[groovyd]

Got the Alpha pads on and jesus this is the answer!  Super comfortable toned down siblance region, and a lot more bass punch.  Sound very nice and are well sealed now from outside noise, with the added bass it would serve very well for on the road cans in noisy environments.  I didn't cut them at all, just put them on and they seem fine.

 

[groovyd]

selling all my other pads if anyone is interested, oem + neoprene spacer, shure, and some beyers.

 

[Eugguy]

Got the Alpha pads on and jesus this is the answer!  Super comfortable toned down siblance region, and a lot more bass punch.  Sound very nice and are well sealed now from outside noise, with the added bass it would serve very well for on the road cans in noisy environments.  I didn't cut them at all, just put them on and they seem fine.

I'm glad you did it! Seems you are describing them exactly as I felt. I love my hd600s/lcd2s...but the 7520 is something of a special headphone to me. I am very proud of the simple mods that have made a good headphone a great one. Comfort is at a 10. Since the headphone is alreadly so light, adding alpha pads and the headband cushion still doesn't add a lot of weight to it. It is a great portable sounding headphone, easily driven by nearly anything and has a great amount of detail in each frequency. Plus, I think they look sexy as hell with the alpha pads attached. Even if they fit without a mod, which is doable, I find the cut/superglue mod to offer the most grip and stability.

 

[starfly]

  Would anybody like to weigh in? I've read much of this thread — although not all of it. I have not a seed of doubt that the 7520 is worthy of an audition. The current B&H Photo price of $364.83 is also a good value too. However, I could get a pair of P7s for $239 discounted through my store — or even the HD600s or HD650s, $280 & $326 through my store, respectively. I practically always listen to my cans directly through my 2011 13” MacBook Pro, nothing else in between. Though I figure to one day invest in a DAC/amp — for the time being, I want something that performs very close to capacity through a portable device (I know the 600 series does not) for coffee house drawing sessions. The 7520 definitely has a low enough impedance to work in this situation — if the specifications are any indication. 
 
I was in possession of the P7s for over a week and like what I heard. The imaging was great but the fit was just meh. The P7 was close to perfect in every way but there was room for improvement on the comfort front. I’m inclined to bet the 7520s would fit better. 
 
But, what would you guys do given I could have the P7 at a good price — as well as a few of the premier open-back cans out there. I’m willing to pay what the masses do for the 7520. Would you do the same if you were in my shoes? Or go with the semi-comfortable P7 for more than $125 less?

Thx.

For me personally comfort was really important. I also auditioned the P7 for almost 2 weeks before I returned them and was very impressed with the SQ. But the comfort wasn't great at all, and my ears didn't fit inside the cups too good. For longer listening sessions you're probably always gonna wish that you got the more comfortable headphone. So from my perspective, definitely give the 7520 a try, they're quite comfortable with the stock pads, but become a lot more comfortable when start using aftermarket pads.

 

[SonicGoat]

  For me personally comfort was really important. I also auditioned the P7 for almost 2 weeks before I returned them and was very impressed with the SQ. But the comfort wasn't great at all, and my ears didn't fit inside the cups too good. For longer listening sessions you're probably always gonna wish that you got the more comfortable headphone. So from my perspective, definitely give the 7520 a try, they're quite comfortable with the stock pads, but become a lot more comfortable when start using aftermarket pads.

I was hoping you'd respond, since your impressions of the P7 posted earlier in the thread seemed similar to mine: a great sounding headphone but comfort could be better. Of the closed-back headphones I've had (or have) thus far, I rate comfort as so:
 
Sennheiser Momentum: 3/10
NAD Viso HP50: 4/10
Bowers & Wilkins P7: 5/10
Sony MDR-1R: 10/10
 
The triumverate of uncomfortable headphones may be ranked in different order if I tried them all at the same time. I only have the HP50s on hand right now. Nonetheless, they are all profoundly less comfortable than the MDR-1Rs.
 
I have the Beyerdynamic DT770s 32 Ohm arriving today (regret ordering them) and the Sony MDR-7520 are coming tomorrow. I just pulled the trigger after your response. 
 
I figure to wind up with one of the following when the dust settles. I can't bear this odyssey any longer.
 
NAD Viso HP50
Bowers & Wilkins P7
Sony MDR-1R
Beyerdynamic DT 770 32ohm
Sony MDR-7520

 

[groovyd]

yes, with the alpha pads they do have a tilt toward low bass and away from the highs... You lose a bit of high end detail and clarity and gain some low punch.  Midbass is lower though but the comfort is top shelf.  The response is no longer flat as stock but I think having the low tilt combined with being well sealed actually is what you need on the road to equalize out and power through the noise from around you.  I took the Shure pads on a trip across the country last week and noticed they let far too much noise in as well as being too bright, losing the bass in the background noise.  These Alpha pads are exactly what I needed since these are my travel phones.  Would be nice to get the mid-bass back though, that I miss a little.

