sbelonoz
Head-Fier
- Joined
- Dec 9, 2002
- Posts
- 53
- Likes
- 1
I bought two new wireless headphones in around £300 range to compare and keep one. I am keeping both for various reasons, but let me explain first.
First I bought M&D 50+ and I did love the sound from the very beginning even without a break-in. I know it has a beryllium driver, but I did not expect it to sound anything close to Stellia, my favourite closed headphone. However it did sound like Stellia! An enormous amount of detail, 3d imaging, very good soundstage for a closed headphone. However, 50+ lacks isolation. I would actually go ahead and call it an open headphone. It leaks sound inside the headphones and also leaks a lot of sound outside. It is pretty much like Grado. To the point they cannot be used outside. I tried to use them on London subway listening to metal, I got more than ten unapproving looks. Switched to French rap Fauve to please their taste better (I love this band too).
Here comes B&W PX7 S2, which I received a week later. When I turned them on, unlike 50+, they did not sound anything like I was expecting! Super boomy! Like Beyer 770 or Campfire Cascade if you know what I mean. Sort of Shure 846 bass, good and quality bass, but dominating. I thought “well, this is not a Harman Curve, not even close, it is like Beats, consumer oriented V-shape headphone!” I was really disappointed! Then I was asked to install the B&W app, installed it and found an equaliser! To my surprise it worked seamlessly with Tidal. I put bass on -3.0db and here we go! I got a similar sound signature to 50+! Unlike 50+ PX7 has a great active noise cancelling. I tried it in a very noisy cafe in London and I could barely hear anything with headphones on and no music playing. With music on I was completely drowned into the listening without hearing anything else! A perfect outside headphone.
So why did I keep both? Because sound wise I still prefer 50+. Guitars just sound sublime. I think of M&D as of a nicely packaged Grado. Grado could learn from M&D on how to put a great driver into a great enclosure. 50+ is a 325E sound wise, but much nicer in design and much smaller. Quality wise I love both headphones equally, sure PX7 is all plastic, unlike PX8, but it is a BMW quality plastic, amazing for the price. M&D is metal in most parts. Sound-wise I prefer 50+, but ANC wise it is not contest, 50+ is not a headphone you can take outside (even if M&D marketing says otherwise). At the same time, B&W PX7 is a perfect companion if you want to travel. Used it at London subway and it was wonderful. Blocked the music from leaking outside and blocked the noise from coming inside.
I use 50+ at home and PX7 while travelling on the subway. If I were forced to buy one set, it would be PX7 S2. There is no clear winner, but they are two wonderful headphones for two different uses! Metal fellows out there, try 50+ with Opeth or In Flames, you’d be thrilled! PX7 work great with jazz, acoustics, classical. Metal is always a challenging music for headphones. And if you ask me which headphones reproduce metal the best it is Focal Stellia! For me 50+ is a baby Stellia, especially in an orange colour (like mine). If you consider a closed PX7 competes with an open 50+ sound quality, it makes it PX7 (equalised) a no brainer! What open headphones reproduce metal the best? I’d say my beloved Verum 1. These are the headphones I will keep for live and give to my children as an inheritance.
First I bought M&D 50+ and I did love the sound from the very beginning even without a break-in. I know it has a beryllium driver, but I did not expect it to sound anything close to Stellia, my favourite closed headphone. However it did sound like Stellia! An enormous amount of detail, 3d imaging, very good soundstage for a closed headphone. However, 50+ lacks isolation. I would actually go ahead and call it an open headphone. It leaks sound inside the headphones and also leaks a lot of sound outside. It is pretty much like Grado. To the point they cannot be used outside. I tried to use them on London subway listening to metal, I got more than ten unapproving looks. Switched to French rap Fauve to please their taste better (I love this band too).
Here comes B&W PX7 S2, which I received a week later. When I turned them on, unlike 50+, they did not sound anything like I was expecting! Super boomy! Like Beyer 770 or Campfire Cascade if you know what I mean. Sort of Shure 846 bass, good and quality bass, but dominating. I thought “well, this is not a Harman Curve, not even close, it is like Beats, consumer oriented V-shape headphone!” I was really disappointed! Then I was asked to install the B&W app, installed it and found an equaliser! To my surprise it worked seamlessly with Tidal. I put bass on -3.0db and here we go! I got a similar sound signature to 50+! Unlike 50+ PX7 has a great active noise cancelling. I tried it in a very noisy cafe in London and I could barely hear anything with headphones on and no music playing. With music on I was completely drowned into the listening without hearing anything else! A perfect outside headphone.
So why did I keep both? Because sound wise I still prefer 50+. Guitars just sound sublime. I think of M&D as of a nicely packaged Grado. Grado could learn from M&D on how to put a great driver into a great enclosure. 50+ is a 325E sound wise, but much nicer in design and much smaller. Quality wise I love both headphones equally, sure PX7 is all plastic, unlike PX8, but it is a BMW quality plastic, amazing for the price. M&D is metal in most parts. Sound-wise I prefer 50+, but ANC wise it is not contest, 50+ is not a headphone you can take outside (even if M&D marketing says otherwise). At the same time, B&W PX7 is a perfect companion if you want to travel. Used it at London subway and it was wonderful. Blocked the music from leaking outside and blocked the noise from coming inside.
I use 50+ at home and PX7 while travelling on the subway. If I were forced to buy one set, it would be PX7 S2. There is no clear winner, but they are two wonderful headphones for two different uses! Metal fellows out there, try 50+ with Opeth or In Flames, you’d be thrilled! PX7 work great with jazz, acoustics, classical. Metal is always a challenging music for headphones. And if you ask me which headphones reproduce metal the best it is Focal Stellia! For me 50+ is a baby Stellia, especially in an orange colour (like mine). If you consider a closed PX7 competes with an open 50+ sound quality, it makes it PX7 (equalised) a no brainer! What open headphones reproduce metal the best? I’d say my beloved Verum 1. These are the headphones I will keep for live and give to my children as an inheritance.
Attachments
Last edited:
