[Captain Howdy]

Are the pads on the A990x the same size as those on the ATH-M50?

 

[Smugsie]

  Are the pads on the A990x the same size as those on the ATH-M50?

No, the M50 pads are slightly taller. ATH-M50 pads are a bit looser fit compared to the smaller opening of the A900X.

 

[Captain Howdy]

 
No, the M50 pads are slightly taller. ATH-M50 pads are a bit looser fit compared to the smaller opening of the A900X.

 
Too bad. My ears are already cramped in the M50; I wouldn't want to go smaller. 

 

[pjyi]

Just got my a900x.
Overall, I am very satisfied.
Other than bass, a900x outstands m50x in every way.
Sound stage is great as metal571 described. For closed can, it's unbeatable especially for its price.
These are sooo comfortable to wear for hours and hours.
So light and nearly no pressure (at least to me), I am now a huge fan of wing system.
The only downside is the significant sound leakage I found while I was listening to these.

 

[LajostheHun]

Lucky you, the wing system to me is it's biggest weakness. I can't wear it for more than 20 mins, before it starts to really bother me.My M50 is far more comfortable. So is my AKG Q701, the bumps never bothered me, but  so many complained about them so go figure.
 I'm thinking to sell my A900X since I never use it.

 

[pjyi]

  Lucky you, the wing system to me is it's biggest weakness. I can't wear it for more than 20 mins, before it starts to really bother me.My M50 is far more comfortable. So is my AKG Q701, the bumps never bothered me, but  so many complained about them so go figure.
 I'm thinking to sell my A900X since I never use it.

Did you try putting an elastic string through the wing? I heard it worked for some users.

 

[LajostheHun]

  Did you try putting an elastic string through the wing? I heard it worked for some users.

Yup I did, it made things worse overall.

 

[pjyi]

  Yup I did, it made things worse overall.

Before you actually sell it, try using longer & looser string.
I think it should work.

 

[joey99]

I also feel the wings one of the best headphone designs even though ive had to find the right tension rubberband for it. After that it is so comfortable ... You dont realise how comfortable and pressureless it is until you put on other headphones. Even the sony z7.... Yes its very soft and plush but you can still feel it on your head whereas the a900x sort of floats there. Its nice.

 

[fizban007]

Because my 5-year old Shure SRH840 broken the other day, I recently bought the A900X to replace it for office use. My first impression is that it has better soundstage and deeper punch than my 840 while having comparable mids (which I bought them both for). However I really don't like the pads because the opening is too small for my ear and they are too shallow.
 
Fortunately(?) I have Hifiman pleather and velour pads lying around so I tried those (I have an HE-500 for use at home), so I swapped them on for a try. Both are more comfortable than the stock pads. The pleather pads made bass that much stronger, to the point that the mids I like is kind of overwhelmed. The velour pads are very comfortable, but they made the bass almost gone, and the vocals sound very thin and artificial. Eventually I decided to change back to the stock pads.
 
When I was changing the pads, I realized that there's a foam ring under the Hifiman pleather pads between the pleather and the fabric screen. I removed the rings and inserted them into the A900X stock pads and they fit very well. These foam rings made the stock pads stick out more, increasing a bit the clamping force and made more room for my ears. Now everything is solved: my ears feel much better due to extra room, the sonic properties of the stock pads remain unchanged, and it slips less than before!
 
TL;DR: I removed the foam rings under the Hifiman pleather pads and inserted them under A900X stock pads, and found sound signature unchanged, but much increased comfort!

 

[joey99]

  Because my 5-year old Shure SRH840 broken the other day, I recently bought the A900X to replace it for office use. My first impression is that it has better soundstage and deeper punch than my 840 while having comparable mids (which I bought them both for). However I really don't like the pads because the opening is too small for my ear and they are too shallow.
 
Fortunately(?) I have Hifiman pleather and velour pads lying around so I tried those (I have an HE-500 for use at home), so I swapped them on for a try. Both are more comfortable than the stock pads. The pleather pads made bass that much stronger, to the point that the mids I like is kind of overwhelmed. The velour pads are very comfortable, but they made the bass almost gone, and the vocals sound very thin and artificial. Eventually I decided to change back to the stock pads.
 
When I was changing the pads, I realized that there's a foam ring under the Hifiman pleather pads between the pleather and the fabric screen. I removed the rings and inserted them into the A900X stock pads and they fit very well. These foam rings made the stock pads stick out more, increasing a bit the clamping force and made more room for my ears. Now everything is solved: my ears feel much better due to extra room, the sonic properties of the stock pads remain unchanged, and it slips less than before!
 
TL;DR: I removed the foam rings under the Hifiman pleather pads and inserted them under A900X stock pads, and found sound signature unchanged, but much increased comfort!

excellent! definitely worth trying ... can you take a pic of what they look like with the pads? was it a easy fit?

 

[fizban007]

  excellent! definitely worth trying ... can you take a pic of what they look like with the pads? was it a easy fit?

Here is a picture:
 

 
It might be a bit hard to see but there's a foam layer between the pleather and the fabric screen. If you remove the pads first it's very easy to insert. It's very easy to remove from the Hifiman pleather pads too. I wonder why there is no such thing in the velour pads... Maybe because the velour pads are thick enough?

 

[conquerator2]

+1 Ive used the HiFiMAN foam with different pads where depth was insufficient. Not the perfect solution at all times, but certainly recommended to try at least.

 

[pjyi]

Do you guys think it's worth it to invest a dac/amp for these?
I was planning on getting fiio e10k (i heard this is best one you can get for under $100)
I can get one for $55 right now.

 

[Smugsie]

  Do you guys think it's worth it to invest a dac/amp for these?
I was planning on getting fiio e10k (i heard this is best one you can get for under $100)
I can get one for $55 right now.

If you're running your audio technicas off your laptop/pc right now. Do it. The E10K is a steal especially at $55.
Forget what everyone says here, my opinion is the more valid than theirs!
 

haha jk, but no seriously: $55 is totally worth it for the E10k.