TidalWave
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Jun 7, 2014
- Posts
- 246
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- 78
I've read all the reviews I could find for these headphones and have a general idea, but unfortunately there have not been enough comparative posts about them.
I'm seeking advice on getting one of these for personal use all-purpose style. The "high resolution" sound will probably be lost on me using headphones plugged into my cell phone, but perhaps not lost using them on my [high end from a few years ago, self-assembled] desktop computer--although I do not have a dedicated sound card. In terms of the music I like to listen to: it really varies: rock, classical, dance/electronic, usually not rap/hip hop.
I've settled on these based on price/quality/reviews. My preference is for closed-back design with low sound leak to the outside world as well as some passive noise muffling. I've read that M50X are great at the latter. Some reviews say MSR7s are also good at muffling outside noise, and one review said SR5 was pretty decent too as far as on-ear headphones go. That said it's not my #1 requirement, just nice to have, since I live in a city, and random car noise while walking outdoors can be annoying. It's also nice to not annoy people sitting near me on public transit.
For reference, I'm on a budget, so I'm mostly looking at the used market prices for these.
I realize these are all different from each other, but they all have their pros and cons. ATH-SR5 is the smallest, lightest, and [significantly] cheapest, while still having good drivers. According to some feedback, they are "80% as good as MSR7" in sound, whatever that means. People say that the memory foam used for on-hear padding is quite comfortable, so that's a plus.
ATH-MSR7: seems to be probably better for passive sound insulation, probably a bit better in sound quality. The gunmetal gray model is snazzy (I hate all-black electronics, and white will require frequent cleaning). A good jump in price over SR5.
ATH-M50X: seems to be the reference headphone for a lot of reviews. I've read that M40X is a bit better balanced and cheaper, but the silly argument for me is that M40X only comes in black, while M50X can be found in some more interesting colors.
Thank you.
I'm seeking advice on getting one of these for personal use all-purpose style. The "high resolution" sound will probably be lost on me using headphones plugged into my cell phone, but perhaps not lost using them on my [high end from a few years ago, self-assembled] desktop computer--although I do not have a dedicated sound card. In terms of the music I like to listen to: it really varies: rock, classical, dance/electronic, usually not rap/hip hop.
I've settled on these based on price/quality/reviews. My preference is for closed-back design with low sound leak to the outside world as well as some passive noise muffling. I've read that M50X are great at the latter. Some reviews say MSR7s are also good at muffling outside noise, and one review said SR5 was pretty decent too as far as on-ear headphones go. That said it's not my #1 requirement, just nice to have, since I live in a city, and random car noise while walking outdoors can be annoying. It's also nice to not annoy people sitting near me on public transit.
For reference, I'm on a budget, so I'm mostly looking at the used market prices for these.
I realize these are all different from each other, but they all have their pros and cons. ATH-SR5 is the smallest, lightest, and [significantly] cheapest, while still having good drivers. According to some feedback, they are "80% as good as MSR7" in sound, whatever that means. People say that the memory foam used for on-hear padding is quite comfortable, so that's a plus.
ATH-MSR7: seems to be probably better for passive sound insulation, probably a bit better in sound quality. The gunmetal gray model is snazzy (I hate all-black electronics, and white will require frequent cleaning). A good jump in price over SR5.
ATH-M50X: seems to be the reference headphone for a lot of reviews. I've read that M40X is a bit better balanced and cheaper, but the silly argument for me is that M40X only comes in black, while M50X can be found in some more interesting colors.
Thank you.
