[canali]

well I FINALLY had a chance to compare the sonys beside the audeze sine.....
now i understand when people talk of the bass hump in the sonys.
yup i get it...needed a comparison for such......audeze sine were more balanced
and still had good bass impact...sonys signature is definitely warmer against them.
but not a night and day or sig difference to sell my 7520s for the sines.
 
update 1 week later: swapped back to pleather pads...less boominess to me vs the velour.
going to stay with pleather pads....to me is a more balanced signature again.

 

[oopeteroo]

Anyone can compare this with cd900st or mt220 ?

 

[rq1111]

I have mt220 before while having 7520. I still prefer 7520 as it is more true sounding. Mt220 may sound nice due to the spacious sound but once you listen songs that have many music instruments then you hear like a untreated room with many feedback echo which you cannot pin-point where the position of the music instruments. So in the end, i sold away mt220 but i learn about the spacious sound from mt220 so i get the Kennerton Magister that combine 7520 and mt220. Perfect for me!

 

[canali]

.

 

[Kierkegaard]

I got the 7520 a month ago. I knew that after many years with the 7509hd I could need a few sessions to train my ears to these new cans, so I spent an evening listening to all my favourite reference songs.
 
I wasn’t super impressed at the beginning, but I liked the sound of the bass: full and forward in a pleasant way, not boomy and quite extended in the sub region. 
 
The day after I sat again with them and played more music for a few hours and holy sh**! They are fatiguing! 

I started to feel tired although I was listening at medium low levels.
 
The overall balance of the 7520 is nice. Like I said, very enjoyable bass and smooth medium range. 
What I liked of the medium range of 7520 compared to the 7509 is that it’s less forward and less harsh but still revealing (the first impression I got when I switched between the two cans is that the mids of 7520 were darker and somehow far in the soundstage, compared to the in-your-face mids of 7509)
 
What I really disliked of 7520 is the high frequency range. To me it doesn’t sound natural at all and it has a sort of spike around 8-10 KHz which is the culprit of my “ouch” reaction when listening for a few hours.
 
The comfort isn’t the best but I guess it’s because I have pretty large head and ears. 
 
The isolation is good, way better than my 7509; they are also smaller and more solid.
 
I gave them a few more chances with other short listening sessions the next days, but I eventually decided they’re not for me.
 
I've put them for sale on an online italian marketplace, but if anyone is interested (in Europe) I’m happy to sell them here.
(Sorry if talking about selling is not allowed, I'm sure I've read similar posts in this thread before, though).

 

[Malfunkt]

  I got the 7520 a month ago. I knew that after many years with the 7509hd I could need a few sessions to train my ears to these new cans, so I spent an evening listening to all my favourite reference songs.
 
I wasn’t super impressed at the beginning, but I liked the sound of the bass: full and forward in a pleasant way, not boomy and quite extended in the sub region. 
 
The day after I sat again with them and played more music for a few hours and holy sh**! They are fatiguing! 

I started to feel tired although I was listening at medium low levels.
 
The overall balance of the 7520 is nice. Like I said, very enjoyable bass and smooth medium range. 
What I liked of the medium range of 7520 compared to the 7509 is that it’s less forward and less harsh but still revealing (the first impression I got when I switched between the two cans is that the mids of 7520 were darker and somehow far in the soundstage, compared to the in-your-face mids of 7509)
 
What I really disliked of 7520 is the high frequency range. To me it doesn’t sound natural at all and it has a sort of spike around 8-10 KHz which is the culprit of my “ouch” reaction when listening for a few hours.
 
The comfort isn’t the best but I guess it’s because I have pretty large head and ears. 
 
The isolation is good, way better than my 7509; they are also smaller and more solid.
 
I gave them a few more chances with other short listening sessions the next days, but I eventually decided they’re not for me.
 

Too bad to hear!
 
These aren't natural in the normal sense, not say like something like the HD650 or LCD2. But if you found the highs harsh on these then steer away from Denon D2000 or HD700, two headphones I have that are more prominent in the high-range. I'd say the venerable MDR-7506 even has harsher highs than the 7520.
 
