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Fostex TH900 Impressions & Discussion Thread - Page 145

post #2161 of 4408
11/1/12 at 5:57pm

ok my take .. TH900 > LCD-3 (unveil) > HD800 > Sig Pro > LCD-2r2 > HD650  >

 

Ranking involve comfort. I place alot of emphasis on bass level quality.

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post #2162 of 4408
11/1/12 at 5:59pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by songmic View Post

How many of you use the TH900 with a tube headphone amp? Anyone besides MuppetFace?

 

Yes I listen with ZDSE as well.

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post #2163 of 4408
11/1/12 at 6:17pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by DavidMahler View Post


Regarding this comment, I was worried that my opinions would appeared swayed because by the fact that I work for headphones.com. I assure you though, that none of my opinions are related to this.  In fact, the majority of the top 20 we do not sell.  I do like the TH900 very much, and it IS the highest ranking in-production closed back headphone on my list.  The Edition 10 renders acoustic music very uniquely.  For classical, it is very very good I think.

I love all different kinds of music for different reasons and as a result, different headphones for different reasons.

Anyway, thanks very much guys for considering my review! smily_headphones1.gif

My main issue is that, a well driven TH900 with nice, broken-in pads, is likely the best Jazz, Soul, and Blues HP in the world, great for classic pop and folk too. They crush even the best stats in raw THD numbers, with some of the cleanest transducers yet made. 0.2% THD below 200Hz, seriously? TH900 + Zodiac Gold is an aural revelation in lightning-fast bass response without any grain. Jaw-dropping. I don't want audiophiles to miss out on that, because in its own way, it's a treat on the level of the SR-009 + WES. Personally, I don't consider them closed cans, at all, Lord knows they don't isolate for squat.


Oh, and you skipped the HE-60. Less euphonic than the big-boy Orpheus (smaller soundstage, though), and very likely the best chamber music headphone in the world. While they're still accessible, and not speculated into the stratosphere, try and get a set. Also, the Koss ESP/950 is bonkers for the price, and the best headphone value under $1200 ($650 on Amazon), bar none.

(All of the above is IMO, of course.)
Quote:
Originally Posted by songmic View Post

How many of you use the TH900 with a tube headphone amp? Anyone besides MuppetFace?

I do, sometimes. They sound good with my Cary amp, though not as controlled.
Edited by Magick Man - 11/1/12 at 6:56pm
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post #2164 of 4408
11/1/12 at 6:26pm

He is headphones.com's headphone guru, so it stands to reason that if he really likes something he'll try to convince them to carry it.  Considering he's been writing the review since before he started with them, they may have already started carrying headphones years ago due to his opinions, and you would assume it was the other way around.

 

Also, why is everything looking at this like it's canonical, and if your favorite headphones aren't high enough (or least favorites aren't low enough) it's some sort of crime - it's one man's opinion.  This is the same sort of backwards thinking that developed with Skylab's and ljokerl's reviews over the years, where it was a simple "which is better" and the ranking was somehow gospel in many user's eyes.  It's one man's opinion, and you're not going to change his opinion for him.

 

I have not heard the TH900, and hope to hear a pair soon to sate my curiosity.  

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post #2165 of 4408
11/1/12 at 6:30pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Radio_head View Post

He is headphones.com's headphone guru, so it stands to reason that if he really likes something he'll try to convince them to carry it.  Considering he's been writing the review since before he started with them, they may have already started carrying headphones years ago due to his opinions, and you would assume it was the other way around.

 

Also, why is everything looking at this like it's canonical, and if your favorite headphones aren't high enough (or least favorites aren't low enough) it's some sort of crime - it's one man's opinion.  This is the same sort of backwards thinking that developed with Skylab's and ljokerl's reviews over the years, where it was a simple "which is better" and the ranking was somehow gospel in many user's eyes.  It's one man's opinion, and you're not going to change his opinion for him.

 

I have not heard the TH900, and hope to hear a pair soon to sate my curiosity.  

 

Agreed. Not only is it one man's opinion, but its stated in the most epic review yet. FWIW, I've heard the TH-900s and I would rank them just under the W3000ANVs (but I'd put both higher up on the list). But that's just my two cents.

 

That said, I've known David for a few years now and consider him a friend would never question his integrity. 


Edited by MacedonianHero - 11/1/12 at 6:34pm
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post #2166 of 4408
11/1/12 at 6:34pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Magick Man View Post

Ignoring STAX in the list, and discounting other discontinued products, what's left is... what you guys sell

I don't want to overdefend the work I put into the thread, but if you look more carefully at the writeup, this is not the case. Look specifically at the top 10, we only sell one of them FYI...

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post #2167 of 4408
11/1/12 at 6:39pm
Don't misunderstand me, I'm not trying to change his mind. I'm stating my opinion that many headphones ranked higher than the TH900s have glaring flaws, which can't be ignored. Like Tyll, I spent quality time with the ED10 and afterward I was scratching my head wondering if they were a joke and I just wasn't getting the punchline. The T1 is a good headphone, I do like them, but I'd value them at about what I paid ($560 open-box on Amazon). They're kind of like having a teenage child; most of the time they're benign, occasionally they impress you, but every once in a while you want to hit them with a hammer...
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post #2168 of 4408
11/1/12 at 6:42pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by MacedonianHero View Post

Agreed. Not only is it one man's opinion, but its stated in the most epic review yet. FWIW, I've heard the TH-900s and I would rank them just under the W3000ANVs (but I'd put both higher up on the list). But that's just my two cents.

