[LongKick64]

Nope, works just fine

I understand you have these headphones. What cable do you use with them?

 

[kid vic]

I understand you have these headphones. What cable do you use with them?

Cables do not make a difference in my opinion. Hopefully someone else can help you. Best of luck

 

[LongKick64]

Cables do not make a difference in my opinion. Hopefully someone else can help you. Best of luck

So you don't have these headphones, but you're saying any cable will fit them? Now, take a good look at the connector:

 

[ForceMajeure]

He answered you quite clearly. Any cable with a 3.5mm jack will work as long as it's thin enough at the jack to get in there.
Many use the v-moda cable which works great and fit in there. https://www.v-moda.com/us/en/products/audio-only-cable

A 3.5mm jack will hold itself like if you were to plug it into any other 3.5mm female jack. Meaning, if you pull hard on it, it will disconnect. That's an advantage if you ask me; in case your cable get caught on something while you have the headphones on your head.It will detach itself and not damage the connection.
Having a cable screwed in means that it will stay there securely but if your cable get caught it will bring the headphone down with it and in a worst case scenario could even damage the headphones.

 

[kid vic]

So you don't have these headphones, but you're saying any cable will fit them? Now, take a good look at the connector:

I own these headphones.
I do not think special cables make a difference.
I have used cables that are not they stock cable.
I had no problem.
I own these headphones.
I do not think special cables make a difference.
If someone else thinks they do, they can help you.

 

[jackson1]

My 7520's are still going strong after all these years. Great build. No real signs of wear I'm using them with Sonarworks these days and have learned that it is quite necessary for getting a neutral presentation.

 

[starfly]

Well, many years later and I'm still rocking these headphones when listening to music at home (listening through them right now actually).

One thing I've done in the past couple years is that I got the Shure Alcantara pads from the 1540 headphones. Comfortable and sound signature is fine too.

 

[zazex]

He answered you quite clearly. Any cable with a 3.5mm jack will work as long as it's thin enough at the jack to get in there.
Many use the v-moda cable which works great and fit in there. https://www.v-moda.com/us/en/products/audio-only-cable

A 3.5mm jack will hold itself like if you were to plug it into any other 3.5mm female jack. Meaning, if you pull hard on it, it will disconnect. That's an advantage if you ask me; in case your cable get caught on something while you have the headphones on your head.It will detach itself and not damage the connection.
Having a cable screwed in means that it will stay there securely but if your cable get caught it will bring the headphone down with it and in a worst case scenario could even damage the headphones.

Yes - ForceMajeure is entirely correct here:
I've used a variety of 3.5mm cables with my 7520's
during the 3 years (or so) I've owned them. (Same
situation, BTW, with the 7520's "sister" headphone,
the previously released MDR 1000.)

 

[TopPop]

Post title: "Yes, an Amp Makes a Difference"

I've had these headphones for a couple of months now... time for me to speak up...

First, a bit of useful background. I've been interested in hi-fi for about 20 years or so, and specifically head-fi for nearly 15 of those. After going through many different phone/amp combinations (list of past gear shown in my profile), I settled on a nice combo that really scratched all of my itches: Keces DA-152 USB DAC/amp feeding a pair of Sennheiser HD-600 (w/Headphile BlackSilver V2 cable). I compared this combo directly to many other systems at meet-ups, conventions, etc., and I was constantly pleased (and surprised) with how it held up. It was good enough to keep and cart around the world for a couple of international moves. Sadly, I ended up needing to sell the system for financial reasons a few years ago (****ing Sydney is so goddamn expensive...), which left me with no reference system for music listening. Oh well, life goes on.

Fast forward a few years... I find myself wanting to get back into the game, but searching for a closed-back solution because my reference system will end up going in my office. So my task was to try to "recreate" the feel of the Keces/Sennheiser system with closed headphones. A tough task, to be sure, since part of the magic of the HD-600s is in their open nature. After weeks of research and reading, I decided to take a gamble on the MDR-7520s due to: (1) a frequency response that appears to be similar to the HD-600s, and (2) low end texture and punch, which I remember enjoying on properly amped HD-600s.

So now that you know where I was coming from when I got the 7520s: am I happy with the results?

Yes and no. It all depends on the source/amp.

I'm not going to provide a breakdown about frequency ranges, soundstage, etc. I don't think I can really add anything new to what's already been reported in this thread. Instead, what I think I can provide is a bit of clarity on an issue that I don't think has been addressed very well here: proper amping of the MDR-7520.

The same thing is repeated often about these headphones: "They don't need an amp". Well, yes and no. Do they need amplification to reach comfortable volume levels? Absolutely not. They are incredibly sensitive and need very little power to get you where you're going. But that doesn't mean that a good amp pairing won't make them sound better. The right amp makes a huge difference.

