[Change is Good]

I am drooling at the size of those cups! So is this your neutral balanced can you were searching for?

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

To be honest with you, they really sound like something Sennheiser would put out, not Sony. I'd say they're on par with say, the HD558/598, but even more open. They're just good headphones for the money. What sets them apart is that ridiculous comfort level, openness, and weight. I'm inclined to say these will be my pair when the X1 bass fatigue starts kicking in.

I've also been finding the X1 clamping a little bit. It's either that, or the fact that I'm sick and just a little clamp is bothering me.

These wouldn't replace the Annies for me (if I still owned them), but I do prefer them over everything else for comfort. There is literally zero issues with comfort. Absolutely no heat build up, no neck problems, nothing. Well, if there is ONE thing, the cloth pads may get itchy for some. Hasn't on me, but I did hear about it.

Due to this comfort, this makes a better alternative for the X1 than anything else.

 

[Evshrug]

I'm in love.



Comfort is a PERFECT 10. No lie. These are the most comfortable full sized headphone I have ever worn. They are also the most open in both sound and design. They are also the LIGHTEST full sized headphone I've worn in awhile. (195g)

Bought them for $178.

First impressions: Think middleground between Q701 and K702 Annie. Not as refined as either, but less fatiguing than the Q701 (no upper mid glare) with more bass, and not as full/warm as the Annie.

The bass is definitely not as rich as the X1's, but the mids are better. The MA900 is definitely more linear sounding than the X1. The X1 is more lively and energetic, as well as more refined.

The MA900 is a really well balanced, very open/spacious, and ultimate in comfort headphone.

I'm particularly surprised by how good the bass is despite having absolutely no seal whatsoever.

http://rinchoi.blogspot.com/2012/07/sony-mdr-ma900-in-depth-analysis.html

Apparently the MA900 and F1 both have impedance compensators:
So this is good news for those with higher output impedance amps like the E9.

Nowhere near the best at any one thing compared to all I have heard, but for the price, these are just no brainer, solid all-rounders. Comfort king, easy to drive, well balanced, and very spacious.

Damn. DAMN. MAD!
Npoooooooooo

XD
The appeal from your description is amazing. Edit: It seems like you like every "next" headphone better than the last one. Yeah, after kinda missing the lightweight of my AD700's, and after experiencing the rare bit of glare on the Q801 if not amped with my tube amp... Definitely elaborate on soundstage, please?


...
They aren't exactly gorgeous to look at though, are they? Somewhere between plain, and exaggerated oversized (where the q701 look big but at least balanced aesthetically, these Sony's look downright dork, and not in a "proud of it" purple like another headphone I could mention.)

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Well, I wouldn't say they're better than anything I've recently reviewed. But they're really solid all rounders for the price, and the comfort kills all else.

I'm still not comfortable explaining stereo soundstage. All I know is that it's incredibly open/spacious. I wonder how it will sound with virtual surround.

Yes, they're pretty plain and basic looking. But they're not gaudy or anything. I guess the plastic keeps the weight down...

 

[kman1211]

Ah so you got them, such great all-rounders. To me they sound like a mixture of the HD 600 and Q701, just a little less refined, a bit of a hybrid sound of AKG and Senn to me. They are built of plastic and metal, the arms, yokes, and grills are a magnesium alloy. They are great with virtual surround.

 

[chicolom]

Quote:

I'm in love.




Nowhere near the best at any one thing compared to all I have heard, but for the price, these are just no brainer, solid all-rounders. Comfort king, easy to drive, well balanced, and very spacious.

 
 
Sweet!  I had a feeling you had gotten a pair of these and were waiting for them to come in. 

 
While I think I have a pretty good idea of the signature, anything you can detail about the soundstage would be great.  I keep seeing mixed opinions on it, especially regarding the imaging.  Some people say it's too spread out and foggy, while others say it's sharp.  Also, how deep are the earcups on them, and how much do the pads compress? It's kind of hard to tell from pictures.
 
 
By complete coincidence I just snagged a pair of them myself today from that cheap ebay listing that's up. 

