" with my angled sheepskin HM5s on the MSR7b, which OF COURSE I still have. And I'm SO OK with that. I have them on my head right now and I'm in a sweet jam session, switching between genres like crazy and it all works. I have been taking these things for granted, but after reading this thread a bit I decided to sit down and actively listen to music, and I realized how much I love them.

Now, with the danger of sounding like a broken record, I see a lot of people complaining that these things lack bass. And here I am, felt modded MSR7b with angled sheepskin HM5 pads on my head, and right now "Oh mama" from Run the Jewels is playing (I don't even really enjoy RTJ that much, I'm a metalhead, I'm just listening to it to let the headphones flex a bit). With the volume cranked a bit I can feel the bass. Not just listen to it, FEEL it, it's tickling my earlobes. People who try different pads without the mod (I find it very cute that it ended up being called "the Tolis mod" around here, I get a stupid sense of accomplishment) are missing out big time.

Only thing I am regretting right now is that this is happening away from home, and I'm using my "lowly" (but still amazing) Fiio Q5s off of my laptop playing music from Spotify. I have neglected these things at home in favor of my HD58x, which I do prefer for gaming and comfort, especially in the summer. When I get back I wanna hook them up to my PC and play my FLACs out of my Topping D70s and THX AAA 789 and blast my head off.

Last thing. Next week there's a big audio show going on here in Athens (It's called Ήχος-Εικόνα, literally meaning Sound-Picture) which I missed the last couple of years due to COVID. But it's happening again and there's bound to be some crazy new stuff there, apart from the classics like Focal, Audeze etc. So what I'll do is what I did the last time. I'll take my Q5s and MSR7b with me, and see how far above their weight class they can still hit. Last time I went, it took the LCD-X, Hifiman Arya and some Stax electrostats to impress me. Wonder what I'll listen to this time.

One thing's for sure, the MSR7b aren't going anywhere. I'm kinda broke right now because I'm between jobs, so expenses are cut to a minimum. BUT! I'll soon be moving to Germany and I intend to refresh my setup (I don't wanna say upgrade, it's gonna take something special for me to consider an upgrade). Apart from eyeing things like LCD-X and some Focal/Meze cans, I still have my Audio Technica modding itch, and I'm thinking either grabbing the SR9 and doing the same things I did to the MSR7b, or even grabbing a second pair of MSR7b and modding them into something completely different. Maybe open back? Maybe with a custom housing? It's gonna be a nightmare to tune right, but with how much capability AT packed into something that costs so little, it's gonna be worth it.

They don't lack bass if properly sourced. I use them balanced from a Lotoo Paw Gold Touch. I run a LQI custom cable. The bass is impactful in a thunderous, non-boosted, fast accurate way. They work fairly well with a Sony NW-WM1Z.

 

[tolis626]

They don't lack bass if properly sourced. I use them balanced from a Lotoo Paw Gold Touch. I run a LQI custom cable. The bass is impactful in a thunderous, non-boosted, fast accurate way. They work fairly well with a Sony NW-WM1Z.

Well, it's a matter of taste and a matter of what kind of music one listens to. The MSR7b are very well balanced out of the box, unlike the original MSR7, which almost unanimously lacked bass. Enough or not, whatever bass there is is of excellent quality, though. Thing is, the headphones are capable of much more, and if one wants that it's easily accessible. And that doesn't come with bloated bass or anything. So IMO it's a win win, but to each their own. If you like them as they are, more power to you. I envy people that don't have huge ears, to be honest. Mine are on the big side, so the stock pads are almost unusable, so for me it was a comfort thing since the beginning.

Anyway, regarding sources, yeah, it's quite suprising how well these things respond to better amplification. I have tried them on a few amps and it's always a different outcome. They sound harsh and dry out of my PC's headphone jack, they sound rich and smooth out of my Fiio Q5s, they sound aggressive and powerful out of my THX AAA 789 and they sounded warm and lush out of a ridiculously expensive tube amp I had tried a couple of years ago. None of these descriptions is better or worse than the others (except for the PC sound card, screw that), it's just a touch different every time, just enough to make it interesting. With how easy they are to drive, that was admittedly unexpected. I also plugged them into an old NAD 3020 (or 3020e, something like that) speaker amp at my uncle's place at some point, which just pushes its full power through the headphone jack, and the result was staggering. Given enough power, these things do crazy stuff.

 

[Quadfather]

Well, it's a matter of taste and a matter of what kind of music one listens to. The MSR7b are very well balanced out of the box, unlike the original MSR7, which almost unanimously lacked bass. Enough or not, whatever bass there is is of excellent quality, though. Thing is, the headphones are capable of much more, and if one wants that it's easily accessible. And that doesn't come with bloated bass or anything. So IMO it's a win win, but to each their own. If you like them as they are, more power to you. I envy people that don't have huge ears, to be honest. Mine are on the big side, so the stock pads are almost unusable, so for me it was a comfort thing since the beginning.

