[Malevolent]

I have the TH900 first version, and have to EQ it pretty drastically to make it enjoyable for my tastes. But yeah, it does have some virtues, and those are hard to beat. What's new with the TH900.2? (But since this is a Denon thread-- the 9200 is great )

Yes, agreed. The TH900 (and its Mk2 variant) are good headphones; they are champs at certain things, and poorer at others. It's not a "genre master", to be frank. Objectively, there are aspects of its sound that render the Fostex inferior to other competing headphones within its price tier and category class. It's still one heck of a fun can, though.

As far as I know, the Mk2 has detachable cables... and that's it.

 

[Malevolent]

D9200 is technically superior and better built. Th900 has larger stage due to the large pad room and that's about it. Th900 has an annoying peak at 6k, and it's not easy to get bass impact due to large pad room. You get subs more than impact.

I tried various amps with TH900 and it was finiky with amping, and only one tyoe of amp providing enough bass quantity in the large pads. D9200 pushes bass out much effortlessly even with portable amps.

D9200 is bettee built in every way. Th900 they spent a lot time painting the cup, and that seems like a big waste of time/resources.

The resolution of th900 avg at best.

Out of the two without question I'd reach for the d9200. I know I get most out of the tracks with the d9200.

The TH900 Mk2 utilises the old frame of the Denon AH-D700 (and its siblings) - those were failure-prone, if I'm remembering correctly. Amongst the headphones in my collection, the one that is ostensibly the most fragile is the Fostex. That "swivel hinge" assembly doesn't spark a lot of confidence in me, to be honest.

On the other hand, the AH-D9200 employs the use of a more rigid and sturdy body. Without a doubt, it has the better build between the 2.

 

[Arcamera]

The thing that really stands out for me from Fostex/Denon is the timbre, or tone. That rich, 'organic' tonality is fantastic; it can make instruments all sound like they've been recorded through tube amplification, often giving a more lush vibe. That, plus the bass accentuation and sparkly highs (if tamed a bit for my tastes) makes it an addictive listen. Perhaps it has something to do with their bio-cellulose drivers? I don't know.

 

[SilverEars]

The thing that really stands out for me from Fostex/Denon is the timbre, or tone. That rich, 'organic' tonality is fantastic; it can make instruments all sound like they've been recorded through tube amplification, often giving a more lush vibe. That, plus the bass accentuation and sparkly highs (if tamed a bit for my tastes) makes it an addictive listen. Perhaps it has something to do with their bio-cellulose drivers? I don't know.

From what I understand, the drivers are not the same, at least by term. D9200 uses what Denon calls 'nanofiber' drivers that they have developed and Fostex uses 'biocellulose.' Foster doesn't make anything for Denon with the new headphones.

Personally, I would go with THX-00 Ebony over the TH900 due to smoother highs without that annoying peak, and also the bass response is thumping.

The only way I could get TH900 bass to come up strong was to use a very low impedance OTL tube amp that I have. Other than that, bass wasn't significant enough for me. I think TH900 just needs more air moved to the same effect as smaller pad room headphones like D9200 or THX-00.

 

[Terriero]

The more I read this recommendations, the more I want them to arrive soon.!

I'm waiting for your impressions when you receive them

I hope you enjoy them.

 

[duranxv]

That's your experience not mine. I wouldn't get the same output out of any amp with TH900. The bass was lacking umph for my taste when I tried even more powerful solid-states than portable. On the other hand, it was obvious D9200 was easy to drive. The pad room has a lot to do with this. Less room there is, you get stronger bass response like I've repeated many times above. But the caveat with reducing the sound stage. Sound stage is all about room around the ears.

If you are fine with your TH900 with mp3 player, it's all you know. If were to choose between the two which I would be the better response from driving out of mp3 player. I would go with the D9200 easily.

Well, that's my point, I used both the 900 and the 9200 on the same mp3 player They both worked great.

 

[Dr Riddim]

Well, that's my point, I used both the 900 and the 9200 on the same mp3 player They both worked great.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the Fostex a hell of a lot, too. In fact, it remains my favorite headphone for EDM. I've been listening to dance music all my life, and my current music catalog comprises approximately 3/4 EDM, and the rest, a mixture of 80s Pop, 80s Rock, and J-Pop. Thus, I've been on a perpetual hunt for IEMs and headphones that bring the greatest sense of engagement and energy to my genre-of-choice.

With that said, the Denon is a better headphone in the overall sense. It bests the Fostex in resolution and clarity, and in the tonality aspect, creates a more natural presentation for your music.

I use both cans a lot within my current rotation, but the TH900 Mk2 is a headphone that is reserved exclusively for EDM. The Denon, however, is a maestro at multiple genres - whilst its bass presence is a little shy of the Fostex in sheer impact and slam, it plays well with myriad genres of music.

By the way, the AH-D9200 and the TH900 Mk2 share the same MSRP - $1,599.

Just received the Noir Mk2 cable (balanced, with 4.4mm plug) from Forza Audioworks for my D9200, and now listening to Michael Kiwanuka's latest on wav from Cowon Plenue L. First impression: adds wider stage, more controlled bass and smoother highs without missing any details.

