[snapple10]

Fostex TH900 is on my list  and I was really fortunate enough to listen to the Fostex TH900 at the Chicago meet last weekend- a rare opportunity to listen before I buy, thanks to driver8 and Jude for bringing to share. Given the meet environment might not be the best, it sounded nothing like d7k to ME- I was going to get it to replace d7k. Given that I am still learning sounds, I was able to use it with my set-up that I will use at home. Still cannot wait to have it in the  comfort of my home, even just to look at- it is a beauty

 

[Telstar]

Quote:

true ... but unless you're of the belief that urushi + wood imparts a significant contribution to the overall sound signature, then fostex could easily have made this into a phone which would have entered the marketplace ~ $1k

Wood essence and lacquer DO change the sound.
A cheaper lacquer may have had the same effect on sound, like 300$ saving not more.

 

[purrin]

Don't forget that the sonic effects can only be truly realized by drying the urushi lacquer under the rays of the full moon at the base of Mt. Fuji during the hot and rainy season. In addition, at least three monks must keep keep constant vigil and chant the mantra of Bezaiten during the entire drying process. Any deviation from this process will result in less optimal sound. 

 

[MuppetFace]

I wonder if the sound of one's fingers typing on keys sounds better on this ¥525,000 lacquer keyboard.
 

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[purrin]

Hmmm. Stop giving me ideas. (looking at this can of lacquer on the shelf)

 

[rgs9200m]

Quote:

I'd consider PriceJapan to be one of those "smaller guys" deserving of support. Kaneda is an awesome guy and puts forth quite a bit of effort and dedication bringing Japanese products to the rest of the world.

Of course. I would not want to exclude anyone. Maybe it's just instinct, but just as Audeze responded to the its popularity by its higher price on the LCD3, I wouldn't be surprised if Fostex raised the TH900 price down the line--
maybe not to current R10 levels, but at least to 1989 R10 introduction levels (which would be scary inflation-adjusted). 
Like I said,  my ears tell me these are very nice phones with a unique sound that I personally think is something awesome. 
Perfect, well, no. But neither are R10s or anything else. Just very special (like 009s are) for what they do, and I don't think anything but gross rankings of headphones or speakers make a lot of sense with all the variables
of personal preference, music used, upstream eqpt., etc. Rankings in isolation don't work I believe.
 
But what I do know is that they are different and will be appreciated by many people, creating demand probably, driving up the price, and if I wanted them I would look to the R10 history and think back to the
opportunity to buy them 20 years ago.
 
I know I sound like some sort of salesman, but audiophilia creates over-the-top emotions, and I have nothing to gain at all, period. I would buy them now w/o listening from anyplace you want, the only selfish thing 
is I'd be curious to hear what others around here think of them (in case I'm crazy wrong, in which case feel free to flame at will).
 
I don't think the goodness of these can be measured. I mean, would you buy speakers based on Consumer Reports measurements, or an old Stereo Review Julian Hirsch (RIP) style review?
(Which used to claim that all amplifiers that measure the same in a few areas sound exactly the same, and solid state sounds the best because
of its low distortion and there is no need for anything else ever. I'm pretty sure that was the theme.)
 
I've been doing this headphone thing FWIW since my Superex Pro B V phones (the green ones in this picture!) I bought with my student loan $$ in (gulp) 1972, so that's the perspective I bring to this.

 

[geetarman49]

Quote:

Well this is all assumption.. nothing is "known" we don't actually know how much of a price difference there would be with plastic or metal parts. Examples are Stax 009 ($5000) and the HD800 ($1500) among many others that don't use wood and are over the $1000 mark. I think this assumption that the Urushi costs 1k on its own isn't a fair one. So lets not say TH900s - Urushi/wood = $1000 because in fact no one knows what that price would be except for Fostex.
 
That said - I am a believer that wood does play a noticeable role in the sound signature.

i don't disagree ... but just consider msrp of t50rp is ~ $200, yet street price is ~$74 & sellers are still making profit ... so, that said, i still stand by my initial assessment.
 
cup material can play an audible role in signature, but its effects are significantly exceeded by filtering/dampening techniques (see main t50rp thread & thunderpants group buy thread)
Quote:

Well with flagships it is about more than musicality anyway, it's a statement.

well, yes ... same with gold rolex daytona, but then rolex also makes mere steel.  does the presence of the steel model detract from the prestige & 'value' of ownership of gold?
Quote:

I do think that wood plays some role, though I'm not sure how much of one. I would guess the exact species of wood used has a very subtle effect due to the varying density and porousness. I'm guessing I wouldn't be able to tell one from another, however. I think the fact that wood in general is used over metal or plastic has a bigger impact overall versus the impact from one species to the next.
 
I can totally understand people wanting a cheaper version of the TH900 without the lacquer and platinum leaf accents though. Personally I like the package as a whole.

i don't disagree ... i tried tapping the th900 cups with my fingers at last year's rmaf to see if i could aurally assess the presence of 'wooden' signature ... i could not ... i know ... doesn't prove anything ...maybe my ears are 'wood'.
Quote:

Wood essence and lacquer DO change the sound.
A cheaper lacquer may have had the same effect on sound, like 300$ saving not more.

i do not disagree with the essence of what you are saying ... but as to the 'quantity'?  $300, $500, $1000??  there is a lot of 'playroom' here; historically, headphones were in the accessories/auxiliaries category of dealer products with margins approx. 50 points, give or take 10.  however, as shown by t50rp msrp vs street, it may be considerably greater for some models.  the current trend suggests that more manufacturers are intending to up the ante by pushing the envelope in these tough economic climes.
Quote:

Don't forget that the sonic effects can only be truly realized by drying the urushi lacquer under the rays of the full moon at the base of Mt. Fuji during the hot and rainy season. In addition, at least three monks must keep keep constant vigil and chant the mantra of Bezaiten during the entire drying process. Any deviation from this process will result in less optimal sound. 

