Introduction

Audio-Technica's "Sound Reality" line comes in three flavors: the original ATH-MSR7, the special edition ATH-MSR7SE, and the "balanced" ATH-MSR7b. Unlike most special editions, the ATH-MSR7SE actually features an updated driver and earpads; allegedly, the same driver in the (at the time) flagship ATH-SR9. The navy blue and gold accents are an extremely handsome combination in my opinion, and I honestly bought them because of the aesthetics. They retailed for £299, but I purchased mine used for $350. The seller conveniently neglected to mention some small chips and paint marks (???), which was really cool of them; fortunately, they're mostly unnoticeable.

Comfort & Build

Fortunately, these are significantly more comfortable than their lower-end ATH-M40x closed-backs. The clamp force is not nearly as skull-crushing and the padding is noticeably softer. The pads are also a fair bit larger, though my ears still barely touch the inside fabric. The headband features adjustable notches, which I'm generally not a huge fan of, but they do the trick. The pads are also just thicker and more comfortable, so I find the whole package to be quite comfortable. These headphones also come in a very nice travel case, which I appreciate a lot.

The build feels very solid, but it creaks like hell on the hinges—an unearthly sound that makes me think I'm breaking something every time I shift it around. This is probably the worst part of these cans. My one small complaint about the build aesthetic is that the gold paint on the plastic parts looks a little chintzy, but I'll live; the rest of it is gorgeous. This particular pair has a couple other imperfections on it, but nothing big.

Also, the angled connector is surprisingly fancy:

Performance

Sadly, I don't think these are winning any awards in the tonality department, but I'm actually pretty happy with the technicalities; while staging isn't anything special, the imaging is better than expected. I don't notice any awkwardness with instrument placement (e.g. crossing over, or behind my head) and it feels fairly well-defined. To contrast, the ATH-M40x sounds more muddied with regards to instrument separation, though the staging seems comparable.

The ATH-MSR7SE has V-shaped tuning, with some bass emphasis and sparkly treble. The bass is pretty disappointing as far as a V-shaped signature goes: it doesn't exactly slam, and the detail is a little poor, with some smearing in tracks like K/DA's DRUM GO DUM. The mids are a little thin as well, owing to the recessed lower midrange; that being said, the upper midrange going into the treble is pretty intense, and it shows in tracks with female vocals, where the tuning really shines. The vocals in 相対性理論's FLASHBACK really pop, though the details stumble in the more complex passages. One drawback to this particularly bright tuning: sibilance is emphasized, something I'm generally not sensitive to.

Compared to the ATH-M40x, the tuning is more exciting and colored. The detailing and imaging are absolutely an improvement though, and I'd be extremely surprised if someone couldn't tell in a double-blind test. This may not seem like a fair comparison—the ATH-M40x retails for less than $100 while the ATH-MSR7SE is more than triple the price—but certain people claim that they're of comparably (low) technical level, and I'm quite confident that they're not even close. Tonality, however, is another question entirely; if neutrality is what you want, the ATH-M40x is much better.

Closing Thoughts

I'm actually pretty happy with it if only because it fulfills a couple niche requirements for me; I was looking for a closed-back headphone that looked good, felt comfortable, and didn't sound awful. This fulfills all of those categories, even though the sound could definitely be improved. Aesthetically, they're my second-favorite pair of headphones, behind the STAX SR-007Mk1, which can't exactly be traveled with (nor would I want to). As far as closed-back cans go, I think they've got a good bit of class and comfort, and they'll probably be the one pair of headphones I bring when traveling.