That said, I've known David for a few years now and consider him a friend would never question his integrity. 

There's no reason to be upset, I'm not going to voice my views anywhere near his thread. I'm stating a POV, like anyone else. I'm quite cynical by nature, but I'm not trying to hurt him or his business.
Edited by Magick Man - 11/1/12 at 6:43pm
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post #2169 of 4408
11/1/12 at 6:52pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by DavidMahler View Post

I don't want to overdefend the work I put into the thread, but if you look more carefully at the writeup, this is not the case. Look specifically at the top 10, we only sell one of them FYI...

That is true, however there are so many wonderful headphones that are no longer in production, or are sold only through certain channels, that's to be expected. I think it's just the ED10 and T1 rankings that bug me.


Guys, tell you all what, I'll just remove my post and we can all go about our lives. Copasetic?
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post #2170 of 4408
11/1/12 at 8:16pm
No don't.. U too have your rights to post your opinion.. I do value them and David ones too.. No doubt a different pov equate a diff perspective on how we value things.
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post #2171 of 4408
11/2/12 at 2:47am
Thread Starter 

Actually, I think David's ranking of the Edition 10 is one of the best facets of his impressive undertaking.

 

It shows, most clearly to me, that he's genuinely giving out his opinion and not just parroting the preconceived "wisdom of head-fi." FWIW, I actually find the Edition 10 a decent enough headphone in and of itself like David. Is it a reasonable headphone? Of course not. Not at half its price even. Still, I don't think David is claiming otherwise, and neither am I. As I've joked in the past, given Ultrasone's wild QC tolerances (having owned three Edition 8s that all sounded different in the past myself), maybe David and I are the only two head-fiers who got halfway decent Edition 10s?

 

Of course, I'm not just defending David because I happen to agree with his rankings. I totally disagree on the SR-007, TH900, Qualia 010, and think he may have overemphasized / underemphasized certain points (the unreliability of the SR-Omega seemingly a bigger issue than the unreliability of the R10 for instance). But that's to be expected, and it doesn't detract from the legitimacy of his undertaking. Now personally, I don't care for systematic approaches of headphone ranking en mass, and I much prefer the journal format for impressions, as I feel it provides better context for them. But I don't for a moment think David's truly Herculean effort was done for some questionable motive, as least nothing beyond what any of us want when we share impressions (to be helpful, to share, and to garner attention and praise for our efforts---perfectly fine motivations).

 

I mean come on, that seems like a hell of a lot of work just for corporate promotion. If David is doing this to promote his company, they should make him employee of the year!


Edited by MuppetFace - 11/2/12 at 2:50am
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post #2172 of 4408
11/2/12 at 6:04am
That comparative review was a labour of love. It's apparent that David's obsession with head-fi preceded his employment within the industry.
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post #2173 of 4408
11/2/12 at 8:39am

I'm having second thought about buying TH900 after reading that comparison.  evil_smiley.gif

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post #2174 of 4408
11/2/12 at 10:03am

I am actually excited about receiving my order of a TH900 after David's great review of all his toys.  As I already have a lot of the top tier stuff, I understand what he says well.  I think the TH900 will sing with the proper amp.  I look forward to auditioning it with a Cary 300SEI and the Grace M903.

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post #2175 of 4408
11/2/12 at 11:17am
Quote:
Originally Posted by MuppetFace View Post

Actually, I think David's ranking of the Edition 10 is one of the best facets of his impressive undertaking.

 

It shows, most clearly to me, that he's genuinely giving out his opinion and not just parroting the preconceived "wisdom of head-fi." FWIW, I actually find the Edition 10 a decent enough headphone in and of itself like David. Is it a reasonable headphone? Of course not. Not at half its price even. Still, I don't think David is claiming otherwise, and neither am I. As I've joked in the past, given Ultrasone's wild QC tolerances (having owned three Edition 8s that all sounded different in the past myself), maybe David and I are the only two head-fiers who got halfway decent Edition 10s?

 

Of course, I'm not just defending David because I happen to agree with his rankings. I totally disagree on the SR-007, TH900, Qualia 010, and think he may have overemphasized / underemphasized certain points (the unreliability of the SR-Omega seemingly a bigger issue than the unreliability of the R10 for instance). But that's to be expected, and it doesn't detract from the legitimacy of his undertaking. Now personally, I don't care for systematic approaches of headphone ranking en mass, and I much prefer the journal format for impressions, as I feel it provides better context for them. But I don't for a moment think David's truly Herculean effort was done for some questionable motive, as least nothing beyond what any of us want when we share impressions (to be helpful, to share, and to garner attention and praise for our efforts---perfectly fine motivations).

 

I mean come on, that seems like a hell of a lot of work just for corporate promotion. If David is doing this to promote his company, they should make him employee of the year!

 

Thanks Romy:)

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