The highs on the 7520 on the other hand, are actually accurate. For instance, hats and cymbals do not have any added sheen like they do on the D2000. At lower volumes the 7520 can be much more accommodating to sensitive listeners, and like you pointed out, you'll still get the impact thanks to its excellent bass. Actually, lower-listening is where I feel they sound their best. Many headphones people end up turning up louder to get impact because something is missing, not with the 7520. It's all there and very dynamic. If you want a headphone where everything is present its the 7520 - bass, mids, and highs. 
 
Agree with you on the comfort, as I have larger ears, but I've found that if I put them on the right way, allowing the earpads to go on from behind first I can get pretty snug comfort. And because they aren't bulky or fragile I can even lie in bed with them.
 
Also agree on the isolation being very good
 
I haven't had a chance to listen to the 7509s but know they were well regarded so sound like you have your Sony studio cans covered. 
 
Are you thinking of replacing the 7520 with anything? What is your preferred music?

 

[Kierkegaard]

  Too bad to hear!
 
These aren't natural in the normal sense, not say like something like the HD650 or LCD2. But if you found the highs harsh on these then steer away from Denon D2000 or HD700, two headphones I have that are more prominent in the high-range. I'd say the venerable MDR-7506 even has harsher highs than the 7520.
 
The highs on the 7520 on the other hand, are actually accurate. For instance, hats and cymbals do not have any added sheen like they do on the D2000. At lower volumes the 7520 can be much more accommodating to sensitive listeners, and like you pointed out, you'll still get the impact thanks to its excellent bass. Actually, lower-listening is where I feel they sound their best. Many headphones people end up turning up louder to get impact because something is missing, not with the 7520. It's all there and very dynamic. If you want a headphone where everything is present its the 7520 - bass, mids, and highs. 
 
Agree with you on the comfort, as I have larger ears, but I've found that if I put them on the right way, allowing the earpads to go on from behind first I can get pretty snug comfort. And because they aren't bulky or fragile I can even lie in bed with them.
 
Also agree on the isolation being very good
 
I haven't had a chance to listen to the 7509s but know they were well regarded so sound like you have your Sony studio cans covered. 
 
Are you thinking of replacing the 7520 with anything? What is your preferred music?

Hey, my idea was replacing them with something with the good bass response of 7520 and the rest of the spectrum response of 7509hd, sounds easy heh.
 
The bad thing is that I wasn't able to try the Sony, since they're not available in Europe due to some stupid new law or so. I think I'll search for a shop here where I can test the LCD brand, since I keep reading good stuff about them.
My main use of cans btw is mainly for travelling, for listening and production of many styles of music. In the studio I usually prefer monitors.

 

[canali]

My Sony 7520s are my portable cans.

 

[shamu144]

I just bought off ebay a pair in good conditions recently from its first owner. Those MDR7520 have indeed a lot going on for them. The form factor, weight and comfort are really good on my head. My current DT250 might still retain a slight advantage here, except for the cable connection to the headphone on the MDR7520 which I find soo practical (much unlike the DT250).
I can see why the MDR7520 would be great portable cans. They are so easy to drive. They also look and feel very sturdy. This is not however how I intended to use them.

When it comes to the sound, I agree with all that has been said here. Soundstage and separation are good. They are certainly more revealing than the DT250. Bass response is good, but I was somehow expecting better sub bass response (<40Hz). In my opinion, the smaller Beyer has it together with a perfect tonal balance for my ears. Additionnally, I do find them a bit "colored" in the sense that the Beyer portray a more dynamic or lifelike sound. The Sony sounds more mellow or sweeter, polishing the notes, imparting it a personal signature. So I need some time to adjust. I am not sure I will be able to, because this is something I value a lot while listening (coming from the very polarizing DT48A).

Thanks a lot anyway for letting me discover those wonderful headphones.

 

[Malfunkt]

I just bought off ebay a pair in good conditions recently from its first owner. Those MDR7520 have indeed a lot going on for them. The form factor, weight and comfort are really good on my head. My current DT250 might still retain a slight advantage here, except for the cable connection to the headphone on the MDR7520 which I find soo practical (much unlike the DT250).
I can see why the MDR7520 would be great portable cans. They are so easy to drive. They also look and feel very sturdy. This is not however how I intended to use them.

