[itchyears]

Ok, so the theory is this. This felt is there to control airflow between the main driver chamber and the cup, according to AT's marketing material for the headphones in this line. If you put on bigger than stock pads, the bass goes bye-bye. If you use the stock pads and remove the felt, the bass is flabby and loose and unpleasant. I think that it's a matter of balance between the air in front of the driver and behind it, how much it has to work with. So basically, removing the felt allows you to use bigger pads. The rest comes down to the pads. With HM5 sheepskin pads the results are great. You sacrifice some intimacy and forwardness for better bass, staging, smoothness and clarity. The choice is yours.

Glad I asked since I prefer the stock pads from the brainwavz atm, maybe in future modding missions ! What you said sounds ideal though and maybe that's why I was missing that bass with the bigger pads.

 

[TSelanne]

So, I've been enjoying the MSR7b thoroughly for the past 2-3 months, especially now that I've upgraded to a Fiio Q5s and can use them balanced. And that's why I've been putting this off, but today was surgery time!

I've found some very interesting stuff inside these cans. On a very basic level, they are very similar in design to the MSR7, but the design of the cup has been altered a bit. It remains a sandwich of 3 plates (From top to bottom) : The driver and its baffle, a middle plate and then the back of the cup. Biggest difference here is that the space between the driver capsule and the middle plate is deeper on the MSR7b and AT used a very THICK piece of foam/felt (honestly looks more like multiple layers of felt) to fill it. See below.

Removing that sponge looking thing reveals a very familiar sight for me, as it looks a lot like the MSR7's middle section, just a tad deeper. The other difference is that the screws you need to unscrew to remove the middle plate on the MSR7 are on the driver baffle and go straight through to the back. Not the case here, there's another set of 4 screws. Remove these and the whole thing pops off, the whole assembly is detached from the back and the headband. That's an interesting design decision, but I like it more than the MSR7's design that required very careful placement of the cables that went through the whole thing (and are prone to getting caught between surfaces and damaged). Also, in the middle we can see that AT kept the same felt ring covered hole that was on the MSR7. Not shown in pictures is the fact that I removed it (can only do it from the very back).


For now, I just removed the little white felt rings like I did on the MSR7. And sure enough, as with the MSR7, the subbass improved when using the HM5 pads and got a bit muddy with the stock pads. Not as much as it did with the MSR7, I presume because of the foam disk on top. But right now, using the HM5 sheepskins and having removed the felt ring, the sound got a bit fuller/warmer, but that's about it, not a huge difference. I will try more stuff in the future, like removing the foam disk and replacing it with thinner foam/felt. It sure will be interesting to mess with the MSR7b, they really do look like a very mod friendly pair of cans. And they are way more forgiving than the MSR7, these things either sounded absolutely great or like trash, depending on what you did.

Hi Tolis,
I've been on a quest to find a new pair of cans after using an old Sony set (mdr-v600) for years. I've tried almost 10 pairs now, ranging in price from $150 to $1000, and I keep coming back to the msr7b's. They are really nice, I love the sound. They do, however, hurt my ears after a short time, as my earlobes press against the plastic driver cover. The stock pads just aren't deep enough for me. I've tried them with different pads (three different Brainwavz, also Dekoni & Yaxi), and all of them reduce the bass too much for me (some completely ruin the sound, not just the bass). I was about to give up, until I read that you had success modding the msr7's by removing the little white piece of foam and exposing the small hole in back. Now I see you've modded the b's as well.

Question: I have my b's taken apart. I've removed (temporarily) the thick yellow foam. The driver's "housing" (both plastic pieces, held with the 8 screws) is removed from the cup/headband. However, the small white felt pad is sandwiched inside the middle plastic part. I don't see any way of separating that middle piece of plastic to get the white foam out of the little hole - at least not without ruining it. How did you get yours out?

 

[tolis626]

Hi Tolis,
I've been on a quest to find a new pair of cans after using an old Sony set (mdr-v600) for years. I've tried almost 10 pairs now, ranging in price from $150 to $1000, and I keep coming back to the msr7b's. They are really nice, I love the sound. They do, however, hurt my ears after a short time, as my earlobes press against the plastic driver cover. The stock pads just aren't deep enough for me. I've tried them with different pads (three different Brainwavz, also Dekoni & Yaxi), and all of them reduce the bass too much for me (some completely ruin the sound, not just the bass). I was about to give up, until I read that you had success modding the msr7's by removing the little white piece of foam and exposing the small hole in back. Now I see you've modded the b's as well.

