Fostex TH900 Impressions & Discussion Thread

[LinkPro]

Last weekend I met up with another head-fier at the audio store. His words were :-


TH-900 - fine dining
LCD-3 - healthy dose of meat and potatoes

well I do like meat and potatoes...*fingers crossed* I always act like a babarian whenever I go to a fine dining restaurant

How about this vs LCD-2? I've been looking at the LCD-2 for quite some time now, however I'm worried that my Asgard won't be able to drive them to full potential. I really don't want to invest in another amp right now, as the Asgard does so well with my Denons, and the TH900 should be similar to the Denons in its response to amping given their similar design. Comfort is also another concern.

Or even a comparison with the D7100 would be nice

 

[songmic]

Quote:

Or even a comparison with the D7100 would be nice

 
There is no comparison with the D7100...
 
TH900 ≥ LCD-3 > LCD-2 > D7000 > D7100
 
The D7100 doesn't even sound like previous Denon headphones. The D2000, D5000, D7000, and TH900 all have similar sonic signature in general, just getting better in overall aspects. So is LCD-2 and LCD-3. The D7100, however, is a foster child.

 

[MuppetFace]

The D7100 is one of the worst flagship headphones I've ever heard. The TH900 is lightyears ahead of it. Heck, the D7000 is lightyears ahead of the D7100.

 

[purrin]

The D7100 are what people think the Dr. Dre Beats Studio sound like. The non-counterfeit Beats Studio are not that bad.

 

[MorbidToaster]

No contest. The Fostex destroys the LCD 2.2 I used to own. 

 

[BournePerfect]

Sold my HD 800 (which I'm sure I'll get again) to help fund a TH900. Will be paired with a DP-1, ZDSE, and all-Decware PCs/ICs. I'll be able to place my order in a week-ish. Where's the best (in STOCK) place to order in the US?
 
 Been meaning to subscribe for a while.
 
-Daniel

 

[Telstar]

Quote:

The D7100 is one of the worst flagship headphones I've ever heard. The TH900 is lightyears ahead of it. Heck, the D7000 is lightyears ahead of the D7100.

Thanks, you made me loose the desire to listen the D7100

 

[LinkPro]

The D7100 is one of the worst flagship headphones I've ever heard. The TH900 is lightyears ahead of it. Heck, the D7000 is lightyears ahead of the D7100.

The D7100 are what people think the Dr. Dre Beats Studio sound like. The non-counterfeit Beats Studio are not that bad.

There is no comparison with the D7100...

TH900 ≥ LCD-3 > LCD-2 > D7000 > D7100

The D7100 doesn't even sound like previous Denon headphones. The D2000, D5000, D7000, and TH900 all have similar sonic signature in general, just getting better in overall aspects. So is LCD-2 and LCD-3. The D7100, however, is a foster child.

Just as I finally started to appreciate the 7100's design too.

 

[K_19]

Quote:

 
There is no comparison with the D7100...
 
TH900 ≥ LCD-3 > LCD-2 > D7000 > D7100
 
The D7100 doesn't even sound like previous Denon headphones. The D2000, D5000, D7000, and TH900 all have similar sonic signature in general, just getting better in overall aspects. So is LCD-2 and LCD-3. The D7100, however, is a foster child.

 
Pun/irony probably not intended, but just thought I'd point it out 

 
Is the D7100 even made by Foster/Fostex anyway? 

 

[Arcamera]

That took me a second, lol 

 

[songmic]

Quote:

 
Pun/irony probably not intended, but just thought I'd point it out 

 
Is the D7100 even made by Foster/Fostex anyway? 

 
Ha! I knew someone with a keen eye would point that out. My pun was intended, but ironically the answer is no. Denon's relationship with Foster ended after the D7000, so that's the best explanation why the D7100 sound so different, not to mention bad.
 
I had listened to the D7100 for a couple days by borrowing it from a local headphile friend (it was fully burnt in at 50+ hours). I just told him it was an OK headphone, but deep down I felt sorry for the poor chap. Good thing I got to listen to it before making any decisions, coz I was kinda attracted by its build and design.

 

[MacedonianHero]

Quote:

 
There is no comparison with the D7100...
 
TH900 ≥ LCD-3 > LCD-2 > D7000 > D7100
 
The D7100 doesn't even sound like previous Denon headphones. The D2000, D5000, D7000, and TH900 all have similar sonic signature in general, just getting better in overall aspects. So is LCD-2 and LCD-3. The D7100, however, is a foster child.

 
My comparisons would be:
 
LCD-3 > LCD-2 > TH900 > D7000 >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> D7100 = Monster Beats 

 

[tokendog]

Quote:

 
My comparisons would be:
 
LCD-3 > LCD-2 > TH900 > D7000 >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> D7100 = Monster Beats 

 
If it was only that simple for me...I love the clarity of the TH-900.  I'm starting to wonder if I have veiled LCD-3s as the TH-900 seem more clear than the LCD-3s in comparison.

 

[MacedonianHero]

Quote:

 
If it was only that simple for me...I love the clarity of the TH-900.  I'm starting to wonder if I have veiled LCD-3s as the TH-900 seem more clear than the LCD-3s in comparison.

 
For me, the TH-900s were improved upon D7000s. The TH-900s are darn easy to power properly (as the D7000s where). The LCD-3s, quite a bit tougher being orthos. So one rig where the TH-900s sound great, may not be up to the task to drive orthos. Then there's the matter of the source too. 
 
If you're using a Lyr to drive the LCD-3s, that may be your issue. I really liked the Lyr with the LCD-2s, but it made the LCD-3s sound lifeless and rather meh. BTW, I hope you're not plugging in your TH-900s into your Lyr. 

 

[tokendog]

Quote:

 
For me, the TH-900s were improved upon D7000s. The TH-900s are darn easy to power properly (as the D7000s where). The LCD-3s, quite a bit tougher being orthos. So one rig where the TH-900s sound great, may not be up to the task to drive orthos. 

 
Well, I'm actually getting great results from the Fiio E9 on the TH-900s.  The setup for the moment with my TH-900s is optical -> Gungnir -> fiio E9.
 
The LCD-3s is a bit better off in terms of the setup I have for it.  For the LCD-3s, it is: Optical -> Gungnir -> Mjolnir -> Q-cable -> LCD-3.
 
The TH-900s is still doing a damn good job holding up against the LCD-3s even with that setup.
 
I tried the TH-900s with the Schiit Lyr and some Matsu 6922 tubes and it just messed with the sound too much.
 
I'm having a HARD time deciding which one I like more.  I can only imagine if I was to change my setup for the TH-900s to the Gungnir -> V200 amp.