[FlyingGimp]

I've had (and loved) a TH-600 for a while.  I've now got an opportunity to audition a TH-900 side by side.  For those that have heard both, any suggestions for songs that sound decidedly better on the TH-900?  

 

[warrior1975]

Hopefully all songs are better on the Th900

 

[up late]

I hear you brother, but we do have to be careful when listening to hyper-techno speak. In my case, I'm not a trained electrical engineer with a specialty in audio circuits and design. So when I listen to these experienced people banter back and forth either side can make points that sound perfectly valid and reasonable to me as I don't have the knowledge to refute or confirm either position. In the end, the only test that matters is whether or not in a blind listening, multiple trial test we could actually hear a difference. I would be shocked if these small architecture considerations do more than shift a few decimal places here and there on a few tests, but that itself doesn't mean the differences are actually audible. Maybe they are, but I will guarantee you that you can find a few company spokespeople from other highly regarded audio companies who would not agree with everything Rob says either. We like to assume the experts always have the absolute truth, but they don't.

Consider the Central Dogma of Molecular Genetics (hope I remembered that correctly) in essence for years it was widely held by the greatest minds that one gene coded for one protein. Guess, what, wrong, now they know better. Experts may think they know the absolute truth, but they can be wrong. Maybe Rob is completely correct, certainly he is confident in his views and that is great, but he could be wrong couldn't he?

well said

 

[Meremoth]

Why I brought up chord in this debate was not about seperates versus not. Chord doesn't even seperate the dac and amp within the seperate in the first place. They don't use chip sets either but fpga and taps. It's a different desighn but not unique. The designer is very involved on the chord Hugo thread. His name is rob watts and you can search that thread for his detailed explanations and many poster views and counter points. He and posters had lots of views on separates and that it deviates from the acuity and transparency that he is ultimately seeking. This does not mean that other architectures do not provide the color that is more appealing to lots of listeners. This is not a zero sum gain. The chord Hugo thread is lots of fun to read if you are into this kind of thing. Personally I love the chord th900 pairing and have spent a ton of time for the last month and for the next 4 months at my cottage listening.

 
Do you know if JDS Labs uses the construction/architecture you are referring to that gives the best quality for their all-in-one unit?
 
Thanks again. 

 

[up late]

unlikely

 

[Sonic Defender]

There is no evidence of a particular architecture

   
Do you know if JDS Labs uses the construction/architecture you are referring to that gives the best quality for their all-in-one unit?
 
Thanks again. 

You're making this way too complicated, and this whole notion of best from a single box really sounds like marketing hyperbole. You can bet your booties that in blind listening test if Chord took their one box unit, created two boxes with identical specifications in blind listening trials it would be very unlikely many people if anybody could hear the difference when comparing one design against the other. Until you see genuine, valid blind testing data these type of claims need to be treated simply as marketing speak regardless of who makes them. Buy what you think will sound nice, ultimately you need to make a choice. If you don't like the results you can sell and try again. Not ideal, but that is the only way you can know what works for you.

 

[up late]

x2. he can't say we haven't tried.

 

[Whazzzup]

Why I brought up chord in this debate was not about seperates versus not. Chord doesn't even seperate the dac and amp within the seperate in the first place. They don't use chip sets either but fpga and taps. It's a different desighn but not unique. The designer is very involved on the chord Hugo thread. His name is rob watts and you can search that thread for his detailed explanations and many poster views and counter points. He and posters had lots of views on separates and that it deviates from the acuity and transparency that he is ultimately seeking. This does not mean that other architectures do not provide the color that is more appealing to lots of listeners. This is not a zero sum gain. The chord Hugo thread is lots of fun to read if you are into this kind of thing. Personally I love the chord th900 pairing and have spent a ton of time for the last month and for the next 4 months at my cottage listening.

I hear you brother, but we do have to be careful when listening to hyper-techno speak. In my case, I'm not a trained electrical engineer with a specialty in audio circuits and design. So when I listen to these experienced people banter back and forth either side can make points that sound perfectly valid and reasonable to me as I don't have the knowledge to refute or confirm either position. In the end, the only test that matters is whether or not in a blind listening, multiple trial test we could actually hear a difference. I would be shocked if these small architecture considerations do more than shift a few decimal places here and there on a few tests, but that itself doesn't mean the differences are actually audible. Maybe they are, but I will guarantee you that you can find a few company spokespeople from other highly regarded audio companies who would not agree with everything Rob says either. We like to assume the experts always have the absolute truth, but they don't.

Consider the Central Dogma of Molecular Genetics (hope I remembered that correctly) in essence for years it was widely held by the greatest minds that one gene coded for one protein. Guess, what, wrong, now they know better. Experts may think they know the absolute truth, but they can be wrong. Maybe Rob is completely correct, certainly he is confident in his views and that is great, but he could be wrong couldn't he?

