The Closed Wars: MrSpeakers ETHER C vs. Audeze LCD-XC vs. Fostex TH900 vs. MrSpeakers Alpha Prime vs Fostex TH-X00 - Comparison

Hey Head-fi'ers! 
 
I've been fortunate enough to get my hands on the Audeze LCD-XC, Fostex TH900 and MrSpeakers Alpha Prime headphones (Added MrSpeakers ETHER C on 10/19/2015, and Fostex TH-X00 on 12/11/2015)
 

 
I only have the Schiit stack (Magni 2/Modi) to power these, but they all shouldn't be terribly hard to drive
 

 
This is the first time I've ever done a full on headphone bake off and would love to hear some recommendations from the Head-Fi community!

My current list of test songs are (Mostly a Hip-Hop/EDM fan)
 
Wale "Love/Hate Thing"

Bonobo “Brace Brace”

Emancipator “Minor Cause” “Elephant Survival” “Lionheart”

Cashmere Cat “Mirror Maru”

Shigeto “Relentless Drug”

Jay-Z “Tom Ford”

SBTRKT “Never Never”

Massive Attack “Teardrop”

Kanye West “All of the Lights”
 
 
Let me know what you'd want to hear and things I should look for over the test! I'll be running this for a week or so.
 
First Impressions:

LCD-XC: Best sound but super heavy
Fostex TH900: Very close to LCD-XC sound wise, lighter and extremely comfortable, but almost no isolation
Alpha Prime: Solid all around but not as much of an intensity and clarity as the other two headphones, great isolation and second most comfortable
 
This will all be revisited after they have a chance to burn in a bit

Just finished up a great two weeks with these headphones! Learned a ton and it was fun doing my first review of a few sets of headphones.

I'm not as versed in the terminology so plan to keep this short and sweet but get across my views on these headphones.

As stated above the hardware I had was the Magni 2 / Modi 1.

The criteria for this is down to three things for me

1. Sound Quality
2. Comfort
3. Noise Isolation (Closed back usually is for a certain environment)

Songs

I have a subset of songs I use most

Gold by Bondax
Brace Brace by Bonobo
Wedding Bells by Cashmere Cat
Finale by Madeon
Tom Ford by Jay Z
Teardrop by Massive Attack
How to Disappear Completely by Radiohead
001 by HWLS
Easy Easy by TNGHT

And you can check out my full Tidal playlist here of the songs I used to listen to these headphones

tidal.com/playlist/26167c90-9aea-4579-bebd-20e3554d09c3

Audeze LCD-XC



Sound Quality

This is the first pair of Audeze headphones I had gotten a chance to listen to. The sound was very clear and had a good open feel and the instrument separation was good. Probably felt the smallest sound stage of the three headphones, but compared to other closed cans these were wonderful. The bass was full but not as good as the other two headphones. I would liken these much closer to the Alpha Primes sonically than the TH900 and I would go heavily back and forth between these and the Primes sometimes finding only very small differences. I would say this felt to me like it had the smallest sound stage and airy-ness of the three headphones.

Of the three compared these headphones had the darkest sound but overall quite enjoyable.

Comfort

This is where these drop off the most for me. They have a decent clamping force but these aren't good if you're moving about at all. Just sit at your desk and listen. But then the weight becomes a problem. For shorter listening sessions it isn't terribly noticeable but go half a day and you'll see that these are quite heavy.

Noise Isolation

These had the middle of the ground noise isolation and leakage compared to the other two. While not super great, not bad at all and will do the job isolating and keeping leakage to a minimum at usual volumes.

Fostex TH-900



Sound Quality

These headphones had the most immediate wow factor to me. The expansive sound stage made me feel like I was at the Madeon concert I went to a few years ago when I listened to Finale. Things were airy and more spread out and felt very real. That being said when you compare these against the other headphones the voices feel a bit more recessed and the V-shaped sound signature comes into play. The highs can also get a bit bright and caused some fatigue on me. I got to try these another time with the Woo WA7+WA7tp and the highs were much better but the mids while more forward were less clear.

