[Beagle]

  So far I've narrowed it down to:
- Sony MDR-7520
- B&W P7
- AKG K550
 
Has anyone experienced with all three, is there anything else I am missing?

 
You have the 1R, maybe the 7520 is the logical step up for you. Have you considered the Focal Spirit Pro or the B&O H6?

 

[StudioSound]

  So far I've narrowed it down to:
- Sony MDR-7520
- B&W P7
- AKG K550
 
Has anyone experienced with all three, is there anything else I am missing?

I have not heard the P7, but owned the P5 and K550. Aside from build quality problems I had with the K550, I think the 7520 is a much more refined and better sounding headphone.
Of course the P5 are not at all comparable, being a different class of headphone. I found them to be nicely made, but uncomfortable to wear, and while they did not sound bad, they did not seem like great value for money. It felt like you were paying more for the name and the materials than the sound quality.

 

[Andrew_WOT]

 

  So far I've narrowed it down to:
- Sony MDR-7520
- B&W P7
- AKG K550
 
Has anyone experienced with all three, is there anything else I am missing?

 
You have the 1R, maybe the 7520 is the logical step up for you. Have you considered the Focal Spirit Pro or the B&O H6?

I had a chance to shortly audition P7 in the airport store, they didn't wow me, looked quite fragile and not very comfortable, sounded pretty good out of HTC One though, not sure that better than modded MDR-1R (unfortunately I didn't have those with me to compare).
Now I am torn between 7520 and Focal Spirit.
If 7520 if anything like improved version of MDR-1R that would be bull's eye hit for me, on Focal Spirit it seems that you like them better than 7520 but starfly greatly favored 7520 over Focal Spirit Classic on both sound and comfort.

 

[Jonathnnn]

I had a chance to shortly audition P7 in the airport store, they didn't wow me, looked quite fragile and not very comfortable, sounded pretty good out of HTC One though, not sure that better than modded MDR-1R (unfortunately I didn't have those with me to compare).
Now I am torn between 7520 and Focal Spirit.
If 7520 if anything like improved version of MDR-1R that would be bull's eye hit for me, on Focal Spirit it seems that you like them better than 7520 but starfly greatly favored 7520 over Focal Spirit Classic on both sound and comfort.

Focal Spirit pro is a different headphone then the Focal Spirit classic

If you had comfort issues with B&W then most likely you will be more pleased comfortwise with the 7520 opposed to the Spirit pro.

Soundwise Some people say they Like the Spirit pro more, I havn't heard the Spirit pro so I cant vouch for that.

 

[Andrew_WOT]

 

I had a chance to shortly audition P7 in the airport store, they didn't wow me, looked quite fragile and not very comfortable, sounded pretty good out of HTC One though, not sure that better than modded MDR-1R (unfortunately I didn't have those with me to compare).
Now I am torn between 7520 and Focal Spirit.
If 7520 if anything like improved version of MDR-1R that would be bull's eye hit for me, on Focal Spirit it seems that you like them better than 7520 but starfly greatly favored 7520 over Focal Spirit Classic on both sound and comfort.

Focal Spirit pro is a different headphone then the Focal Spirit classic

If you had comfort issues with B&W then most likely you will be more pleased comfortwise with the 7520 opposed to the Spirit pro.

Soundwise Some people say they Like the Spirit pro more, I havn't heard the Spirit pro so I cant vouch for that.

Have you owned or heard Classic, B&W P7, or 7520?
Sorry, you don't have your profile populated to tell.

 

[Jonathnnn]

Have you owned or heard Classic, B&W P7, or 7520?
Sorry, you don't have your profile populated to tell.

No need to say sorry, out of the 3 headphones you list I have only had brief listening sessions the P7, tho I lended the Z1000 for a longer period from a friend in the Pro audio business So I can comment on the comfort of the 7520 as the build and padding is nearly identical to the 7520.

 

[starfly]

No need to say sorry, out of the 3 headphones you list I have only had brief listening sessions the P7, tho I lended the Z1000 for a longer period from a friend in the Pro audio business So I can comment on the comfort of the 7520 as the build and padding is nearly identical to the 7520.

Actually the padding on the Z1000 is slightly thicker, which also leaves less inner space for your ears.

 

[Jonathnnn]

Actually the padding on the Z1000 is slightly thicker, which also leaves less inner space for your ears.

I read your post about that, So that makes the 7520 probably even more comfortable for even a larger group of people,

which is what I wanted to state in my post above to Andrew. who just like you experiances discomfort with the B&W and So most likely wil with the focals aswell.

 

[starfly]

I read your post about that, So that makes the 7520 probably even more comfortable for even a larger group of people,

which is what I wanted to state in my post above to Andrew. who just like you experiances discomfort with the B&W and So most likely wil with the focals aswell.

Yeah, if Andrew finds the P7 uncomfortable, he most likely will not find the Focal Spirit Classic (or the Pro, I think they're the same size) comfortable either. To my ears, the P7 was more comfortable than the FSC.

 

[Father Schu]

Any fit or security issues with using a regular 3.5 mm cord that doesn't screw on?  It was reported that the 1R had a jack issue.  I'm not a fan of coiled cords.

 

[starfly]

Any fit or security issues with using a regular 3.5 mm cord that doesn't screw on?  It was reported that the 1R had a jack issue.  I'm not a fan of coiled cords.

None here. And it doesn't disconnect too easily when tugging on it, although with enough force you will of course unplug the cable. But when outdoors it's a convenience I think, in case the cord snags on something. Then you won't pull the headphone off your head

 

[Beagle]

Originally Posted by Andrew_WOT /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
If 7520 if anything like improved version of MDR-1R that would be bull's eye hit for me, on Focal Spirit it seems that you like them better than 7520 but starfly greatly favored 7520 over Focal Spirit Classic on both sound and comfort.

 
Really? wow...

 

[starfly]

   
Really? wow...

Yes, really. First of all comfort, I found the Focal terrible in terms of comfort. And then the sound, well the 7520 beat it in every way. Lows, mids and highs. And it just sounded very veiled compared to the 7520 (but honestly, probably a lot of headphones sound veiled compared to the 7520).
 
I didn't give the Focal a thorough listening test though, because I just couldn't bear wearing them (they were really squashing my ear, since the earpads are so small. My ears wouldn't even fit inside). And maybe they would've improved a bit with some burn in (some headpones do, some headphones don't). But I returned them quickly.

 

[Beagle]

I was a bit surprised because I found the Focal a lot more neutral and opened up the midrange with much more clarity.....and did not have the slight muddiness in the bottom that I heard in the 7520. But hey, both sounds have their merits, for sure.

 

[starfly]

  I was a bit surprised because I found the Focal a lot more neutral and opened up the midrange with much more clarity.....and did not have the slight muddiness in the bottom that I heard in the 7520. But hey, both sounds have their merits, for sure.

Interesting. You're the first person I've heard that describes the 7520 low-end as muddy. What specifically do you mean by that? (and don't worry, I'm just curious, am not taking any offense by your comments, unlike some people who can get really fanatic about their material possessions).