Absolutely agree and if it were not for some comments that seemed to try and elicit a response that deviated from the same conclusion I came to in my original post, we may not have had these additional qualifiers. The read in itself is the interesting part, the listening will confirm or deny that. IMO chord has a transparent acuity to its amplification that I have not heard elsewhere. However I also love what the hpa8 does to the sound through th900 and the effects of its akm chipset dac as well. In this case it matters little which could be construed as better. A poster seemed to agree with a hypothesis that integrated could produce noise, to that statement it was deemed to "make sense". By introducing the concept of different architecture where the exact opposite is occurring was the point of my original example in chord products.
I personally find deeper discussions around sound quality through hp, mods, dacs and amps fascinating and would not wish to curtail or limits anyone's thoughts on these matters.
Cheers.

 

[Whazzzup]

There is no evidence of a particular architecture

 

Do you know if JDS Labs uses the construction/architecture you are referring to that gives the best quality for their all-in-one unit?

Thanks again. 

You're making this way too complicated, and this whole notion of best from a single box really sounds like marketing hyperbole. You can bet your booties that in blind listening test if Chord took their one box unit, created two boxes with identical specifications in blind listening trials it would be very unlikely many people if anybody could hear the difference when comparing one design against the other. Until you see genuine, valid blind testing data these type of claims need to be treated simply as marketing speak regardless of who makes them. Buy what you think will sound nice, ultimately you need to make a choice. If you don't like the results you can sell and try again. Not ideal, but that is the only way you can know what works for you.

When I purchase Dave I will produce an a/b test to confirm or deny perceived acuity and transparency versus Hugo. I do not mean to continue to derail content away from th900 except what sounds better using th900.

 

[Whazzzup]

Why I brought up chord in this debate was not about seperates versus not. Chord doesn't even seperate the dac and amp within the seperate in the first place. They don't use chip sets either but fpga and taps. It's a different desighn but not unique. The designer is very involved on the chord Hugo thread. His name is rob watts and you can search that thread for his detailed explanations and many poster views and counter points. He and posters had lots of views on separates and that it deviates from the acuity and transparency that he is ultimately seeking. This does not mean that other architectures do not provide the color that is more appealing to lots of listeners. This is not a zero sum gain. The chord Hugo thread is lots of fun to read if you are into this kind of thing. Personally I love the chord th900 pairing and have spent a ton of time for the last month and for the next 4 months at my cottage listening.

Do you know if JDS Labs uses the construction/architecture you are referring to that gives the best quality for their all-in-one unit?

Thanks again. 

No I do not know

 

[AppleheadMay]

Received my new Zana earlier this week and due to the remains of a heavy cold (everything sounded dull anyway) I only managed to have a listen to it for the first time tonight.
Just I remembered from a few years ago (Zana with LA7000), the Zana with the LA900 is a match made in heaven. Running stock tubes for now and not burned in at all but I remembered right away why I loved the Zana so much with these cans. I simply never heard anything like it.

 

[brent1993]

My new TH900 just arrived today.  I was planning on just doing a quick listen and then put them on the stand and let them play for 48 hours to get settled (I have no idea if that's a valid thing to do or not, I just figure it couldn't hurt and it seemed to make a huge difference for my Senn IE800s).  That was quite a few albums ago... can't take 'em off or quit bouncing around in my desk chair like my butt's plugged into 220v!  Sorry for the visual, just very much enjoying these incredible headphones.  And man are they ever comfortable.  Anyone want a two-week old pair of Senn HD650s?! 

 

[Whazzzup]

My new TH900 just arrived today.  I was planning on just doing a quick listen and then put them on the stand and let them play for 48 hours to get settled (I have no idea if that's a valid thing to do or not, I just figure it couldn't hurt and it seemed to make a huge difference for my Senn IE800s).  That was quite a few albums ago... can't take 'em off or quit bouncing around in my desk chair like my butt's plugged into 220v!  Sorry for the visual, just very much enjoying these incredible headphones.  And man are they ever comfortable.  Anyone want a two-week old pair of Senn HD650s?! 

Enjoy and no to the Sens cable burn in occures as well.

 

[AppleheadMay]

  My new TH900 just arrived today.  I was planning on just doing a quick listen and then put them on the stand and let them play for 48 hours to get settled (I have no idea if that's a valid thing to do or not, I just figure it couldn't hurt and it seemed to make a huge difference for my Senn IE800s).  That was quite a few albums ago... can't take 'em off or quit bouncing around in my desk chair like my butt's plugged into 220v!  Sorry for the visual, just very much enjoying these incredible headphones.  And man are they ever comfortable.  Anyone want a two-week old pair of Senn HD650s?! 

 
Keep the Senns as well, you won't get all that much for them and you might regret it. They rock with older rock. 

 

[brent1993]

   
Keep the Senns as well, you won't get all that much for them and you might regret it. They rock with older rock. 

Ha, funny now that you mention it, I don't think I've listen to any of my Van Halen albums on the Senns yet... should be fun, thanks for the advice!