[danlayman]

Owning both, the newer model makes major design and ergonomic improvements over the older one. Sound quality is also a significant upgrade. The 900 never fit me or a lot of other people very well primarily due to the wing system being too loose and the thin pads. This tended to create a bass-shy sound. I used mods putting a bungee cord through the wings to tighten then and stuffing the pads to increase comfort and improve bass response.

The 900x. Modified the wing system to fit a bit tighter and the pads are greatly improved. The transparent honeycomb grill on the cups looks cool too.

Sound wise there is major improvement and the original was no slouch. Bass extension is deeper and impact is improved as well. I wouldn't call the X a bassy phone but its not bass shy either. Mid range continues to be a strength though its not as pronounced as the original. Vocals are still spot on and detailed, just not as forward in the mix. I haven't seen a frequency plot yet but I expect the 4000 Hz peak of the 900 is smoothed significantly. Treble is detailed and airy with excellent extension. No sibilance at all, but not recessed either. Micro details are good but not as good as those captured by he best IEMs. In this area I would say the X is about equal to the original.

Overall the sound is remarkably balanced and much more neutral. Very easy to listen to for long stretches but never dull or boring and the comfort is excellent with light weight and clamping force and no problems with the drivers touching the ears. This is by far my favorite full size headphone. Build quality is good, the wings looking to be the most fragile part, being made of lightweight plastic. There is no stress on the wings though so unless there is an accident or abuse I would expect no problems. The, X cord is very good quality with excellent strain relief. If this matters to you it should be that the X is made in China instead of Japan.

 

[howzz1854]

i am torn. i want to try the new AD900x but from my last experience from AD900, i felt burnt from that experience. i LOVED the detailed, airy and crystal clear presentation. i loved loved loved loved it for my instrumental and classical music, but it had NO bass what so ever, and i mean none. despite common conses that the AD900 has more bass than AD700, i found that to be the opposite. i don't know if it's just because my particular one that i got was faulty? or the none angled driver that was touching my ear, but it just sounded too shrill, dry and too bright, lack of body for anything that's NOT classical. reading your review really makes me wanna give the AD900x a shot, but i am afraid to based on the last experience.