[Edric Li]

 

1. C

Before head-fi.org saved me from commercial audio I purchased some over ear headphones that I'm not proud of. Perhaps I was in search of Bass and didn't know it. So I have an original pair of Beats Studio, a set of Parrot Zik 1 ' s and the new Blue Mo-fi phones with the built in amp and Bass Boost switch. I really enjoy the Zik and Blue headphones. I could be happy but I have become a bit snobbish in that I think Balanced sounds better in every situation. So a balanced set of th-900 ' s sounded like just the ticket until the question of excessive treble came up. I do not mind using EQ though.I have a hdvd800 amp and an Audio-gd Master 11. My Sennheiser hd800's have no problem with biting treble with either amp. I do not care for the hd800's with the Schiit stack. Too bright. I'm going to do the multi bit upgrade on the Bifrost uber.

Jury is out concerning what benefits balanced brings. Certainly louder but not necessarily better but personal preference at this level is whatever it is.
Don't worry about the high end, more concerning should be your predisposition to U shape cans. Super bass extension, so if you like music that this shines in, you will love em. 900 and beats in the same paragraph is a sin.

 
One of the many magic that makes TH900 stand out from all dynamic big boys is the bass.
Headphones with such bass quantity cannot keep the distortion low. (D7000, K812)
Headphones with such low bass distortion does not have such quantity. (HD800, T1)
Others can't even go this low. (Z7, PS1000, W3000ANV)
 
http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/FostexTH900.pdf

 

[Mortalcoil]

 
One of the many magic that makes TH900 stand out from all dynamic big boys is the bass.
Headphones with such bass quantity cannot keep the distortion low. (D7000, K812)
Headphones with such low bass distortion does not have such quantity. (HD800, T1)
Others can't even go this low. (Z7, PS1000, W3000ANV)
 
http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/FostexTH900.pdf

 
 Good post E.L

 

[germay0653]

 
Hey, main-stream audio isn't a shameful thing, it has a place. Anyway, as has been said balanced is louder as more power is delivered, and to a threshold louder will be perceived as sounding better. As for the treble issue, you will find hundreds of people who say they don't have an issue with the treble so see for yourself, and for sure a gentle parametric EQ cut will tame the treble if you find it too energetic for you. It also will be greatly dependent upon what you listen to - hot mastered rock or pop = edgy treble so unless you have a rolled off headphone you should perceive the music that way.

In support of what Sonic Defender is trying to convey, "hot mastered (EQ'd up) = edgy treble", I have to agree.  A lot depends on how well, and well being properly, mastered the track or album is that determines how bright it will sound. The TH900 is not, in and of itself, overly bright.  Is it V or U shaped, yes it is, but not to the point where it's not pleasurable with well recorded music.  It does portray timbre, pitch or harmonic content, pretty accurately.

 

[up late]

i've heard most of the totl cans currently on the market with the exception of the sr009 and am not contemplating replacing the th900 with any of them. it's actually been a while since i've spent some time with it and am looking forward to being wowed all over again.

 

[jrhunkler]

Ok, so I waited all week like a kid waiting for Christmas to come, and both the Fostex TH-600's and the TH-900's finally came today. I've been listening to both, along with my Denon AH-D2000's straight from and iPhone 6S+...

Here is my early opinion so far...

BASS - the 600's have smoother bass, but a tad less punch than the 900's. I'm guessing this is what audiophiles refer to as "muddy"? To me it's sounds like it has better mid-bass.

TREBLE - the 900's have noticeably more clarity, but to my ears, the highs are a tad harsh. (I'm 40 by the way)

Now, the Denon's, which of course are fully broken in, sound the best to me!! Do I have terrible ears, or is "burn-in" an actual, physical thing? Not in the mind? (I know my car audio Dynaudios sounded much better after a few weeks of consistent usage)

Does an amp make that big of a difference with the Fostex headphones vs the (supposedly) inferior Denon's?

As of now, Im thinking the Denon's have both the nice balance of punch / smooth bass, with perfect clarity without harshness in the highs... I'm hoping they need to be broken in more, amped, whatever. But very disappointed out of the box that they don't blow the doors off a $300 pair of Denon's. :-/

 

[Mortalcoil]

i've heard most of the totl cans currently on the market with the exception of the sr009 and am not contemplating replacing the th900 with any of them. it's actually been a while since i've spent some time with it and am looking forward to being wowed all over again.

 
What have you been spending most of your time listening to lately, the W3000anv or the PS1k ?
 
 

As of now, Im thinking the Denon's have both the nice balance of punch / smooth bass, with perfect clarity without harshness in the highs... I'm hoping they need to be broken in more, amped, whatever. But very disappointed out of the box that they don't blow the doors off a $300 pair of Denon's. :-/

 
You need to give them some more time. 
 
Its when you start listening more critically and when you begin covering many more styles of music that you are likely to see the differences in quality.
 
Once you expose yourself to a true TOTL HP like the 900 (or others) its sometimes only really noticeable when you revert back to the D2000 (Th-600 etc.) or lower tier headphone that the swing in quality becomes apparent.
 
