[yakcyll]

Hola! Very nice to meet you lot. This is my first post here and I'm looking forward to participating more often than before, especially once I get my hands on some proper hardware.
 
I'd like to ask you for advice, since I'm a bit lost. I'm on a lookout for my first high quality headphone and after trying out different models for a while I'm torn between MSR7s and SRH840s. My notepad is filled with notes on both of them, as well as a couple others (MDR-1A, DT770, M40x), but since I only got to keep on my head and listen to each for half an hour on different days, the notes aren't helping me decide very much. I could go on for a longer while, but I'll just describe in short what I'm looking for exactly and what I liked about the two headphones I mentioned. I'd very much like to ask you for advice on how to proceed with the first choice.
 
I hope to be able to keep the new headphones on my head for prolonged periods of time, both indoors and outdoors. I'm not much of a basshead, but I love warm sounds - my favorite genres include metal, symphonic metal and EDM, although I listen to pretty much everything on occasion. My head is rather large, so are the ears, so certain headphones (for example M40x) gave an impression that I wouldn't be able to keep them on for long. Proper isolation is a big plus for commuting, although I can probably figure something out otherwise. I'd like to be able to drive them from both my phone and my PC and use them for some light positional gaming (arena shooters and the like). My most commonly listened to tracks aren't of very high quality, although I could possibly search for better ones.
 
What I liked the most about MSR7s is how sharp and accurate the sound was. The treble seemed strong and very sharp, but then again, that might have been the tracks. I've read about different mods for them (HM5 pads and some fillers to increase the comfort and soften the mids/highs) and am planning/open to tweaking them more. They also seem pretty good for gaming and I can get a case and take them outside. I am worried about their bass response, but I heard people saying it's not too bad and I'm expecting to be able to tune it with the eq.
 
The SRH840s, on the other hand, have about exactly the sound I'd like to hear from the headphones. They also exposed bad tracks, but not enough to prevent me from just enjoying the tones. They seemed pretty precise and I could use them with the phone. I felt they were almost perfect for me in regard to sound quality, but they are super large and pretty heavy. I wouldn't feel confident enough to take them on a bus ride or comfortable keeping them on for hours (although the earcups were covering my ears perfectly and the clamp wasn't overly strenuous, rather the kind I could get used to). Not sure about their build quality; I don't throw my hardware around or trip over wires, but they didn't seem like requiring many accidents to break. I also didn't try them in games, but heard opinions that they don't work there very well.
 
The others? M40xes clamp too hard and the bass would require an eq, DT770s seem volatile and I didn't like the sound that much and MDR-1A have a bit too much bass, almost no isolation and even though they were the most comfortable phones I tried, my ears were immediately getting sweaty.
 
I want to like the MSR7s, but they didn't wow me. I'm a bit scared that even after the burn in there won't be much fun, laidback pleasure listening potential in them. I'm willing to give them a try though. On the other hand, I'd buy the SRH840s in an instant if it wasn't for the perspective of a neck strain for a few weeks and being pretty much tied to a desk with them.
 
Do MSR7s really get better with different pads (in terms of music enjoyment) and over time? Is there a way to make SRH840s more portable? Maybe there are different models, better fitting the bill? Would you think the sound of them would be worth living with the lack of portability? Would you recommend some other alternatives to both of them? I'm aware of ATH-WS1100 and would love to try them on, but I'm from Poland and they haven't shown up anywhere around yet.
 
Thank you very much for your time!

 

[serman005]

  Hola! Very nice to meet you lot. This is my first post here and I'm looking forward to participating more often than before, especially once I get my hands on some proper hardware.
 
I'd like to ask you for advice, since I'm a bit lost. I'm on a lookout for my first high quality headphone and after trying out different models for a while I'm torn between MSR7s and SRH840s. My notepad is filled with notes on both of them, as well as a couple others (MDR-1A, DT770, M40x), but since I only got to keep on my head and listen to each for half an hour on different days, the notes aren't helping me decide very much. I could go on for a longer while, but I'll just describe in short what I'm looking for exactly and what I liked about the two headphones I mentioned. I'd very much like to ask you for advice on how to proceed with the first choice.
 
