[UNIFi]

  How do the TH600s compare to MDs 3.2 and also the Alpha Dogs?

 
TH600
- u shaped sound raised in the treble and bass
- soundstage is the biggest of the three
- imaging is very very good
- mids are slightly thin compared to the other two and a bit dryer but not super recessed or anything
- treble can be strident at times and it bothers me personally with a lot of rock music, has a hardness to it. Some people see this as being highly detailed/energetic in a good way
- bass is much stronger than the other two, above neutral in amount, the AD with 1 bass turn as well as dots and 2 pads still doesn't come close for example.
- for me it is very good for heavy metal as well as electronic and pop music. However the vocals are a bit aback compared to the other two.
- lightest and most comfortable of the headphones easily.
 
Alpha Dog
- neutral but slightly bright in the treble, this sound signature can become darker with felt discs, dots and the bass screw
- soundstage is better slightly than the Mad Dog, the TH600 is biggest
- mids are very detailed and clean, easily the best mids of the three
- treble is smoother than TH600 and is highly detailed
- sounds quick even with complex music
- heaviest of the three but still very comfortable
- the mad dog and Alpha dog are a lot harder to drive than the TH600
- the best imaging of the 3 overall
- the best of the three for acoustic, jazz, classical for my tastes
 
 
Mad Dog 3.2
- darkest of the three with the weakest treble by far - smooth and warm sound signature
- soundstage is the smallest of the three
- bass is well extended and weightier than the stock AD but can be eclipsed by it with the felt discs and bass screw
- mids are fuller and don't have any noticeably bad dips/peaks - but a slight shelving in the higher upper mids
- comfortable, but slightly heavy - not as weighty as the AD overall for me
- detail is good but not as good as the other two
- better for Rock, Metal, Pop and other more fun/energetic styles than the AD
- Isolation is just as good as AD both blow the TH600 away here

 

[spurxiii]

Hmm, thanks for that! Food for thought. The FAD at around €500 is my upper limit to spend on a headphone so.. it could work out pretty soon. The Sig DJ though, Sick DJ? Such ugly looking device. No way no how.



What about changes to the way it sounds?

I reckon it's better. Less open sounding but more isolation and better everything else

 

[UNIFi]

   
Hmm, thanks for that! Food for thought. The FAD at around €500 is my upper limit to spend on a headphone so.. it could work out pretty soon. The Sig DJ though, Sick DJ? Such ugly looking device. No way no how.
 
 
 
What about changes to the way it sounds?

If you are using them at home for personal use I don't see the problem if they sound really good. I'll admit though if I'm wearing them out of the house I'm very self conscious and realize that I look like a bit of a dill - I wish they looked like the Pro 900. But I put up with it for the sound quality/isolation. Mind you they look a lot better in person than on photos.

 

[moriez]

If it's really good it does not matter (at home!) That's right

 

 

[kennyk64]

Just wanna ask the head-fiers' around here, does TH600 pair well with bottlehead crack?

 

[metaldood]

   
TH600
- u shaped sound raised in the treble and bass
- soundstage is the biggest of the three
- imaging is very very good
- mids are slightly thin compared to the other two and a bit dryer but not super recessed or anything
- treble can be strident at times and it bothers me personally with a lot of rock music, has a hardness to it. Some people see this as being highly detailed/energetic in a good way
- bass is much stronger than the other two, above neutral in amount, the AD with 1 bass turn as well as dots and 2 pads still doesn't come close for example.
- for me it is very good for heavy metal as well as electronic and pop music. However the vocals are a bit aback compared to the other two.
- lightest and most comfortable of the headphones easily.
 
Alpha Dog
- neutral but slightly bright in the treble, this sound signature can become darker with felt discs, dots and the bass screw
- soundstage is better slightly than the Mad Dog, the TH600 is biggest
- mids are very detailed and clean, easily the best mids of the three
- treble is smoother than TH600 and is highly detailed
- sounds quick even with complex music
- heaviest of the three but still very comfortable
- the mad dog and Alpha dog are a lot harder to drive than the TH600
- the best imaging of the 3 overall
- the best of the three for acoustic, jazz, classical for my tastes
 
 
Mad Dog 3.2
- darkest of the three with the weakest treble by far - smooth and warm sound signature
- soundstage is the smallest of the three
- bass is well extended and weightier than the stock AD but can be eclipsed by it with the felt discs and bass screw
- mids are fuller and don't have any noticeably bad dips/peaks - but a slight shelving in the higher upper mids
- comfortable, but slightly heavy - not as weighty as the AD overall for me
- detail is good but not as good as the other two
- better for Rock, Metal, Pop and other more fun/energetic styles than the AD
- Isolation is just as good as AD both blow the TH600 away here

Thanks for the impressions. 

 

[ButtUglyJeff]

  Just wanna ask the head-fiers' around here, does TH600 pair well with bottlehead crack?

 
 
The Crack is an OTL amp that's made for harder to drive headphones.  The TH600 is not difficult to drive...