  I've been curious about them for a long time about them, and that price was enough to finally convince me to bite on them.  I'll say up front that I'm pretty much getting them solely to audition the soundstage on them.  Since I'm such a soundstage whore, if it turns out to be great in that area, I may keep them.  If not though, I can't really see myself keeping them since I don't expect them to be able to compete with the Anniversaries or X1s.  I'll have to see if the sig is nice, of course.  Also, I have a feeling the comfort will not be a 10 for me because my ears will probably touch the drivers, and it might even turn out to be a deal breaker.  Anyways, they won't be hear until sometime next week though, so I won't steal any of your thunder.  Please proceed...

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

The pads are quite thin but soft and not problematic at all. My ears just BARELY touch the driver padding, and I don't see it ever being a problem. It's too soft, too light to be anything less than extremely comfy. Definitely no ear crushing here. the pads compress easily if you force them to, but the headphones have very little clamping force and are so light, so they won' truly compress all the way. The cups aren't deep at all in the front, but the back is QUITE deep, with the space left where the opening is as well. There is a space in there where you may be able to add cotton to the underside and raise the pads if you want.

I've never been one to truly gauge soundstage off a stereo signal. I can only really comment on soundstage once I get to gaming. Like I said, based off what I've heard so far (not much), it is very spacious and open, so I'm sure you'll love the soundstage. Time will tell if it's positional cues are diffused sounding or focused... treble isn't exactly sharp so I'm leaning on probably just a hint diffused.

They don't compare to the Annies or X1, but as a super comfy alternative, with a non fatiguing signature, and super open sound, I think they're great. For you though, I don't see how they can fit with what you already own. You're pretty set with those two, IMHO. These would be very situational for you, I'd say.

As a fan of the Q701, I think the tonal balance will feel close to home here, with less upper mids, and smoother sound. Can't say if it's fuller sounding overall though. The bass is pretty well presented here.

OH YEAH, despite what pictures may say, the cups are actually NOT that big. The AKGs AND the X1 cups are both considerably bigger. Crazy, 70mm drivers with standard sized cups. It just looks huge because the headband and arms are so thin.

 

[chicolom]

It's pretty amazing that the MA900 and F1 manage the bass they do, considering they literally don't seal at all. 

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

It's not a bassy headphone by any means. It does bass like the Q701. It rolls off early, truth be told, but it's well balanced and definitely present.

Good thing I have the E12. That bass boost really brings these to life.

Depending on how good they are for gaming, these will probably be my TV show/anime watching headphones due to their comfort and more upfront mids than the X1. Other than that, X1 will take priority for most things.

Anyone with Q701/Annies don't really need to test these out, I'd say. It's definitely not on the same level. Get it if you want something super light and comfy, easy to drive, open, and non-fatiguing.

 

[nopeavi]

I've been interested in purchasing Sennheiser PC 360's, from what I've searched has been getting consistent love (albeit heavily weighted by price) but it seems to fit my bill of having a great FPS soundstage, while maintaining build quality and pretty decent mic quality. Would I need an amp or something to drive this headset? I have a Astro Mixamp and don't know if that would be sufficient, or if I'm even better off doing on-board audio.
 
Also, any feedback on the Sennheiser PC 350 SEs and PC 363D, I've heard they improved on the bass on atleast the 350SEs but don't know how reliable feedback has been on either of these doofy USB soundcard gimmicks aside.
 
Thanks

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

The PC360 runs fine off the Mixamp alone.

 

[chicolom]

OH YEAH, despite what pictures may say, the cups are actually NOT that big. The AKGs AND the X1 cups are both considerably bigger. Crazy, 70mm drivers with standard sized cups. It just looks huge because the headband and arms are so thin.

Are they big enough to be circumaural for you?

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Oh, width and height of the pad openings are huge. The pads are really thin. Like really.

 

[Change is Good]

How's the sound leakage compared to other open cans? Seeing how small it is I can see this being somewhat portable for you.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Yeah, I took it to work.

It has a LOT of sound leakage. Probably the most I've heard. Its open in every way.