[Kabonfaiba]

I have k553 pro but, seems crazy that somehow senn hd202 is sometimes more enjoyable. It seems hd202 ate more relaxing to the ear. While the akg k553 I get some uncomfortable feeling in the ear. Not really pain.

Hd202 lose to k553 in detail clarity and separation.

It does sound muffled.

I thought of getting msr7 but people seems to says it's a very bright headphone.

Maybe mdr1a suits me better?

 
This was me.
 
The thought of balance and detail seemed very appealing... before you bought them.
 
Modern vs Classic signature; I'm going to wildly guess here; It's the HD202's delicious bass hump, is what you've been robbed of?
 
This same sound coloration is thankfully part of the MDR-1A too, but obviously you get much more detail and separation. It's also hugely more comfortable. Going HD202 to MDR-1A is one of the easiest moves you can make. The MSR7 would be a different version of the classic signature.
 
My advice, do not stick with the K553 if you aren't enjoying it, because you'll be forever wondering what the grass is like on other side of the fence.
 
Secondly, I think new headphones is something you should immediately like the sound of. Yes, tastes do change, but changes are very gradual. Whereas, you can really solve the problem very quickly with a little effort. Basically, you can either wait till you like the sound of the K553, or keep shopping.

 

[tendou]

   
This was me.
 
The thought of balance and detail seemed very appealing... before you bought them.
 
Modern vs Classic signature; I'm going to wildly guess here; It's the HD202's delicious bass hump, is what you've been robbed of?
 
This same sound coloration is thankfully part of the MDR-1A too, but obviously you get much more detail and separation. It's also hugely more comfortable. Going HD202 to MDR-1A is one of the easiest moves you can make. The MSR7 would be a different version of the classic signature.
 
My advice, do not stick with the K553 if you aren't enjoying it, because you'll be forever wondering what the grass is like on other side of the fence.
 
Secondly, I think new headphones is something you should immediately like the sound of. Yes, tastes do change, but changes are very gradual. Whereas, you can really solve the problem very quickly with a little effort. Basically, you can either wait till you like the sound of the K553, or keep shopping.

The bass is more delicious there, I must admit. Eventhough it's not as controlled as k553. Eddie Vedder deep voice in Long Night sounds real good with the hd202.
 
Yeah I also think your enjoyment must be immediate. No need to wait for a long time for brain to burn in or become acclimatized.
 
I usually listen at a low volume but the hd202 I won't get any ear pain if I turn the volume up. k553, not so much. maybe I'm sensitive to brightness and need tamed treble.

 

[Arvan]

double post. sry

 

[Arvan]

 
The bass is more delicious there, I must admit. Eventhough it's not as controlled as k553. Eddie Vedder deep voice in Long Night sounds real good with the hd202.
 
Yeah I also think your enjoyment must be immediate. No need to wait for a long time for brain to burn in or become acclimatized.
 
I usually listen at a low volume but the hd202 I won't get any ear pain if I turn the volume up. k553, not so much. maybe I'm sensitive to brightness and need tamed treble.

 
HD202 is a great sounding headphone. But the design and comfort is if you ask me flawed in many ways. 
 
The AKG house sound is balanced and with great midrange in focus. The thing with the k550/545/553 is that they managed to squeeze all that air and detail into a closed back design. There are reported cases where someone buys a K701 ( as an example ) without previous experience and without any proper source and gets very dissapointed because he/she thought they sounded differently. 
 
I would keep the k553 and save up for the next experiment if you are willing to spend the money. K553 is not a bad headphone in any way, just different. It´s not very common to have a "mainstream focused" headphone with the kind of signature as the k553. 
 
I took my MR1A to work yesterday and had my friends ( who does not care about headphones ) Test them and the fell in love instantly. The bass and combined clarity of the MDR1A is easy to like. But when i brought my 8.35D or SRH840s their response was "meh 150 bucks for this?" And i had to explain that they have a "pro audio" approach and is ment to sound flat. 
 
Since the mainstream signature these days sounds like the Sonys, many people expect more or less everything to sound the same. I think Sony did a great tuning on the 1A since it appleals to enthusiasts as well as the random people on the street at the same time. 

