[Sappy]

  Here in Czech Republic they're currently stocked at more than 11 eshops, see there - http://www.heureka.cz/?h%5Bfraze%5D=sony+mdr+7520 ... Dunno, maybe some of them do ship outside CZ ...

Thanks a lot for the information but I have the phones already now looking for the alpha pads to go with them.

 

[groovyd]

ordered a pair and waiting... just wish someone came out with a custom version of something like the alpha pads that is made to perfectly fit the 7520. sure they would get a lot of business.

 

[AUDIOBREEDER]

Dude, that looks totally dope!
Mind elaborating what is alpha pads

Just installed the Alpha Pads on the 7520...VERY VERY comfortable! Isolates very very well....I would say on par with my HD8s which isolate with excellence. The soundstage has opened up, mid-bass has decreased a lot! The only mod I had to do with the alpha pads was
making the inner band tighter. This is BY FAR the most comfortable headphone I've ever owned. Also sounds incredible!!!! I don't even want to try installing the vmoda xl-pads now....


 

 

[Eugguy]

  ordered a pair and waiting... just wish someone came out with a custom version of something like the alpha pads that is made to perfectly fit the 7520. sure they would get a lot of business.

Alpha pads fit fine over the 7520, I modified them to fit just a bit tighter. 

 

[Eugguy]

Dude, that looks totally dope!
Mind elaborating what is alpha pads

Alpha pads are the pads used on Mr. Speakers headphones (Alpha Dog, Mad Dog). Thanks! I loved the 7520 with the stock pads...now I CANNOT take these off!!! Just too comfortable and they sound EXACTLY how I want them too.

 

[FunyunBreath]

Just ordered the alpha pads to try out. The only thing that has grown to bother me about the 7520's is that the bass and low mids are a bit too forward/present. Hoping these pads change that a bit.
 
The other day I opened the cups up and put some foam over the bass ports to dial them back a bit. It did help quite a bit, anyone else tried this? I didn't experiment with too many different materials, just cut some foam from an old set of HD650 dust covers.

 

[Eugguy]

Just ordered the alpha pads to try out. The only thing that has grown to bother me about the 7520's is that the bass and low mids are a bit too forward/present. Hoping these pads change that a bit.

The other day I opened the cups up and put some foam over the bass ports to dial them back a bit. It did help quite a bit, anyone else tried this? I didn't experiment with too many different materials, just cut some foam from an old set of HD650 dust covers.

Enjoy it's a pretty sick combo.

 

[FunyunBreath]

Enjoy it's a pretty sick combo.

 
Definitely! I just got em today and just like you said, the sound has changed to be pretty much everything I've wanted from them.
 
Highs are a bit less sharp and sibilant, mids/vocals are more forward and smooth, and mid-bass is dialed down a bit.
 
The alpha pads plus a piece of foam over the bass port is a great mod for these headphones!

 

[starfly]

   
Definitely! I just got em today and just like you said, the sound has changed to be pretty much everything I've wanted from them.
 
Highs are a bit less sharp and sibilant, mids/vocals are more forward and smooth, and mid-bass is dialed down a bit.
 
The alpha pads plus a piece of foam over the bass port is a great mod for these headphones!

 
Interesting mod guys, might have to try that out myself
 
Edit: nevermind, read up top that the alpha pads are only 60mm long, so my ears wouldn't fit inside. Too bad. Comfort above all else (but SQ is a very close second)

 

[Brazenways]

So are these pads bigger then stock? Height / width / depth etc.

 

[Eugguy]

Definitely! I just got em today and just like you said, the sound has changed to be pretty much everything I've wanted from them.

Highs are a bit less sharp and sibilant, mids/vocals are more forward and smooth, and mid-bass is dialed down a bit.

The alpha pads plus a piece of foam over the bass port is a great mod for these headphones!

I told y'all! It made a good headphone great. If your ears can't fit inside these pads, I'm not sure what will! They are more than enough for almost any ear. I feel that this headphone is a total sleeper. I wasn't even going to buy this. I was looking at the viso, focals, momentum and amperior as viable portables. After choosing the 7520, I couldn't be more pleased with the overall sound that they offer

 

[FunyunBreath]

I told y'all! It made a good headphone great. If your ears can't fit inside these pads, I'm not sure what will! They are more than enough for almost any ear. I feel that this headphone is a total sleeper. I wasn't even going to buy this. I was looking at the viso, focals, momentum and amperior as viable portables. After choosing the 7520, I couldn't be more pleased with the overall sound that they offer

 
Would you mind posting a picture of how you modded the inner band on the alpha pads to fit better? I'll prolly also try to figure out a non-destructive method to get them to fit tighter but I'm curious how you cut them and resized the band.

 

[FunyunBreath]

So are these pads bigger then stock? Height / width / depth etc.

 
The hole in the pads is a bit tinier in diameter than the stock, but they're about 3 times deeper. I have fairly large ears and while the tops and bottoms of my ears touch the pads a bit they're still extremely comfortable. 

 

[Eugguy]

I'm on vacation right now so I cannot post pics. However, I basically made a 1/4 incision right behind the fattest part of the earcup. I then superglued, overlapping the cut regions over each other creating a tighter hold. It fits perfectly on the 7520 after doing this. Without the mod, the alpha pads are just a bit too big to fit around the cup.

 

[SonicGoat]

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.