[BobJS]

My TH900's should be arriving today.
I was thinking if sending them to be modded by Lawton.
Does anyone have impressions if the before and after? Does it really help with the recessed mids and improve the bass slam and tightness?
And another thing is should we remvable the TH900 or are the cables used with the TH900 matched and tuned to be used together and we shouldn't change that?

I've got a Lawton mod kit on it's way to me.  Thought I'd give it go.  I love the TH900 as it is but certain bass, or mid-bass heavy passages can sound a little boomy.  I'm hoping the mod can tighten that up a bit.

 

[Oregonian]

my 2 cents is that changing pads and maybe adding some dampening material might be fun to play around with. any/all other destructive mods seem silly to me.

and the cable is very good. it's the same cable on the denon d7000, which is 7N OCC...some say the cable is a weakness of the fostex/denon. i say they're full of it. few after-market cables are going to be as high quality as the stock th900 cable. now, if you're looking for a shorter cable, lighter cable, a different plug on the end, or want a different look, then go ahead. if all you're looking for is "better" sound, i wouldn't touch the cable. again, this is my 2 cents.

Those of us who only changed the cable because we feel it is too long and too stiff prefer the Q French Silk cable for ease of use and it made no change in the sound. Not to mention at 4', it is about perfect for my needs. Nor did I want a change in sound. Much preferred over the stock cables on this and my D7000.

Some just prefer a cable that you don't have to manage every time you move. To each their own.

The Lawton mods did tighten up the bass nicely. Here's a pic of the same cable I have on my TH900. In brown on my Denons and black on the Fostex.

 

[Oregonian]

I've got a Lawton mod kit on it's way to me.  Thought I'd give it go.  I love the TH900 as it is but certain bass, or mid-bass heavy passages can sound a little boomy.  I'm hoping the mod can tighten that up a bit.

It will.

 

[rsbrsvp]

I just received my fully modded level three Lawton LA-900.
 
I got the new exhibition cups in walnut.
 
I never heard the TH-900 so I have no way to compare; however here are some initial impressions regarding three common complaints I see in this thread regarding the TH-900.
 
1.  Many claim the treble is overly aggressive.  I have no idea what they are talking about.  Not aggressive, sibilant, overly bright or peaky AT ALL on my LA-900.
 
2.  Boomy Bass is a common complaint.  Again- I have no idea AT ALL what anyone is talking about.  No Boomy bass in any way shape or form on these headphones.
 
3.  Many claim the mids are recessed.   Now on this I need to be upfront and say that I do not know what "recessed mids" means.  Regardless, the mids sound perfectly balanced and very natural.
 
I have also heard some complaints regarding the TH-900 that there are some thin areas.  Again- nothing sounds thin to me at all.  Now- the sound of the LCD-3 is a bit fuller- but that headphone excels in that area above all others.  The LA-900 is more balanced in the full frequency spectrum than the LCD-3 and the mids are not to far behind at all.  It is very realistically full sounding throughout the frequency spectrum.
 
In my opinion- this headphone is perfectly balanced tonally in every area- certainly more so than the LCD-3, and does not stress any region over any other.
 
So in terms of negatives- I see absolutely none of the above mentioned blemishes found in the TH-900 in the LA-900.
 
 
Now regarding what I wanted from these headphones when I ordered them- which was a more euphonic/romantic- R10 style sound;- so far from what I hear- it is not there to the same degree at all.  The LA-900 is more honest and less colored.  The soundstage is very big- like the R-10 but the sounds still seem like they are coming from one general location unlike the R-10 where you can hear each instrument and voice coming from a different part of your head- or ear--- almost as if there are multiple drivers set at different heights and depths on each side of your head.  Also- although the midrange sounds perfectly balanced- it is not magically euphonic like the R-10 was to me.  Now the headphones are new and still need burn-in- so I reserve the right to comment later based on future developments.
 
So in summary- my initial impressions are- I see NONE of the negatives of the TH-900 as reported by others.   All issues seem to of been taken care of in a very thorough fashion.   But also- the LA-900's do not have the unique magic of the R-10 which is what I really wanted. With all due fairness- when I owned the R-10 I used it with a SDS/XLR which is a tube amp that stresses the midrange magic, while my LA-900 are being used with a Audio-gd Master 9--- so I am not comparing on equal grounds.
 
By the way- Mark NEVER told me the LA-900 would sound like the R-10.   He said it would appeal to the same kind of person who likes the R-10 and that it shares many similarities.  I would have to agree so far that that is a reasonable claim.  It is a more honest headphone than the R-10- but I prefer the sugar coated magic coloration of the R-10- SO FAR.
 
By the way- Mark Lawton is an honest, fantastic fellow who did a beautiful job.