 

[Coldheart29]

Subbed.
Can't wait to get a pair of these

 

[money4me247]

I have k553 pro but, seems crazy that somehow senn hd202 is sometimes more enjoyable. It seems hd202 ate more relaxing to the ear. While the akg k553 I get some uncomfortable feeling in the ear. Not really pain.

Hd202 lose to k553 in detail clarity and seperation. It does sound muffled. I thought of getting msr7 but people seems to says it's a very bright headphone. Maybe mdr1a suits me better?

if the k553 has too much treble for you, the mdr-1a would be a sound signature change more towards your preferences. msr-7 probably not as good of a fit for you I think.

 

[goodyfresh]

I have k553 pro but, seems crazy that somehow senn hd202 is sometimes more enjoyable. It seems hd202 ate more relaxing to the ear. While the akg k553 I get some uncomfortable feeling in the ear. Not really pain.

Hd202 lose to k553 in detail clarity and seperation.

It does sound muffled.

I thought of getting msr7 but people seems to says it's a very bright headphone.

Maybe mdr1a suits me better?

The MDR-1A would definitely be a very nice step-up from the HD202!  If you enjoy the warm signature of the HD202, while finding the K553 bright and/or fatiguing, then from what I know of the MSR7's tuning it probably wouldn't be a great choice for ya.  The MDR-1A on the other hand is nice and warm the way you seem to like things, and should prove a good deal more detailed and transparent, and with better soundstage, than the HD202.

Basically, the MDR-1A would be an upgrade along the direction of the same general sound-signature as the HD202, while the MSR7 would be an upgrade in some regards, but also a side-grade, in the sense of being a major change.

Now, since you seem to enjoy bassy/consumer-tuned Sennheiser headphones like the HD202, something worth taking into consideration would probably be the Sennheiser Urbanite XL!  Just saying :-D  While if you don't care at all whatsoever about soundstage or realistic imaging (I care about such things a lot, so personally I hate the headphone I'm about to mention, lol), and you don't have large ears, the Sennheiser Momentum Over-Ears could be great for you!

 

[tendou]

  HD202 is a great sounding headphone. But the design and comfort is if you ask me flawed in many ways. 
 
The AKG house sound is balanced and with great midrange in focus. The thing with the k550/545/553 is that they managed to squeeze all that air and detail into a closed back design. There are reported cases where someone buys a K701 ( as an example ) without previous experience and without any proper source and gets very dissapointed because he/she thought they sounded differently. 
 
I would keep the k553 and save up for the next eperiment The way i buy headphones is to cover a broad spectrum of sound signatures. We all do it differently i guess but that´s jut my two cents. 

I could try keeping both and maybe sell them when i found out that one of them is not interesting to me anymore.
 
It's just that I'm not used to spend so much for audio and somewhat feels guilty spending so much on it.

Though I have the means to buy it. I used to have hd280 pro but lost it when moving house. Oh that clamp! So i bought the hd202 and it's enjoyable eventhough not very detailed.
 
 
 
 

  if the k553 has too much treble for you, the mdr-1a would be a sound signature change more towards your preferences. msr-7 probably not as good of a fit for you I think.

I read most people agree that msr7 is a bright headphone, and k553 pro is not as bright as msr7, more warmer.
 
But msr7 seems better  builds with more metal though heavier and less comfortable. and they come with 3m cable too. If I get mdr1a can I use normally available 3.5 male to male audio cable?
 

 
The MDR-1A would definitely be a very nice step-up from the HD202!  If you enjoy the warm signature of the HD202, while finding the K553 bright and/or fatiguing, then from what I know of the MSR7's tuning it probably wouldn't be a great choice for ya.  The MDR-1A on the other hand is nice and warm the way you seem to like things, and should prove a good deal more detailed and transparent, and with better soundstage, than the HD202.

Basically, the MDR-1A would be an upgrade along the direction of the same general sound-signature as the HD202, while the MSR7 would be an upgrade in some regards, but also a side-grade, in the sense of being a major change.

Now, since you seem to enjoy bassy/consumer-tuned Sennheiser headphones like the HD202, something worth taking into consideration would probably be the Sennheiser Urbanite XL!  Just saying :-D  While if you don't care at all whatsoever about soundstage or realistic imaging (I care about such things a lot, so personally I hate the headphone I'm about to mention, lol), and you don't have large ears, the Sennheiser Momentum Over-Ears could be great for you!

