[bixby]

Hi,
Does anyone know if the 7520s have more detail than the AKG K701s?
Also, do the 7520s have less bass than the MDR 1Rs? I thought those had way too much bass when I auditioned them.
Cheers!

When I listened to the 701s they sounded very detailed and yet quite anemic.  All upper mids and treble with lack of natural lower mids and bass.  Nowhere near as much accuracy to my ears vs the 7520.  As for the MDR-1, just a good middle of the pack HP.   Suffers from lack of detail and resolution in the mids with a bit of an accent on upper bass and lower mids.  Not bad but the 7520s bring excitement, dynamics, cleaner low bass and clarity to the table vs the MDR-1.  That being said I could still live with the MDR-1s.

 

[zazex]

I found that the main difference in the bass between the 1R and 7520, is that the 7520
keeps the bass at the 'bottom' so to speak, while the 1R permits the bass to creep up
well into the midrange, throwing  off the balance entirely. 
 
Also, as mentioned, the 1R is not nearly as detailed as the 7520.
 
I was quite disappointed in the 1R's, but Sony did a fantastic job of redeeming
themselves with the MA900 and 7520 (and various other new products as well,
in areas other than audio - the groundbreaking RX100 camera as just one example.)

 

[zazex]

  Yes, just yesterday. It's very well made, and high-quality, but not right for the 7520s. Lots of microphonics, and too heavy and thick. I was so focused on the diameter of the plug on the HP side that I neglected the length of it. The Pailiccs plug housing sticks down too far from the HP, which isn't good because if it were ever to get knocked by something, it would transmit that force directly into the jack that's fixed into the HP. As opposed to the Sony connector housing which is so short that only the cable would get knocked. Ah, my rookie mistakes! So yes, it fits, but it totally doesn't work.
 
I've been reading, it's become a mission unfortunately. I think I'll try stripping the sheilding and jacket from the cable, and just using 3 of the 4 shelded copper conductors to do a braid. Then I'll have to figure out something again on the HP end. Or I might use a leftover Fostex cable, which I like the feel of, and put a connector on it. For the price of an average cable, a workable soldering iron's probably a better investment for me at this point.
 
At the bottom of all this, there is one culprit. I mean aside from the guy who designed the 7520s and Z1000s and said to himself, "Hey, I know, I'll use a very hard-to-get connector scheme from the world of expensive broadcast electronics!" And I have finally identified the culprit, damn him to hell:
 
http://pro.sony.com/bbsc/ssr/product-K1324/
 
Luckily, there are cheaper (under $5) options, if you search for "Sony UWP locking jack." Oh man...

 
I've tried about 7, 8 cables with my 7520's and Z1000's and have found them all to be overly microphonic.
I don't know why that is.
 
Any suggestions?
 
 
(I even phoned audioquest in California, eventually spoke with one of their engineers - they were very open, tried to help -
but they seemed equally puzzled for the microphonics in their cables when paired with the two headphones.
Actually asked me to send them over at their expense, but I chose not to bother - just very careful to not move
about too much when using them with my non-OEM cables.)

 

[Brainroom]

Thanks, this is good information. From the factory the K701s are definitely unnaturally bright, but when burned in/EQed/modded to be more flat, the high level of detail is retained. This means the detail they have is in terms of resolution, how realistically the headphones can recreate natural spaces/reverb, how naturally they present the human voice, etc, but is not necessarily related to clarity in the high frequencies. So if the Sonys can resolve better detail in terms of the former it's amazing as I think the K701s are just a little off the level of the Senn HD800.
The point about bass on the MDR 1Rs colouring the rest of the spectrum is great as that's the impression I got, elevated above what is natural and affecting everything else. These were in a Tokyo shop so they would have been well burned in. Glad to hear the 7520s are flatter throughout the low end with no inflated mid bass, it sounds just right.
Cheers

 

[bixby]

Thanks, this is good information. From the factory the K701s are definitely unnaturally bright, but when burned in/EQed/modded to be more flat, the high level of detail is retained. This means the detail they have is in terms of resolution, how realistically the headphones can recreate natural spaces/reverb, how naturally they present the human voice, etc, but is not necessarily related to clarity in the high frequencies. So if the Sonys can resolve better detail in terms of the former it's amazing as I think the K701s are just a little off the level of the Senn HD800.
The point about bass on the MDR 1Rs colouring the rest of the spectrum is great as that's the impression I got, elevated above what is natural and affecting everything else. These were in a Tokyo shop so they would have been well burned in. Glad to hear the 7520s are flatter throughout the low end with no inflated mid bass, it sounds just right.
Cheers

eq can cover a fair amount of sins and I can see how the 701s can be tamed to be less aggressive in the highs, but not sure of how well the bass would respond.  On balance the 7520s are not  nearly that detailed in the upper frequencies but I supposed can be pushed to that ultra detailed side with eq if that is what you prefer.

