[yamichan]

Now I really eager to order a pair of AD900x here

Can these cans play fast music well like metal, rock ? 

 

[Dsnuts]

It is one the highest rated cans for ROCK by a Japanese magazine I recently found out on the discovery thread..
プレミアムヘッドホンガイド 2013 WINTER :: ActiBook You have to looks through this magazine but there is a summary of the strengths of the cans. The 5 stars on there is for Rock. That is 5 out of a possible 5. Like I mentioned before I think even Grado guys would be impressed.  

 

[Mani ATH 87]

Quote:

It is one the highest rated cans for ROCK by a Japanese magazine I recently found out on the discovery thread..
プレミアムヘッドホンガイド 2013 WINTER :: ActiBook You have to looks through this magazine but there is a summary of the strengths of the cans. The 5 stars on there is for Rock. That is 5 out of a possible 5. Like I mentioned before I think even Grado guys would be impressed.  

You also have to be able to read Japanese, lol

 

[Dsnuts]

It is the 5 star rating on the bottom of the description.. That is for rock that is all you have to know. This is roughly translated.
 
Audio-Technica ATH-AD900X
Code:

 Balance (FR) Deep Bass |---|---|---|---■---|---| Mids / Highs Soundstage Deep |---|---|---|---|---■---| Wide Presentation Powerful |---|---■---|---|---|---| Delicate Rock ★★★★★ Jazz ★★★★ Classical ★★★★ Club ★★★★

 

[pngwn]

Quote:

It is the 5 star rating on the bottom of the description.. That is for rock that is all you have to know. This is roughly translated.
 
Audio-Technica ATH-AD900X
Code:

 Balance (FR) Deep Bass |---|---|---|---■---|---| Mids / Highs Soundstage Deep |---|---|---|---|---■---| Wide Presentation Powerful |---|---■---|---|---|---| Delicate Rock ★★★★★ Jazz ★★★★ Classical ★★★★ Club ★★★★

I agree with this graph. The AD900X cans sound great with everything, but especially rock, hardcore, post-hardcore, metal, etc. I also listen to trance, classical, post-rock, and house, and the cans handle those genres very well, especially after the bass has opened up after burn in, but I've definitely found myself listening to and looking for more rock to add to my library.

 

[HaVoC-28]

means nothing to me 

,  can't you have a wide AND deep soundstage ? 

, same for deep bass and highs .
 
(or at least the translation)

 

[214324]

Quote:

Is there an expected price point for the AD900x when it is released in North America? I'd like to get one, but I can wait if need be if the price will be cheaper than Audiocube's.

Well, they've added the AD900x (and models below it like the AD700x, etc.) and the MSRP is $300. As far as I've seen the ATH-AD900 sells from...$150-$200? I guess AudioCubes has a pretty good price right now. If anything, it should cost a bit more than the ATH-AD900 (that's sort of a given). I'd say somewhere around $180-$220? Maybe. We'll have to wait and see.

 

[deFi]

Well, they've added the AD900x (and models below it like the AD700x, etc.) and the MSRP is $300. As far as I've seen the ATH-AD900 sells from...$150-$200? I guess AudioCubes has a pretty good price right now. If anything, it should cost a bit more than the ATH-AD900 (that's sort of a given). I'd say somewhere around $180-$220? Maybe. We'll have to wait and see.

 
The good news is that the Yen is finally starting to dive back down again (i.e., depreciate against the dollar), so Japanese imports should be somewhat cheaper...! Maybe?

 

[HaVoC-28]

AD2000X Ordered , we will have a real comparison to AD2000 

but i think that it will be very similar to what ZenErik said ...

should be at home in 7-9 days ^^

 

[sacrifice13]

Any reviews on the AD700X yet? Considering how popular the original was, I would have thought there would be more who are interested in trying it out.

 

[pp312]

Quote:

I agree with this graph. The AD900X cans sound great with everything, but especially rock, hardcore, post-hardcore, metal, etc. I also listen to trance, classical, post-rock, and house, and the cans handle those genres very well, especially after the bass has opened up after burn in, but I've definitely found myself listening to and looking for more rock to add to my library.

 
Forgive me for asking, but what do you classify as "classical" in this context?

 

[pngwn]

Quote:

 
Forgive me for asking, but what do you classify as "classical" in this context?

 
Sorry, I was using "classical" as a blanket term for instrumental and orchestral, but some of what I have been listening to on the AD900X includes the Hilary Hahn Bach Partitas and Sonatas, Romantic era pieces performed by the Berlin Phil, The Fountain soundtrack with the Kronos quartet, some of the Doctor Who soundtrack, Shadow of the Colossus, and various other game and movie soundtracks.
 
I'm actually not much of a fan of proper Classical period music, I really meant to say Romantic and Modern era classical.
 
To how the AD900X handles such music, the Dance of the Sugar-Plum Fairy from The Nutcracker Suite by Tchaikovsky is very nice. Instrument separation is superb and dynamics are handled beautifully. To my ears, the soundstage places me in that sweet spot of a concert hall, in the center about 30-40 feet from the conductor. The bottom of the orchestra (bass, bassoon, percussion, etc) is interpreted with a satisfying amount of well controlled rumble. Violins and woodwinds are incredibly sweet, especially the violin solo of Albinoni's Adagio in g minor for strings and organ. Detail retrieval is also excellent; at times, I can hear the rubbing of the bows' horsehair on the strings. My ears may be more finely tuned to hearing that, though, since I've been playing violin for the past 12 years.
 
Clint Mansell's Death is the Road to Awe from The Fountain soundtrack is a piece that I love to listen to that the cans handle extremely well.

 

[pp312]

Thanks for those great comments. I wonder if you could comment on the specific areas of improvement over the old model, or have you not heard it? As you're a violin player your impressions would be especially useful.  

 

[Trae]

After taking a closer look at pngwn's avatar picture, the driver looks VERY similar to the AD900 drivers. Well, that should be expected, but the main differences between the two is that the ring's (is it metal or plastic?) shroud covers the cables, and the plastic on the back of the driver seems to cover the magnet. Plus, it looks like they're using the less restrictive black felt material in the center opening. The AD900s use a white felt that is tougher and more restrictive. The magnet is open too. My pro700mk2's also had the same white felt in the center opening of the magnet, but when I cut it out, there was no change in the treble (the smaller holes is where the lower mids - bass come out, and the center hole is where the upper midrange - treble comes out). The same black felt seems to be used in the smaller holes too.
 
So, the main sonic difference between the AD900 and the AD900x is most likely because the drivers are actually angled this time, and the earpads are thicker. That should help with the soundstaging and bass response, respectively. AT just rose the plastic on the back side of the AD900s (outside the driver), and made it thinner in the front instead of actually angling it. Oddly enough, they don't angle the drivers on the AD1000x/2000x. They do the same thing they did with the AD900s. I wonder why? 

 

[FNgr8]

I own the AKG K550 right now, but I'm looking into other headphones because my ears touch the drivers, which I find really uncomfortable after an hour or so.  Could someone tell me the depth of the pads on the AD900x?