 

[Canadian411]

You bought TH900 but never heard ? Did you buy modified TH900 directly from Lawton ?
 
And what was the cost ? picture will be appreciated

 

[rsbrsvp]

I live overseas and I did not want to fool with all the customs and duties and shipping costs of ordering a TH-900 first- then sending it back to have it modified and sent back to me again.  So I PM'ed several people who had their Denons modified by Mark and all of them said it was worth it and there was a noticeable improvement- so I went for it based on those recommendations.
 
No time for pics now..

 

[GL1TCH3D]

It also depends what type of sounds he's used to.
I definitely notice the bit of boom, sibilance and recessed mids in my pair

 

[Canadian411]

It also depends what type of sounds he's used to.
I definitely notice the bit of boom, sibilance and recessed mids in my pair

me 2, I feel the same.
I might get the Level 1 DIY kit from Lawton, no way I am replacing this red cup unless it's the black and ebony white/dark wood

 

[Shini44]

My serial number is 2232 ouch i am 10 headphones late hehehe, oh i mean the 1st owner  
 
@ Gl1TCH3D , don't sell the TH900 , its a lot of fun <3 

 

[Canadian411]

 
 
Dang.. I miss my D7000,   keep it for long time !

 

[Canadian411]

I was wrong...
 
I always thought both D7000 and TH900 had 7N purity OCC cables, but after carefully reading both specs from their official web sites(below), both headphones are 7N OFC cables.
 
http://www.fostexinternational.com/docs/products/TH-900.shtml
http://usa.denon.com/us/product/pages/productdetail.aspx?PCatId=Headphones(DenonNA)&catalog=DenonNA_US&CatId=OverEar(DenonNA)&Pid=AHD7000(DenonNA)
 
In other words, difference between Mogami and Cardas cables.
 
I read that pure OCC performs better "OCC cables are smooth sounding and does not lose dynamics. The bass reproduction is very accurate and defined.".. etc.
 
So, I don't doubt people who modified TH900/D7000 with the aftermarket cables (Ultra Pure/Pure OCC) heard the difference in sound quality.
 
Good thing is that both cables are 7N purity and I don't have a golden ears so can't tell from OFC and OCC.

 

[GL1TCH3D]

My serial number is 2232 ouch i am 10 headphones late hehehe, oh i mean the 1st owner  

@ Gl1TCH3D , don't sell the TH900 , its a lot of fun <3 

It's a fine all around headphone and since it's closed I don't mind bringing it out once in a while.
I'm going to EQ it a bit to reduce that bass hump, bring up the mids a little and that should balance out the sibilance.

 

[zolkis]

My TH900's should be arriving today.
I was thinking if sending them to be modded by Lawton.
Does anyone have impressions if the before and after? Does it really help with the recessed mids and improve the bass slam and tightness?
And another thing is should we remvable the TH900 or are the cables used with the TH900 matched and tuned to be used together and we shouldn't change that?

I never heard the Lawton mod, but the TH900 is definitely positively improvable. I can imagine that someone with his experience can improve the sound. In my experience, the following are worth exploring:
- changing the pads affects midrange and sound stage; I don't recommend high and angled pads, unless the foam rings are changed, too; I use the original pads with a slightly more shallow active carbon foam filling, see my earlier post in this thread. Replacement pads are available from dealers and are cheap.
- changing the foam rings around the drivers to wool felt pads changes bass and midrange. This has the biggest effect. Try different densities.
- changing the filling in the cups has the least effect. Using wool blobs lightly makes the bass rounder, but I left it alone.
So I agree that nondestructive mods have the biggest potential and you can do it yourself.

 

[LFC_SL]

My TH900's should be arriving today.
I was thinking if sending them to be modded by Lawton.
Does anyone have impressions if the before and after? Does it really help with the recessed mids and improve the bass slam and tightness?
And another thing is should we remvable the TH900 or are the cables used with the TH900 matched and tuned to be used together and we shouldn't change that?

What niche is the TH900 filling in your collection out of interest?

These long head-fi threads always are cyclical and more often than not it appears those who want more did not demo pre-purchase

 

[GL1TCH3D]

My TH900's should be arriving today.
I was thinking if sending them to be modded by Lawton.
Does anyone have impressions if the before and after? Does it really help with the recessed mids and improve the bass slam and tightness?
And another thing is should we remvable the TH900 or are the cables used with the TH900 matched and tuned to be used together and we shouldn't change that?

What niche is the TH900 filling in your collection out of interest?

These long head-fi threads always are cyclical and more often than not it appears those who want more did not demo pre-purchase

Hard to demo pairs in Canada.
Very few owners of certain headphones and even less shops carrying them.
I'm the only one that I know of in Montreal with a TH900 and it's never been brought to a meet.