[Mochan]

MS400 is designed to be circum as I recall but it's still on the smaller side, so I'm not surprised that it won't fit some people's ears. Asians are generally smaller than Caucasians so I'm not surprised if what is supra in the West is circum in the East. Senn HD212 Pro for instance is supposed to be Supra but is Circum to my ears.

 

[Armaegis]

I think the MS 300 is supra, the PS 500 circum, and with the MS 400 they just went "frak it, put it somewhere in the middle". I think I'll eventually put mine up for sale/trade after I write up some more comparisons (any offers guys?

). I really like these cans, but the in-between size is annoying for me.

 

[Armaegis]

Brief comparisons with the Shure SRH 840:
SRH 840 - bass sounds deeper, better high end sibilance
MS 400 - the mids are recessed yet are sharper, significantly better in vocals, easier to drive
 
 
Brief comparisons with the Grado SR80:
SR 80 - sparkly highs, some details missing, lighter (maybe; the SR80 has a beefier cable which weighs it down)
MS 400 - easier to drive, overall clarity is much higher, better comfort
 
 
With my dacs:
iBasso D10 - seems to pair better with the MS 400, don't really like the grado 80 out of it
... opamp dual AD743, better with MS 400
... opamp 8616 w/buffers LHM6643, better with SRH 840
Focusrite Saffire 6 USB - tough call, I really liked the SRH 840 before, but the MS 400 is gaining

 

[Mochan]

After burning in my MS300 significantly and living with it for a bit, all in all I love the MS300's form factor and single-sided cable but not all that happy with its sound sig. Quite disappointed actually that it is actually bright and not warm and darkish. 
 
AK told us the MS300 is just like the MS400 but with a little less low end due to the smaller cups.... but reading your review this can't be true as the MS300 sounds nothing like how you describe the MS400.
 
You describe the MS400 as the anti-Grado, but I would say the MS300 sounds like a closed Grado. Bass is lean and tight, there when needed but otherwise just something you don't really notice. The emphasis is on the strident highs and the strong mids. My problem is I find the glare too much, especially when the volume is up. The energy and dynamics of the highs are too powerful, the attack is very fast and sharp, digs deep and hurts. 
 
This sounds nothing like the MS400 which according to the review has no treble sparkle.
 
I'm so curious about the MS400. I will probably buy a pair soon. Next month probably after I save up a bit. 
 
BTW would like to clarify, your review says the MS400 reaches deeper in bass than the SSRH840, but in your brief comparison above you say the SRH840 has deeper bass.
 
"Compared to the Shure SRH840, the MS 400 reaches deeper and has more body to the bass."
"SRH 840 - bass sounds deeper, better high end sibilance"
 
This seems to contradict, could you explain further?

 

[BlackSushi222]

Awesome review! I will keep these in mind for my future high-end portable closed cans!

 

[Armaegis]

Ergh, that was some bad vocabulary on my part, using the word "deeper" to describe different things.
 
I would say the MS400 has a pronounced bass in that it feels separate from the midrange, like someone turned it up on EQ. Accordingly, the mids then also feel separate from the bass. The MS400 also reaches lower in terms of frequency, without rolling off.
 
The 840 feels overall louder in the bass (I very briefly did a volume match using reference tones, just "by ear", nothing accurate), but does not have that pronounced separation from the mids, so the perception of bass might be less. It also starts to drop off rapidly in the sub-bass, whereas the MS400 handles that much better.
 
If grados are considered bright phones, I would consider the MS400 dark by comprison (although I've never been too comfortable using bright/dark as descriptors).
 
 
Quote:

You describe the MS400 as the anti-Grado, but I would say the MS300 sounds like a closed Grado

 
Seeing as Grados are by definition a very open design, wouldn't a closed grado thus be anti-grado?

 
 
 
I've also been playing with different opamps in my D10, so my reference points keep changing. Particularly, I tend to shy away from the opamps that emphasize the highs. If there's interest, I can pop one of the bright opamps back in (like the AD4841) and do some comparisons. As with all things audio, take everything with a grain of salt

 

[Mochan]

 
Well if you put it that way, then the closed nature would indeed make it "Anti Grado" haha. I was thinking Anti-Grado would mean more like, "Sounds opposite of Grado."
 
Let's not use dark and bright, instead I would just say that the MS300 has too much power and a lot of clarity in the highs, far overshadowing its bass.
 
Would you say the MS400's bass is more dominant in the grand scheme, or do the highs and mids take the stage? Or is it more balanced?
 
Nice to hear the bass goes down deep and is separated. I'm currently search for a pair of cans that does that; my modded SR80 already gives me a lot of boom so I'm looking for something with a more sophisticated lower end (something like the DT150 -- powerful subterranean bass going down deep, but well separated and layered and not intruding on the mid-range).
 
Looks like my next poison awaits me.

 

[2rooi123]

Good am. the bass of ms400 is more dominant by a bit but not to the point of drowning out the mids and highs

 

[Armaegis]

Well, I do still maintain that the MS400 sound very anti-grado in terms of sound signature as well as that open vs closed bit. I know you can't judge a headphone entirely by it's frequency response, but check this: http://graphs.headphone.com/graphCompare.php?graphType=0&graphID[]=2181&graphID[]=423&graphID[]=353&graphID[]=373
My primary point of comparison is the MS400 vs SR40 (red vs green).
 
I find the MS400 to indeed be bass dominant in terms of volume, but the mids somehow come forward. It almost feels like the mids have a bit more resonance than the lows and highs, which is what brings them up. If I had to wager a guess, I think this is related to how they isolate. When I wear my MS400s they cut out the highs and lows from my surroundings, but the mids seem almost focused (albeit muffled).
 
What mods did you do to your SR80s? I've been curious to try modding mine as well.

 

[Mochan]

My SR80? Hahhaa. Here's my "SR80":
 

 
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/500525/the-100-grado-that-beat-the-m50-in-bass

 

[azncookiecutter]

Those look awesome.

 

[acidtripwow]

I tried all the Phaitons at the last show and only really liked the 500s.  Wouldn't you know I would like the most expensive ones they have.

 

[Mochan]

Can you stilll remember how the MS300 sounded compared to the MS400? Was it basically just an MS400 with less bass or were there significant differences in the sound quality?
 
The MS300 still just seems to have a wrong tone in them somewhere in the mids or highs (or perhaps both). The bass seems great though, just right for most people though bassheads will want a little more, but they are surprisingly very capable. I'm just bothered by the treble but can't quite put my finger on it. They just sound a little metallic overall; not as much as I recall cans like the Pro 900 do but the overall effect is still not too great.

 

[Armaegis]

Haha, I remember that thread, but I didn't make the association with you. I've been thinking of modding my own lately... something simpler, probably just damping the magnet plate and maybe lining the inside cup with felt.

 

[Mochan]

I was thinking of lining the inside with some felt as well, not sure what it will do but it can't hurt to try. As it is though I'm pretty happy with the results of my modding. The "GS800xb" has been my go to boom can as of the moment, which is a little sad when I think about it.
 
But I already sold or gave away a lot of my bassy cans like the M50 and K81. Methinks the MS400 will be my next "bass can" hehe. I will probalby pick up 2rooi's MS400 sometime next month.
 
BTW, are you able to compare the bass quality and quantity of the MS400 with any of these cans?
 
M50
K81/K518 DJ
Q40
DT770 (any version)
DT150
and for fun... IE8
 
The results of such a comparison will determine how quickly I scramble for the MS400.
 
BTW have your received the prototype headset from Phiaton already?