Fostex TH900 Impressions & Discussion Thread - Page 162

Yep, it's a trippy phone alright. How do you hear the mids of the TH-900?

I don't remember well. I'm going to borrow a pair at some point and do a proper write-up I hope, against the LCD-3s and 009s.

Look forward to it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hubert481 

>>but its single-ended output is said to be mediocre

interesting info - do you remember where you got this info? (link?)

I for one have experienced this.  It happened with my T1s.  They sounded just horrible out the SE out put.  However, every thing I put in the balanced output was outstanding. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by tokendog 

 

Amazingly enough, the Fiio E9.  The Mjolnir wasn't an option, and the Lyr is too powerful and not worth the risk.  Yes, that's right.  The TH-900s, just like the D7000s I used to own, sounds great out of the modest little Fiio E9.

 

Of course, I am going to be upgrading to a better amp soon.  I'm eyeing the V200 or the WA6SE.  The Fiio E9 was the only amp I had available at the time and to my surprise, it sounds damn good.

 

 

I was just as shocked as you.  I've never been as satisfied as I am with the TH-900s, with perhaps the exception of the HD-800s.  However, those lacked a few qualities that I preferred in my sound.  I've actually changed my mind today and am going to keep the TH-900s, the W3000ANV, and the HD-800.  The rest of the collection is being sold off.

There's a few amps out there with gain switches on them.  That may be a better option for better amping.

GS-1 / GS-X

BHA-1

I think a few Audio GD amps has this as well.

If you want to stay SE the GS-1 is a perfect choice.  IMO.

Those are the few I know about.  I'm sure there's more.

The V200 interest me because it's a good price for good performance and it pairs well with the HD-800s.  The TH-900 really do not need high end amplification.  They sound superb through the little Fiio E9.  

Of course, that doesn't mean that better amplification won't make them sound even better which honestly is what I am most excited about.  I am going to be pairing the TH-900s with other amps in the next few weeks to find the best match, but the one requirement is that those amps must also pair well with my other headphones as I'm consolidating my collection down to the headphones I will use the most.

Every day I've owned the TH-900s, they have impressed me.  That is something no other headphone has done for me.  I would usually be impressed, enjoy them, and it was what it was.  Maybe the occasional surprise, but usually I became accustomed to the sound and knew what to expect.  I knew the limitations of that headphone.

The TH-900 every day seems to say, "I can do a little bit more, here, let me show you." and I am enjoying the experience greatly. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hubert481 

What limitations did you find?

Which headphone? :)

The SE output is bad. I've heard it on 2 occasions with multiple headphones and it's not really worth owning if you're not using it balanced.

Quote:

Originally Posted by songmic 

 

I can't remember, but I definitely saw this in Head-fi a week ago I think. Then again, that's all they said. Moon Audio, on the other hand, seems to favor the BHA-1 over all the other amps it sells (including DP1, Soloist, etc.) for the TH900. Maybe that Head-fi'er was trying to say that the single-ended output is not as great as the balanced outputs? Still, I personally wouldn't buy a balanced amp if I'm going to use it primarily as single-ended.

Quote:

Originally Posted by AnakChan 

Currawong, I'm off to Oz for 2 weeks on vaca with the family. Happy to ship you my TH-900 for your review during that time. You can bring it back when you come to Tokyo for the Stax tour.
2 weeks enough for you to review? I have a Pelican case for it but naturally please be gentle, the left & right cups have broken off in two separate occasions (& black coat scratched off in the last show too). Will send it over later this week if you're ok.

You are a very generous man.. This is call the art of sharing..

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hubert481 

You was talking about the th-900 above.

When I said limitations, I was referring to the limitations of the other headphones that I own.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MorbidToaster 

The SE output is bad. I've heard it on 2 occasions with multiple headphones and it's not really worth owning if you're not using it balanced.

 

Interesting.  That has not been my experence at all.  Before buying it I had the opportunity to try with the HD800, LCD2 rev. 1 and HE-6 and it sounded great with each on SE.  Tight, deep bass, smooth mids, really open and detailed without being the least bit harsh.  It definitely outperforms my Trafomatic Head-one which is no slouch on SE and literally transformed my AKG 550 which I was on the brink of selling.

Can't wait to try with my th900, but based on some advice given previously in this thread I did send back to Bryston to have the gain reduced on the low  setting.

I understand there have been several iterations of the bha-1 so perhaps the comments on SE are based on an earlier version?