[Piotr Michalak]

Guys, I'm trying to use WM1Z as a digital source for N90Q. I'm using original Sony cable that came with them. It's USB terminated, so I've also bought a little USB-microUSB thing:

When I connect this stuff altogether, Sony does for a brief moment show "usb audio" tag on top, but it quickly dissapears.

Neither does connecting to AK Ultima work. This one probably has no digital out, I believe.

I've also tried connecting a normal iPhone cable to this micro-usb adapter, also to no avail.

Maybe someone could help.

PS I'm still waiting for my iPhone dongle, which I had some time ago and it's very not elegant and bulky.

 

[Zowie1]

Can you use these headphones with iPod Classic 160GB? I'm thinking of buying this model and would be using it mostly with my old iPod.

 

[tdebug]

How do you find white noise of the N90Q? I think the sound quality is very good, but loud white noise of the NC is kinda ruining listening experience. In my opinion N90q are the most "noisy" NC headphones I ever listened.

 

[Piotr Michalak]

How do you find white noise of the N90Q? I think the sound quality is very good, but loud white noise of the NC is kinda ruining listening experience. In my opinion N90q are the most "noisy" NC headphones I ever listened.

I don't find it disturbing. When the music plays, I can't hear any white noise. Also I've upgraded the stock cable. We took my 7N copper OCC cryo mini- to minijack interconnect and recabled one side to 2,5mm so it fits N90Q. It sounds substantially better than the stock cable.

It's unfortunate that the internal DAC can't run much more than basic CD-quality and typical hires files.

 

[SRKRAM]

How do you find white noise of the N90Q? I think the sound quality is very good, but loud white noise of the NC is kinda ruining listening experience. In my opinion N90q are the most "noisy" NC headphones I ever listened.

I never noticed a disturbing amount of noise with my N90Qs - I could hear a small amount of background hiss, but less than any other NC headphones I've owned. BTW, I never used the analogue input on mine - I didn't see any reason to as they have a digital input.

 

[vourt]

Hi all,

After owning various expensive headphones and equipment such as Denon D7200, Sony Z1R, Amps & Dacs, i'm trying now the N90Q due to noise canceling needs - mainly when flying (very long flights ~15hrs) and they are GREAT!. Still learning them and trying various connections / audio sources so wanted to ask -
* Is there any way to disable the noise canceling?
* Will a USB cable change to audiophile one, can improve the sound quality? (since they already have the DAC inside, i assumed not).

Thanks!
K.

 

[Piotr Michalak]

Hi all,

After owning various expensive headphones and equipment such as Denon D7200, Sony Z1R, Amps & Dacs, i'm trying now the N90Q due to noise canceling needs - mainly when flying (very long flights ~15hrs) and they are GREAT!. Still learning them and trying various connections / audio sources so wanted to ask -
* Is there any way to disable the noise canceling?
* Will a USB cable change to audiophile one, can improve the sound quality? (since they already have the DAC inside, i assumed not).

Thanks!
K.

1. Nope, unfortunately there is not.

2. I don't think so, not very much at least. Some people will claim they hear something. That mostly depends whether the internal DAC is dependent on timing issues. For example Hugo2 is not - it will sound the same on all USB cables. I don't know about N90Q.

 

[tdebug]

In case of digital cables (USB e.g.) there is really no difference between "audiophile" and ordinary cables. Bytes are digital and just the same 0 and 1 in both cables. Unless you use some really crappy USB cable which interfere somehow with the signal (or mostly if you DO have some external interference). Which is in 99.9% is pure nonsense. Let's say, it's mostly in your head - you can hear the difference and that bring peace on you, use the audiophile USB

 

[vourt]

In case of digital cables (USB e.g.) there is really no difference between "audiophile" and ordinary cables. Bytes are digital and just the same 0 and 1 in both cables. Unless you use some really crappy USB cable which interfere somehow with the signal (or mostly if you DO have some external interference). Which is in 99.9% is pure nonsense. Let's say, it's mostly in your head - you can hear the difference and that bring peace on you, use the audiophile USB

I know what you mean and i was with the same assumption before i just heard the differences with connecting Sony Z1R trough regular basic USB cable to the amp, and then with Tellurium Q. The differences where there and to make sure i'm not 'dreaming' i used more friends around to listen to both and agree on the differences, not a huge one but it exists and seems to make the sound more open, fast and natural. Made me pay $300 on a cable(!). This is the reason i asked about that now with the N90Q but this is a different case of data transfer.

 

[tdebug]

I know what you mean and i was with the same assumption before i just heard the differences with connecting Sony Z1R trough regular basic USB cable to the amp, and then with Tellurium Q. The differences where there and to make sure i'm not 'dreaming' i used more friends around to listen to both and agree on the differences, not a huge one but it exists and seems to make the sound more open, fast and natural. Made me pay $300 on a cable(!). This is the reason i asked about that now with the N90Q but this is a different case of data transfer.

I think you are mixing something up. Z1R are analog and you can't connect those with USB. Or do you mean you connected an amp with different USB cables and got the difference?
If you still talking about audio cables for Z1R then yes you may have a difference, especially when using balanced and non-balanced cables.