 

[FooFighter]

Anyone owning IFI Micro IDSD and tried with the 9200?
I own one and find it pretty nice with good dynamics and high notes not getting too sibilant though I have the impression that the buildin amplifier plays a role as connecting the IDSD dac to my bigger Violectric V200 will lead to a loss of dynamics (sounds somehow like dynamic range is compressed).

Am now wondering if I should sell my V200 and investigate in a small desktop rig (dac + amp) that can drive both my 9200 and also my LCD-2 Fazor.

Listening to mostly everything from Indie, Rock, Jazz, Classic Music up to Electronical. Not sure if a Chord Hugo 2 will really be an enhancement over my IDSD.
Pricelimit 1000 bucks.

Any ideas or do you guys think the IDSD is yet a good fit until 1000 bucks?

 

[SilverEars]

Anyone owning IFI Micro IDSD and tried with the 9200?
I own one and find it pretty nice with good dynamics and high notes not getting too sibilant though I have the impression that the buildin amplifier plays a role as connecting the IDSD dac to my bigger Violectric V200 will lead to a loss of dynamics (sounds somehow like dynamic range is compressed).

Am now wondering if I should sell my V200 and investigate in a small desktop rig (dac + amp) that can drive both my 9200 and also my LCD-2 Fazor.

Listening to mostly everything from Indie, Rock, Jazz, Classic Music up to Electronical. Not sure if a Chord Hugo 2 will really be an enhancement over my IDSD.
Pricelimit 1000 bucks.

Any ideas or do you guys think the IDSD is yet a good fit until 1000 bucks?

Personally, never liked iDSD amps due to solid-statey kinds a typical Chifi amping sound. I don't know why pretty much all Chifi amping sounds like shrill?

 

[FooFighter]

Personally, never liked iDSD amps due to solid-statey kinds a typical Chifi amping sound. I don't know why pretty much all Chifi amping sounds like shrill?

So you'd prefer the Mojo over IDSD?
Will the Mojo have plenty enough dynamics or smooth notes too much (like my V200 seems to do).
Have you been listening to IDSD before?
Any recommendations regarding small desktop rig (combined dac/amp) up to 1000 bucks for 9200 and LCD-2 besides Mojo?

 

[Slim1970]

The Micro iDSD BL doesn’t sound anything like a ChiFi amp. It’s one of the most musical sounding transportable amps made with goons of power. I loved mine when I had it.

 

[FooFighter]

The Micro iDSD BL doesn’t sound anything like a ChiFi amp. It’s one of the most musical sounding transportable amps made with goons of power. I loved mine when I had it.

Still having the silver-predecessor, though don't think upgrading to black label will be worth it.
If upgrade then it must be some real improvement and good fit for the 9200

 

[SilverEars]

So you'd prefer the Mojo over IDSD?
Will the Mojo have plenty enough dynamics or smooth notes too much (like my V200 seems to do).
Have you been listening to IDSD before?
Any recommendations regarding small desktop rig (combined dac/amp) up to 1000 bucks for 9200 and LCD-2 besides Mojo?

Personally, I do. I found iDSD BL to sound pretty much like any other Chifi amps out there. Mojo has a different sound that's not on the shrill side.

Or go with a Schiit amp, and their lower-end stuff is not as bad as Chifi sounding stuff. With Schiit you get the value.

 

[djdunn]

So you'd prefer the Mojo over IDSD?
Will the Mojo have plenty enough dynamics or smooth notes too much (like my V200 seems to do).
Have you been listening to IDSD before?
Any recommendations regarding small desktop rig (combined dac/amp) up to 1000 bucks for 9200 and LCD-2 besides Mojo?

There's the iBasso dx220, I really like their amp 9 card which is a nutube amp.

 

[duranxv]

Just received the Noir Mk2 cable (balanced, with 4.4mm plug) from Forza Audioworks for my D9200, and now listening to Michael Kiwanuka's latest on wav from Cowon Plenue L. First impression: adds wider stage, more controlled bass and smoother highs without missing any details.

I'm actually torn on the whole cable debate. Half of the stuff I read and see say that audiophile cables are nothing but snake oil. The other half literally swear they alter the sound signature of a headphone. One guy did a blind test where he had a bunch of audiophiles listen to headphones on varying cables (one being a re-purposed coat hanger, another being a run-of-the mill cable, and the other a true audiophile cable), and when asked which sound they preferred, the coat hangar cable actually won about 30% of the time, while very few selected the actual audiophile cable. Of course, the participants didn't know which cable was being used, otherwise that would taint the results due to psychological expectations.

As they say, perhaps the truth lies somewhere in the middle? I can't imagine so many people would pay $300-$400 for a high quality cable if it was all BS, but at the same time, there's also quite a bit of objective evidence saying they don't really make a difference unless you're comparing them to really crappy cables. What's been everyone's experience with audiophile cables, especially for those of you that have the Denons and/or Fostex's?