They are not a finicky headphone to amp however they do benefit from good amplification.
 
Let your ears and brain grow into them, if after a while you still feel the same way then there is always the possibility that they aren't your cup of tea after all.  Only time will tell.
 
Enjoy them if you can ....congrats on the new toy regardless

 

[fuzzybaffy]

I've never heard the D2000, but I suspect you need brain burn-in. Like mortalcoil said, when you upgrade to a better headphone, it's not immediately apparent that it's "better", until you listen to your previous one. 
 
Edit: I see you said you were switching between the D2000 and TH-900, however. Hmmm... I don't know. Sometimes people subjectively just prefer "lower tier"/lower cost items than higher tier/cost items - if that's the case with you, there's nothing wrong with that. 

 

[up late]

What have you been spending most of your time listening to lately, the W3000anv or the PS1k ?

speakers. the ps1k was a loaner. hoping to spend some time with the th900 again soon.

 

[pervysage]

Have had my own TH900 "MK2" made courtesy of @PETEREK
 

 
 
Has opened the door for some cable swapping fun on the TH900 (even though the stock cable has always been great).
 
Wonder what the HD800 will sound like with a TH900 cable (and vice-versa)? 

 
Also was thinking of getting the Norne Draug 2 for the HD800, so it will be nice to experiment with different things.

 

[Mortalcoil]

speakers.

the ps1k was a loaner. hoping to spend some time with the th900 again soon.

 
Speakers? ....what the hell are speakers?
 
Seriously though, welcome back to the TH-900

 

[Mortalcoil]

 
 
Has opened the door for some cable swapping fun on the TH900 (even though the stock cable has always been great).
 
Wonder what the HD800 will sound like with a TH900 cable (and vice-versa)? 

 
Also was thinking of getting the Norne Draug 2 for the HD800, so it will be nice to experiment with different things.

 
I really like that cable mod, nice work.  
 
The Draug 2 is a sweet cable for the 800 and a worthy upgrade.  If you are using HD-800 connectors in the 900 it would be great to have one cable do double duty.
 
Dare I say look at some of the silver offerings (Solv) from Norne in regards to the 900, for the 800 though copper is a great choice (Draug 2).  Maybe shoot Trevor at Norne a quick email asking for suggestions.
 
Edit : I see that you are using HD-800 connectors....my suggestion go for the Draug 2, see how it jives with the 900.  Its a definite winner with the 800.

 

[jrhunkler]

Disregard last post, After listening to a bunch more music and genres, I see the clear differences now from the Denon's. Fostex have a wider sound stage, clearer, louder, smoother... But it's a tough choice between the 600's & 900's. The 900's definitely play vocals a little better, but the bass is still much smoother on the 600's. They both seem like they could use a tad more dampening. I'm going to see what Lawton recommends - trying to clear up the highs on the 600's or adding some more mid bass to the 900's. I'm thinking bigger cups may smooth out the 900's bass a little bit, but then again, that upgrade is the same price as the 600 headphones, lol. Decisions, decisions... Btw, Both headphones seem to be uncomfortable after a couple hours. :-:

 

[tomatoshoe]

Disregard last post, After listening to a bunch more music and genres, I see the clear differences now from the Denon's. Fostex have a wider sound stage, clearer, louder, smoother... But it's a tough choice between the 600's & 900's. The 900's definitely play vocals a little better, but the bass is still much smoother on the 600's. They both seem like they could use a tad more dampening. I'm going to see what Lawton recommends - trying to clear up the highs on the 600's or adding some more mid bass to the 900's. I'm thinking bigger cups may smooth out the 900's bass a little bit, but then again, that upgrade is the same price as the 600 headphones, lol. Decisions, decisions... Btw, Both headphones seem to be uncomfortable after a couple hours. :-:

Don't forget to burn them in as well. I used pink noise.

 

[Mortalcoil]

Disregard last post, After listening to a bunch more music and genres, I see the clear differences now from the Denon's. Fostex have a wider sound stage, clearer, louder, smoother... But it's a tough choice between the 600's & 900's. The 900's definitely play vocals a little better, but the bass is still much smoother on the 600's. They both seem like they could use a tad more dampening. I'm going to see what Lawton recommends - trying to clear up the highs on the 600's or adding some more mid bass to the 900's. I'm thinking bigger cups may smooth out the 900's bass a little bit, but then again, that upgrade is the same price as the 600 headphones, lol. Decisions, decisions... Btw, Both headphones seem to be uncomfortable after a couple hours. :-:

Good to hear, they may be growing on you now.
 
Next step is to be real critical (listening wise) when comparing the 600 and 900.  Try not to confuse a darker sound sig for smooth, listen for different levels of bass (greater range) often referred to as Sub Bass, texture, dynamics ....etc.
 
Comfort wise also, give yourself some time to adjust.  Play around with headband adjustments.

 

[iancraig10]

There may be some really good deals on the th600 soon. Not sure they'll be around that long. If they drop in price any more, I may get one to be my th900's friend.