When it comes to the sound, I agree with all that has been said here. Soundstage and separation are good. They are certainly more revealing than the DT250. Bass response is good, but I was somehow expecting better sub bass response (<40Hz). In my opinion, the smaller Beyer has it together with a perfect tonal balance for my ears. Additionnally, I do find them a bit "colored" in the sense that the Beyer portray a more dynamic or lifelike sound. The Sony sounds more mellow or sweeter, polishing the notes, imparting it a personal signature. So I need some time to adjust. I am not sure I will be able to, because this is something I value a lot while listening (coming from the very polarizing DT48A).

Thanks a lot anyway for letting me discover those wonderful headphones.

 
I would say the mids are very uncoloured and accurate. While all headphones / speakers will impart a signature, I do find the MDR-7520, is quite revealing of the inherent qualities of the recording. While remaining faithful, it is also somehow not harsh, nor too soft. As such it is very good headphone for mixing and monitoring. Bass response delivers more punch and kick then sub-bass. Sub-bass is there, but a bit masked by the <40hz spectrum. For fully extended bass response, I found Sony's MDR-7550 (IEMs) to be excellent in this regard, the 7550 developed as part of the same family of studio headphones. My Denon D2000 has less punch, but a rounder, fairly flat bass response. The LCD2 goes even further, with a  very linear and extended bass response. 
 
The 7520s bass response is decidedly north of neutral. It is dialled up specifically for mixing purposes. Its important to note this, as for a listening headphone or reference, it can sound 'incorrect'. For engineers - and even DJs wishing to protect their hearing - the 7520s boosted bass helps greatly spot the lower end details in a  mix. True sub-bass details should be referenced on a sub speaker, but also via scopes and instrumentation (hardware/software). 
 
At the same time, where else is one going to find such a signature, one that isn't an Apple/Dre Beats™, but is the studio engineer equivalent. So if you like techno or electronica the 7520s are amazing, but they are also excellent for all genres. That accented bass, tightly drops off once it hits the lower mid-range, so it doesn't get in the way with acoustic recordings. You don't get the 'mid-bass' bleed that is so prevalent for many consumer cans. They do fine for classical, as they are well extended up top and their flat mid-range allows for very naturalistic instrument reproduction.
 
I can see how they have a bit of the Sony house sound. MDR-1r owners/admirers will notice that the driver design and baffle predate the MDR-1r, and have some signature resemblance. The MDR-1r is actually a very good headphone, but could use a bit more oomph. The 7520 is also more refined on the top end and generally more neutral. It does have the Sony 'soul' and thats good. The MDR-v6 and 7506 had this too.
 
I've had these phones for a while. They really could be the only closed can I need. Great combination of practicality, build and sound quality.

 

[canali]

 

I would say the mids are very uncoloured and accurate. While all headphones / speakers will impart a signature, I do find the MDR-7520, is quite revealing of the inherent qualities of the recording. While remaining faithful, it is also somehow not harsh, nor too soft. As such it is very good headphone for mixing and monitoring. Bass response delivers more punch and kick then sub-bass. Sub-bass is there, but a bit masked by the <40hz spectrum. For fully extended bass response, I found Sony's MDR-7550 (IEMs) to be excellent in this regard, the 7550 developed as part of the same family of studio headphones. My Denon D2000 has less punch, but a rounder, fairly flat bass response. The LCD2 goes even further, with a  very linear and extended bass response. 

The 7520s bass response is decidedly north of neutral. It is dialled up specifically for mixing purposes. Its important to note this, as for a listening headphone or reference, it can sound 'incorrect'. For engineers - and even DJs wishing to protect their hearing - the 7520s boosted bass helps greatly spot the lower end details in a  mix. True sub-bass details should be referenced on a sub speaker, but also via scopes and instrumentation (hardware/software). 