 

[starfly]

  yes, with the alpha pads they do have a tilt toward low bass and away from the highs... You lose a bit of high end detail and clarity and gain some low punch.  Midbass is lower though but the comfort is top shelf.  The response is no longer flat as stock but I think having the low tilt combined with being well sealed actually is what you need on the road to equalize out and power through the noise from around you.  I took the Shure pads on a trip across the country last week and noticed they let far too much noise in as well as being too bright, losing the bass in the background noise.  These Alpha pads are exactly what I needed since these are my travel phones.  Would be nice to get the mid-bass back though, that I miss a little.

You were using the velours Shure pads right? (the 940 I believe?). You should also try the pleather Shure pads, the 840. I'm using those. IMO the 940 pads are a really bad fit for the 7520, as the 940 pads were designed for open headphones.

 

[starfly]

  I was hoping you'd respond, since your impressions of the P7 posted earlier in the thread seemed similar to mine: a great sounding headphone but comfort could be better. Of the closed-back headphones I've had (or have) thus far, I rate comfort as so:
 
Sennheiser Momentum: 3/10
NAD Viso HP50: 4/10
Bowers & Wilkins P7: 5/10
Sony MDR-1R: 10/10
 
The triumverate of uncomfortable headphones may be ranked in different order if I tried them all at the same time. I only have the HP50s on hand right now. Nonetheless, they are all profoundly less comfortable than the MDR-1Rs.
 
I have the Beyerdynamic DT770s 32 Ohm arriving today (regret ordering them) and the Sony MDR-7520 are coming tomorrow. I just pulled the trigger after your response. 
 
I figure to wind up with one of the following when the dust settles. I can't bear this odyssey any longer.
 
NAD Viso HP50
Bowers & Wilkins P7
Sony MDR-1R
Beyerdynamic DT 770 32ohm
Sony MDR-7520

Well let us know which one is the winner I also tried the MDR-1R for a day and really liked the comfort as well. The 7520 is very comparable I'd say. I just didn't like the sound of the MDR-1R at all.

 

[groovyd]

What is this about putting foam in the bass port mod?  What does it give you and where do I get the foam to give it a try?  Does it bring mid bass back to the alpha pads? does it isolate even more from the outside noise?

 

[SonicGoat]

Well let us know which one is the winner I also tried the MDR-1R for a day and really liked the comfort as well. The 7520 is very comparable I'd say. I just didn't like the sound of the MDR-1R at all.

If the 7520 is as comfortable as the 1R, I doubt the 1R will prevail. I'll likely return the HP50 for the B&W P7 unless I'm absolutely floored by the 7520 tomorrow. The DT770 is a curious choice in this company and I don't foresee it winning. It's lauded for its comfort so it was on my list for a while. I can't wait to get home to play with it after work.

 

[FunyunBreath]

  What is this about putting foam in the bass port mod?  What does it give you and where do I get the foam to give it a try?  Does it bring mid bass back to the alpha pads? does it isolate even more from the outside noise?

 
I'll post some photos of what I did when I get back from my work trip next week so you can see. But basically what I did was open the cups up (just remove the 5 screws holding the drivers on), and taped some foam over the ports on the inside. The foam I used was the gray foam that covers the drivers on the HD650's since I took it out long ago and just had it around. You could use any material and I haven't experimented with much. Basically by putting some extra foam or cloth over the ports you restrict air flow to the driver a bit and it lessens the bass.
 
It's still nice and punchy, just not quite so forward, and to my ears sounds much more balanced. It won't bring back the low mids, if anything is reduces them as well. But, to my ears the 7520's unmodded have a lot of focus on lowmid/bass and I wanted to bring the rest of the frequency range more forward.

 

[groovyd]

would be nice to see FR graphs of oem pads, alpha pads, and foam port to get a feel for how they each contribute.

 

[Sappy]

I have a problem with my 7520, maybe someone has an idea. About 2 weeks ago the right driver started sounding bad. Bass was entirely missing and it felt less loud than the left cup. I thought that the bass part of the driver was damaged. I opened the cup and found the rubber isolation to be loose. I put it. in place and it worked fine again. The problem reoccured some days later, but the rubber isolation ring was still in place. Since tagen it sometimes works fine, sometimes doesnt. Any idea what that is and if it is repairable?

 

[Sappy]

Oh, and it is not the cable. I checked it with another, same result

 

[starfly]

I have a problem with my 7520, maybe someone has an idea. About 2 weeks ago the right driver started sounding bad. Bass was entirely missing and it felt less loud than the left cup. I thought that the bass part of the driver was damaged. I opened the cup and found the rubber isolation to be loose. I put it. in place and it worked fine again. The problem reoccured some days later, but the rubber isolation ring was still in place. Since tagen it sometimes works fine, sometimes doesnt. Any idea what that is and if it is repairable?

Is the bassport clogged? There will be no bass if the bassport is completely clogged. And I believe there are two ports, one inside the cup on the white foam/fabric like material where you'll find a tiny hole somewhere, and one on the magnesium cup itself, on the outside.