"Amongst all the reference-class monitors out there, nothing does bass better than the W900." I stopped there and went awwww that's it la I'm getting this!
Headphone Reviews and Discussion - Head-Fi.org
ezekiel77
vhsownsbeta
A great review. Articulate and succinct. This sounds exactly like what I have been looking for.
twister6
Neutral BASS?!? We probably have a VERY different definition of what "neutral" is 
You accurately compared and described W900 having more bass impact than Zeus XRA (which has a neutral bass) and on par with U12 (which depending on the module can really punch through). I'm not familiar with W500, but heard from people that W900 has less bass impact in comparison.
I brought W900 with me to CanJam NYC, to play it to a number of head-fiers and manufacturers, and the first word of reaction everyone had was quality/quantity of the bass and the soundstage expansion. I wouldn't say W900 bass being very enhanced, but it's far from being neutral.
Been listening to W900 for almost a month now, absolutely love it. When it comes to the bass, it can't match impact of VEGA, but it's on par with U12, Andromeda, and even a little more impact then S-EM9. What I consider as a neutral bass is something like UERR and Zeus, and W900 definitely has more impact in comparison to these.
Regarding FR graph, and if you take into consideration that Y-axis are scaled to make frequency response looks flatter, you can still see a low end tilt in AAW FR graph.
Great review, for sure. W900 is among my favorites right now (in this sound signature category, and btw I'm using it with PWA 1960 4wire cable) But, I just don't want people to be mislead thinking it has a "neutral" bass. The bass is definitely north of neutral
You accurately compared and described W900 having more bass impact than Zeus XRA (which has a neutral bass) and on par with U12 (which depending on the module can really punch through). I'm not familiar with W500, but heard from people that W900 has less bass impact in comparison.I brought W900 with me to CanJam NYC, to play it to a number of head-fiers and manufacturers, and the first word of reaction everyone had was quality/quantity of the bass and the soundstage expansion. I wouldn't say W900 bass being very enhanced, but it's far from being neutral.
Been listening to W900 for almost a month now, absolutely love it. When it comes to the bass, it can't match impact of VEGA, but it's on par with U12, Andromeda, and even a little more impact then S-EM9. What I consider as a neutral bass is something like UERR and Zeus, and W900 definitely has more impact in comparison to these.
Regarding FR graph, and if you take into consideration that Y-axis are scaled to make frequency response looks flatter, you can still see a low end tilt in AAW FR graph.
Great review, for sure. W900 is among my favorites right now (in this sound signature category, and btw I'm using it with PWA 1960 4wire cable) But, I just don't want people to be mislead thinking it has a "neutral" bass. The bass is definitely north of neutral
crinacle
@twister6 There's a lot of confusion between impact and emphasis on Head-Fi, which is even more relevant with the W900 considering its hybrid setup. While the impact of the bass is very high (the dynamic driver moves a lot more air than any BA driver can for instance), the bass itself is not emphasised to a large degree.
I know you have some issues with measurements, but very objectively speaking the W900 does have neutral bass. Perhaps emphasised 2dB relative to 1KHz, but by all accounts still within the definition.
TG334 vs Andromeda vs W900
I think people used to dynamic driver IEMs would think that these IEMs are neutral, but those used to full-BA setups would think otherwise. The bass presentation of the two are simply too different.
Any issues with my FR curves, do contact me via PM. But know this, I'm very confident in my data.
I know you have some issues with measurements, but very objectively speaking the W900 does have neutral bass. Perhaps emphasised 2dB relative to 1KHz, but by all accounts still within the definition.
TG334 vs Andromeda vs W900
I think people used to dynamic driver IEMs would think that these IEMs are neutral, but those used to full-BA setups would think otherwise. The bass presentation of the two are simply too different.
Any issues with my FR curves, do contact me via PM. But know this, I'm very confident in my data.
twister6
@crinacle : I have issues with any home measurement setup, not just your iPhone mic coupler. And as I mentioned before, I'm saying that in a self-critical way because I use one of those too (Veritas) But as you know with a correction/calibration everything could be kind of fixed. With W900 bass, you can see that your mid-bass is below 1k-2k mids peaks, while AAW curve has the bass above it, and because y-axis are scaled down, the peaks are reduced so it's hard to see it. But anyway...
I rely more on a/b relative comparison, rather than graphs. Plus, we might have a different definition of neutral, so I appreciate you posting a comparison clearly letting know that W900 has more bass relative to a neutral Zeus and on par bass with a more low end prominent U12. I also now understand that your definition of neutral is around emphasis rather than combination of emphasis/impact. To my ears, while testing W900 with DX200, Opus#2, LPG, etc I hear a nice bass slam with a combination of both impact and emphasis. I personally don't find its bass to be neutral in comparison to Zeus XRA, UERR, and ERIB1C which I do find as having a more neutral bass. Just a different subjective perspective.
But, we all good!
But as you know with a correction/calibration everything could be kind of fixed. With W900 bass, you can see that your mid-bass is below 1k-2k mids peaks, while AAW curve has the bass above it, and because y-axis are scaled down, the peaks are reduced so it's hard to see it. But anyway...I rely more on a/b relative comparison, rather than graphs. Plus, we might have a different definition of neutral, so I appreciate you posting a comparison clearly letting know that W900 has more bass relative to a neutral Zeus and on par bass with a more low end prominent U12. I also now understand that your definition of neutral is around emphasis rather than combination of emphasis/impact. To my ears, while testing W900 with DX200, Opus#2, LPG, etc I hear a nice bass slam with a combination of both impact and emphasis. I personally don't find its bass to be neutral in comparison to Zeus XRA, UERR, and ERIB1C which I do find as having a more neutral bass. Just a different subjective perspective.
But, we all good!