 

[Idgit]

  Just wanna ask the head-fiers' around here, does TH600 pair well with bottlehead crack?

I have both. The TH600 doesn't sound bad with the Crack, but the Crack is intended for higher impedance cans. I might have to crank up to 12 o'clock to get the same sound level as the Senn HD600 at 10 o'clock.  I haven't installed the Speedball package yet.

 

[kennyk64]

   
 
The Crack is an OTL amp that's made for harder to drive headphones.  The TH600 is not difficult to drive...

 
 

  I have both. The TH600 doesn't sound bad with the Crack, but the Crack is intended for higher impedance cans. I might have to crank up to 12 o'clock to get the same sound level as the Senn HD600 at 10 o'clock.  I haven't installed the Speedball package yet.

 
Thanks for the info guys! Just trying to find some good amp for TH600 around $500-$600 range. The amps recommended here are on the $1000 range.

 

[GigArt]

Hi fellow headfiers, is there anything suitable for TH600 within 700-900$ price range (DAC+amp)? Currently listening to TH600 with ODAC\O2 - 5-8 kHz harshness is the key problem. Here are some variants I think about:
 
1) Yulong D200. Wanna try this new combo. According to Yulong DA8 thread, slow filter really makes harsh treble warm. Yulong D200 has that filter too. 
2) Used Burson HA-160D\DS. They say it's extremely punchy (unlike neutral Yulongs) and warm.
3) Audio-GD Wolfson 8741 combos (Compass 2, 10.33).
4) Fostex HP-A4 maybe?
5) I already have Lars Audio DAC1 MKII (CS4398) - it's generally neutral with a slight warmth in the mids. So I can try to add punchy amp. Maybe Asgard 2 (though bass control is not a strong point of it). Or Aune S2 Panda MK2 - very good thing as far as I know, phenomenal bass quality and relatively smooth treble.

 

[designbykai]

Would also be interested in how they pair with burson (also the soloist), and perhaps something like Lehmann BCL..the neutrality and clarity from all ive read about it sounds awesome. I was thinking about the wa7 & but not sure if I'd want tube warmth really, prefer to have something fairly neutral and hear the phones for whs they are.. And the hpa4 by all reports is a bit bassy, which normally is something I'd like but th600 are not lacking in bass.. I'd also imagine something around the 1k mark (soloist, bcl, v200 etc) would be more future proof

 

[Shini44]

hey guys i am about to buy a new TH600 in 1-2 hours, yet before i threw the money on some random seller in Ebay, i wonder if someone is thinking about selling his TH600 to go for TH900 etc, there were two but sadly i was 1 day late :< 

 

[3X0]

Looks like somebody missed the sell-off for the past few weeks. 

 
Ended up getting rid of my pair for $400 (albeit I'm keeping the pads). I think that's the right/fair price for these to be honest. I prefer the AH-D2000 ultimately.
 
Good luck finding yours!

 

[Sweetmeat]

Would also be interested in how they pair with burson (also the soloist), and perhaps something like Lehmann BCL..the neutrality and clarity from all ive read about it sounds awesome. I was thinking about the wa7 & but not sure if I'd want tube warmth really, prefer to have something fairly neutral and hear the phones for whs they are.. And the hpa4 by all reports is a bit bassy, which normally is something I'd like but th600 are not lacking in bass.. I'd also imagine something around the 1k mark (soloist, bcl, v200 etc) would be more future proof

I run my TH600's all day at work on a Burson Conductor 9018 SL. I've always felt the Fostex TH600 as well as its little brother D2000, even though they are relatively easy to drive, benefit greatly from an amp with a high damping factor; those big magnets thrive on current. The Burson provides exceptional control over the TH600's lower registers. The bass hits harder but is more balanced.
 
Sounds even better on my Burson Soloist at home. Lots more high end, too much sometimes, fine on most recordings. Sorry, I haven't heard those other amps you mentioned.

 

[UNIFi]

  Hi fellow headfiers, is there anything suitable for TH600 within 700-900$ price range (DAC+amp)? Currently listening to TH600 with ODAC\O2 - 5-8 kHz harshness is the key problem. Here are some variants I think about:
 
1) Yulong D200. Wanna try this new combo. According to Yulong DA8 thread, slow filter really makes harsh treble warm. Yulong D200 has that filter too. 
2) Used Burson HA-160D\DS. They say it's extremely punchy (unlike neutral Yulongs) and warm.
3) Audio-GD Wolfson 8741 combos (Compass 2, 10.33).
4) Fostex HP-A4 maybe?
5) I already have Lars Audio DAC1 MKII (CS4398) - it's generally neutral with a slight warmth in the mids. So I can try to add punchy amp. Maybe Asgard 2 (though bass control is not a strong point of it). Or Aune S2 Panda MK2 - very good thing as far as I know, phenomenal bass quality and relatively smooth treble.

Musical Fidelity M1 HPA is worth a look - might be a bit too smooth for you though.