Fostex TH900 Impressions & Discussion Thread - Page 232

Hi rgs9200m

thank you for your impression 

I stopped typing too soon on my TH900 comments. They are addictive and eminently musical and I can't stop listening. They just have some colorations in tonality and perspective  (a more old fashioned headphone sound, more

in your head, right-between-your-ears as headroom likes to say) but it is done in a stunningly beautiful way. No fatigue and very involving at the same time, a neat trick. I love mine.

 

Kinda what he said. But to me it doesn't bass doesn't bleed into the mids - I don't think that's what rgs meant.

 

I generally don't compare open headphones to closed as they're really just different but the SR-009 is just so transparent and spacious. At least for my ears, the SR-009 is my personal reference of neutral if driven properly. Off the SRM-727A, the bass could be perceived as a little light. Will see how it goes when I get around to building the KGSSHV.

 

THe TH-900's to me are top quality fun headphones. I don't want readers to misunderstand that fun == bad 'cos it really isn't. I do like it for my 80's pop and more current hip-hop styled genre where I do use the TH-900s. But if it's classical, jazz, or even say the Best Audiophile Voices range of albums, the SR--009.

 

@rudi, I thought you have the SR-009 yourself? And I know you recently picked up the TH-900's.

 

Edit: to be honest I'm really not doing either headphones much justice with such a brief impressions. I usually have verbal diarrhea when it comes to giving my thoughts but it's late here.

 

 

So the D7000 is really more for collection? The reason I'm curious is 'cos in Japan 2nd hand D7000s still rock up every now and then and I've been curious if I should pick up a pair.

Edited by AnakChan - 3/4/13 at 10:15am

 

You can't go wrong adding them to your collection.  You would never lose money on them if you got them for around 600-700 and in fact would probably end up making money if you ever did decide to sell them.

 

They are less refined than the TH900s.  The bass, from what I recall, was more prominent and less accurate but was extremely musical.  The TH-900 took the excitement of the D7000s and just made every thing more accurate and more detailed while still being less analytical than its counterparts (HD-800, for example.) 

 

The TH-900s bass has toned down a lot for me and I've found that I have to boost it a bit in order to get back some of what was present when I first got them.  They have become less of what I remember from the D7000 as burn-in and my own ears have adjusted to them over time.

 

There are times when I'd love to be able to pick up the D7000 and have that beautiful, warm, in your face bass back that I had when I first got the TH-900s.

 

It may not be your cup of tea, but the best example I can give is when you first get the TH-900s, realize that it is very likely the bass will tone down and become more tamed in comparison to when you first get them after a few hundred hours of use.  The D7000 is more like the out of the box experience with the TH-900s, just less refined in all areas, but as the TH-900s age, you might start to miss that aspect of their sound and the D7000 will still have it even after burn-in...

 

If that makes sense?  Short answer, hell yes, for $600-700 I'd add the D7000 to my collection in a heart beat and most likely will be in the near future.  The only real hesitation I have is how the TH600 sounds in comparison to the D7000.  I've read your perspective on them but am waiting for more comparisons before I decide to either go with the D7000 or the TH600...though knowing me, in the end, I'll probably go with both.

Edited by tokendog - 3/4/13 at 10:24am

If I sell my D7000 I'll probably be able to pick up the TH900 right away, but I still want to keep it for a 3 way shootout between D7000, D7100 and TH900. I wonder if I can tell the D7000 and TH900 apart.

 

You will be able to.  The clarity is the biggest difference along with the control over the bass and lack of distortion in the sub bass.

I don't think they are as easy to amp as everyone says.
Even my Mjolnir with a stock power cord goes a little bloaty (and then the bass seems over whelming at times).

ymmv

Now that I finally took the plunge and bought a pair of TH-900's, I definitely understand the raving review of this amazing headphone. The first time I heard them I smiled from ear to ear and I felt like I really did find that perfect sound, especially from a closed-back. I still prefer open for that airy sound especially with acoustic music and live performances, but the TH-900 really do everything very well. So far I'm very impressed with the detail throughout the entire sound spectrum. The bass is noticeably more refined and controlled than the D7000 (stock), and the mids are more forward which is a huge plus for me. Overall I'm loving this headphone even with my Burson and I can't wait to hear it through the LG, I'm sure I will have fun finding that perfect synergy when tube rolling.

 

Regarding the D7000, I'm still unsure if I will keep them or sell them. I agree completely with tokendog, they are a classic and will continue to raise in value. On one hand, I want to sell to recoup some of the scratch I've been throwing around lately, but I know that nostalgia will creep up sooner or later.

 

@preproman - I order my TH-900 from PriceJapan for 1615$ shipped on Feb 17, and received them on the 26. So their shipping is fast and their service was great for me, if that eases your mind any.

 

Happy to hear you like them.  They will continue to grow on you. :)   As far as the D7000s go, I highly recommend you try to keep them.  One of the great things about having multiple high quality headphones is being able to switch to another sound signature for a few days and then go back to your primary.  It keeps things interesting and helps you appreciate the differences between the sounds. :)

 

However, if you simply have to recover some of the funds, I'll probably be one of the first to go after your D7000s. :)

Haha, will definitely keep you in mind if I do sell them. I definitely am still loving the D7000, but everytime I switch to them from the TH-900, there is something missing and I end up with the TH-900's on my head. Definitely worth the money for me.

 

Edit: Also, does anyone have any experience with the TH-900's balanced? How much different is the sound compared to SE? I'm thinking about getting them recabled or recabling them myself, but I haven't decide yet. Not sure if the difference will be much. I've heard a balanced D7000, and didn't hear a huge difference.. definitely there but subtle.

Edited by Greed - 3/4/13 at 12:56pm

I run my TH-900's balanced using a Silver Dragon cable. The cable just takes the edge off the 4-8k treble and adds detail everywhere. It doesn't sound like any description of a silver cable I have heard. It's very smooth. It seems pretty ideal to me.

The amp matters a lot more than balanced does, though I'm sure shielded interconnects help plenty.

SDv3 is a nice cable for the TH-900's.

hth

 

Match my thoughts as well. For closed headphones, I have yet to hear any better.

 

I wouldn't listen to the TH-900 / GS-X combo.....it might ruin it for other amps. Simply magical amp with the TH-900s (and the LCD-3s and the HD800s and my IEMs......). 

I hear ya. Every time I look at the GS-X thread or look at meet impressions everyone says how great that amp is, especially for so many different headphones. But personally there are a few reasons not to get it now/keep it as a long term piece to get. The current wait time for the next batch is 2-3 months minimum, and its going up in price by like $300-$500 from what I remember seeing, its current price is a above my budget already for now. In the future I will be able to get more things, but TH 900, LCD 3 3 months ago, o yeah a heaping pile of schiit, I'm gonna be pretty tapped out soon. Something to look forward to, I don't need game over/end all right now. I'm still pretty new getting into the top tier gear, no need to get crazy all at once. I'm enjoying what I have for now. 

 

Still leaning towards the X-Sabre (it better release soon) and the V200 for the TH900. I don't think their is a better SS option right now within what I can spend. There's at least 2 people on here that really enjoy the V200/TH 900 pairing. Worse comes to worse if I don't like I'll try something else. 

I can at least assure you that the X-Sabre is great.

 

I'm sure your X-Sabre + V200 will still be fantastic!