Anyway, regarding sources, yeah, it's quite suprising how well these things respond to better amplification. I have tried them on a few amps and it's always a different outcome. They sound harsh and dry out of my PC's headphone jack, they sound rich and smooth out of my Fiio Q5s, they sound aggressive and powerful out of my THX AAA 789 and they sounded warm and lush out of a ridiculously expensive tube amp I had tried a couple of years ago. None of these descriptions is better or worse than the others (except for the PC sound card, screw that), it's just a touch different every time, just enough to make it interesting. With how easy they are to drive, that was admittedly unexpected. I also plugged them into an old NAD 3020 (or 3020e, something like that) speaker amp at my uncle's place at some point, which just pushes its full power through the headphone jack, and the result was staggering. Given enough power, these things do crazy stuff.

I do have little tiny ears

 

[tolis626]

I do have little tiny ears

Welp, that alone would explain at least some of the differences in the experience. My big ol' flaps barely fit in the HM5 pads without touching the drivers. It's a difficult hobby for me. Maybe that's why I love Audeze and similarly huge cans.

 

[Oscarilbo]

How does the AKG K371 compares to the MSR7B?

 

[Quadfather]

Welp, that alone would explain at least some of the differences in the experience. My big ol' flaps barely fit in the HM5 pads without touching the drivers. It's a difficult hobby for me. Maybe that's why I love Audeze and similarly huge cans.

I know a great plastic surgeon. LOL. Just kidding.

 

[Quadfather]

I have Shure SRH1540 headphones and will procure Meze 109 Pro headphones, but damn, I find myself reaching for Audio-Technica ATH-MSR7B ninety percent of the time.

 

[cuprajake]

I keep coming back to them.

Really struggling to replace them

 

[Quadfather]

I keep coming back to them.

Really struggling to replace them

Their bass is AMAZING when paired balanced from my Lotoo Paw Gold Touch. Tight, fast, and deep.

 

[cuprajake]

I think I'm just going to have to stick with the msr7b.

I can't try before buying and I've just sent back my 3rd set of hp now.

 

[cuprajake]

has anyone tried the 900z ?

im after a comfort upgrade more than anything, i love the sound signature of the msr7b but the pads touch my ears lol - are there any closed backs similar

 

[subwoof3r]

Never thought before but I decided to buy a MMCX > A2DC adapter for my MSR7b, to use with my excellent old cables.
I'am so happy to now use my best yet cable (lizt occ Copper+Au-Ag Alloy Pure 7N occ lizt+1%Gold and 99%silver+Eagle true rhodium plug) with it.
Sound is truely even more transparent, gains clarity and better soundstage. I don't even feels the need to EQ it anymore in the low bass area (compared to the stock cable).
The sound is really high-end now still coupled with my Mojo 2.
The cable is more than half the price of the headphones, so it's not cheap at all but definitely worth the upgrade. Highly recommended!

 

[Quadfather]

Never thought before but I decided to buy a MMCX > A2DC adapter for my MSR7b, to use with my excellent old cables.
I'am so happy to now use my best yet cable (lizt occ Copper+Au-Ag Alloy Pure 7N occ lizt+1%Gold and 99%silver+Eagle true rhodium plug) with it.
Sound is truely even more transparent, gains clarity and better soundstage. I don't even feels the need to EQ it anymore in the low bass area (compared to the stock cable).
The sound is really high-end now still coupled with my Mojo 2.
The cable is more than half the price of the headphones, so it's not cheap at all but definitely worth the upgrade. Highly recommended!

Good cables are important. I really love my LQI Cables balanced 4.4mm cables.

 

[tentacle]

Hello, can you help me?
Have Sennheiser hd300 (the cheap one). The sound is ok for me, but wonder how much better it can be. With current one feel less of treble (a bit dirty sound), think female vocal (mainly listen to J-pop) can sound more emotional and/or detailed (more detail like breathing and so). Now I'm trying to choose closed over-ears in range to ~150$. Haven't dac/amp (gonna buy later), only stationary using. Had heard that Audio-Technica is good for my pref genres. For the budget have found ath-a900z and ath-msr7b, but can't choose since both are praised and criticized for female vocal by different listeners. If you have listened to both, can you give a comparison please?

has anyone tried the 900z ?

So haven't you tried it yet?

 

[KPzypher]

Latest addition.

On initial impression, I think I prefer these over MDR-1AM2, a HP I consider to be MSR7b's direct competitor.

To me, these sound more balanced and resolving with better imaging capabilities. Doesn't suffer from mid bass bloat either. Treble can be a bit splashy and artificial sounding on higher volume, and overall presentation can be somewhat lean on certain tracks. Potential to become fatiguing on longer sessions.

Build quality and comfort on the other hand falls short of the 1AM2. It feels cheap and rickety, even for its asking price. Quite creaky too.

I've wanted these for a long time, but not sure how much time I'll devote to them long term.