Question: I have my b's taken apart. I've removed (temporarily) the thick yellow foam. The driver's "housing" (both plastic pieces, held with the 8 screws) is removed from the cup/headband. However, the small white felt pad is sandwiched inside the middle plastic part. I don't see any way of separating that middle piece of plastic to get the white foam out of the little hole - at least not without ruining it. How did you get yours out?

Hey! First off, nice work, getting to experiment! Hope everything works out how you want it to!

Now, once you have unscrewed all the screws, you just have to wiggle the two pieces apart. The yellow foam needs to be removed for easy access to the second set of screws, so once you remove those, grab the whole thing (driver baffle and middle piece) and wiggle it apart from the cup. They need to be pulled slightly upwards, so that the A2DC connector housing goes through its hole in the back. It's a bit intimidating at first, but once you get the hang of it it's really easy. Nice thing about the b is that they can be taken completely apart, unlike the MSR7 that had the driver wire dangling in the middle.

If you need any more help, feel free to PM me!

 

[TSelanne]

Hey! First off, nice work, getting to experiment! Hope everything works out how you want it to!

Now, once you have unscrewed all the screws, you just have to wiggle the two pieces apart. The yellow foam needs to be removed for easy access to the second set of screws, so once you remove those, grab the whole thing (driver baffle and middle piece) and wiggle it apart from the cup. They need to be pulled slightly upwards, so that the A2DC connector housing goes through its hole in the back. It's a bit intimidating at first, but once you get the hang of it it's really easy. Nice thing about the b is that they can be taken completely apart, unlike the MSR7 that had the driver wire dangling in the middle.

If you need any more help, feel free to PM me!

Yes I've done all that.... I'm referring to the little white piece of felt that covers the small center hole..... I pm'd you, thanks.

 

[magicwolf]

I've tried them with different pads (three different Brainwavz, also Dekoni & Yaxi), and all of them reduce the bass too much for me (some completely ruin the sound, not just the bass).

You can list which ear pads you bought and briefly tell about them. I think this will be very useful for many owners of these headphones. Thanks in advance!

 

[itchyears]

I have these pair of Brainwavz sheepskin leather oval pads:

https://www.brainwavzaudio.com/products/headphone-memory-foam-earpads-sheep-skin

The quality is softer, smoother leather feel and more plush and thicker than the stock ear pads. Sound stage is tad wider and overall it feels nice against the head. I would say it clamps on bit more on my head also. You can wear them for long times and it's better since the driver unit does not touch the inner ear when on.

The bad points however are, much bigger size so not the best if sleeping or in bed with head against pillow, there was less bass and some mid range detail lacking also this could be due to the size of the pads and more space between the ear and driver. Initially I did buy the brainwavz larger pads since I really hate the driver touching the inner ear, but on going back to stock pads I think the closer the driver to the ear the easier it is to hear the vocals and instrument details. So I ended up sticking with the stock ear pads.

I think as others on here have done and mentioned above maybe the modding of removing that tape to increase bass for bigger pads needs to be done, also maybe the angled brainwavz pads may work better. If anyone is buying id sign up to brainwavz newsletter or keep checking since they have lots of special offers.

An older pic that may give an idea, these brainwavz oval pads really are much larger

 

[TSelanne]

You can list which ear pads you bought and briefly tell about them. I think this will be very useful for many owners of these headphones. Thanks in advance!

I'm terrible at reviews.... and I didn't take notes while testing so I don't really remember all the details. All I was trying to do was come as close as possible to the original sound and gain some comfort. And that didn't happen with any of them.

The pads that kept the closest-to-original sound were the sheepskin Dekoni pads. Next closest were the Yaxi.

Don't bother with the Brainwavz. I tried the thick oval, the thick angled ones, and the "pro" ones where they curve inward a little. Both thick ones completely ruined the sound, they were terrible (although my goodness were they comfortable!). The pros weren't much better.