I first did a lot of listening with "unamped" sources (i.e., onboard amplification): iPhone 6 and onboard headphone output on a ThinkPad T470s, both playing Spotify at "very high" quality (~320 kbps, as far as I understand). With these sources, the experience was very pleasant: the frequency response was precisely what I was expecting (and what I was hoping for). I was very happy with this result, but neither source gave quite the transient punch I was expecting from all of the 7520 reviews I read. Well, I also had two USB DAC/amp units sitting around to try: Fiio E10 (first gen, not the E10k) and HotAudio Bit Perfect. Both are budget units (<$100), but again, what I read both in this thread and elsewhere on the internet suggested strongly that this shouldn't matter much: as long as the DAC is doing its job well, the differences between a budget unit and a higher-end one shouldn't be that noticeable when using low impedance and sensitive phones, such as the MDR-7520. Nonetheless, the Sonys revealed pretty stark differences between the two DAC/amp units: the Fiio E10 had more of the punch I was looking for but revealed an uncomfortable amount of sibilance on way too many recordings, while the Bit Perfect had much smoother treble but pretty loose and muddy bass.

This experience taught me two things: punch was possible with the 7520s when using the right source and amplification, and the frequency response I desired was also possible with the 7520s when using the right source and amplification. I just had to find a way to get both. After a lot more research, I decided that the iFi Nano iDSD Black Label should likely be a good candidate for pairing with the MDR-7520 for three reasons: (1) issues with sibilance didn't seem to appear often in the reviews I read, (2) clarity, punch, and imaging were constant themes in the reviews, and (3) the iEMatch output would probably work well for the high sensitivity of the 7520s, giving finer control over volume and allowing the volume to be used above low levels where channel imbalance can often be an issue with sensitive phones.

Well, the Nano just arrived yesterday... and I haven't been able to stop listening. I fell asleep last night to Jimmy Smith's euphoric organ tones, and I continued listening when I woke up this morning and haven't really stopped for the past three hours. The MDR-7520 are just that enjoyable... when properly amped. I find myself unable to stop moving my body to the music (even when typing this line, I'm tapping my feet and fingers to Frank Sinatra's "Fly Me To The Moon"). Is this increased PRAT? I've never really understood how to translate that concept to actual listening experience. Whatever it is, the 7520s, when fed by the Nano, are fun headphones: frequency response that is both even throughout the range and extended at both ends (but with smooth treble), punchy transients at all frequency ranges, and some of the best instrument separation and tonality I've ever heard.

So, in conclusion: I actually think that the MDR-7520 headphones are better than Keces/HD-600 combo I used to own and loved so much... when properly amped. The Sonys weren't able to get there on their own, and they weren't able to get there with amps that weren't good matches. It's only with the matching of the Nano that they show their capabilities. When "unamped" or with budget DAC/amp combos, the MDR-7520 are very, very good... but with the iFi Nano, the MDR-7520 are possibly the best headphones I've owned, and I dare say among some of the best I've heard (for my tastes, at least).

Obligatory drool tax:

 

[iFi audio]

Post title: "Yes, an Amp Makes a Difference"

I've had these headphones for a couple of months now... time for me to speak up...

First, a bit of useful background. I've been interested in hi-fi for about 20 years or so, and specifically head-fi for nearly 15 of those. After going through many different phone/amp combinations (list of past gear shown in my profile), I settled on a nice combo that really scratched all of my itches: Keces DA-152 USB DAC/amp feeding a pair of Sennheiser HD-600 (w/Headphile BlackSilver V2 cable). I compared this combo directly to many other systems at meet-ups, conventions, etc., and I was constantly pleased (and surprised) with how it held up. It was good enough to keep and cart around the world for a couple of international moves. Sadly, I ended up needing to sell the system for financial reasons a few years ago (****ing Sydney is so goddamn expensive...), which left me with no reference system for music listening. Oh well, life goes on.

Fast forward a few years... I find myself wanting to get back into the game, but searching for a closed-back solution because my reference system will end up going in my office. So my task was to try to "recreate" the feel of the Keces/Sennheiser system with closed headphones. A tough task, to be sure, since part of the magic of the HD-600s is in their open nature. After weeks of research and reading, I decided to take a gamble on the MDR-7520s due to: (1) a frequency response that appears to be similar to the HD-600s, and (2) low end texture and punch, which I remember enjoying on properly amped HD-600s.

So now that you know where I was coming from when I got the 7520s: am I happy with the results?

Yes and no. It all depends on the source/amp.

I'm not going to provide a breakdown about frequency ranges, soundstage, etc. I don't think I can really add anything new to what's already been reported in this thread. Instead, what I think I can provide is a bit of clarity on an issue that I don't think has been addressed very well here: proper amping of the MDR-7520.

The same thing is repeated often about these headphones: "They don't need an amp". Well, yes and no. Do they need amplification to reach comfortable volume levels? Absolutely not. They are incredibly sensitive and need very little power to get you where you're going. But that doesn't mean that a good amp pairing won't make them sound better. The right amp makes a huge difference.

