[Trogdor]

Then move on to a different set of headphones?

It's up to everyone to make that decision for themselves. I probably will, but others might enjoy a lot of the wonderful things that the TH-900 brings to the table. This is beautiful can and has a lot of wonderful qualities to it.

 

[namaiki]

Are we talking something like how the vocals in "Monarchy of Roses" sounds like he's completely surrounded by the rest of the music? (are those vocals "mids"?)

 

[Greed]

I have to tend to agree brunk and LFC here, the mids are not that recessed. Yes, they are recessed. Yes, graphs are somewhat accurate when it comes to the TH-900. But honestly, the TH-900 aren't anymore recessed than say the Beyerdynamic T1 - which to me are slightly recessed. These aren't going to give you that forward, intimate presentation like many orthos do - but for a dynamic can - these are far from the most recessed cans. With the TH-900, the few cons it may have can be improved with synergy from your upstream gear. Adding a tube amp with a lower OI does the trick for me. The bass and treble are the true stars of the show, but the mids are still very good, IMO. Without being too recessed (both on my former LG and the GS-X MK II) these cans are really enjoyable, and I tend to like mids as well. What often is overlooked is that recessed mids just means they are pushed back in the presentation. Not that they are dry or lifeless (sterile). Actually, I find the TH-900 mids to be warm, sweet, and somewhat lush (not as much as orthos like the LCD-2/3). I wouldn't do myself the disservice of not listening to these headphones just because the mids aren't forward. These cans are very good in just about every way, IMO. The mids are just one area that is not one of its strong suits. 

 

[HideousPride]

If you're willing to EQ and don't mind taking off a bit of the lower end, shelve the bass down and the mids come out better. They're not absent or of horrible quality, it's likely a combination of the tuning of the midrange being slightly recessed by design coupled with the bass being slightly overpowering that causes the somewhat lacking midrange. I've managed to deal because the TH-900 does everything else so well. Pick your poison, every TOTL headphone I've tried has some undesirable traits to it IMO.

 

[dukeskd]

First off, the TH900 is definitely not neutral. They make music very enjoyable, because we as humans, feel most of the rhythm from the bass and the TH900 has lots of quality bass. The bass on the TH900 is a great improvement from all previous headphones that is why it has to be heralded as one of the best around atm.
In conjunction with the soundstage and detail retrieval it becomes a great all-rounder. As most of the previous posts have discussed, the mids are definitely a weakness with the TH900. When I move to the TH900 from my Stax gear, it is quickly apparent how the mids are in 3rd place after the bass and treble. This is more apparent with female vocals. They sound thin and and less present than my other cans. Simply saying, the TH900 are great for some genres and less so with others. And this obviously applies to every headphone I have auditioned to date. Male vocals, especially baritone sound amazing with the TH900 but female not so much.

 

[grizzlybeast]

Quote:

I have to tend to agree brunk and LFC here, the mids are not that recessed. Yes, they are recessed. Yes, graphs are somewhat accurate when it comes to the TH-900. But honestly, the TH-900 aren't anymore recessed than say the Beyerdynamic T1 - which to me are slightly recessed. These aren't going to give you that forward, intimate presentation like many orthos do - but for a dynamic can - these are far from the most recessed cans. With the TH-900, the few cons it may have can be improved with synergy from your upstream gear. Adding a tube amp with a lower OI does the trick for me. The bass and treble are the true stars of the show, but the mids are still very good, IMO. Without being too recessed (both on my former LG and the GS-X MK II) these cans are really enjoyable, and I tend to like mids as well. What often is overlooked is that recessed mids just means they are pushed back in the presentation. Not that they are dry or lifeless (sterile). Actually, I find the TH-900 mids to be warm, sweet, and somewhat lush (not as much as orthos like the LCD-2/3). I wouldn't do myself the disservice of not listening to these headphones just because the mids aren't forward. These cans are very good in just about every way, IMO. The mids are just one area that is not one of its strong suits. 

That is the key in bold. As long as they are not lifeless. An easy misconception for me just explained right there.

Quote:

If you're willing to EQ and don't mind taking off a bit of the lower end, shelve the bass down and the mids come out better. They're not absent or of horrible quality, it's likely a combination of the tuning of the midrange being slightly recessed by design coupled with the bass being slightly overpowering that causes the somewhat lacking midrange. I've managed to deal because the TH-900 does everything else so well. Pick your poison, every TOTL headphone I've tried has some undesirable traits to it IMO.

