PACSman
Head-Fier
- Joined
- Oct 19, 2011
- Posts
- 69
- Likes
- 103
I just purchased and received the TH-909. This is not intended as a critical or extensive review. I think of it as a preview of an item you might want to consider listening to. No incentives were received for my purchase or for writing this opinion.
Early impressions:
· I plugged the TH-909 into a Techsun radio for 20 hours of warming up. My first impression was “when was the last time I heard good radio? This sounds really good!” This was also the first indication to me of how flexible the TH-909 will be for me.
· I then gave the TH-909 to my wife. She plugged it into her phone and walked away. It seemed like hours later when she returned and said “that is the best piece of audio equipment you have ever brought into this house.” She was listening with her cell phone.
· That leads to my first criticism. I only received an 11 ft cable terminated with a standard ¼” connector. This is a low impedance headphone and begs for portable use! I have already ordered a replacement cable so I can walk with my iFi xDSD.
· To get the TH-909 away from my “significant other approved”, I took the TH-909 on the road for listening.
My iFi xDSD feeds comfortable volumes at the low “green” setting for most of my listening.
o I hear more bass. It is clear and detailed.
o Detail of notes surpassed my expectations. The transition between the notes is exciting as I anticipate what may happen next.
o For grins, I measured the bass down to 20hz. At 17hz, I hear less bass but that may a flaw of the online tone generator. It might also be a flaw of my mortal ears.
o I also measured the treble to 17khz. Past that, I need turn up the volume. My ears don’t reach so high anymore.
Pop Artists:
· Armin van Buuren - Wild Wild Son (feat. Sam Martin).flac
· Diggy Dex - Alles Is Nu.flac
· Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper - Shallow.flac
· Little Mix - Woman Like Me (feat. Nicki Minaj).flac
· San Holo - brighter days (feat. Bipolar Sunshine).flac
· Zara Larsson - Ruin My Life.flac
If someone wanted to convert me to the current pop, these recordings would do it. The treble sparkles, the mid is focused, and the bass excites.
Personal potpourri:
· Eva Cassidy, 2015 Nightbird Complete (2CD)
· Hendrix, 2017 In the Spirit of Jazz
· Karrin Allyson, 2011 'Round Midnight
· Michael Manring, 1994 Thonk (High Street Records)
The first three sound spectacular with the Fostex TH-909 and iFi xDSD pairing. I’ve never heard as good sound from any equipment that stows in my backpack. It also exceeds any home system I've heard. My copy of the Michael Manring is not the greatest quality recording but it features phenomenal bass lines which are reproduced with better detail than I remember hearing before.
Classical:
· Meyerbeer Spohr Busoni Barmann, Clarinet Quintets
· Alison Balsom, 2010 Italian Concertos [24bit, 44.1khz]
· Weiniawski - Alard - Moszkowski - violin duets - Gringolts - Bulov-CD
· Shostakovich - Symphony No.10; Passacaglia - Boston SO, Nelsons
· Nelsons, Boston Symphony Orchestra -Shostakovich Symphonies 5,8,9, Suite from Hamlet
My personal belief is that if a person were to hear recordings like this they would become forever fans. At this point, I want to recall and use words from the audiophile bingo hyperbole. Cellos emerge from the back without obscuring the gentle winds and strings at the front. The music is detailed, open, and alive. Something tells me that I’ll be using the TH-909 for a lot of classical music that I didn’t listen to previously.
Conclusions:
· The intent of my purchase was to augment my closed headphone with an open headphone. If I don't need to be considerate of the hearing space of others, open headphones are better. I'm thrilled with the TH-909.
· Comparisons with the HD-800S are inevitable. If we can forget the pronounced 6khz peak of the original HD-800 headphones, than it might be fair to do so. I sold my HD-800 because of this and almost jumped on the Sennheiser bandwagon again with the HD-800S. I’ve auditioned the HD-800S repeatedly over the past two years. Comparing the HD-800S and TH-909:
o Contrary to speculation I have read on this forum, the TH-909 is very smooth with the highs.
o Each present a great soundstage
o Each clearly detail individual instruments and voices
o In the examples above, the TH-909 bass was focused and detailed. However, I have some bootlegs and other recordings that are not as well engineered and the bass can be a bit heavy or muddy. I might need to EQ the sound for those old or badly engineered recordings. I suppose modders will have opinions about this soon.
o The TH-909 is clear with the midrange and treble. I was worried that the bass would eclipse the midrange and treble; thankfully, it does not.
o With the HD-800S, I always applied some EQ to add bass and tone down the highs. I think it only fair to drive the HD-800S with a powerful premier headphone amp. Once done, the HD-800S proves a wonderful investment. With the TH-909, I begin thinking more of amp quality rather than amp power. A great DAP might be in my future.