YES! finally, a post to which i can agree 113% ... although i am inclined to believe it is 6 monks.
Quote:

I wonder if the sound of one's fingers typing on keys sounds better on this ¥525,000 lacquer keyboard.
 

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it makes a different clack:
http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=G4nX0Xrn-wo&sns=em
 
Quote:

Of course. I would not want to exclude anyone. Maybe it's just instinct, but just as Audeze responded to the its popularity by its higher price on the LCD3, I wouldn't be surprised if Fostex raised the TH900 price down the line--
maybe not to current R10 levels, but at least to 1989 R10 introduction levels (which would be scary inflation-adjusted). 
... this will surely happen ... after all, urushi doesn't grow on trees, y'know.
 
But what I do know is that they are different and will be appreciated by many people, creating demand probably, driving up the price, and if I wanted them I would look to the R10 history and think back to the
opportunity to buy them 20 years ago.
 
I know I sound like some sort of salesman, but audiophilia creates over-the-top emotions, and I have nothing to gain at all, period. I would buy them now w/o listening from anyplace you want, the only selfish thing 
is I'd be curious to hear what others around here think of them (in case I'm crazy wrong, in which case feel free to flame at will).
  the demand, & in no small part initiated by this very thread, would behoove those who are so-interested, to purchase now ... th900 pricing will surely increase... buy now, buy now, i say ...
 
I don't think the goodness of these can be measured. I mean, would you buy speakers based on Consumer Reports measurements, or an old Stereo Review Julian Hirsch (RIP) style review?
(Which used to claim that all amplifiers that measure the same in a few areas sound exactly the same, and solid state sounds the best because
of its low distortion and there is no need for anything else ever. I'm pretty sure that was the theme.)  if you saw pictures of what ol' JH used for his listening tests and his listening environment (lab/office), i think you would not be surprised of his customary convention that he could discern 'no differences' and still maintain an honest face while saying so.
 
I've been doing this headphone thing FWIW since my Superex Pro B V phones (the green ones in this picture!) I bought with my student loan $$ in (gulp) 1972, so that's the perspective I bring to this.  neat phones ... i was given a pr of the pro vi just last year & i'm still kicking myself for not buying the pr of pro vi with transparent cups when they were on put on clearance by the distributor, way back when ...

 

[rgs9200m]

Thanks for the kind words and thoughtful comments Mr. Geetarman ('love that Bread Song myself). 
As for the phones, it's not easy being green.
Best to you.

 

[geetarman49]

thnx for the kind words, rgs
 
& my apologies to all ... i tried to subsequently edit my post above for improved readability & change all my responses to colored text - i was not completely successful

.

 

[dallan]

Quote:

In addition, at least three monks must keep keep constant vigil and chant the mantra of Bezaiten during the entire drying process. 

Is that an extra charge, because i would spring a few extra bucks to feed the monks.

 

[AnakChan]

 


Quote:

Originally Posted by AnakChan /img/forum/go_quote.gif



Not in e-earphones but I tried them out in last year's Tokyo Headphone Festival & Jan's Headphone Amp Festival. Both time with my source.

Nice but hard to tell cos isolation isn't that great (at least to me) - without cranking up the volume too much. Personally to me, I'm happy enough with my Ed8 & I'm not certain if the gains are worth the extra ¥50,000 over the Ed8's.

Pls don't get me wrong, they are good.

 

Hi guys, I just joined the TH900 club. Walking into a store I had intentions of picking up an Ultrasone Signature Pros, I walked out with the TH900 instead. Whatever I said back in March that the T900 were just glorified Ed8's I take it back and will receive the punishment humbly.

 

[Ahzari]

Quote:

Hi guys, I just joined the TH900 club. Walking into a store I had intentions of picking up an Ultrasone Signature Pros, I walked out with the TH900 instead. Whatever I said back in March that the T900 were just glorified Ed8's I take it back and will receive the punishment humbly.

Congrats on the new phones and welcome to the club 

 

[purrin]

Quote:

Whatever I said back in March that the T900 were just glorified Ed8's I take it back and will receive the punishment humbly.

 

 

[AnakChan]

Quote:

Yeah, it's something I only noticed today after inspecting them closely. It's one of two enigmas of the TH900. The other is this:
 
The hinges that allow the earcups to swivel on the horizontal plane differ on each side. The right side will allow the cup to swivel frontward more but less further backward relative to the left side, which will allow the cup to swivel backward more but not frontward as much relative to the right. The effect causes the TH900 to skew to the left when you set them down. It's like having two left feet or something.
 
Very, very odd!

 
Sorry for dredging up an old post but I just noticed these on my TH900's too. My right earcup can swivel outward more to the right, or swivel back forward (but not inward). Similarly my  left earcup can swivel inward to the right but swivel back parallel but not outward to the left.
 
Other TH900 owners notice this idiosyncrasy too?

 

[MuppetFace]

Quote:

 
Sorry for dredging up an old post but I just noticed these on my TH900's too. My right earcup can swivel outward more to the right, or swivel back forward (but not inward). Similarly my  left earcup can swivel inward to the right but swivel back parallel but not outward to the left.
 
Other TH900 owners notice this idiosyncrasy too?

 
I asked Jude a while back, and he showed me his TH900: it seems the issue was very slightly present on his, but not to the degree of mine.