[LSD25]

  Don't knock your Essence One around too much mate, throw some Muses opamps in and the thing will sing.....  I still think its better then some other dac/amp combos which are 4 times the price, I just wish I still hadn't gotten rid of mine....

Just placed order on the opamps, I hope they're a good improvement over the stock version.

 

[Gandah]

 
Just placed order on the opamps, I hope they're a good improvement over the stock version.

Nice one mate, you won't believe its the same amp sound wise

 

[plakat]

Interesting Pelican case. Great price, but it looks way deeper than necessary. Nanuk has lots of different sized options (for a lot more $)

 
Yes, indeed looks a bit large... but sure offers very good protection.
The transparent... I don't know whether I want anybody to see whats inside.
 

Back onto the th900 - where are folks getting their stock cables terminated into balanced? Are y'all sending out, finding local shops, or DIY?

 
If I'm doing it at all I'll of course do it myself as I don't see any need to exchange the whole cable... Neutrik XL4 connectors are readily available and soldering them on is simple.

 

[Howlin Fester]

Interesting Pelican case. Great price, but it looks way deeper than necessary. Nanuk has lots of different sized options (for a lot more $)
 

I measured it today, and there is 1cm or less from the top of the TH-900 cups to the top of the foam/lid.
There is a layer of foam on the bottom and foam in the lid.  That is probably why the dimensions of the case make it look big.
Seems like a fine fit to me.  But I will check add Nanuk to my evaluation list for my next portable case.  Thanks for the info.

 

[Howlin Fester]

Back onto the th900 - where are folks getting their stock cables terminated into balanced? Are y'all sending out, finding local shops, or DIY?

I am fortunate enough to have Moon Audio local to me.  So I called them up, placed the order, told them that I wanted it terminated with mini-XLR (male), and make it as long as the Grado RS1i cable.  Then Drew suggested to terminate the other end with the mini-XLR (female) and i jumped on it, since I didn't have a 1/4" to mini-xlr jumper yet.
 
I can solder well enough to make my own cables, but probably won't start re-terminating unless I get a lot more time on the solder station.
I can't comment on whether or not the TH-900 sound better/different/fuller/etc with the balanced option.  I never heard them unbalanced except at a meet and that was a year ago.

 

[the-kraken]

Ah, yes - my motivation to go balanced would be to pair with the oppo ha-1. It's only 500mW @32 ohms when run single ended, but 2000mW/2W @32 ohms balanced. There are a few folks with that setup giving it good marks.

I could stay single ended, but then I'd probably have to go with a BursonAudio conductor instead.

 

[1c3d0g]

Massdrop.com has these for $1099! Only 15 spots are available this round, though. I caved in and ordered one, the hit to my wallet will be felt later this month.

 
https://www.massdrop.com/buy/fostex-th900

 

[up late]

that's a great deal

 

[the-kraken]

Nice price, that's comparable to the deal headroom just ran last weekend. Speaking of, you can pick up an HP-A8C over there (headroom) for $999 right now. I don't know if that's the cheapest, but it's a great DAC.

Hmmn... Tempted to get this and pair with oppo ha-1 balanced.

 

[Ra97oR]

If only there are such prices in UK...

 

[the-kraken]

Yeah - bummer that this drop doesn't ship EU.
PriceJapan? I just checked And it'd be £769 shipped - which is fairly close.

 

[1c3d0g]

Nice price, that's comparable to the deal headroom just ran last weekend. Speaking of, you can pick up an HP-A8C over there (headroom) for $999 right now. I don't know if that's the cheapest, but it's a great DAC.

Hmmn... Tempted to get this and pair with oppo ha-1 balanced.

Curiously, Massdrop has a drop for the Fostex HP-A8C headphone amplifier as well for $949.
 
I already have an iFi iDSD Micro, so I don't think I need another amp. Hopefully it'll sound great with the TH900 (fingers crossed).
 
https://www.massdrop.com/buy/fostex-hp-a8c

 

[the-kraken]

EDIT: apparently that mass drop DOES ship internationally. If you visit the site, it should detect your country and estimate shipping.

The HP-A8C could go down to $899 USD, which would be a solid price - even if you only used it for the DAC.

 

[JackarlTwo]

After a few more days with them I enjoy the sound even more. I listen to lower volumes now as well. Usually I tend to listen at little higher volume than "normal", not so with TH900.

 

[Justin_Time]

Massdrop.com has these for $1099! Only 15 spots are available this round, though. I caved in and ordered one, the hit to my wallet will be felt later this month.

 


https://www.massdrop.com/buy/fostex-th900

 


That is an insane deal!

I bought my firt one at $2,000!