[Modwright01]

After more time and testing with and without the internal DAC plugged into amplifiers, I can say I all the time prefer using it with the internal DAC. The overall performance is REALLY better with the internal dac. I think N90q has been made to be use especially like this more than with the analog cable.
 
I would invite any future own I use it like this first, even with android/iOs phones

 

[Anwer]

But is it compatible with the iPhone? Also, could someone compare the SQ when used with the Chord Mojo and with the internal dac?

 

[Modwright01]

Of course.
 
Windows, Mac os, Iphone, Android, you plug it and the internal dac works instantly.
 
Oh yeah, I tested it with the chord mojo and I was suprise the performance is not really good. 
 
The two beasts don't match pretty well.
 
I think the mojo has been definitely made to drive high impedance phones not the low ones. Even sometimes my PS1000 was overdrived by the mojo.

I plugged it into a shiit vali and it is quiet good even is far inferior to the internal dac performance.

 

[Anwer]

How do you plug it into the iPhone?

 

[Modwright01]

http://blog.jdslabs.com/?p=838

 

[Anwer]

Oh, I thought since the Dac is internal in the N90Q, it might require a special cable. Have you tested it yourself with an iPhone?

 

[The-Reporter]

Just a note : the internal DAC in the N90Q can NOT be bypassed, because the DSP in the N90Q is necessary to compute the TrueNote Calibration and others effects (EQ, soundstage), and the DSP requires a digital signal.
 
So if you use the mini-jack input of the N90Q, you have this chain :
... -> External_DAC -> N90Q_ADC -> N90Q_DSP -> N90Q_DAC -> ...
 
So you add an unnecessary external DAC conversion (and possibly inferior to the DAC in the N90Q) in the audio path. Furthermore you add an unnecessary ADC conversion in the N90Q.
 
But, you can test, for sure.

 

[Modwright01]

Yep.

The performance is superior 99% of the time with the internal dac to my ears...
 
I think the 2.1 mode is a really cool feature, and I'm using it more and more I know the N90q.
 
The N90q really excells to render micro details especially reverb, echo effect. It is really impressively fast.

A simple listen to Off The Wall MJ is astonishing. All those details, reverbs, effects, echos, textures of voices, guitares...High high level of producing is entirely reveal. 
 
On Venus by Shocking Blue, again, the details are insane, you can clearly hear the reverb on the right chanel, it is crazy. I did not remember any other headphones with that level of details, separation. And it does it without being clinical (like beyer) or cold (like HD 800) 

 

[The-Reporter]

I have the N90Q for about a week (firmware B1.01).
 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Positive impressions
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
-The sound is extremely precise (fast), clean, and clear.
-The soundstage is wide and deep (in Studio or Surround mode).
-The frequency response is near to the perfection (especially after the TrueNote Calibration).
-The volume adjustment on the right ring is very practical.
 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Negative impressions
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
-For my head, I find the AKG K712 (open-back) more comfortable. The N90Q (closed-back) exerts a higher pressure around the ears. And, after a few hours, it exerts an unpleasant pressure on the top of the head.
-The overall build quality is good, but the size adjustment is too easy to adjust. So it’s necessary to adjust the size each time the headphone is manipulated. And on my unit, the left swivel produces some small mechanical squeaks when I move my head.
-And for me the worst point (maybe a defective unit ?) : it produces a permanent very small white noise when it’s power on due to the always on ANC (Active Noise Cancellation). This noise is generally covered by the music (or street noise, if you use it in the street), but during the pianissimo passages or silences, I can clearly hear this noise. It’s probably not important if you use this headphone in the street (or car, plane), but in a silent room this noise bothers me. It’s a shame that AKG doesn’t allow to disable/enable the ANC. This situation is a little absurd : in my very silent room, my open-back K712 (with my DAC and amp) produces less (no) noise than my N90Q which is a closed-back with ANC.
 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
General notes
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
-Generally, I use the Studio (or sometimes Standard) mode to play music, and the Surround mode to watch movies.
-By default, when the N90Q is plugged for the first time on Mac OS X, the sampling frequency and quantification are set to 48kHz/16bits. But they can be set to 96kHz/24bits (in the Audio/MIDI panel).
-I use it only with the USB input, because it’s a no-sense (in term of quality) to use it with the mini-jack input (internal DAC can’t be bypassed ---> previous posts).

