^Did you guys try the rubber band mod?
I'm very much considering pulling the trigger on the A900X. Been reading a bit and am torn between it and the K550, however I'm currently leaning towards the A900X. Am I missing any other alternatives within the same price range? I'll be using it for gaming, music and movies.
For movies, the elevated bass is great, the a900x is a well-rounded headphone so you're good there, and for gaming; these draw good detail and decent isolation.
I found the K550 to be a bit too bass anemic for a closed headphone, plus no one ever mentions about the hot treble area that can be a bit of a nuisance. The drivers sound like they should be in an open back headphone like the AKG K/Q series.
You're specifically paying for an enjoyable headphone that doesn't require amplification. There are headphone upgrades in this price bracket ($150-$250), but they do require an amplifier/dac upgrade for it to be considered one.
This was my extreme version of improving the wings (minus the alpha pads). I took the wings apart, rotated them 90 degrees inward, stretched the spring, and now they're a perfect fit. The only problem is that it requires the exact bit size or the screws will easily be stripped. Audio Technica was kind enough to provide the wings if I ever broke them when I was modding it.
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Thanks bro. I went ahead and got the A900X, heard so much good about it and the price is not too steep either...I hope I'll be happy with it. It's gotta be better than the Creative Tactic3D Wrath headset I'm using atm, right?
You will be happier with it. Give it ~50-100 hours of burn in on the headphone
and your ears to adjust. Switch back to the Tactic 3D and you'll notice.
I have the Tactic 3D as well, it sounds a lot muddier compared to the A900X, believe it or not, the stereo imaging is a lot better than the Tactic 3D's "7.1 virtual surround"
I have a pair of ATH-900X I use at work which I really enjoy. Will it be worth it to get an O2 AMP +DAC or just a an O2 DAC?
Currently connecting through a Macbook Retina, one plus is we have Thunderbolt monitors and it acts a a "dock" for the macbook, so having a USB amp wil let me just plug in power + thunderbolt to my laptop and leave the DAC or DAC+AMP hooked up to the monitor.
I am also maybe look to upgrade to a more high end pair of close back headphones, or semi-open, any suggestions?
Modern motherboards have very decent soundcards (Apple Hardware, Gigabyte 990 motherboards, ASUS ROG motherboards).
I found changing sources with the a900x only changed the sound
signature a tad bit.
It took 2 hours for my ears to adjust to a new sound source and switching back to notice the difference with the a900x though.
What changed the a900x the most are finding songs that take advantage of the headphones sound signature.
I.E, solid bass notes that revolve between 80-120hz, songs that have that extra 2khz-6khz to compensate for the dip, and detailed hi hats for the 8khz-10khz range.
So
no, it won't be worth buying a new source just for the a900x.
The A900X is easily driven. However I just tested through my PC via O2 DAC that it will require ~50% volume to get moderate listening levels to the A900X. ~60%-~70% with dynamic leveled music.
The ODAC starts clipping around 80% though, so it's recommended to pair it with an amp.
In regards to over ear + open back upgrades, go:
Beyerdynamic if you want more bass, more in your face treble, better isolation,
great durability for the cost of weight and bit recessed mids.
I recommend the DT 880 250ohm.
Sennheiser if you want smooth bass, detailed mids, smooth treble,
great comfort for the cost of a "darker/laid back" sound signature (some people like this)
I recommend the Sennheiser HD 598.
AKG if you want solid bass, forwarded detailed mids, detailed/somewhat in your face treble,
great soundstage, for the cost of comfort (depending on the headphone) and a bit colder sound signature.
I recommend the AKG Q701.
I recommended open back headphones, because in my opinion, the design itself of open backs are an upgrade. Those are also recommended because they are an
affordable upgrade. Though they
will benefit an upgrade in source such as an ODAC/O2 combo.
For myself, I went for the AKG Q701 ($150CAD, bought used on the seller subforum of headfi), and the ODAC/O2 ($180CAD, bought used on the seller subforum of headfi).
In my opinion they are detail monsters and great for gaming due to the enormous soundstage. I like brighter sound signatures, which is why I favour the Q701's a lot. A lot of people say it's a poor mans' HD 800 (which is true in my opinion).
^Did you guys try the rubber band mod?
I'm very much considering pulling the trigger on the A900X. Been reading a bit and am torn between it and the K550, however I'm currently leaning towards the A900X. Am I missing any other alternatives within the same price range? I'll be using it for gaming, music and movies.
