[AnakChan]

Fostex is a Japanese company in Japan. But they have offices around the world like Sony, etc.
 
What B&H would be referring to is that they get it from the local US Fostex centre (presumably acting as distributors from Fostex Japan).

 

[MuppetFace]

I don't think it's a price issue, since AudioCubes is selling it at the full $2300 and still can't get the stock any faster. Also PriceJapan's already low price has actually dropped even lower! (It was around $1700 yesterday, believe it or not).
 
I also don't think it's an exclusivity thing either, since PriceJapan buys from Japanese suppliers, and they don't know where the stock is going per se. I do agree that PriceJapan isn't getting it from Fostex, but a supplier. The supplier however gets theirs from Fostex, and Audiocubes gets theirs directly from Fostex too (from what they told me).
 
I'm betting the problem has to do with allocated units. Fostex seems to have made a limited first batch, and they're sold out to retailers. What's annoying is that those retailers aren't necessarily selling their units, and they could very well be sitting on the shelves stagnating, but "dems the breaks." Whoever is supplying PriceJapan was obviously not part of the first batch shipped. Same with AudioCubes.

 

[gzone3lement]

Edit: deleted

 

[AnakChan]

I decided to give the TH900 a brief 15 min listen today at Dynamic Audio. And gave the AH-D7000 a listen too as a comparison.

These were the quick notes I made whilst listening. My source/transport is my iPhone 4S off the VentureCraft Go-DAP 4.0 (upgraded OpAmp+++). Tracks from Nicki Parrot's Sakura Sakura (ALAC), Open Your Ears (AAC misc bit rates) & Michael Buble's Call Me Irresponsible (ALAC).

TH900
- Poor isolation (probably leaks too!). In fact I feel it doesn't cup my ears at all. Feels like a bad loose fit.
- Easy to drive (Go-DAP, volume not so high. Set to high gain but low gain isn't that much different)
- Quite detailed, & decent bass but not as extended as Ed8. Tight though.
- Nice trebles, not harsh but quite smooth.
- Vocals are crisp clear. This is what I probably like most about it. But I won't say it's mid-forward. Quite neutral & clear.

AH-D7000
- Better isolation than the TH900 (but not like the Ed8s)
- Highs are a little tighter but not as extended as TH900
- Slightly deeper bass. Almost tempted to say leaning towards boomy but not in a bad way. & I need to listen to more before I could conclusively say that.

Personal pref would be the AH-D7000 primarily cos of the poor isolation.

 

[MuppetFace]

Thanks for posting your impressions, AnakChan. The treble not being harsh and the bass not being as "full" as the D7000 is good news to me.

 

[gzone3lement]

AnakChan, thanks for your quick impressions.
 
That's really interesting. One head-fier (from another thread) commented that the TH-900 was like AH-D7000 on steroids. I like the D7000 because its bass makes the headphones very fun to listen. I am hoping the TH-900 to be more fun listening to.

 

[AnakChan]

I think if I were to be able to hear the TH-900 in a quiet isolated room, then I'd probably be able to focus more on its sound rather than the lack of isolation. It's "easy" to pick the one with the better isolation in a crowded store since subconsciously one (or I) can focus more on the sound immediately than one with less isolation.

 

[Anaxilus]

Quote:

AnakChan, thanks for your quick impressions.
 
That's really interesting. One head-fier (from another thread) commented that the TH-900 was like AH-D7000 on steroids. I like the D7000 because its bass makes the headphones very fun to listen. I am hoping the TH-900 to be more fun listening to.

Well, I've always considered the D7000 an M50 on steroids and the D700 has less bass than the M50, so....
 
Should just mean does everything better.

 

 

[elton7033]

I will be going back to japan net monday, hope i will have a chance to play with this new can.

 

[gzone3lement]

Quote:

I will be going back to japan net monday, hope i will have a chance to play with this new can.

Have a safe trip! Do let us know what you think of the TH-900! 

 
Pricejapan.com currently has two in stock as of today.

 

[Magick Man]

had a chance to demo these at length today at our Charlotte meet and I was impressed. They are, IMO, the next evolutionary step in the Dx000 series. If you love the D7000s, and have 2 grand burning a hole in your pocket, then these are the cans for you. These are my next major head-fi purchase, no doubt.

Thanks to the guys from Moon Audio for letting me Bogart them for so long. I'll call you when I get the scratch together.

 

[gzone3lement]

Quote:

had a chance to demo these at length today at our Charlotte meet and I was impressed. They are, IMO, the next evolutionary step in the Dx000 series. If you love the D7000s, and have 2 grand burning a hole in your pocket, then these are the cans for you. These are my next major head-fi purchase, no doubt.
Thanks to the guys from Moon Audio for letting me Bogart them for so long. I'll call you when I get the scratch together.

I love my D7000's, and I can afford TH-900. Hmm, to order or not to order.

 

[DaveBSC]

Quote:

had a chance to demo these at length today at our Charlotte meet and I was impressed. They are, IMO, the next evolutionary step in the Dx000 series. If you love the D7000s, and have 2 grand burning a hole in your pocket, then these are the cans for you. These are my next major head-fi purchase, no doubt.

The more interesting question is the LA7000 vs. these.
 

 

[Magick Man]

The more interesting question is the LA7000 vs. these.

Well, I've not heard full-blown LA7000s, and this is not a knock on Lawton Audio because he does great work, but I'd lean towards the production model. Especially due to warranty and guaranteed consistency, Fostex has been into this for a very long time.

As an aside, the finish and feel of the TH900s is to die for. However, the same Dx000 headband without padding, Fostex? Seriously? Go the extra dollar and put some foam in there.

 

[DaveBSC]

Quote:

Well, I've not heard full-blown LA7000s, and this is not a knock on Lawton Audio because he does great work, but I'd lean towards the production model. Especially due to warranty and guaranteed consistency, Fostex has been into this for a very long time.
As an aside, the finish and feel of the TH900s is to die for. However, the same Dx000 headband without padding, Fostex? Seriously? Go the extra dollar and put some foam in there.

That's sort of the point. The D7000 is what it is, the pads aren't great, and the enclosure is underdamped. Mark can tailor something with a much more personal touch. Just changing the pads makes a surprising difference in terms of correcting the default "V" frequency response.