Fostex TH900 Impressions & Discussion Thread - Page 234

Also in my case.  I have no amps with SE outputs - until the GS-X arrives.  

I've re cabled all my headphones but not for a benefit in sound quality but for other benefits.  Yes on headphones like Denons, AT, and pretty much any other sensitive headphones - there are no SQ advantages - I get that.  

However, for ones own personal preferences like better flexibility in your cables, better looking cables.  It's worth it to me from that perspective along.  Plus to use them in my all balanced amps..

This is basically my feelings too, although I did think that balanced would effect sonics ever so slightly, but I guess not. Thanks, Asr and others, I will have to think about whether or not I want to spend the money to re-cable the TH-900. I don't see myself getting anything but balanced amps in the future though, so that might be an answer.

What balanced amps are you looking at that does not have SE outputs as well? (except for the MJ and a DIY?)

I'd just chop it a foot up and throw a 4 Pin XKR in there. Then you have both at very low cost.

Oh, maybe it was poor wording on my part. But what I meant to say was that, the amps I plan to purchase in the future, while maybe also having SE outputs, I would want to take advantage of the balanced outputs. (i.e LG (incoming), GS-X, LAu, Schiit Statement Amp, BHA-1)

Sorry for the confusion.

There's an idea, might end up doing that.

Can't do it on all cans but the TH900 is already cabled for it. Shouldn't be a problem.

BTW, the LG doesn't have a balanced out. They're both single ended, the 4 pin XLR was just for convenience. It won't change gain or power.

I'd just chop it a foot up and throw a 4 Pin XLR in there. Then you have both at very low cost.

No offense but I'm going to flat-out recommend that TH900 owners shouldn't try to re-terminate/re-cable to balanced.

I've heard a lot of low-impedance, high-sensitivity headphones that were re-cabled to balanced, mostly Audio-Technica and Grado models, and none of them really benefitted from it. I repeat: none. While there were marginal differences with a few like the AT W5000 and Grado HP1000, overall none of them benefitted from it. Even my former Sony Qualia 010 didn't really benefit from balanced either (it was only a marginal difference). So I'd suggest to any TH900 owners thinking about it: just don't do it and avoid doing something dumb. Because once you do it, you can't easily go back. Based on my past experience with balanced low-impedance high-sensitivity headphones, I highly recommend leaving the TH900 as-is. I predict that it wouldn't sound much different when balanced, if at all. Although anyone is free to correct me if they really want to go ahead and do it.

Speaking from my own experience, ever since I had my Audio-Technica AD2K re-cabled to balanced, I've regretted it because it made absolutely no difference. It was a total waste of time & money. And the TH900's specs aren't too far off from the AD2K's.

Well I received my TH 900's today from TTVJ. I was fortunate enough to get them with the new headphone stand. The packages was pretty blan/ sub par, the headphones itself are beautiful and well made. I also am fortunate not to have that swivel cup thingy malfunction, I guess the newer ones are cleared from that defect. They sound great out of the box, I been listening to mostly EDM a few tracks from BT and a bunch of Eric Prydz's Pryda Album, music I'm really familiar with to try and distinguish differences from these and the LCD3's. 

I don't want to comment much on sound yet but I like the balance, very happy with the bass, and extremely impressed with the soundstage. The first thing I said to myself truthfully after about an hour of listening was "what am I gonna do with the LCD 2 and D7000?" With these and my LCD 3's I just don't see when I would be using the LCD2 and Denons. Even off immediate listening they beat the denons, case closed. And it really hurts for me to say that, I always defended the denons, but you gotta call a spade a spade.