[syryanyang]

So I was about to get a pair of AD900X until yesterday someone put some F1's on sale. I've heard a lot of good things about them, but still, they are pretty old right? Can they beat the new phones?

 

[syryanyang]

May as well throw MA900 into the conversation, which is a successor of F1

 

[Amarphael]

I own the F1 and had the AD900 and MA900.
 
All three are very airy and throw an expansive out-of-head soundstage, AD900 probably had the biggest and most airy, and brightest but in a nonoffensive nature IMO, but the Sonys have the edge in the speaker-like ability to reproduce sound "out of thin air" because of their more open-air frame.  
 
I kept the F1 over the other two simply because of it's very smooth and analog timbre, It's very forgiving (read: warm)  but still manges to sound quite natural , espically with the singer-songwriter genere of acoustic performance.
 
If you're looking for a lively and dynamic sound sig with some sparkle in the  highs and some oomph down-low i'd go for the MA900/AD900x.

 

[syryanyang]

Quote:

I own the F1 and had the AD900 and MA900.
 
All three are very airy and throw an expansive out-of-head soundstage, AD900 probably had the biggest and most airy, and brightest but in a nonoffensive nature IMO, but the Sonys have the edge in the speaker-like ability to reproduce sound "out of thin air" because of their more open-air frame.  
 
I kept the F1 over the other two simply because of it's very smooth and analog timbre, It's very forgiving (read: warm)  but still manges to sound quite natural , espically with the singer-songwriter genere of acoustic performance.
 
If you're looking for a lively and dynamic sound sig with some sparkle in the  highs and some oomph down-low i'd go for the MA900/AD900x.

Wow thanks for the input. So you are saying MA900's sound signature is closer to AD900 than F1? That's a shock, I thought they're like a better looking version of the old F1's.
Anyway there is one pair of brand new F1's on sale right now for a bout $300. Good deal right?

 

[Baxide]

U$300 is steep, but it has been the going rate for a new one for many years.
I use mine mainly with my laptop when not plugged into a DAC. A must for acoustic recordings.

 

[Amarphael]

You can argue that MA900 is more technically advanced version of F1, It's more dynamic, cleaner and detailed, no question about it. If you're into modern beat-based music than it will suit you far better.  But for acoustic instrumental and vocal-dominated music i'd say the F1 nails the tonality and aocustic ambiance just somewhat better, despite being slower and with more fuzz/grain in it.

 

[syryanyang]

Quote:

You can argue that MA900 is more technically advanced version of F1, It's more dynamic, cleaner and detailed, no question about it. If you're into modern beat-based music than it will suit you far better.  But for acoustic instrumental and vocal-dominated music i'd say the F1 nails the tonality and aocustic ambiance just somewhat better, despite being slower and with more fuzz/grain in it.

Interesting. Sounds like F1 suits me better. But I'll definitely try to get hold of both if possible.
Now my only concern is comfort which is a huge issue for me. Any comment? 

 

[Katun]

Quote:

You can argue that MA900 is more technically advanced version of F1, It's more dynamic, cleaner and detailed, no question about it. If you're into modern beat-based music than it will suit you far better.  But for acoustic instrumental and vocal-dominated music i'd say the F1 nails the tonality and aocustic ambiance just somewhat better, despite being slower and with more fuzz/grain in it.

 
Perfectly stated. I was able to compare the MA900 to the F1, and I absolutely agree with this.

 

[Baxide]

Quote:

Now my only concern is comfort which is a huge issue for me. Any comment? 

Comfort? Hah! Man is still to make another headphone that beats the F1 for comfort as far as I am concerned. I often forget that I got the thing over my ears. It is the only headphone I got that I can get lost into the music and forget about the headphone being present to reproduce that music.

 

[syryanyang]

Quote:

 
Perfectly stated. I was able to compare the MA900 to the F1, and I absolutely agree with this.

Would you share some experiences regarding comfort? Appreciate that

 

[syryanyang]

Quote:

Comfort? Hah! Man is still to make another headphone that beats the F1 for comfort as far as I am concerned. I often forget that I got the thing over my ears. It is the only headphone I got that I can get lost into the music and forget about the headphone being present to reproduce that music.

Wow Really? That's impressive. How did they manage to do that? They have enormous ear cups which doesn't look too comfortable and the AKG-esque headband that I never really liked

 

[Amarphael]

F1 is often regarded as the ultimate pair of cans to get for comfort, and very justly so. It's just hugs your scalp gently with it's self-adjusting headband and the Ecsaine material is as smooth as it's sound. And the big plus is that the angle the drivers are placed in is enough to never touch the ears, assuming small-medium size and not seriously protruding. MA900 is somewhat behind but still is incredibly comfortable, 2nd or 3rd place out of all the phones i tried. It's headband is small so i personally found it better to sit them to the forehead than on the crown as usual. The angle of the drivers is a bit less pronounced than on the F1 (thanks to it's 40% bigger drivers) so the outer mesh touches the tip of the ear but no biggie really. The earpads material is also less refined than the Ecsaine but it's still better than i.e AT velour IMO, it lets the skin breath nicley (think DryFit clothes).

 

[Katun]

I agree with what has been said regarding the comfort.
 
For me, I was shocked to find I actually find the MA900 a smidgen more comfortable. F1 has a better headband for sure, and better materials, but it seemed the ergonomics of the MA900 fit my head just a bit better. Nonetheless, both are essentially the comfiest headphones you'll likely ever find.