 
I found out that I enjoy the warm signature though when I A-B ing with k553 I don't like how it sounded a bit muffled, not so good sound seperation and soundstage.
 
I do care about soundstage and realistic imaging a lot that's why I don't go m50x. so based on what you say, urbanite and momentum over ear are no-no for me.

 

[Arvan]

  I could try keeping both and maybe sell them when i found out that one of them is not interesting to me anymore.
 
It's just that I'm not used to spend so much for audio and somewhat feels guilty spending so much on it.

Though I have the means to buy it. I used to have hd280 pro but lost it when moving house. Oh that clamp! So i bought the hd202 and it's enjoyable eventhough not very detailed.
 
 
 
 
I read most people agree that msr7 is a bright headphone, and k553 pro is not as bright as msr7, more warmer.
 
But msr7 seems better  builds with more metal though heavier and less comfortable. and they come with 3m cable too. If I get mdr1a can I use normally available 3.5 male to male audio cable?
 
 
I found out that I enjoy the warm signature though when I A-B ing with k553 I don't like how it sounded a bit muffled, not so good sound seperation and soundstage.
 
I do care about soundstage and realistic imaging a lot that's why I don't go m50x. so based on what you say, urbanite and momentum over ear are no-no for me.

 
Well, hmmm. I would guess that the k553 is a good match for what you seek but if you don´t enjoy it it´s the wrong can. I would suggest you to give the MDR1A a run for it´s money. What source do you have? A simple dac/amp would change things up quite a bit if you don´t have one alredy. Fiio E10k is absolutely killer for the money and it has a bass-boost switch that might ad some "fun" to your k553s

 

[tendou]

I just use my laptop directly with the headphone. With the related inboard sound. Don't have amp or dac

 

[heraldo]

I've been using the MR1A for a good while now, and while the comfort is pretty good (just a bit too shallow cups for my ears), the sound is not that impressive in my opinion. The bass is way overemphasised affecting the whole sound in a negative way, no "mids" to speak of. I picked up Urbanite XL recently due to curiosity and a great deal, and I must say that the Urbanite XL provide more balanced and articulate presentation compared to the MR1A. The first day I was surprised how "muffled" they sounded, but after tuning in to the new sound, I really like them, they make the Sony sound "fake" / "plastic" / "processed".
 
Unfortunately the comfort of the Urbanite XL is terrible, the headband creates a pressure-point on top, even worse, the cups are both small and shallow, leading to instant pain for pretty regularly sized ears. Sennheiser made perhaps the news with their "fun" Urbanite ad campaigns about loving the ear-lobs, but the comfort of these headphones is just horrific. Designing small cups round instead of oval makes little sense to me considering the shape of a human ear.

 

[Sonic Defender]

   
Since the mainstream signature these days sounds like the Sonys, many people expect more or less everything to sound the same. I think Sony did a great tuning on the 1A since it appleals to enthusiasts as well as the random people on the street at the same time. 

I agree. After all, Sony is like many older consumer electronic producers facing disruption and fighting for survival. Frankly, if the bulk of the market is younger listeners who prefer the fun tuned signatures then Sony would be foolish to even try and go audiophile. Yes, I think their new headphones strike a good balance between fun, and reasonably accurate sound reproduction (I also had a Z7 at the same time as the 1A). Now that isn't to say that Sony couldn't have done a little better as I do think the bass bloom does get too pronounced with bassy material. Just a tad less bass bloom and the 1A would be a very easy recommendation. I think an unrealized strength of the 1A for many listeners would be with bass shy masters. In those situations the extra bass energy is quite helpful.

 

[inthere]

  I've been using the MR1A for a good while now, the comfort is pretty good, with just a bit too shallow cups for my ears. The sound however is not that fantastic in my opinion. The bass is way overemphasised affecting the whole sound in a negative way, no "mids" to speak of. I picked up Urbanite XL recently due to curiosity and a great deal, and I have to say that the Urbanite XL has a much more balanced and articulate presentation of any music I throw at it compared to the MR1A. The first day I was surprised how "muffled" they sounded, but after tuning in to the new sound, I really like them, they make the Sony sound "fake" / "plastic" / "processed".
 