It's pretty clear that AT meant for the user's ear to be pressed right up against the drivers to achieve the sound they intended.

My ears must stick out a lot or something cause I just can't wear these msr7b's. Which is disappointing because I really like the bright mids and highs.

Hope that helps anyone.

 

[itchyears]

Don't bother with the Brainwavz. I tried the thick oval, the thick angled ones, and the "pro" ones where they curve inward a little. Both thick ones completely ruined the sound, they were terrible (although my goodness were they comfortable!). The pros weren't much better.

It's pretty clear that AT meant for the user's ear to be pressed right up against the drivers to achieve the sound they intended.

That was what I noticed, very nice and comfy the brainwavz pads but when I went back to the stock original pads and felt that angled driver touching my inner ear it was annoying again but then I forgot just how detailed and easier flowing the music is with the stock pads, even the Vocals were more forward and easier to appreciate.

Course everyone's ears are different and sound is subjective, you may prefer the different comfort and sound.

For me It took 3rd party brainwavz pads for me to realize just how awesome the stock pads really are.

 

[magicwolf]

there was less bass and some mid range detail lacking also

I also have such ear pads:
https://www.brainwavzaudio.com/prod...pads-round-protein-pu-leather-various-colours
Compared to angled ones, the sound in them is less bright.

 

[Dionietzscheus]

Hey, my suggestion if you got dx 160 with msr7b. The best way to get best sound from dx160 is to install latest lurker add on and then put ibasso to pure mango mode ( it is possible in this add on). Because not only myself but also other users feel that in mango mode sound quality is the best as it works most linear and without any android software influence. I use dx160 with msr7b long time and this is really amazing what this combination does. With some brighter sources msr7 could be too bright or too much in treble or lack a little bit in bass. But dx160 with balanced ads a little bit low weight and balances treble more so i like this representation a lot.

Can confirm DX 160 (balanced) + MSR7b is an awesome combo. Better than SE any day - to my ears, bass quality/quantity is enhanced, there is even more improvement in soundstage, clarity and dynamics. Of course, Tidal MQA helps : ). That default 4.4 mm balanced cable in a mid-fi pair of hps is, imo, a value proposition. Also, continuing with my fixation with closed-back cans, got myself a pair of Shure SRH 940, new, which has received polarizing opinions, some comparing it to the HD 800, dunno about that 'coz I haven't heard the Senn. Detail levels on the Shure are insane, midrange and vocals to die for, the sound is overall fuller though clarity is slightly better on the 'b'. The 940 is definitely (very) bright, which personally doesn't bother me. Without any harshness, however, or peaks. Not fatiguing - I can listen to it for hours, with short breaks. Possibly, the 940 will open up more as I have listened to it for less than 100 hours. One caveat though - the mid-bass on the 940 is somewhat subdued compared to my Beyer 770 Pro 80 ohms. Sub-bass rumble is more than adequate, though.

 

[Chocolatte]

Hello everyone,
i'm a newbie here, in fact i'm really are a newbie to this kind of territory. If you don't mind i'm asking couple of question regarding headphone especially msr7b.

Tbh, this couple of months i've been reading, researching, listening and watching all kind of headphone review, especially watching z review yt channel, joshua valour, etc.

I'm kinda intrigued about having my first headphone, as matter of fact i always am listening to music in spotify from my galaxy s9+ with the free akg earphone came along with it.

My questions is,
Which hp you recommend between ath m40x (mod the pads with angled hm5 pads, and the cable), ath m50x, or this msr7b? Cos what i heard these hps are kinda safe to be played through smartphone...


P.s : the genre of the music i always listen are, rock, jrock, jmetal, jpop, and kpop.
Plus, i don't own any dac, amp, nor dap...

I would be very grateful if one of you could help me answer this question.

Thank you,

Cheers...

 

[Dionietzscheus]

Hello everyone,
i'm a newbie here, in fact i'm really are a newbie to this kind of territory. If you don't mind i'm asking couple of question regarding headphone especially msr7b.

Tbh, this couple of months i've been reading, researching, listening and watching all kind of headphone review, especially watching z review yt channel, joshua valour, etc.