With that said these headphones had the best bass for the music I like to listen to. I had a ton of fun listening to these headphones, but the harshness in some songs can make you turn the volume down.

Comfort

These were the most comfortable of all three headphones that I tried, mostly because of weight. They're much lighter than the Alpha Primes and MUCH lighter than the LCD-XC. Could happily wear these all day.

Noise Isolation

This is where these headphones lost out and why I decided to not keep these. Even with a closed back design these are isolation wise essentially open back headphones. If you're looking for closed back to get the isolation these aren't it. I was listening with my room open and down the hall someone turned on the TV and could definitely hear the sound coming in.

From a leakage standpoint it's not as bad as the isolation but if you turn up the volume very high you can hear from a few feet away. Especially if you're working in a quiet office.

MrSpeakers Alpha Prime



Sound Quality

These headphones were definitely the most neutral sounding of all the headphones. While they didn't have the wow factor I got from the sound stage in the TH900 (which I discount for leakage/isolation, I would compare those to open back headphones) I enjoyed every genre of music I listened to on these headphones. Never came in too bright like the TH900 would but the bass was tight and present and very enjoyable to listen to and slightly better than the LCD-XC. The mids also came in very nicely and voices sounded the best out of these headphones. The sound stage was in between the TH900 (more open) and LCD-XC (more closed). These were also the hardest to drive of all three headphones, had to flip the gain switch on my Magni 2 to high.

Overall these were the most neutral and very enjoyable across the most genre's of music, I ended up brightening up the headphones slightly with the doggy treats to work to my liking a bit more and they sounded wonderful.

Comfort

These were the second most comfortable headphones. A bit high on the clamping force but the design of the headband was nice and evenly distributed the weight across my head.

Noise Isolation

The noise isolation on these were the best of all three. With the thick pads and 3d printed cups I could hear only the music and it was great to get lost in that. As well my sister was sitting next to me and I had the volume decently up and she could barely hear it. If isolation is a big thing for you, these are amazing.

MrSpeakers ETHER C

Added on 10/19/2015



Sound Quality

These are some amazing headphones, they have the clearest sound I've heard from any headphone open or closed to date. The detail and clarity make my HE-560's sound a bit veiled. They could be considered "bright" by some standards but they in no way come across as peaky or any sibilance. Compared to the other headphones on this list they have by far the best sound. If anything these headphones are mid forward but very accurate.

The one knock I have is the bass lacks in impact and if you wear glasses the lost seal will cause the sub-bass to lose extension. All of the others have a more noticeable bass. With that being said these headphones respond very well to EQ and bumping up the bass gave it a lot more body and gave me the sound I enjoyed. So these had the highest quality bass, it seemed without EQ for me (a slight basshead) that these were quite lacking in this department.

Comfort

Moving ahead of the TH900 these headphones are almost perfect, they are by far the most comfortable, but because of their great comfort and perfectly soft clamping force, my glasses that sit off my face seem to push the headphones off and lose the seal a bit.

Noise Isolation

The noise isolation is better than TH900 but not as good as the Prime or XCs. They don't leak a ton that much though which is great for sitting near someone but again the XC and Primes leak less and if you're blasting them people can hear it. But at that point when you're blasting it isolation is fairly good.

Fostex TH-X00

Added on 12/11/2015



Sound Quality

These are a very fun headphone similar to the TH-X00 with a few interesting differences. I was very sensitive to the hot top end of the TH900s and those have been completely tamed in the X00. The mids have also been brought forward a bit to make these less V-Shaped. For the bass it's still mostly there in quantity but it's been tilted more towards the mid-bass heavy than sub-bass heavy of the TH-900. The sound stage on the TH900 was much bigger than these and I feel the TH900 were more detailed overall.