Unfortunately the comfort of the Urbanite XL is terrible, the top of the headband creates a pressure-point on top, even worse, the cups are both small and shallow, leading to instant pain for pretty regularly sized ears. Sennheiser made perhaps the news with their "fun" Urbanite ad campaigns about loving the ear-lobs, but the comfort of these headphones is just horrific. Making small cups round instead of oval makes little sense to me when looking at how a human ear looks like.

I have both the Urbanite and the Urbanite XL. I'll have to listen to them when I get back home next Wednesday because i haven't listened to them in a while, but from what I remember they have a great sound, the XL has a wider soundstage than the MDR-1A and the Urbanite BUT the bass breaks up when you crank it, while the regular on-ear Urbanite takes all the bass you throw at it without issue. This doesn't mean anything if you listen at moderate levels, but it sure bothered me. 
 
Then you have the ear pad issue. My 1st day with Urbanites I almost lost an ear pad; they come off very easily so if you're moving around a lot with them be sure to buy some replacement pads just in case. 
 
The regular Urbanites stack up very well against the MDR-1A; it has a bit more on the top to give it a soundstage edge but the MDR-1A is more balanced. 

 

[goodyfresh]

  I could try keeping both and maybe sell them when i found out that one of them is not interesting to me anymore.
 
It's just that I'm not used to spend so much for audio and somewhat feels guilty spending so much on it.

Though I have the means to buy it. I used to have hd280 pro but lost it when moving house. Oh that clamp! So i bought the hd202 and it's enjoyable eventhough not very detailed.
 
 
 
 
I read most people agree that msr7 is a bright headphone, and k553 pro is not as bright as msr7, more warmer.
 
But msr7 seems better  builds with more metal though heavier and less comfortable. and they come with 3m cable too. If I get mdr1a can I use normally available 3.5 male to male audio cable?
 
 
I found out that I enjoy the warm signature though when I A-B ing with k553 I don't like how it sounded a bit muffled, not so good sound seperation and soundstage.
 
I do care about soundstage and realistic imaging a lot that's why I don't go m50x. so based on what you say, urbanite and momentum over ear are no-no for me.

The MDR-1A will not work with "normal" 3.5 male-to-male audio cables.  But it's not an issue.  The MDR-1A comes with two VERY high-quailty balanced-design (not fully balanced, but still) cables that should easily last for many years.  One of the two stock cables has an inline mic and control, and the cables normally sell for 60 dollars each on their own from Sony.

If you care about the LENGTH of the cable. . .I'm not sure what to tell ya.  You can look into what cables are compatible with the MDR-1A.  I'm sure you can find a reasonably cheap 3 meter cable that is compatible with them if you research the issue.
 
I know the Momentum doesn't have very good soundstage, but I've heard that the Momentum 2.0 has improved on that, and I'm not really sure about the Urbanite, I am not sure if it does soundstage as poorly as the Momentum.  The MDR-1A has some very good soundstage and quite realistic imaging for closed-back over-ear headphones.  The K553, however, has incredibly good soundstage and imaging, by all accounts, for closed-back headphones. . .folks say it does soundstaqge almost as well as open-backed headphones.

 
I have both the Urbanite and the Urbanite XL. I'll have to listen to them when I get back home next Wednesday because i haven't listened to them in a while, but from what I remember they have a great sound, the XL has a wider soundstage than the MDR-1A and the Urbanite BUT the bass breaks up when you crank it, while the regular on-ear Urbanite takes all the bass you throw at it without issue. This doesn't mean anything if you listen at moderate levels, but it sure bothered me. 
 
Then you have the ear pad issue. My 1st day with Urbanites I almost lost an ear pad; they come off very easily so if you're moving around a lot with them be sure to buy some replacement pads just in case. 
 
The regular Urbanites stack up very well against the MDR-1A; it has a bit more on the top to give it a soundstage edge but the MDR-1A is more balanced. 

So do you feel the Urbanite XL is actually BETTER than the MDR-1A, with the exception of the very noticable bass distortion at louder volumes?

 

[inthere]

  So do you feel the Urbanite XL is actually BETTER than the MDR-1A, with the exception of the very noticable bass distortion at louder volumes?

 
  No, hate the XL because i listen at max volume and it doesn't get loud enough for me. Also the bass breaks up when I crank it. The regular On-Ear Urbanite I like a lot better, whether I like it better than the MDR-1A I don't know, haven't directly compared them. I didn't bring my MDR-1A's or Urbanites with me on this trip to visit family.