I first did a lot of listening with "unamped" sources (i.e., onboard amplification): iPhone 6 and onboard headphone output on a ThinkPad T470s, both playing Spotify at "very high" quality (~320 kbps, as far as I understand). With these sources, the experience was very pleasant: the frequency response was precisely what I was expecting (and what I was hoping for). I was very happy with this result, but neither source gave quite the transient punch I was expecting from all of the 7520 reviews I read. Well, I also had two USB DAC/amp units sitting around to try: Fiio E10 (first gen, not the E10k) and HotAudio Bit Perfect. Both are budget units (<$100), but again, what I read both in this thread and elsewhere on the internet suggested strongly that this shouldn't matter much: as long as the DAC is doing its job well, the differences between a budget unit and a higher-end one shouldn't be that noticeable when using low impedance and sensitive phones, such as the MDR-7520. Nonetheless, the Sonys revealed pretty stark differences between the two DAC/amp units: the Fiio E10 had more of the punch I was looking for but revealed an uncomfortable amount of sibilance on way too many recordings, while the Bit Perfect had much smoother treble but pretty loose and muddy bass.

This experience taught me two things: punch was possible with the 7520s when using the right source and amplification, and the frequency response I desired was also possible with the 7520s when using the right source and amplification. I just had to find a way to get both. After a lot more research, I decided that the iFi Nano iDSD Black Label should likely be a good candidate for pairing with the MDR-7520 for three reasons: (1) issues with sibilance didn't seem to appear often in the reviews I read, (2) clarity, punch, and imaging were constant themes in the reviews, and (3) the iEMatch output would probably work well for the high sensitivity of the 7520s, giving finer control over volume and allowing the volume to be used above low levels where channel imbalance can often be an issue with sensitive phones.

Well, the Nano just arrived yesterday... and I haven't been able to stop listening. I fell asleep last night to Jimmy Smith's euphoric organ tones, and I continued listening when I woke up this morning and haven't really stopped for the past three hours. The MDR-7520 are just that enjoyable... when properly amped. I find myself unable to stop moving my body to the music (even when typing this line, I'm tapping my feet and fingers to Frank Sinatra's "Fly Me To The Moon"). Is this increased PRAT? I've never really understood how to translate that concept to actual listening experience. Whatever it is, the 7520s, when fed by the Nano, are fun headphones: frequency response that is both even throughout the range and extended at both ends (but with smooth treble), punchy transients at all frequency ranges, and some of the best instrument separation and tonality I've ever heard.

So, in conclusion: I actually think that the MDR-7520 headphones are better than Keces/HD-600 combo I used to own and loved so much... when properly amped. The Sonys weren't able to get there on their own, and they weren't able to get there with amps that weren't good matches. It's only with the matching of the Nano that they show their capabilities. When "unamped" or with budget DAC/amp combos, the MDR-7520 are very, very good... but with the iFi Nano, the MDR-7520 are possibly the best headphones I've owned, and I dare say among some of the best I've heard (for my tastes, at least).

Obligatory drool tax:

Great stuff, thank you!

 

[kid vic]

Anyone using replacement/aftermarket pads? Gotta get mine changed out soon and I'm looking for advice.

 

[Jamiroquai]

Anyone using replacement/aftermarket pads? Gotta get mine changed out soon and I'm looking for advice.

On page 162 I put up a eBay link for the pads I use with a short description. I still stand by them. I think they are great.

 

[kid vic]

On page 162 I put up a eBay link for the pads I use with a short description. I still stand by them. I think they are great.

Awesome! Thanks for the info

 

[Andrew_WOT]

Anybody had any success with aftermarket earpads like sheepskin from Brainwavz. they seem to be the right dimension
(Thickness: 30mm | Height: 110mm | Width: 90mm | Inner Hole: 45mm x 70mm)
OEM pads are out of stock everywhere and when ordered retailers just keep pushing shipping date, afraid getting them now from Sony is challenging.

EDIT: Saw the link to ebay item, think will try those. Thanks.

 

[KING DRANZER]

I was here before I was going to pull trigger on my $500 range purchase. Did a lot research and went through lot many sets before I got to the point of deciding on MDR-7520. Now for moths almost I have been using them and still I have not found a better pair unless I spend $850+. I got them for around $300 and for what I spent I did get a lot more in perfect detail, clarity, distinctive notes throughout the frequency range, no detail missed or lost and got most natural experience I can ever expect. There are definitely better headphones out there but for the price it is being sold at there is none unless we are ready to spend nearly thrice the price. For people who think that this is natural sounding and falls flat at low end, sadly you are wrong. Where the bass is needed it delivers perfectly without losing or overpowering it. No matter how low and deep the bass gets the high notes are not lost or compromised at all and yes we do get that punch of bass. This balances treble and bass perfectly and doesn't over power one over the other.