Pretty much if the Treble was too hot for you on the TH900 you can get these and be mostly happy but the TH900 wins on detail retrieval, sound stage, and sub-bass.

Comfort

These are a bit more comfortable for me than the TH900 making them some of the most comfortable of the bunch.

Noise Isolation

These are about in between the TH900 and Ether C's in isolation and noise leakage, making them okay but not great at isolation.

Conclusions

After spending 10 days with these headphones it was great to have a wonderful listening experience across many genres of music. The LCD-XC were a wonderful can, slightly darker sound signature that was extremely enjoyable was hampered for me by the weight. The Fostex TH900 gave me the most wow factor on music with minimal vocals, but the leakage and isolation issues would make me pick a great open headphone over these as well as some brighter highs and recessed mids would need a different amp to help tame those. And lastly the MrSpeakers Alpha Prime, with a very neutral but great sound and amazing isolation these are my winners

Next I plan on upgrading to a Schiit Gungnir/Cavalli Liquid Carbon and hopefully be able to get all three together again for a comparison on better equipment.

Would love feedback from any of you head-fi'ers this is my first time reviewing headphones!

----

Updated conclusion on 10/19/2015

After giving the ETHER C's a try I would have to call them the best closed headphones I've ever listened to. They are extremely clear, and even though the bass is lacking for a typical closed headphone they respond very well to EQ (I'm using Amarra for Tidal on my mac) and I was able to achieve the sound that I liked. If you have no budget and aren't looking for a crazy bass like the TH900 offers than these will be the best closed headphones I've tried to date!

----

Updated conclusion on 12/11/2015

The TH-X00 are a great intro price into a great closed back headphone but the Carbon still reigns king in my mind for it's detail retrieval and extension.

Brian

Hey head-fi'ers just finished up my impressions on the three headphones and would love to hear your thoughts!

I've tried all three extensively in demo conditions (and own the primes) and the th900 was my favorite. still think the th900 is too pricey at its msrp and even at its sales prices. hard for me to justify gettin a $1k+ v-shaped pair of headphonss. I fully expect the price point of them to fall in the near future as more flagships come out. the old dennons were a much better value imo. still I think the th900 is the 'best' expensive closed on the market now. (though i havent heard the new $2k mcintosh mhp1000)

lcd-xc is ridiculous considering its msrp pricing and comfort levels. basically unwearable for more than a few songs. also easily outperformed by other members within the audeze family. I dont see their appeal at all.

alpha prime is solid, but also pricey at its original msrp. more palatable with the current sale pricing & i wish i waited like one month before buying them to snipe the new pricing. 'most balanced' and 'neutral' out of those with the least amount of coloration out of the three. I did think the mids seem a bit different but hard to isolate exactly the presentation and describe. still no glaring flaws though. its a very capable performer but nothing rly stands out. a bit 'boring' in a sense.

I actually personally think that staying in the sub-$400 range makes a lot more sense for the closed market with strong performers like the old akg k550, new akg k553 pro, nad visio hp50, and oppo pm3. havent yet found a flagship closed that made me feel like it was worth all the extra money. wld personally rather get a flagship open+mid-tier closed portable combo.

other notes on closed headphone: I recall an beyer closed model being quite solid, but forgot exactly which model.

i also owned the el-8 closed. huge disappointmrnt. the el-8 closed is sitting at a higher price point than the rest of the mid-tiers, but have quite a lot of coloration. a pretty poor value imo. the significant coloration in the upper mids & treble was particularly frustrating as it affected female & male vocals & many instrument presentations. causes excessive harshness, edginess, raspiness & sibilance. pros is it has very nice bass quality (impact, tightness), fast planar sound, and decent sound stage for a closed though. owned it for a few months before parting with it. I wrote up a review, but became so depressed reading it, I just cant decide whether to publish it or not. lol.

as always, these were my personal experience only & ymmv. your general sonic impressions of the three seem to match what I've found from the way I read your review. enjoyable read!

