[Sceleris]

Hi people, I'm considering ordering the AD900s but am a bit wary of the comfort issue that has been reported here (my ears are on the larger side). As such I'd really like to try them out before I make my decision.
 
Does anyone know of decent brick and mortar shop where I can audition both the AD700 and AD900 in Berkeley, CA (or within the broader Bay Area)? I've tried calling up the dealers listed on the AT website near my zip code but haven't had any luck so far in finding a shop with both, let alone one of them.
 
(Sorry if this is the wrong thread to be posting in but it seemed as relevant as any other; been lurking here for a long time but have only recently started posting a bit more.)

 

[keanex]

Honestly most comfort problems are people wearing these wrong, at least for the ears touching the driver. If you have a small head they'll definitely fit really loose though.

 

[Sceleris]

You're referring to how wearing them as far forward as possible helps to fix the problem of the ear touching the driver, right? Hopefully that works for my ears too... I'm pretty sure that not only are they slightly large, but that they stick out more than average, unfortunately. Hence my preference for actually trying them out before getting them. In any case, thanks for the input!

 

[K_19]

I had been looking to acquire the AD900 for many months now after demoing them with good impressions during the summer, and received my AD900 used from another head-fi'er here a few days ago.  I have to say that they sound as good as I remembered back when I demoed them in the summer, and will be staying here as my tertiery full-sized headphone over my HD600 (which I'll put up for sale soon).
 
The sound, which obviously does not match up to qualities of my HD800's or my LCD-2's, is still very clear, wide, and yet exciting to listen to at the same time. It's definitely not a flat sounding headphone, but extremely fun to listen to... almost sound like a Grado in a AT shell.  The mids are without a doubt my favourite part about this headphone, and is lush, forward and clear as I usually like my mids to be... and while nowhere near close in terms of finesse and clarity, does remind me a little bit of my LCD-2 rev.1 mids. Highs are clear yet never offensive, and has almost no sibilance. The lows, while not that well extending is quite tight and hits hard (not a slam type of hard but sharp type hard, if that makes any sense), which is also the way I like my lows. Soundstage is wide and satisfying, though maybe not as wide as my AD700 nor does it have a 3D like soundstage of my HD800.
 
Comfort wise, they're slightly less comfortable than my AD700 as they clamp a little tighter, but they're otherwise pretty much the same. My ears are on the flat side, and thus I have no problems with the drivers touching the ears as some users do.
 
All this without using any amps for it yet... as my house is going under major renovations I haven't had a chance to set up my main rig, so I've been listening to this headphone unamped out of my Iphone 4... and it still sounds fantastic. While I don't expect there to be major improvements with either my WA6SE or my V200, I'm sure there will be some degrees of improvement to the sound.
 
All in all a winner in my book, especially at this price range. If I had to describe the sound compared to my other headphones, I would say they sort of sound like my ESW10JPN blown "wide open".
 

 

[T.F.O.A]

anybody know a good amp for ad900? what do you guys think of audinst hud-mx1?(kinda like the dac/amp combination)

 

[estreeter]

Just avoid amps with an output impedance over 4 ohms - I actually enjoyed the iBasso P4 with the AD900s, even if they don't need anything like the 600mW the stock buffers will deliver in 32 ohms.

 

[T.F.O.A]

uhmm,that's a bit too technical for me, how about this will asgard pair well with ad-900 or is it too much? should i just go with the audinst?
help please..

 

[estreeter]

Avoid the Asgard.

 

[h1a8]

WOW! These are the best sounding headphones in existence when either:
 
1. Paired with the zo, e11 or fiio/e11 combo and bass up 1-2 levels
2. Paired with Sony walkman and clear bass up a level.
3. Paired with sony clip+ and bass up 5-6db.
 
I would bet that the sound is even better than any $1000 or more headphones. These are absolute perfection under the above. 0 flaws. I'm finally done with my long long search and thousands of dollars of spending on finding perfection.
 
Now I search for the perfect iem. Right now sm3 is close but needs to clear up. The fx700 is also close but midrange is more recessed than I like, bass is slightly more than I want, and treble is a touch too hot.The re262 is starting to wow the mess out of me but it is a touch bass shy and just too hard to get right, in the ear. Digizoid zo works wonders for them though and makes them close to perfection as well. Forgive my rant here. I'm just so happy that I've found perfection.

 

[T.F.O.A]

So, the zo helps the ad900 on bass? that sounds like just what i need, anyone else with the same impression as h1a8?
cause i'm thinking of changing the ad900(after using it about a month) , i like how accurate the bass is, but the lack of kick or punch is just too much to bear, other than that, i like the ad900.

 

[estreeter]

Just get another pair of cans - the endless search for the 'right' amp/DSP/whatever to somehow inject thumping bass into cans that weren't designed to present bass in that fashion is futile. There are so many options in the mid-fi price range that will completely cave your skull in that I cant understand why people persevere with the AD900/K701 etc - leave those cans to those of us who can appreciate them.

 

[T.F.O.A]

getting another pair of cans would be nice, if i have the funds, the very reason why i asked is cause i don't have enough money for it. no need for the attitude.

 

[h1a8]

Quote:

So, the zo helps the ad900 on bass? that sounds like just what i need, anyone else with the same impression as h1a8?
cause i'm thinking of changing the ad900(after using it about a month) , i like how accurate the bass is, but the lack of kick or punch is just too much to bear, other than that, i like the ad900.

Two bass clicks with the ZO, or 5-6db of bass boost with a rockbox sansa clip+ gives the ad900 with the punch of my denon 2000s while keeping the sound crystal clear. Awesome I tell you.

 

[Michael Ting]

Hi,
Is the AD900 good for gaming like the AD700?

 

[deadlylover]

Quote:

Hi,
Is the AD900 good for gaming like the AD700?

Yep, they're pretty much identical for gaming.