[Little J040]

Hi all,

Im almost about to pull the trigger on a pair of A900s and was wondering how much they would improve from my current setup with the dialogue II and my trusty ole' G-lite.........

Had a pair of 595s that didnt really improve much from amplification and was hoping this wasnt the case with the a900s

 

[Little J040]

anyone have any comments?

 

[Brandon B]

I bought a HeadFive for my a700s, and I think it made a night and day difference in sound quality even with cheaper sources. I was afraid that I was wasting my money on an amp because a700s are relatively low-impedance (65ohms I think) headphones, but that definitely wasn't the case. You might have totally different results with your G-Lite and a900s, but I think it's worth trying out..

anybody else on here use a500/700/900s with amplification?? I'm curious if anyone else thinks it makes a difference..

 

[Little J040]

Granted impedance (shouldn't) technically make much of a difference in improvement, it may for such lower impedances as the AT's 65, and 40 ohm headphones... anyone agree?

 

[karma]

I really did not notice any significant difference amping my A900 either with my PIMETA or M3.

The A900s are famed for sounding great without any amping necessary. There has been a lot of discussion in the past about how they don't improve all that much with an amp, but I do recall that the Gilmore Lite was one that was mentioned that had a particular synergy with the A900.

Try a search and you should find plenty on the subject.

 

[mADmAN]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Little J040 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Granted impedance (shouldn't) technically make much of a difference in improvement, it may for such lower impedances as the AT's 65, and 40 ohm headphones... anyone agree?

yeah i agree....i made a 2 impedance adapters... 220 ohm and 100 ohm. and got my colleague to test it out on his rig which would be :
PC -> Philips PSC805 USB Soundcard -> Cardas HPI mini-mini -> GoVibe 5 (with Elpac 24V PSU) -> HD595

when he tested the 220ohms (total 270ohms) he was so happy that his cans finally had bass LOL. and couldnt stop saying "my cans finally have boom boom!!". even i was shocked (ive always disliked the 595 for the lack of bass). but he did say the mids and highs were a little recessed now. most likely caused by the lack of volume i guess.

i just gave him another adapter for 100ohms (total 150ohms) about an hour ago to test and he said it sounds even better as its more balanced than the 220ohms. the word "wow" actually came out of his mouth. and he was even begging me to give it to him.

the adapters on my 250ohm DT990 made almost no difference honestly. only prominent difference would be the volume level. ive yet to try the adapters on my Philips HP250 (32ohms i think) to test it out.

so yeah.... i agree that impedance does make a difference to low impedance cans

 

[Little J040]

Are there any (higher end) AT cans that people would suggest that might open up more with amplification, but dont cost an arm and a leg??

 

[Little J040]

^^

 

[oqvist]

I am currently trying the A900 out but I must say so far I still preferr my DT 770 PRO:s.

There is almost no bass on the A900 in comparison. And I don´t think the highs are really that much better. It can actually get painful at times. I never have to reach for the volume controller with the DT 770 PRO:s as I feel I have to with the ATH-A900 at times...

overall the ATH-A900 seems brighter and more neutral I guess. I guess if I didn´t have the DT 770 PRO already I would be all over praising these it´s not like they are bad. Very clean sound. And some tunes sound better with it... It just lacks bass to back it up

Also I have a pimeta amp and no out of an x-fi there is no difference. Seems to be little point amping these just a waste of money

.

Unamped they get closer to the DT 770 PRO but the DT 770 still have stronger low registers. You hear much more detail and low notes on the DT 770 then you can hear on the ATH-A900...

A900 definiatly don´t go down to 5 hertz...

But just 2 days into testing it´s nothing

.

the DT 770 do fit my head much better the A900 don´t clamp on tight enough despite me having a really large head. However it´s no real problem if you don´t move around to much. Both are very comfortable to wear though my ears don´t get that hot in my DT 770:S... It also feels more sturdy.

Tomorrow I may think something different

I don´t think it can compete for games and movies only music...

does anyone know a good demo with 3d sound? Main reason I got it was that it´s supposed to be very good with simulated surround sound like CMSS3D and such with a big soundstage (for closed headphones)

 

[Little J040]

does anyone else have these feelings about the A900s?

 

[jilgiljongiljing]

I have A700's and they sound terrific with the LDM+. I really cannot think of anything that is lacking.

 

[redcirclemonster]

I have the A700s and I think they are beautiful. The highs are crisp, clear, and profound. The mids are a little strange and recessed, but you may not notice too much. The bass is tight and, when needed in a song, impactful. Overall, it is just a clean headphone with a great soundstage being that it is closed. I cannot imagine how the A900 must sound

.

jilgiljongiljing, I am waiting on my LDM+ right now and I was wondering if you have the low or normal gain version. What you said above makes me even more eager to get it as I have been hearing mixed reviews. I hope it improves the A700s to my liking

.

 

[oqvist]

One thing they do good is simulated 3d sound

. That´s definiatly better then on the DT 770 PRO

 

[nl2134]

I just got the A900's today. I am not at liberty, however to compare them to any other cans because these are my first hi-fi cans, but I can say the bass is completely adequate, the sound is extremely crisp and clear, highs are sweet. Mids recessed, but otherwise a splendid purchase. For $169 on Audiocubes, a great deal, in my opinion.

 

[warubozu]

I own a pair of A900's and a pair of DT770's, as mentioned earlier the A900's are more foward sounding than the DT770's. Bass in the DT700's goes deeper than the A900's and it isn't as tight. Bass on the A900's doesn't go as deep but is tighter and a bit faster than the DT770's IMO. Both cans do equal well in gaming and movies, not just music. It just depends what type of sonic signature you're looking. Whether you're looking for a set of cans that has a low bass frequency and a warm sound or a set of cans that has a foward and a tight bass with slam.