Great review!! Thanks.

You should try nad hp50, its really great, a headphne that is mid centric. Beautiful mids imo.

I love TH900 bass but can't beat the real subwoofer .


If you have a budget try two svs pb13 subs setup best in market.

Thanks for reviewing those three TOTL closed headphones. I have actually listened to all three before and the TH900 is my favorite of the three. Great open sounding closed set of cans, with a lower end to die for. Great extension and decay and all around a damn fun headphone. The alpha prime and XC were also impressive, but in terms of soundstage the Fostex wins in my opinion. I'm pretty sure those will be my next big headphone purchase.

theblueprint said:

Thanks for reviewing those three TOTL closed headphones. I have actually listened to all three before and the TH900 is my favorite of the three. Great open sounding closed set of cans, with a lower end to die for. Great extension and decay and all around a damn fun headphone. The alpha prime and XC were also impressive, but in terms of soundstage the Fostex wins in my opinion. I'm pretty sure those will be my next big headphone purchase.

Click to expand...

 
Thanks! Yeah my biggest problem is I'm around noise so isolation was a pretty key factor for me hence picking the Alpha Primes. Planning on reviewing the TH900 vs some open cans this fall.

Have you listened to the Alpha Dogs or Mad Dogs? I'm wondering about your thoughts compared to the Primes. I could use a closed headphone that seals well, and I'm leaning towards these two.

theblueprint said:

Have you listened to the Alpha Dogs or Mad Dogs? I'm wondering about your thoughts compared to the Primes. I could use a closed headphone that seals well, and I'm leaning towards these two.

Click to expand...

 
I unfortunately haven't listened to those. From what I can garner is the Alpha Primes sit inbetween the warm/fun Mad Dogs and the detailed and brighter Alpha Dogs.

money4me247 said:

I've tried all three extensively in demo conditions (and own the primes) and the th900 was my favorite. still think the th900 is too pricey at its msrp and even at its sales prices. hard for me to justify gettin a $1k+ v-shaped pair of headphonss. I fully expect the price point of them to fall in the near future as more flagships come out. the old dennons were a much better value imo. still I think the th900 is the 'best' expensive closed on the market now. (though i havent heard the new $2k mcintosh mhp1000)

i also owned the el-8 closed. huge disappointmrnt. the el-8 closed is sitting at a higher price point than the rest of the mid-tiers, but have quite a lot of coloration. a pretty poor value imo. the significant coloration in the upper mids & treble was particularly frustrating as it affected female & male vocals & many instrument presentations. causes excessive harshness, edginess, raspiness & sibilance. pros is it has very nice bass quality (impact, tightness), fast planar sound, and decent sound stage for a closed though. owned it for a few months before parting with it. I wrote up a review, but became so depressed reading it, I just cant decide whether to publish it or not. lol.

as always, these were my personal experience only & ymmv. your general sonic impressions of the three seem to match what I've found from the way I read your review. enjoyable read!

Click to expand...

+1 about the EL-8. I love Audeze headphones in many ways and especially the original LCD-3 so I had great expectations for the new EL-8 but next time I see one, I'm going to run away as far as my ears legs take me.
 
Personally I love the TH900s, and I think they are the ultimate for electronic music but mids lack detail and is recessed so it's not for other genres. In other words, they are party headphones for me.
 
I have listened to the MHP1000 and if they are priced $300 I would somewhat understand but then still end up not buying. I would rather take the EL-8s.
It's basically a more detailed and colored version of the Beyerdynamic T5. McIntosh actually worked on the headphone with Beyerdynamic so it's basically a Beyerdynaimc... which sounds like a Beyerdynamic. It's not something I personally appreciate. I also disliked the comfort and ergonomics as well.
 