 

[vourt]

I think you are mixing something up. Z1R are analog and you can't connect those with USB. Or do you mean you connected an amp with different USB cables and got the difference?
If you still talking about audio cables for Z1R then yes you may have a difference, especially when using balanced and non-balanced cables.

Yes - i meant that the Z1R are connected to the AMP&DAC and then from the AMP&DAC to the USB laptop port.

 

[bosiemoncrieff]

I find that KSE1500 has many of the advantages of N90Q, many more advantages of its own, and few of the disadvantages. Consider a pre-owned KSE1500 (or a new KSE1200 + mojo). There's a link to my review in my sig, but I consider it the ultimate mobile rig. N90Q is too big, too compromised, and too expensive for the quality.

 

[elwappo99]

I owned a pair of these for a bit. I bought them for around $600.

They were a tough headphone to really get my head around. They didn't fit the mold of any normal use headphone. I think Tyll might have said they're having an identity crisis and I would agree with this statement.

1. Functionality
The volume and tone adjustment rings worked pretty well. Only a few times they got completely locked up and I had to restart. The tone control was actually fairly useful and I found myself using it every 15 minutes.

2. Sound
Sound was overall quite good. The target curve was quite enjoyable although thin sounding at times. Issues I had: Treble seemed either a bit rolled off or too etchy and unrefined with the tone control. Treble didn't seem to have a ton of resolution or air. Midrange was excellent. Bass was fairly quick, but did sound fairly one note-ish at times.

3. Functionality
This is where the N90q had some major issues. They're supposed to be portable and high end, but they seem to straddle these things without doing either one very well.

As a high end headphone - The connectivity was finicky at best. The usb cable was about 3ft long. I thought it wouldn't be an issue and plugged it into my keyboard's USB hub. No go. I then tried my own 6ft micro usb cable. No go. After playing around with 5 different cables and ports I finally figured out a 5ft cable would work if I plugged it directly into a USB hub. I couldn't plug it into the computer. The usb issue was a major hiccup. These also can't really compete with any headphone I had on hand that sells in the $700 range. They fall massively short of the Hifiman edition X, HE-6, or HD800 in terms of overall resolution, clarity, speed, and soundstage (not much of a fair fight). SQ was down into the IEM range.

As a portable - They're big and bulky. The included case just makes the issue worse. It's huge and very heavy. They wouldn't work with my Fiio X5 gen3 by USB. Plugging them into the 3.5mm 'line out' caused additional issues as there was massive distortion. This meant I had to find a balance between the volume on my DAP and the N90q which was another irritating balancing act. Also, I think we're moving into an era where portables need to be wireless. The convenience is undeniable.


Ultimately these were an interesting first step. It's impossible to see these as a fair price at $1500. I just glanced at street prices. $800 for a new pair from dealers and $700 used on ebay is still a pretty far stretch for a decent headphone that seems hindered by connectivity. Maybe give them a shot if you're interested in the $400-$500 range?

 

[masterfuu]

hi guys, just got the N90Q and struggling to run above 44.1khz with my Mac. When trying to run higher I get cracking sounds. Any suggestions on how to solve? When running from iPhone no issue with cracking. When running at 44.1 24bit no issues. Just when trying a higher bit rate.

As far as sound it has been 2 hours and my first impression is wonderful. I have always liked closed headphones because they offer a slightly more intimate sound. The detail and bass are fantastic. I am amazed at how well detail from mid-range, high frequencies and low (bass) work together. They come together in a healthy and balanced presentation without confusion. You can hear everything pretty much simultaneously and effortlessly. The sound signature is mostly neutral with a touch of warmth. The NC works great but not as great as QC35. But also I doubt AKG intended to compete with BOSE NC because the white noise creates lots of pressure on ears. With these AKG you get just enough NC while maintaining comfortable ears over a longer listening session. I have owed HD800, T2 gen2, and many other nice headphones and I can say the sound quality of these AKG can measure up and even exceed other mentioned headphones in some areas. Maybe slightly less soundstage but great isolation and detail. These AKG cost me $650 new (on sale I think) and beside the build, in DAC bitrate issue (which I will fix!) I can confirm that my first impression (2 hours later) is very, VERY good. The test tone (by holding a button on the right cup for few seconds) seems to work because clarity improved further. Will post another impression after week or two. Whoever has the AKG enjoy and who doesn't give them a try if you are looking for great sounding closed headphones.

 

[AKGunkie]

hi guys, just got the N90Q and struggling to run above 44.1khz with my Mac. When trying to run higher I get cracking sounds. Any suggestions on how to solve? When running from iPhone no issue with cracking. When running at 44.1 24bit no issues. Just when trying a higher bit rate.

I have only used it with windows but I have had no problems with any file I've thrown at it 24 bit or whatever. IN windows you can give control to the audio driver to have "exclusive" control and I think its needed to let the DAC in the N90Q work properly. Hopefully someone else has a Mac and can help out. It also wouldn't hurt to contact AKG customer support and see if they can assist.