 

[groovyd]

   
I've tried about 7, 8 cables with my 7520's and Z1000's and have found them all to be overly microphonic.
I don't know why that is.
 
Any suggestions?
 
 
(I even phoned audioquest in California, eventually spoke with one of their engineers - they were very open, tried to help -
but they seemed equally puzzled for the microphonics in their cables when paired with the two headphones.
Actually asked me to send them over at their expense, but I chose not to bother - just very careful to not move
about too much when using them with my non-OEM cables.)

 
To be honest a short cheap $5 cable from amazon does the job better then any others I have tried.
 
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004G3UK5C/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[groovyd]

the 1/8" neoprene spacer behind the stock pads works wonders for both comfort and improved sound stage.  am thinking about cutting a template from something harder that would let me cut spacers more precisely.  really wish I had a sign cutter or something of the sort.  Am thinking perhaps even a slightly thicker sheet then 1/8" might be even better.

 

[bixby]

  the 1/8" neoprene spacer behind the stock pads works wonders for both comfort and improved sound stage.  am thinking about cutting a template from something harder that would let me cut spacers more precisely.  really wish I had a sign cutter or something of the sort.  Am thinking perhaps even a slightly thicker sheet then 1/8" might be even better.

yea, what a great idea.  I might use an outlet gasket, something like this, I think I have some in the garage.
 

 

[Darner]

Originally Posted by zazex /img/forum/go_quote.gif I've tried about 7, 8 cables with my 7520's and Z1000's and have found them all to be overly microphonic. ... Any suggestions? ... I even phoned audioquest in California...

 
Thanks for the Audioquest anecdote, that's helpful because I had been looking at their cables. I guess you tried one of their models, and it's good to know the microphonic thing seems to be exaggerated with the 7520s. In the meantime I'm using the same StarTec cable GD references:
 

To be honest a short cheap $5 cable from amazon does the job better then any others I have tried. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004G3UK5C/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 
I think prioritizing something that "does the job" is right, and at this point it's probably more about the pleasure of problem-solving than anything else! That StarTec cable definitely does the job, even if 3 feet is slightly short for my taste.
 
I'm still researching parts, wiring techniques, etc., including at the HeadFi DIY cable threads. Any other cable experiences with the 7520s is helpful information.
 
By the way, Sony doesn't seem to be making the 1.2m Z1000 cable anymore. I got the part number from them and searched around, and a few months ago it was available here and there, but now only from one Japanese website, and it's $100 and needs special shipping arrangements:
 
http://global.rakuten.com/en/store/e-earphone/item/10005233/
 
The Z1000 itself is listed as discontinued.

 

[Maxx134]

That's the thing - I'm not really sure what I'm looking for, except to be "wowed". ..

Thank you all for your time.

You need a dennon or the Fostex th600..

 

[zazex]

   
I've tried about 7, 8 cables with my 7520's and Z1000's and have found them all to be overly microphonic.
I don't know why that is.
 
Any suggestions?
 
 
(I even phoned audioquest in California, eventually spoke with one of their engineers - they were very open, tried to help -
but they seemed equally puzzled for the microphonics in their cables when paired with the two headphones.
Actually asked me to send them over at their expense, but I chose not to bother - just very careful to not move
about too much when using them with my non-OEM cables.)

 
 

   
To be honest a short cheap $5 cable from amazon does the job better then any others I have tried.
 
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004G3UK5C/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 
 
Just want to be clear that the microphonics issue occurred with any non-OEM cable I'd tried
with these two headphones, not only cables by Audioquest.

 

[irablumberg]

Has anyone tried this cable?
 
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/608529-REG/Sony_EC_0_8BM_EC_0_8BM_3_pole_Locking.html
 
It is listed as a microphone cable, but at $14 it is probably worth a try.

 

[groovyd]

very interested if that bh photo cable works... please report back about it.  Any idea the length?

 

[Darner]

Has anyone tried this cable? http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/608529-REG/Sony_EC_0_8BM_EC_0_8BM_3_pole_Locking.html
It is listed as a microphone cable, but at $14 it is probably worth a try.

Wow, great find! I'd been on that site and others, searching part numbers, descriptions, and applications, and never saw it.
 
My first thought is the microphonics, though, because it looks to be a cheaper, thinner cabling, even though it's made by Sony. The original cables for the 7520 and Z1000 are that supple, floppy, rubbery kind of material, and they transmit few microphonics. Most other cables, even good ones, seem to transmit a lot. I see too that it's just under 3 feet long, a bit short for me. For $14 and shipping (and due to my love for tinkering), I might be more likely to get a compatible connector and a decent soldering iron finally. But that's definitely the connection scheme the 7520s use, as Sony just took it from their lavalier-mic broadcast products and put it on headphones, so it would work in terms of the locking threads.

 

[groovyd]

I have been looking for a DIY locking connector and have not found any.  Do you know of one?