Conclusion for me: HP50s are my favourite closed-back headphones atm and I'll get open-back headphones because I feel it's more bang for the buck.

jeff y said:

 
It's basically a more detailed and colored version of the Beyerdynamic T5. McIntosh actually worked on the headphone with Beyerdynamic so it's basically a Beyerdynaimc... which sounds like a Beyerdynamic. It's not something I personally appreciate. I also disliked the comfort and ergonomics as well.

Click to expand...

 
People will insist on spreading this misinformation that the MHP1000 is basically a rehoused Beyer. Although McIntosh consulted with Beyerdynamic in the design process and the headphone uses Tesla technology it is built entirely to their specification in their own factory in Binghampton, NY - I can verify this personally as I've just waited for one to be made there and get shipped out! I have owned a T5p as well and I can assure you that the McIntosh is superior in pretty much every department.

wraithape said:

   
People will insist on spreading this misinformation that the MHP1000 is basically a rehoused Beyer. Although McIntosh consulted with Beyerdynamic in the design process and the headphone uses Tesla technology it is built entirely to their specification in their own factory in Binghampton, NY - I can verify this personally as I've just waited for one to be made there and get shipped out! I have owned a T5p as well and I can assure you that the McIntosh is superior in pretty much every department.

Click to expand...

Good to know. Thanks for the information. That's what the dealer told me and I believed it but I guess it's not exactly the truth.
It still does have that Beyerdynamic house sound still and I think it's the betters all Beyerdynamics but still, it just wasn't for me.
I'm more of a LCD-3 or HD650 person.  

money4me247 said:

I've tried all three extensively in demo conditions (and own the primes) and the th900 was my favorite. still think the th900 is too pricey at its msrp and even at its sales prices. hard for me to justify gettin a $1k+ v-shaped pair of headphonss. I fully expect the price point of them to fall in the near future as more flagships come out. the old dennons were a much better value imo. still I think the th900 is the 'best' expensive closed on the market now. (though i havent heard the new $2k mcintosh mhp1000)

lcd-xc is ridiculous considering its msrp pricing and comfort levels. basically unwearable for more than a few songs. also easily outperformed by other members within the audeze family. I dont see their appeal at all.

alpha prime is solid, but also pricey at its original msrp. more palatable with the current sale pricing & i wish i waited like one month before buying them to snipe the new pricing. 'most balanced' and 'neutral' out of those with the least amount of coloration out of the three. I did think the mids seem a bit different but hard to isolate exactly the presentation and describe. still no glaring flaws though. its a very capable performer but nothing rly stands out. a bit 'boring' in a sense.

I actually personally think that staying in the sub-$400 range makes a lot more sense for the closed market with strong performers like the old akg k550, new akg k553 pro, nad visio hp50, and oppo pm3. havent yet found a flagship closed that made me feel like it was worth all the extra money. wld personally rather get a flagship open+mid-tier closed portable combo.

other notes on closed headphone: I recall an beyer closed model being quite solid, but forgot exactly which model.

i also owned the el-8 closed. huge disappointmrnt. the el-8 closed is sitting at a higher price point than the rest of the mid-tiers, but have quite a lot of coloration. a pretty poor value imo. the significant coloration in the upper mids & treble was particularly frustrating as it affected female & male vocals & many instrument presentations. causes excessive harshness, edginess, raspiness & sibilance. pros is it has very nice bass quality (impact, tightness), fast planar sound, and decent sound stage for a closed though. owned it for a few months before parting with it. I wrote up a review, but became so depressed reading it, I just cant decide whether to publish it or not. lol.

as always, these were my personal experience only & ymmv. your general sonic impressions of the three seem to match what I've found from the way I read your review. enjoyable read!

Click to expand...

Nice review. And might the byers be the custom one pros?

Also, I liked your to the point review. @ bclark8923

Awesome review, thank you!! It helps confirm my happiness with my th900. I was looking at fostex but the reviews lead me to believe I'll be happier with my Fostex.