[Girls Generation]

i get the impression that muppetface's opinion is respected around here.

like i said, i'm still interested in hearing these cans for myself.

 
I'd like to read that post myself as I respect MF very much. But I still stand by my statement that the opinion of someone who cannot be more open minded is one that is of no worth to me.

 

[mrtim6]

For those wondering which amp to pair with their TH900 I highly recommend the Japanese Bakoon.

I recent bought the Bakoon HDA-5210 mk3 (Japanese version)

Quick overview of impressions with Fostex TH900

Massive soundstage - bigger than Leben CS300xs even with NOS tubes
Really opens up after about 50+ hours
Very tight controlled base
TH900 mids as pointed out by many other headfi members are not as recessed with this amp.
Treble is very nicely extended no siblance at all.
Euphoric sound amp with plenty of detail - in my opinion has managed to achieve reference quality without becoming over-analytical.
Very fast h/p amp.
Red book sounds amazing straight out of a Denon DVD player
Best headphone amp I have ever heard with these headphones - feels like an end game amp to me. Very satisfied with just how great music sounds.
I think this is a real contender along with its Korean cousin. I would imagine this amp in turns of quality is up there with the Zana and GSX although I havn't compared them.

I would be interested to hear any other headfi members views on this combo.

 

[kothganesh]

For those wondering which amp to pair with their TH900 I highly recommend the Japanese Bakoon.

I recent bought the Bakoon HDA-5210 mk3 (Japanese version)

Quick overview of impressions with Fostex TH900

Massive soundstage - bigger than Leben CS300xs even with NOS tubes
Really opens up after about 50+ hours
Very tight controlled base
TH900 mids as pointed out by many other headfi members are not as recessed with this amp.
Treble is very nicely extended no siblance at all.
Euphoric sound amp with plenty of detail - in my opinion has managed to achieve reference quality without becoming over-analytical.
Very fast h/p amp.
Red book sounds amazing straight out of a Denon DVD player
Best headphone amp I have ever heard with these headphones - feels like an end game amp to me. Very satisfied with just how great music sounds.
I think this is a real contender along with its Korean cousin. I would imagine this amp in turns of quality is up there with the Zana and GSX although I havn't compared them.

I would be interested to hear any other headfi members views on this combo.

Very timely post (for me). I was looking at the Bakoon, I believe the HDA-21, for my Audez'e cans. Did not know that they would drive the 900 as well. What DAC, if any, did you use?
Thanks.

 

[up late]

I'd like to read that post myself as I respect MF very much. But I still stand by my statement that the opinion of someone who cannot be more open minded is one that is of no worth to me.

seems to me that the only person being closed minded here is you.

ps sent you a pm with a link to the forum page containing the post.

 

[kurochin]

Very timely post (for me). I was looking at the Bakoon, I believe the HDA-21, for my Audez'e cans. Did not know that they would drive the 900 as well. What DAC, if any, did you use?

Thanks.

I think you meant HPA-21.

Go here; http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/bakoon3/2.html

Do a text search (F3 or Ctrl+f, depending on browser) for "TH900". There's a paragraph where it's mentioned. I actually concur with that opinion, since I had a LCD-3 alongside the TH900 at the time I auditioned the Bakoon.

Fwiw, I used my humble Bladelius USB DAC with the HPA-21. Not the fanciest thing in the world, and purists/snobs would scoff at it for employing a minimum phase filter (as opposed to the linear phase filter you usually get), but I love the sound it gives. Many DACs, even the more expensive ones I've tried, to my ears, produce a rather metallic sound. The Bladelius might not be the most resolving, but it sounds more analog and organic.

 

For those wondering which amp to pair with their TH900 I highly recommend the Japanese Bakoon.

I recent bought the Bakoon HDA-5210 mk3 (Japanese version)

 

What are the differences between the HDA-5210 and the HPA-21, sonically speaking?

The back of the HPA-21 says "Engineered in Japan, Manufactured in Korea", so I assume the circuit design is the same and only the enclosure is different, or is there more to it than that? Also, how does it work outside Japan, considering the difference in voltage (100V for Japan vs 120/220V for everyone else) ratings?

 

[kothganesh]

I think you meant HPA-21.
.............

Thanks for the correct model number. I did read the 6moons review and I must have missed the reference to the 900.
I also checked Bakoon's website and I don't see the 5210 model. Am I again missing something?

 

[Dubstep Girl]

For those wondering which amp to pair with their TH900 I highly recommend the Japanese Bakoon.

I recent bought the Bakoon HDA-5210 mk3 (Japanese version)

Quick overview of impressions with Fostex TH900

Massive soundstage - bigger than Leben CS300xs even with NOS tubes
Really opens up after about 50+ hours
Very tight controlled base
TH900 mids as pointed out by many other headfi members are not as recessed with this amp.
Treble is very nicely extended no siblance at all.
Euphoric sound amp with plenty of detail - in my opinion has managed to achieve reference quality without becoming over-analytical.
Very fast h/p amp.
Red book sounds amazing straight out of a Denon DVD player
Best headphone amp I have ever heard with these headphones - feels like an end game amp to me. Very satisfied with just how great music sounds.
I think this is a real contender along with its Korean cousin. I would imagine this amp in turns of quality is up there with the Zana and GSX although I havn't compared them.

