Initial ATH-A900X Impressions
Introduction:
Picked up the A900X yesterday. Here are my first impressions after about 5-7 hours of burn in. I have been listening through my 3rd Gen Ipod Touch and my Toshiba laptop. I've had the M50s for about 4 years. Picked up the A900X on ebay for around $160. Brand new.
Impressions:
-Balanced sound signature. Can be slightly bright with some genres. Nice treble detail and extention. Noticing more details in the drumming, especially in death metal.
-Tight bass. The M50 definitely has a higher output in the sub bass frequencies, but the A900X bass is cleaner and more textured. Not suitable for genres demanding lower/sub bass frequencies.
-Unable to get a seal around the ears. I used to a rubber band to remedy the situation and couldn't be happier. These are quite comfortable.
-Seamless mid range. Quite clear and liquid. Compared to the M50, the A900X has another sonic dimension to be experienced.
-Wider Soundstage. The soundstage is decently bigger than the M50. It really helps to relieve congestion between the lows and highs, allowing for nice mid range presentation.
-Average noise isolation. Provides some isolation from the environment, but not too much.
-Easier to drive. I wouldn't be surprised if my amplifier preferred a headphone of a lower impedance. The 4 ohm increase has been noticeable on my equipment. These would probably benefit from an amplifier, but it isn't crucial in any sense.
Conclusion:
These are great headphones. I can't wait for them to continue burning in because I pretty much liked these headphones out of the box. If they had a little more sub bass output, buying these headphones is almost punishable by law. For $160, you are getting A LOT of headphone. A lot of the comments in this thread contributed to my decision. AT does it again!