Fostex TH900 Impressions & Discussion Thread

May 7, 2012 at 8:56 AM Post #586 of 18,827
I was thinking of ordering these from Moon Audio recabled with a 3.5mm to make use with my HP-P1 more convenient.  I wouldn't get the Blue Dragon due to the color, but is there any real reason I'd want to spring for Silver as opposed to Black?
 
May 7, 2012 at 9:23 AM Post #588 of 18,827
Well I was considering them as quasi portables (I mean, they can't leak worse than Beats, can they?) and generally dislike the bulk a quarter to eighth inch adapter adds.  The stock cord is also 9 feet long and I'd rather have a short cord I could use an extender with, if need be.
 
May 7, 2012 at 10:09 AM Post #589 of 18,827
This is just my opinion of course, but I really don't think the TH900 is a good portable candidate. It's sealed, but it leaks a lot and does not isolate well at all. It has very little clamping force too, so it moves around too much if you yourself are moving around. Plus exposure to direct sunlight is not good for the lacquer finish.
 
Honestly, the Ultrasone Signature Pro is what I recommend for people who want a similar sound to the TH900 but want it for portable use. It's similarly balanced, resolving and clear, and it makes so much more sense for portable use. It's built ruggedly and isolates extremely well.
 
May 7, 2012 at 10:30 AM Post #590 of 18,827
Quote:
exposure to direct sunlight is not good for the lacquer finish.

 
Oh, huh... yeah, as someone who occasionally uses Grados as portables for bumming around outside, none of the other issues bothered me, but that's something right there.
 
I still want these due to product fetishism, though.
 
- Edit -
 
Since I brought up the Signature Pro in your diary thread before, I should probably elaborate that I didn't end up buying them because I felt as though my Westone ES5's were the best I could do in terms of practicality and I only ever pick up my Edition 8's when I intentionally want something that looks awesome or has exaggerated bass and treble.  The Signature Pro just didn't fill a niche for me. 
 
Meanwhile, I've been thinking about the TH900's for one reason or another for weeks now due to that amazing finish, but have no practical reason to own them :/
 
May 7, 2012 at 1:00 PM Post #593 of 18,827
OMG, the Fostexes are musical, balanced, have good detail, controlled bass, even and palpable mids, sweet highs, perfect balance of excitement/impact/lack-of-fatigue. 
Perfect Yin/Yang sound, perfect balance on the analytical/smoothness spectrum.
Immediate goosebumps right out of the box. Nothing like the D7000s (which could be peaky in the upper mids or upper bass).
No need to sit on the fence or do more research if you can afford these. LCD3s may get end up sold because of these.
Stax 009 and HD800 level of performance. HD800s have somewhat more detail and image definition and placement, SR009s have higher purity factor, but somehow the Fostexes
are every bit as enjoyable, with more than enough goodness in these categories, and so musical I don't care. They sound to me like they were carefully hand tuned.
No weird sonic anomalies. Comfy too. 
IMHO a breakthrough phone and I give then an unqualified recommendation, which I never do.
I had a couple of R10s a while back (sold them, sometimes with regrets) and I would never trade the Fostexes for R10s.
 
May 7, 2012 at 1:19 PM Post #594 of 18,827
Yes, yes! My wife ordered some for my birthday!

No, I wasn't snooping, I found out completely by accident. Scout's honor! :)
 
May 7, 2012 at 1:47 PM Post #595 of 18,827
You have  avery nice wife! Congrats and happy birthday!
beerchug.gif

Quote:
Yes, yes! My wife ordered some for my birthday!
No, I wasn't snooping, I found out completely by accident. Scout's honor!
smily_headphones1.gif

 
Moon Audio Stay updated on Moon Audio at their sponsor profile on Head-Fi.
 
https://www.facebook.com/MoonAudio/ https://twitter.com/MoonAudio https://instagram.com/moonaudio https://www.moon-audio.com/ https://www.youtube.com/@moon-audio sales@moon-audio.com
May 7, 2012 at 2:12 PM Post #596 of 18,827
May 7, 2012 at 2:18 PM Post #597 of 18,827
Quote:
OMG, the Fostexes are musical, balanced, have good detail, controlled bass, even and palpable mids, sweet highs, perfect balance of excitement/impact/lack-of-fatigue. 
Perfect Yin/Yang sound, perfect balance on the analytical/smoothness spectrum.
Immediate goosebumps right out of the box.

 
Welcome to the club. ; )
 
May 7, 2012 at 4:47 PM Post #599 of 18,827
You guys are killing me!!!
wink_face.gif

Quote:
Thanks MuppetFace. 'got them based on your excellent thoughtful report. Many thanks to you!

 
Moon Audio Stay updated on Moon Audio at their sponsor profile on Head-Fi.
 
https://www.facebook.com/MoonAudio/ https://twitter.com/MoonAudio https://instagram.com/moonaudio https://www.moon-audio.com/ https://www.youtube.com/@moon-audio sales@moon-audio.com
May 7, 2012 at 5:14 PM Post #600 of 18,827
Quote:
Well I just ordered them (stock cable) as a work of art!
 
I justified this to myself by opting not to go to Japan where I was just going to buy headphones anyways.

 
Good job on NOT recabling these.
 
Me too, it's just my opinion. Sorry but the cable is already very nice, this time around. It's 7N, which is very similar to the cables Moon-Audio offers, in terms of OFC purity (that's it, I think that's what Moon-Audio uses, 7N OFC, but didn't confirm-checked), but look yet even nicer to the touch (because it's sheathed in a soft micro-braided textile), more flexible, and more fitting to the look of the TH900 (specifically made for it! and what a beautifully finished plug, very elegant), because you do care about the look.
 
Two of my Grados are four pin XLR reterminated and I use this black dragon adapter when I use them "portably":  it's doable I mean, if you already carry a portable amplifier...
 
If you want to use TH900 to impress the gallery, same thing, you just roll the cable (it doesn't take long) and make sure you put the XLR couple into a bag or a big pocket (with enough room not to bend anything), next to your amplifier (or mp3 player) if you want... the cable will only show the desired length and your cable roll will remain hidden. Sometimes I put it around my neck but I don't recommend doing that because, well, it's ugly, lol... and, for two, you might hang yourself in a weird accident, but it's hardly possible.
 
 
 
OMG, the Fostexes are musical, balanced, have good detail, controlled bass, even and palpable mids, sweet highs, perfect balance of excitement/impact/lack-of-fatigue. 
Perfect Yin/Yang sound, perfect balance on the analytical/smoothness spectrum.
Immediate goosebumps right out of the box. Nothing like the D7000s (which could be peaky in the upper mids or upper bass).
No need to sit on the fence or do more research if you can afford these. LCD3s may get end up sold because of these.
Stax 009 and HD800 level of performance. HD800s have somewhat more detail and image definition and placement, SR009s have higher purity factor, but somehow the Fostexes
are every bit as enjoyable, with more than enough goodness in these categories, and so musical I don't care. They sound to me like they were carefully hand tuned.
No weird sonic anomalies. Comfy too. 
IMHO a breakthrough phone and I give then an unqualified recommendation, which I never do.
I had a couple of R10s a while back (sold them, sometimes with regrets) and I would never trade the Fostexes for R10s.

 
YES, I KNEW IT, HAHAHA, WIN!
 
TH900 is impressive, super high performing (it must be so if you even just think of comparing it to a HD800, LCD-3, and SR009), and perceivably superior to the D7000. I said something very close to this in the first page of this thread! muhahaha. Fostex has experience in making headphones!
 
Seem to me like a "do nothing wrong, many things well" do-all-genres headphone.
 

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