I'm kinda intrigued about having my first headphone, as matter of fact i always listening to music from my galaxy s9+ with the free akg earphone came along with it.

My questions is,
Which hp you recommend between ath m40x (mod the pads with angled hm5 pads, and the cable), ath m50x, or this msr7b? Cos what i heard these hps are kinda safe to be played through smartphone...


P.s : the genre of the music i always listen are, rock, jrock, jmetal, jpop, and kpop.
Plus, i don't own any dac, amp, nor dap...

I would be very grateful if one of you could help me answer this question.

Thank you,

Cheers...

I had the M50X and have the 'b.' The M50x are basically monitor headphones designed for studio professionals (sound engineers). It was my first pair of serious audiophiles hps. Or so I thought. I didn't like them enough to keep them though. The make was plasticky, but could be easily run from a smartphone, comfort was decent enough, soundstage was okay for a closed back. They were very clear and imaging was precise, but for me, the overall sound was a little, artificial, not natural sounding. Somewhat metallic timbre for certain instruments. Since 50x is an upgrade over the 40x, I don't expect the latter to be any better. This is my personal experience, you might like its sound signature. I have been using the 'b' and I love it a lot; it is more expensive than the M50X at least in my country though, but worth the extra expense imo. Try demoing both and let your ears decide.

 

[itchyears]

Hello everyone,
i'm a newbie here, in fact i'm really are a newbie to this kind of territory. If you don't mind i'm asking couple of question regarding headphone especially msr7b.

Tbh, this couple of months i've been reading, researching, listening and watching all kind of headphone review, especially watching z review yt channel, joshua valour, etc.

I'm kinda intrigued about having my first headphone, as matter of fact i always am listening to music in spotify from my galaxy s9+ with the free akg earphone came along with it.

My questions is,
Which hp you recommend between ath m40x (mod the pads with angled hm5 pads, and the cable), ath m50x, or this msr7b? Cos what i heard these hps are kinda safe to be played through smartphone...


P.s : the genre of the music i always listen are, rock, jrock, jmetal, jpop, and kpop.
Plus, i don't own any dac, amp, nor dap...

I would be very grateful if one of you could help me answer this question.

Thank you,

Cheers...

msr7bs are 36ohm so work well with mobile phones and other low powered devices. A dac and headphone amp helps, but it's not 100% required.

The msr7bs are designed to be portable hps but since they're besting or competing with other top closed back headphones from £300-1K range many are using them for home use, comes with a travel pouch also. They also fold flat and are pretty small & light headphones compared to other closed backs. Stock padding is also small and not big.

The nice feature is these are future proofed hps, they come with a balanced cable and are balanced headphones so if you do get balanced dac/amp in the future you can improve the sound even more.

Nice review here:
https://www.avforums.com/reviews/audio-technica-ath-msr7b-headphone-review.16219

If you can or check on amazon pre-owned pairs sometimes you can grab them for as low as £140 or if you don't like them return them, I think ebay have some sellers going for as low as £89.99 but I would double-check the sellers on that.

Overall an excellent pair of headphones for all round use.

 

[TSelanne]

My questions is,
Which hp you recommend between ath m40x (mod the pads with angled hm5 pads, and the cable), ath m50x, or this msr7b? Cos what i heard these hps are kinda safe to be played through smartphone...

Hi and welcome. I'm new here too. *fist bump*

Hp's are incredibly subjective, so this is just my opinion. In the last month, I've tried:
M50x
M70x
Sr9
Msr7
Msr7b

The msr7b is the best sounding of all of these IMHO - for reasons many others have pointed out. However I found the msr7 more comfortable than the b.

As mentioned above, I've tried aftermarket pads on these as well, and IMHO all the pads change the stock sound to a point where I didn't enjoy the sound anymore.

On this point, Tolis (user posting above) has found success with a simple mod while using thicker pads.

Best to you in your search.

 

[pilgrimbilly]

Has anyone compared these to the Audioquest Nightowls?

I'm thinking of getting these as a midrange priced backup for my home use (Nightowl) and portable use (Shure Aonic 50).

One is very dark, one is neutral, and I love them both - think the MSR7b will be a great in-betweener.

Thanks for any advice.