[ButtUglyJeff]

I had wanted to try the Denons years back, but couldn't make the investment. So I was bummed that they were discontinued and then later that the Fostex were priced so high. So when it dropped to $600 a little while ago, they came back on my radar, and the 20% off sale cinched it for me.

I think I'll splurge for the TH900 cups, because they really add some nice splash. Wether the Lawton angled pads are also worth it is another thing. Not sure on that. I'll start with stock and work from there.

 

 
Going Lawton, both with pads and wood cups does change the tuning of the headphone quite significantly.  The bass is a bit less impacting, and the treble is far more significant.  And most likely your attitude about how to amp them will change, at least it did for me...
 
I would suggest not being in a hurry to the mod the the TH600.  Get used to what you have first...

 

[RAFA]

They couldn't be any more different. Both have fairly large soundstage for a closed can, but the W5000 feels more spacious. The bass on the TH600 is more than neutral and in fairly strong quantity - the W5000 is rather bass light - one of the least bassy cans I've heard. The TH600 mids are a bit back in the presentation while the W5000 is emphasised - but I and others find them honky/odd sounding - like the singer is too close to the mic/nasally. This coming from someone who greatly liked hearing a W3000 and W1000X. The treble on the TH600 can be a bit sharp with many recordings especially the lower treble - the W5000 is not as pronounced from what I heard.

Can't comment on imaging - didn't hear the W5000 long enough for any other tests.

Thank you very much. Your impressions help me a lot. I can identify everything you wrote about the TH600.

 

[teofilrocks]

Going Lawton, both with pads and wood cups does change the tuning of the headphone quite significantly.  The bass is a bit less impacting, and the treble is far more significant.  And most likely your attitude about how to amp them will change, at least it did for me...

I would suggest not being in a hurry to the mod the the TH600.  Get used to what you have first...

Ah ha~ good to know, because those two things are exactly what I don't want to happen.

 

[teofilrocks]

I'm enjoying the TH600. Really enjoyable bass. The only thing is that I'm so used to a different level of comfort (Beyerdynamic and Sennheiser). Especially used to velour pads. Has anyone tried the HiFiMAN FocusPad variants on these? I really liked them on the HE-400 because they kept the pleather but add a velour ring for comfort to the skin facing side, and are angled. Seems like it could be a good fit for the TH600.

 

[MEJazz]

I used to own D5000 and now missing those ordered TH600 - thinking will swap out the metal cups with TH900 wood cups. Can anybody who owned both of these compare the two? Are TH600 in the same league as D5000, better, or worse?

 

[roguepp88]

I used to own D5000 and now missing those ordered TH600 - thinking will swap out the metal cups with TH900 wood cups. Can anybody who owned both of these compare the two? Are TH600 in the same league as D5000, better, or worse?

Better controlled bass and less harshness are the main things you will find.
Try the TH-600 with the original magnesium cups first before you consider switching to the wooden cups,
I think it sounds great at it is,
I heard someone with a wooden cup mod for the TH-600 (Lawton mod),
and the mod actually made it sound worst (sibilance gets worst, and loses its sparkle),
both myself and its owner agreed as well.

 

[teofilrocks]

I used to own D5000 and now missing those ordered TH600 - thinking will swap out the metal cups with TH900 wood cups. Can anybody who owned both of these compare the two? Are TH600 in the same league as D5000, better, or worse?

 
I'm looking at the TH900 wood cups as well, they look nicer than matte black, not that I think the TH600 is ugly at all. Not sure if they really change the sound or not, I think the other wood cups being talked about are the Lawton cups. The only thing I don't like about the TH600 is the sound the magnesium cups make when they clink again the metal yoke, and the comfort of the headband (needs more padding). 

 

[Lohb]

   
I'm looking at the TH900 wood cups as well, they look nicer than matte black, not that I think the TH600 is ugly at all. Not sure if they really change the sound or not, I think the other wood cups being talked about are the Lawton cups. The only thing I don't like about the TH600 is the sound the magnesium cups make when they clink again the metal yoke, and the comfort of the headband (needs more padding). 

Try
Official Sennheiser HD650 or HD600 Headband Padding.
Works on D2k but you need to glue it on.

 

[epzy]

Love my TH-600 so much I want to go for TH-900. I can hands down recommend these cans with 100% confidence to anyone who likes EDM, Hip/Hop and gaming.

 

[epzy]

Dood, I find the Fostex 10x more comfy than Beyers. Beyers are light af, but still the headband burns a hole through my head it feels like.
 
Btw, try go to devices, right click, properties, enhancements, check bass boost on, choose 50 hz and 12 dB, the bass will be insane. You can try 9 db or less as well if you think the mids gets muted too much.

 

[MEJazz]

Love my TH-600 so much I want to go for TH-900. I can hands down recommend these cans with 100% confidence to anyone who likes EDM, Hip/Hop and gaming.

Have you heard TH-900; do they really sound better than TH-600 by a noticeable margin? Again with the TH-900 woodcups on TH-600 are'nt we getting close to TH-900 sound?

 

[lexus91]

Have you heard TH-900; do they really sound better than TH-600 by a noticeable margin? Again with the TH-900 woodcups on TH-600 are'nt we getting close to TH-900 sound?

They do sound better. esp if you use proper set up TH-900 scales much better. I don't know about replacing the cup though.

 

[epzy]

Have you heard TH-900; do they really sound better than TH-600 by a noticeable margin? Again with the TH-900 woodcups on TH-600 are'nt we getting close to TH-900 sound?

Nope, I have not. Most people tend to say they are just like the TH-600, but better. So that's the main reason why I want them, if I can get the same sound, just somehow better it's going to be amazing, for real. Plus, I much prefer the HIGH end look of the TH-900's compared to the sneaky beaky like matte black finish of the TH-600.

 

[plakat]

Have you heard TH-900; do they really sound better than TH-600 by a noticeable margin? Again with the TH-900 woodcups on TH-600 are'nt we getting close to TH-900 sound?

 
While the TH900 has a bit smoother treble, it also has a more U-shaped response curve. To me the TH600 is actually more neutral.
 
And no, I don't think the wood cups (i.e. the material) have any relevant influence on the sound, so a TH600 with TH900 cups won't sound like the TH900, which has a slightly different driver (the TH900 driver has a much stronger magnet system). Cups of different size are another story, that may well change the sound of course. Changing the ports of the Fostex design does change the sound as well, so thats where other cups may actually change the sound. To my knowledge the overall cup design is more or less the same on both, though I did not compare that myself.

 

[teofilrocks]

  Try
Official Sennheiser HD650 or HD600 Headband Padding.
Works on D2k but you need to glue it on.

 
The HD650 headband padding is the first thing I thought of.
 
On some recordings there's a bit of grain and sibilance. Thought I'd try the perforated shelf liner mod. Picked some up while my wife and I were doing errands today, and it does seem to help. Put them on top of the driver / damping ring and attached the ear pads over them. My test track for sibilance and harshness is Beyoncé's If I Were A Boy. The recording of her vocals can get quite sharp. The liner mod took the edge off, but didn't remove as much treble as I thought it would, which is okay by me. But I love the HD650 treble, so I'd be okay even if it did.
 
I'll have to do some more listening to see how it effects soundstage.