The clock has moved forward and I’m very happy with my new TH-909. I don’t expect to look back.
Early impressions:
· I plugged the TH-909 into a Techsun radio for 20 hours of warming up. My first impression was “when was the last time I heard good radio? This sounds really good!” This was also the first indication to me of how flexible the TH-909 will be for me.
· I then gave the TH-909 to my wife. She plugged it into her phone and walked away. It seemed like hours later when she returned and said “that is the best piece of audio equipment you have ever brought into this house.” She was listening with her cell phone.
· That leads to my first criticism. I only received an 11 ft cable terminated with a standard ¼” connector. This is a low impedance headphone and begs for portable use! I have already ordered a replacement cable so I can walk with my iFi xDSD.
· To get the TH-909 away from my “significant other approved”, I took the TH-909 on the road for listening.
My iFi xDSD feeds comfortable volumes at the low “green” setting for most of my listening.
o I hear more bass. It is clear and detailed.
o Detail of notes surpassed my expectations. The transition between the notes is exciting as I anticipate what may happen next.
o For grins, I measured the bass down to 20hz. At 17hz, I hear less bass but that may a flaw of the online tone generator. It might also be a flaw of my mortal ears.
o I also measured the treble to 17khz. Past that, I need turn up the volume. My ears don’t reach so high anymore.
Pop Artists:
· Armin van Buuren - Wild Wild Son (feat. Sam Martin).flac
· Diggy Dex - Alles Is Nu.flac
· Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper - Shallow.flac
· Little Mix - Woman Like Me (feat. Nicki Minaj).flac
· San Holo - brighter days (feat. Bipolar Sunshine).flac
· Zara Larsson - Ruin My Life.flac
If someone wanted to convert me to the current pop, these recordings would do it. The treble sparkles, the mid is focused, and the bass excites.
Personal potpourri:
· Eva Cassidy, 2015 Nightbird Complete (2CD)
· Hendrix, 2017 In the Spirit of Jazz
· Karrin Allyson, 2011 'Round Midnight
· Michael Manring, 1994 Thonk (High Street Records)
The first three sound spectacular with the Fostex TH-909 and iFi xDSD pairing. I’ve never heard as good sound from any equipment that stows in my backpack. It also exceeds any home system I've heard. My copy of the Michael Manring is not the greatest quality recording but it features phenomenal bass lines which are reproduced with better detail than I remember hearing before.
Classical:
· Meyerbeer Spohr Busoni Barmann, Clarinet Quintets
· Alison Balsom, 2010 Italian Concertos [24bit, 44.1khz]
· Weiniawski - Alard - Moszkowski - violin duets - Gringolts - Bulov-CD
· Shostakovich - Symphony No.10; Passacaglia - Boston SO, Nelsons
· Nelsons, Boston Symphony Orchestra -Shostakovich Symphonies 5,8,9, Suite from Hamlet
My personal belief is that if a person were to hear recordings like this they would become forever fans. At this point, I want to recall and use words from the audiophile bingo hyperbole. Cellos emerge from the back without obscuring the gentle winds and strings at the front. The music is detailed, open, and alive. Something tells me that I’ll be using the TH-909 for a lot of classical music that I didn’t listen to previously.
Conclusions:
· The intent of my purchase was to augment my closed headphone with an open headphone. If I don't need to be considerate of the hearing space of others, open headphones are better. I'm thrilled with the TH-909.
· Comparisons with the HD-800S are inevitable. If we can forget the pronounced 6khz peak of the original HD-800 headphones, than it might be fair to do so. I sold my HD-800 because of this and almost jumped on the Sennheiser bandwagon again with the HD-800S. I’ve auditioned the HD-800S repeatedly over the past two years. Comparing the HD-800S and TH-909:
o Contrary to speculation I have read on this forum, the TH-909 is very smooth with the highs.
o Each present a great soundstage
o Each clearly detail individual instruments and voices
o In the examples above, the TH-909 bass was focused and detailed. However, I have some bootlegs and other recordings that are not as well engineered and the bass can be a bit heavy or muddy. I might need to EQ the sound for those old or badly engineered recordings. I suppose modders will have opinions about this soon.
o The TH-909 is clear with the midrange and treble. I was worried that the bass would eclipse the midrange and treble; thankfully, it does not.
o With the HD-800S, I always applied some EQ to add bass and tone down the highs. I think it only fair to drive the HD-800S with a powerful premier headphone amp. Once done, the HD-800S proves a wonderful investment. With the TH-909, I begin thinking more of amp quality rather than amp power. A great DAP might be in my future.
The clock has moved forward and I’m very happy with my new TH-909. I don’t expect to look back.