Def willing to eq, just dont want to eq to add bass.
Quote:

First off, the TH900 is definitely not neutral. They make music very enjoyable, because we as humans, feel most of the rhythm from the bass and the TH900 has lots of quality bass. The bass on the TH900 is a great improvement from all previous headphones that is why it has to be heralded as one of the best around atm.
In conjunction with the soundstage and detail retrieval it becomes a great all-rounder. As most of the previous posts have discussed, the mids are definitely a weakness with the TH900. When I move to the TH900 from my Stax gear, it is quickly apparent how the mids are in 3rd place after the bass and treble. This is more apparent with female vocals. They sound thin and and less present than my other cans. Simply saying, the TH900 are great for some genres and less so with others. And this obviously applies to every headphone I have auditioned to date. Male vocals, especially baritone sound amazing with the TH900 but female not so much.

 I will be listening to male vocals. That male vocal being mine.

along with reggae, hip hop, soul, electronic, classic rock, and folk. I cant wait to hear these things!

 
Based on the responses here I am pretty much sold.
 
The reason I am not a treble head is because accentuated treble is often associated with sibilance. Vocals are so nuanced that without treble they can become too mild in the mix. However, because of my experience with previous V' shaped cans sibilance, I have been at bay in looking into them. However, I am willing to court and marry a V shaped can if it is not sibilant and the mids are not dry. More over if the information and extension in the highs are there but smooth, not biting at my ears, I find it to be a plus. I niched with the hd650 for a season because the treble didnt hurt. The fidelio x1 signature is ideal but despite its bass was far less engaging than the full sounding hd650.
 
Thanks a lot. I know it was more of a debate than intentionally helping but it helped heaps.

 

[EveTan]

Quote:

LCD-3, STAX SR-007mkII,  and maybe even the Jecklin Float QA.

Ouch. All of them will be considerably less portable than the TH900. Guess I'll have to stick with em.
 
Quote:

If you're willing to EQ and don't mind taking off a bit of the lower end, shelve the bass down and the mids come out better. They're not absent or of horrible quality, it's likely a combination of the tuning of the midrange being slightly recessed by design coupled with the bass being slightly overpowering that causes the somewhat lacking midrange. I've managed to deal because the TH-900 does everything else so well. Pick your poison, every TOTL headphone I've tried has some undesirable traits to it IMO.

How would I EQ on a computer setup? Phones/DAPs sometimes have a built in EQ and iTunes naturally has its own. But is there a way to configure the entire computer, so when streaming music, the EQ remains?

 

[HideousPride]

PMed you. EQ is a PITA to learn to do. For those phones and DAPs that have fixed bands, you can just kinda wing it. For desktop setups, there's some checks you can do to verify you're EQing "correctly". Really, I wouldn't bother with it right now - just reduce the bass and see if the mids are more to your taste. If so and you figure you want to keep the TH-900s, then you can work on getting the settings right.

 

[grizzlybeast]

Though I like headphonia(very nice and polite ppl) I have disagreed with some of their views. Can anyone validate this?:
 
 

"Let me start out by saying that the two headphones are like the Sennheiser HD800 in the sense that aside from the stunning finish on the TH900′s wood, the two only shows themselves as polite and proper headphones with the average sub $1,000 gear.....Nothing mind blowing, definitely not for me."

 

[EveTan]

Quote:

Though I like headphonia(very nice and polite ppl) I have disagreed with some of their views. Can anyone validate this?:
 
 

I'm curious then. What do they consider "mind blowing"?

 

[brunk]

Quote:

I'm curious then. What do they consider "mind blowing"?

The price tag 

 

[dukeskd]

I've actually disagreed with 80% of what Mike @ Headfonia has said. I have some advice: read reviews to understand the bigger view on the product, such as its overall sound signature and so on but other than, disregard everything else as bias and other inclinations are manifest.

 

[Greed]

Quote:

I've actually disagreed with 80% of what Mike @ Headfonia has said. I have some advice: read reviews to understand the bigger view on the product, such as its overall sound signature and so on but other than, disregard everything else as bias and other inclinations are manifest.

 
+1 - I agree, most of what I read on Headfonia seems like bias garble. Nothing seems genuine and many of his reviews seem like they have an agenda. Not dissing his style or even his knowledge of audio equipment, but I take what he says with a HUGH grain of salt. Honestly, user reviews from experienced members are much better indications of what is true and what is just plain hyperbole. 

 

[grizzlybeast]

that statement would be my only deterrent at this point. not tryin to spend 2k on amps right after

 

[MacedonianHero]

Quote:

This isn't hyperbole:



LOOK AT THE DROP in the mid range.

They are recessed and given the emphasized bass and airy treble, fit a "U" type characteristic (as do some other Denons).

EDIT: Perhaps me saying "VERY" recessed was a bit rash. I'm a bit sensitive to midrange drop. Mea culpa.

If you listen to certain types of music, this will be quite noticeable. For others not so much.

I am not making a derogatory comment, just stating honestly, the obvious (both my ears and outside measurements confirm).

I agree that next to say the LCD-3 or HD800s the TH-900's mids are recessed...but not by much. Have you heard them?
 
FWIW:

A bit of a dip, but not a big recess in the mids. This is how they both sound to me as well.