Headphone Reviews

Sound Quality
It's been a tough week around the InnerFidelity lab. I've got the Pono in and have been blind testing it against all sorts of stuff. Blind testing is a pain in the butt, and definitely not the way I like to listen...but it's got to be done. The trick with the Pono is I've got to use a roughly 30-50 Ohm relatively efficient headphone for volume matching with all the other things I'm testing it against—I'll go into why in the Pono review—and it's got to have killer resolution as blind testing Amp/DACs requires the ability to hear into the very finest details. I had started with the NAD VISO HP50, but being a bit uneven and distractingly pleasurable it didn't feel analytical enough to me for tough tests. The Focal Spirit Pro and Sennheiser Momentum seemed a little off the pace in resolution for the task. The B&W P7 and Shure SRH1540 had the high frequency resolution for the job, but the heavy bass response of both cans was a bit too excessive for close evaluation of source bass quality. I was in a bit of a bind for what cans to use.

Then I remembered the Audio Technica ATH-MSR7 that I had set aside for the moment as being too bright for me. I wasn't sure I'd review it, but if it's at all close I always set the headphones aside for another try later. I brought the MSR7 to my blind test station and...wow, did these let me see into the music!

InnerFidelity readers will know I tend to prefer a slightly warm sounding headphone, but I do know a good sounding slightly bright headphone when I hear it...and that's exactly what the MSR7 is. Bass is 2 or 3 dB too low in level mid-bass, but very nicely articulated with good, but not great, extension. Mid-range response is clear and undistorted, but slightly rising in the upper-mids. I'd say the MSR7 is not overly imposing in the upper-mids but rather just somewhat up-front in its presentation. I'd say treble is fairly well on the mark, but with the slightly too low bass and emphatic upper-mids it just sounds like a very well controlled, but slightly bright, headphone.

Some folks on the forums have mentioned words like "sibilant" or "etched" in their presentation, I would pretty strongly disagree. Yes, they're a bit thin and bright—and let me emphasize "a bit"—and they can be quite intense at high listening levels, but what I'm hearing a moderate emphasis of the highs with excellent transient response. I would characterize the quality of resolution on the MSR7 as very near reference quality.

Dynamic punch is a bit hampered by the slightly thin sound, but image width, depth, and layering are quite good. When used as a portable headphone out and about, you might find them a bit piercing as you run up the volume to get above the noise. Isolation from outside noise is good, but not great with the MSR7.

As I mentioned, I used these headphones in a bunch of ongoing blind tests and they've been very reliable in delivering a very clear picture of what's going on upstream. In other words, as you use better equipment, the MSR7 will respond in kind. It's a really good headphone for evaluating things and as such would make a really fine headphone for audio pros, with the one caveat that they are a little cool of neutral.

I think these cans will satisfy a lot of audiophiles as well. Even though this signature is not to my taste, after acclimating myself I found them very satisfying and musical. I can hardly imagine how elated someone would be who's tastes do run in that direction.

Summary
The Audio Technica ATH-MSR7 is handsome in an old school way and well built. They're a bit heavy though and clamping pressure is a bit high out-of-the-box, but with some careful bending of the headband a fairly comfortable fit can be had. Accessories are spare: 3 cables and a bag.

Audio quality is simply superb, but a bit tilted toward the bright side. Bass is very nicely rendered, but slightly lower in level than neutral, and the upper mid-range and low treble are slightly accentuated. Transient response is near reference quality delivering an extraordinarily articulate and resolving listening experience. If you like your sound a little on the bright side, you're going to love the Audio Technica ATH-MSR7.

To get a virtually reference level resolution headphone—albeit a little bright—for $249 is simply a fantastic value. I've really enjoyed my time with this headphone. No, it's not what I'd listen to personally for pleasure as I like things a little warmer, but for my work the MSR7 is superb. To have an extremely resolving headphone that also sounds terrific made my recent blind testing sessions a joy. There's not many headphones that can do that, and for that ability they're going up on the "Wall of Fame". I highly recommend the Audio Techinca ATH-MSR7 if you like things a little on the bright side.

Video
Click here if you can't see the video.

Resources
Audio Technica home page and ATH-MSR7 product page.
Audio Technica promotional MSR7 video here.
Head-fi reviews here and thread here.