 

[Modwright01]

Hey.
 
 
I'm sorry for you but you maybe have a defective unit :
 
"-The overall build quality is good, but the size adjustment is too easy to adjust. So it’s necessary to adjust the size each time the headphone is manipulated. And on my unit, the left swivel produces some small mechanical squeaks when I move my head."
 
I'm in the opposite situation. I found the adjustement almost  too hard ! My unit make no mechanical squeaks at all aswell.

"-And for me the worst point (maybe a defective unit ?) : it produces a permanent very small white noise when it’s power on due to the always on ANC (Active Noise Cancellation). This noise is generally covered by the music (or street noise, if you use it in the street), but during the pianissimo passages or silences, I can clearly hear this noise. It’s probably not important if you use this headphone in the street (or car, plane), but in a silent room this noise bothers me. It’s a shame that AKG doesn’t allow to disable/enable the ANC. This situation is a little absurd : in my very silent room, my open-back K712 (with my DAC and amp) produces less (no) noise than my N90Q which is a closed-back with ANC. "
 
I have plenty of Chopin, Shubert in high rez, and I can't hear anything during silence due to the NC. When I say anything, it means : no hiss, no white noise at any level (I tested at my place wich is totally silent). If you can hear a clear white noise when you don't play music that is strange, if it is only when you play music,  it is from the recording itself. The problem with this high level of precision is : you will hear the hiss on the track even it is really low.  That is really really rare to have perfect silence during silence, especially on classical music because it's live instruments without any electric amp and usually the recording is made in a concert hall. 
 
It could be a problem of adjustement too : check if there is no space between your face and each cup, it can create hiss if it is the case.
 
 
So, maybe you should send it straight back to AKG to have a brand new one...

 

[Modwright01]

you should try to listen to a track like : Le Moulin from the Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulin OST (Yann Tiersen). There are several silences on it, but you will be able to hear the noise on the track. During the silence on the track, press STOP on your player and you will hear the difference between a real silence inside the N90q cups and the supposed silence on the track which is not a real silence because of the recording and the precision of the N90Q. Note that the studio mode can sometimes reveal white noise on tracks more than the standard mode. Try to switch between them to find the best result
 
The N90Q is an extremely revealling headphones, unfortunately, you'll be surprise to hear noise when you thought there wasn't there. 

 

[The-Reporter]

It's just, the N90Q reveals noise (and others micro-details) on some tracks. It's pretty impressive.
But the noise that I talked in the previous post, it's the noise of the N90Q only (no track playing, or with the N90Q completely unplugged (just turn on)).
 
Can you confirm that : if you put the N90Q (completely unplugged) on your head in power off state, then you switch to power on. Don't you hear any permanent noise (just after the short start sound) ? You hear no difference in white noise in the power off and on states ?
 
Thanks.

 

[Modwright01]

I did the test again at an office room during the night it was a perfect silent room, and you're right, there is a very very low white noise I can hear.
 
It is lower than anything I tried in terms of NC before but still it exists if you pay attention. I used to have the QC20i in-ear bose and I was able to hear perfectly a good level of with noise without playing anythin, but here, it is really low, almost imperceptible an lower than all hisse or noise I can hear on classical records.
 
During I play a song, I cannot hear it. Even on a armonium opening theme of Harry potter, silences on the track sound silent to me, but still, you were right.

 

[MarkMDR]

Are there any discounts to be had on the N90Q?  seems like the only place to order online is through Harmon at full MSRP.  I'm interested in Black, shipped to the US.
 
Thanks
 
Mark

 

[Modwright01]

I would suggest to wait a bit, maybe they will make discount soon.