Impressions of Audio Technica ATH-FC7

[Kor]

Fellow Head-fiers,

Lately I had to take my Sony MDR-V6's home for gaming since my new computer is quite a bit loud. The KSC-75's don't cut it on the bus, so I was in the market for a portable pair with isolation that won't make me think about the ksc-75's while listening. My other criteria were that they cost no more than another pair of V6's and sound good from my iPod Nano.

I take the ksc-75's any day over my Porta Pros, so I passed on other Koss products. I listened to a friend's Sennheiser PX200's, but I didn't like them and they don't isolate much anyway.

Here I read about the ATH-FC7, which is not sold in the U.S. Having never owned any AT phones, I ordered a pair (metallic gray, $66 total) from http://www.audiocubes.com, which arrived in a week.

After leaving them plugged to a heavy metal station overnight, I tested them against the KSC-75's. Phones involved:

1. ATH-FC7
2. KSC-75
3. Sennheiser HD-497 (no isolation but in the same price range)
4. Grado SR-225 (reference)

Sources:

1. iPod Nano
2. M-Audio Transit

Songs:

1. Opeth - Serenity Painted Death
2. Genesis - Land of Confusion
3. Paganini - Concerto No 1 - 1
4. Children of Bodom - Angels Don't Kill

The ATH-FC7 has a tad more bass than the 497's, and considerably more bass than the rest. I can't say it sounds better than the KSC-75's; they just sound different (out of the iPod, which is what matters to me). Out of the M-Audio I like them slightly better. They're more in-your-face, which should help in noisy places. Mids are ok, but they could be a little brighter (perhaps I'm too used to the 225 sound). I was really concerned about buying a $60 pair that won't even beat the price-performance king ksc-75's, but I was not disappointed. They could be considered a closed version of the HD-497's, which I've recently come to appreciate more.
Another pros for these cans are:

1. They look kinda cool (imho -- you can search this forum for some close-up pics)
2. They fold
3. The main cable is a short one that just makes into the iPod in your breast pocket, and an attachment cable to the main brings it to the full length.
4. They hang with the V6's when it comes to isolation, even though they are not circumaural (tested by putting on some college basketball on tv)

The only con is the comfort level: the headband is not adjustable (a la Porta Pros) for a snug fit, but after an hour or two my ears tell me that I am wearing headphones. But they should do fine at work or on the bus. Were they a bit more comfortable, I'd also recommend them for gaming (i.e. for telling the direction of footsteps under gunfire in FPS').