I would be interested to hear any other headfi members views on this combo.

 
i have not heard the bakoon amps. but as for the Zana and GSX, its about as good as it gets.
 
the Zana was bright but also very transparent and had a huge soundstage that really got rid of any closed in-ness the TH-900 might have. it made it really neutral sounding and the bass was more neutral, if you like the TH-900 as a bassy headphone, this might be a bad thing, but overall i think most people who listen to well recorded stuff and need a closed headphone would really enjoy the zana. 
 
the GS-X sounds amazing too. warm, still having good bass and overall sound, just alot cleaner, and more neutral than th-900 off regular amp.  well rounded and overall fantastic. about as good as it gets as well.
 
my woo amps WA6-SE and WA2 i used to use TH-900 on didn't sound as good. but the WA6-SE was really close to gsx. just one thing i've found. unlike the older denon series, the TH-900 is more sensitive, and extremely sensitive to an amps output impedance. i noticed the higher output impedance of the tube amps makes the headphone really bassy (especially the high imp output of the woo amps) . like it was a bass monster, like the bass even fatigued me, and im a bass head. but it did sound good on some recordings, and the bass was still tight and strong just way too powerful. it just filled your head with sub-bass. it had recessed mids though.

 

[kurochin]

   
i have not heard the bakoon amps. but as for the Zana and GSX, its about as good as it gets.
 
the Zana was bright but also very transparent and had a huge soundstage that really got rid of any closed in-ness the TH-900 might have. it made it really neutral sounding and the bass was more neutral, if you like the TH-900 as a bassy headphone, this might be a bad thing, but overall i think most people who listen to well recorded stuff and need a closed headphone would really enjoy the zana. 
 
the GS-X sounds amazing too. warm, still having good bass and overall sound, just alot cleaner, and more neutral than th-900 off regular amp.  well rounded and overall fantastic. about as good as it gets as well.
 
my woo amps WA6-SE and WA2 i used to use TH-900 on didn't sound as good. but the WA6-SE was really close to gsx. just one thing i've found. unlike the older denon series, the TH-900 is more sensitive, and extremely sensitive to an amps output impedance. i noticed the higher output impedance of the tube amps makes the headphone really bassy (especially the high imp output of the woo amps) . like it was a bass monster, like the bass even fatigued me, and im a bass head. but it did sound good on some recordings, and the bass was still tight and strong just way too powerful. it just filled your head with sub-bass. it had recessed mids though.

 
I don't know anyone with a ZDSE or GS-X Mk2, sadly.
 
I don't really want an amp that neutralizes the TH900's natural EQ. I've visited Switzerland in the past, and neutrality is dead boring (no offense to Swiss people, you make great chocolates). If anything, I want an amp that accentuates the bass and mids while easing off on the treble. As for soundstage, I'm more into depth than overall width, and contrary to summit-fi trends, I actually enjoy a slight amount of closed-in intimacy. Decent speed and a darker-than-black background would be icing on the cake. With those requirements in mind, I figured something like a tube-mimicking solid-state would be right up my alley, but have yet to find one that matches my exact musical flavour. The Bakoon has come the closest so far, possibly due to the current output option, but it's not quite there yet. Anything you can recommend?
 
I agree about the sensitivity. While easy to drive, I find it very hard to extract that final bit out of the Th900 compared to some of the other cans I've owned.

 

[Dubstep Girl]

GSX MK2 has all those, except it doesn't accentuate the bass. but its not neutral either, just extremely clean and incredibly tight and focused with just enough decay. 

 

[AnakChan]

  Anakchan and other lucky one....I Will be VERY interested to know How much the LCD-XC Isolate (LEAK) compared to the TH900

Indeed I have à TH900 but i can't use it in the bed . . . next to my wife sleeping

So i was about to buy some IEM (( or a Sig PRO but this LCD-XC should of course provide a much better sound. . . If it do NOT leak !
 
thanks in advance

 
Sorry for the late reply. Though the XC's don't leak as much as the TH-900, they still do leak. I've just tested this with my wife in the living room. Therefore bedroom would definitely be noticeable.
 
Isolation-wise, they're ok.

 

[bmichels]

   
Sorry for the late reply. Though the XC's don't leak as much as the TH-900, they still do leak. I've just tested this with my wife in the living room. Therefore bedroom would definitely be noticeable.
 
Isolation-wise, they're ok.

thanks a lot for your reply.  So...  it looks will have to go for a SigPRO for "bed listening"  !!
 
?  any other alternative to suggest for   Really-NON-Leaking   high-End cams (besides IEMs) ?

 

[Oregonian]

  thanks a lot for your reply.  So...  it looks will have to go for a SigPRO for "bed listening"  !!
 
?  any other alternative to suggest for   Really-NON-Leaking   high-End cams (besides IEMs) ?

If you love the bass on a TH900, a SigPro may disappoint you.  SigDJ, on the other hand...................

 

[mrtim6]

kothganesh - I have paired the amp with Cantanta DAC, however h/p amp sounds amazing hooked up directly to my Denon 1930 DVD player not sure what DAC is in the Denon.

 

[mrtim6]

kurochin - I'm unable to provide an opinion regarding the Korean Bakoon as I have not heard it. I know the Japanese version does not use a battery Korean version does. The Japanese version is available for around $1800-1900 directly from Japan. The Korean version is around $3000. Some people have said the Korean version sounds better. I would like to hear more opinions before I would make that conclusion. One thing I can say is the Jap Bakoon is a very fast h/p amp - I know some Japanese h/p amps can be slowish. I have also compared the Bakoon to my Grace M903 - I prefer the Bakoon.

 

[Gandah]

   
Sorry for the late reply. Though the XC's don't leak as much as the TH-900, they still do leak. I've just tested this with my wife in the living room. Therefore bedroom would definitely be noticeable.
 
Isolation-wise, they're ok.

Wow.... I must listen to music at a much lower volume than most, because my Girlfriend never complains about music leakage through my TH900s, and she has supersonic hearing compared to me