I hope to be able to keep the new headphones on my head for prolonged periods of time, both indoors and outdoors. I'm not much of a basshead, but I love warm sounds - my favorite genres include metal, symphonic metal and EDM, although I listen to pretty much everything on occasion. My head is rather large, so are the ears, so certain headphones (for example M40x) gave an impression that I wouldn't be able to keep them on for long. Proper isolation is a big plus for commuting, although I can probably figure something out otherwise. I'd like to be able to drive them from both my phone and my PC and use them for some light positional gaming (arena shooters and the like). My most commonly listened to tracks aren't of very high quality, although I could possibly search for better ones.
 
What I liked the most about MSR7s is how sharp and accurate the sound was. The treble seemed strong and very sharp, but then again, that might have been the tracks. I've read about different mods for them (HM5 pads and some fillers to increase the comfort and soften the mids/highs) and am planning/open to tweaking them more. They also seem pretty good for gaming and I can get a case and take them outside. I am worried about their bass response, but I heard people saying it's not too bad and I'm expecting to be able to tune it with the eq.
 
The SRH840s, on the other hand, have about exactly the sound I'd like to hear from the headphones. They also exposed bad tracks, but not enough to prevent me from just enjoying the tones. They seemed pretty precise and I could use them with the phone. I felt they were almost perfect for me in regard to sound quality, but they are super large and pretty heavy. I wouldn't feel confident enough to take them on a bus ride or comfortable keeping them on for hours (although the earcups were covering my ears perfectly and the clamp wasn't overly strenuous, rather the kind I could get used to). Not sure about their build quality; I don't throw my hardware around or trip over wires, but they didn't seem like requiring many accidents to break. I also didn't try them in games, but heard opinions that they don't work there very well.
 
The others? M40xes clamp too hard and the bass would require an eq, DT770s seem volatile and I didn't like the sound that much and MDR-1A have a bit too much bass, almost no isolation and even though they were the most comfortable phones I tried, my ears were immediately getting sweaty.
 
I want to like the MSR7s, but they didn't wow me. I'm a bit scared that even after the burn in there won't be much fun, laidback pleasure listening potential in them. I'm willing to give them a try though. On the other hand, I'd buy the SRH840s in an instant if it wasn't for the perspective of a neck strain for a few weeks and being pretty much tied to a desk with them.
 
Do MSR7s really get better with different pads (in terms of music enjoyment) and over time? Is there a way to make SRH840s more portable? Maybe there are different models, better fitting the bill? Would you think the sound of them would be worth living with the lack of portability? Would you recommend some other alternatives to both of them? I'm aware of ATH-WS1100 and would love to try them on, but I'm from Poland and they haven't shown up anywhere around yet.
 
Thank you very much for your time!

What about getting an SRH840 for home/desk and a nice IEM for your portable? The 1More Triple Driver would be a good IEM choice and it isn't terribly expensive (should be around 75 euros or so). That is one solution for you. One closed, one IEM. If you don't want to do that, you could look at an NAD HP50 or an AKG K550 or a SoundMAGIC HP150 for your headphone. Those are all good. And yeah, the MSR7 is not laid-back.

 

[yakcyll]

  What about getting an SRH840 for home/desk and a nice IEM for your portable? The 1More Triple Driver would be a good IEM choice and it isn't terribly expensive (should be around 75 euros or so). That is one solution for you. One closed, one IEM. If you don't want to do that, you could look at an NAD HP50 or an AKG K550 or a SoundMAGIC HP150 for your headphone. Those are all good. And yeah, the MSR7 is not laid-back.

I might look into IEMs, not a bad idea, although the question of isolation comes up (I thought closed headphones would have an advantage here). Generally I'm looking for a more casual, warmer alternative to the MSR7, with solid build quality and within similar budget. I was also recommended M&D MH40s, but they are much pricier, so I'd keep them for an upgrade. The HP50s and HP150s look promising, I'll give them a shot - thanks!