[Bagheera]

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[gelocks]

Quote:

 
The kind of audio presentation I like:

1. Smooth treble that's not overly bright. I hate sibilance and can't deal with sharp-sounding treble for long.
2. Warm, lively mid-range that has good timbre. I listen to a lot of vocal and orchestral content and I like to feel the emotions and intimacy of the performance. I also like classical instruments to sound lively, realistic, and believable (rather than cold and analytical).
3. Tight, fast, controlled bass that extents down deep, but is not overly loud or boomy. I am not a basshead and boomy bass just makes long listening sessions uncomfortable. But I do like good bass extension so I can still experience the bass content fully.

 
And that's what you'll get with the A900x!
 
I haven't auditioned the K550s though but it seems a lot of people have different views on them... Some say they are the best ever, others criticize the lack of bass (and most people say that this is due to headband position, lack of seal), etc.
 
IMO, vocals are rendered beautifully on the A900x, almost besting or tying with my faves for vocals, Shure SRH940s, so I'm pretty sure you will find it to your liking. As I have mentioned numerous times, the ONLY con I found on the a900x's were the plastic-like earpads... they're don't feel like "leather" nor "pleather" to me... (heck, I find that my cheapo Panasonic earpads feel better!!!) but regarding sound reproduction, I could not say anything bad about them, especially for the price.
 
Hopefully you'll get your headphones soon and you (and your ears) will be the judge!
 
 
Good luck!

 

[PurpleAngel]

Quote:

I did extensive reading on the reviews of ATH-A900X (at least, what little there is - there seems to be a lack of professional reviews on these cans by American A/V websites), and the general impression seems to be very positive.  Being an ardent fan of my ATH-A9X (but feeling it could use an upgrade in bass body), I decided to order a pair of A900X from Japan (it costs less to have them shipped overseas than to order them from an American reseller... isn't that sad?)

I own the ATH-A900X,
I own 12 headphones and the A900X is my pick for music audio.
Just make sure you use the 40-Ohm A900Xs with an amplifier with a very low impedance (Ohm).

 

[Bagheera]

Thanks for your inputs guys!
 
My A900X arrived yesterday - currently burning them in. I do have a headphone amp (by a Taiwanese manufacturer nobody's heard of, so I am not gonna bother xD), but I don't know what the output impedance is. May have to measure it with an multimeter sometime. :/
 
First impression of the sound quality is that the sound stage is wiiiiiiiiide - I am used to the sound of the ATH-A9X and this is night and day difference for me. Overall presentation is a bit dull and boring out of the package, but of course... have to be patient. 3 more days of burning to go.
 
I couldn't resist my curiosity though, and ordered a used pair of K550 as well - will be doing comparisons and may be post reviews for both. I doubt I'll dislike either one - probably comes down to personal preference. May end up either reselling one pair or keeping both (if I like both of them well enough)