Got ATH-msr7b for Christmas, find them a bit ‘empty‘ sounding. What’s a good alternative?

Submitted by julesibulesi t3_zvz0lq in headphones

My Focal Spirit Classic started breaking apart a few months ago, and I haven’t gotten around to getting a new pair of cans. Finally, I bought a pair of Audio Technica msr7b “for Christmas”. I absolutely love their detail and clarity, they fit just right, and I listened to them for three hours last night without discomfort or fatigue. But, where the Focal sound a bit muffled and muddied in direct comparison (even though they were advertised as relatively neutral), the AT‘s are a bit… lifeless? Boring? Some things work better than others, but listening to electric guitars (Porcupine Tree, Oceansize, Mars Volta) is not as exciting as it should be, classical music (Paavo Järvi‘s Beethoven Symphonies, Mahler, Bruckner) lacks a sense of immersion and immediacy.

Is there something out there that comes close to the detail and resolution of the msr7b, but with a bit more warmth and body? “Neutral” as opposed to “neutral-bright”? I hear the wp900 might fit the bill, but they’re a bit above what I had planned to spend. I was willing to give Sennheiser‘s HD600 a try, but being able to drive the cans with my phone is something I‘ll only let go of if there is no other way. :-) Plus, I prefer close-backed headphones for their versatility, although that’s less of a hard requirement.

Thanks all, and Merry Christmas! :-)

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adeyfk t1_j1s0uzj wrote

Have you not had any success with EQ? I run the DSR7bt, and I find them to be very clear with good defined bass, but not lacking in any way. I believe they have the same drivers as the MSR7b, but it's all digital drive, with no DAC involved. Bluetooth needs EQ, but when USB connected directly I don't have to do anything to them.

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julesibulesi OP t1_j1s28ck wrote

That’s interesting, thanks for the input! With Sony and Sennheiser BT headphones, it seems to be the opposite, that their sound falls apart a bit in wired mode. I’ve steered clear of wireless for that reason. For me, wired would be the norm, wireless just sporadic icing on the cake. Didn’t think there’d be a manufacturer with similar priorities. :-)

I haven’t tried EQ’ing them, but I will give it a shot. I keep thinking that it’s odd slapping my own EQ on top, instead of finding something that’s closer to my listening preferences. A bit like getting a Ferrari, then tweaking the suspension until it’s smooth like a Mercedes. :-D

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adeyfk t1_j1s48d7 wrote

I see it more akin to adjusting your suspension settings to suit the quality of the road surface that you're on. Most headphone users will EQ their cans, some even have genre or song specific EQ to compensate for issues with the original production, or to boost/cut frequencies that are predominant in a given genre. I also have a pair of M50X's that have to be EQ'd when listening to heavy electronic music as you can't hear yourself think! That is totally down to the amount of compression used in EDM/dance/IDM, which is used to make the recording sound better and louder than it needs to be. Some producers/sound engineers did a fantastic job (check out pretty much any Steely Dan album), and others seem very lazy.

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julesibulesi OP t1_j1tmy3x wrote

Thanks again. I’ll play around with EQ and give them another week-or-so to make up my mind. They might grow on me still. :-)

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BoysenberryFluffy671 t1_j1seyiu wrote

Sennheiser maybe. You may also find their 6xx series too bright though. I'd also look at Beyerdynamic.

I have the MSR7 they are definitely bright and I found them somewhat fatiguing. For me it was the headband and the hotspot on top of my head that made them unbearable.

Maybe a used pair (since they're discontinued) of Audioquest Nighthawk or Nightowl (you'll likely need to EQ them to preference, few people I think like them as is, but they are VERY good when EQ'd and INSANELY comfortable - you will likely never find a more comfortable pair of headphones to be honest).

I think you will struggle to find a very competent neutral/reference headphone in this price range that doesn't come off as too bright.

JM modded R7XD might be nice if you want closed back. Not going to be as technical as MSR7, but his mod really helps that headphone punch above its weight.

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julesibulesi OP t1_j1tta3e wrote

Thanks for your input! Aren’t Beyerdynamic even brighter than Audio Technicas? I might just have to go and find myself a decent HiFi store, and widen my horizon a bit.

I initially planned to spend around 400 bucks. I might stretch it to 500, but the 700 I can find the wp900 for are just a bit unreasonable for the current times in my life. I was happy when I stumbled across the msr7b, as they seemed to tick all the right boxes at an incredible price. But apparently, I’m not as neutral a listener as I thought I was. :-D

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BoysenberryFluffy671 t1_j1wb0k8 wrote

I think it depends on which model and also what you're driving them from. I'm not an expert on them, this is just based on what I've heard from others. Particularly in this price range. However, I do know that the T5 are known for their bass presentation. They would be at a higher price point though.

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Magol79 t1_j1wo0ah wrote

A good budget friendly closed back would be the AKG K371. I owned the MSR7 and would say that the K371 makes for a good complementary pair.

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julesibulesi OP t1_j1x4cf2 wrote

Thanks for the tip! I just ordered two Senns (600 and 650), the K371 and Audio Technica R70X. Will compare them and hopefully find a pair that I like.

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