At the same time, where else is one going to find such a signature, one that isn't an Apple/Dre Beats™, but is the studio engineer equivalent. So if you like techno or electronica the 7520s are amazing, but they are also excellent for all genres. That accented bass, tightly drops off once it hits the lower mid-range, so it doesn't get in the way with acoustic recordings. You don't get the 'mid-bass' bleed that is so prevalent for many consumer cans. They do fine for classical, as they are well extended up top and their flat mid-range allows for very naturalistic instrument reproduction.

I can see how they have a bit of the Sony house sound. MDR-1r owners/admirers will notice that the driver design and baffle predate the MDR-1r, and have some signature resemblance. The MDR-1r is actually a very good headphone, but could use a bit more oomph. The 7520 is also more refined on the top end and generally more neutral. It does have the Sony 'soul' and thats good. The MDR-v6 and 7506 had this too.

I've had these phones for a while. They really could be the only closed can I need. Great combination of practicality, build and sound quality

great review, Malfunkt...thanks...would love to hear of those who've heard both the 7520 and the new $$$ Sony Z1R, in how they compare.
also, and most important, is the new Z1R,despite the many accolades worth the US$2300 price
(yes,  realize 'worth' is very subjective: for some it's 5% better SQ or their pref'd sound sig...etc..
but you get what I mean).

Given this Signature series, celebrating Sony's 70th anniversary, is now part of their new Elite line consisting
of 2 DAPs, a HP amp and these cans, let's hope some TOTL iems to replace the beloved ex800/1000st /7550 series are next. 

 

[starfly]

Did you break them in?  Everything about these cans mellows out a bit around 100 hrs.  I personally don't find them harsh at all, but I have light tinnitus so maybe that's why

 

[shamu144]

I definitely enjoy those Sony. Their character does match very well imo with the little meridian explorer 2 (smoothness and great instrument separation), making for a fantastic transportable set up.

I wonder if anyone has been able to compare the Sony to the Audioquest Nightowl ? I am not looking for a substitute for the Sony but an upgrade for my beyer DT250 which I use mainly out of the Audio gd NFB28.Any feedback would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[SAMplify101]

Morty @ B&H got me to try these today and I couldn't take them off! OHH MY what a revelation! The MSR7's were next on the list but these just leap frogged damn near everything on the list. Can someone give me the quick rundown on how the whole sony 75XX line runs? I think the 7520's are the mountaintop and the 7506 are the everyman studio headphones, but how do the 7510's and 7509's stack up to these? Is there another version of these sneaking around in another product line? Kinda like how the custom studios are basically dt770 80ohms in more stylish clothing? 

 

[Malfunkt]

  Morty @ B&H got me to try these today and I couldn't take them off! OHH MY what a revelation! The MSR7's were next on the list but these just leap frogged damn near everything on the list. Can someone give me the quick rundown on how the whole sony 75XX line runs? I think the 7520's are the mountaintop and the 7506 are the everyman studio headphones, but how do the 7510's and 7509's stack up to these? Is there another version of these sneaking around in another product line? Kinda like how the custom studios are basically dt770 80ohms in more stylish clothing? 

From a design perspective, the MDR-7520 isn't related to the 7506 and 7509. The number only denote that they are part of Sony's Professional line.

Directly related to the design are the MDR Z1000 MDR 7520 ZX 700 ZX701p and ZX500. Apparently, the ZX700 can be turned into quite a decent headphone once modded (see https://youtu.be/_Lr8rigsT8Y and https://youtu.be/JbdCb3LtEB0). 
 
Some people may prefer the Z1000. It was reported that the Z1000 lacked bass, but the 7520 could have too much bass for many. The 7520 is a very unique signature, with quite an amped up low-end. The MDR-Z1000 and 7520 are the high-end of the line. 
 
On the other hand the 700 models may work very well, especially for the prices they can be found.
 
Edit: oh, forgot to reply regarding the 7506. The 7520 is a completely different signature. The 7506 is a good monitoring headphone, with very bright highs, and a good low-end, but perhaps not as extended. I wouldn't consider it a good mixing headphone, but for tracking, DJing, and as a portable it is very good. Also check out the MDR-V600 which is near identical to the 7506. The 7509 is a larger more comfy headphone than the 7506, that many preferred for mixing purposes. I've heard good things about it. 

The 7520 is a great, efficient headphone.