[Svatopluk]

  Okay whoops double post, but does the pleather TH900 flake?  And if so, how do you prevent that situation from arising.

Yes, they do flake, I know mine did after about two years. Afterwards, I replaced them with Lawton pads.
 
My TH-900 has a low serial number, so with any luck maybe they improved the coating on later models.

 

[thatonenoob]

  Yes, they do flake, I know mine did after about two years. Afterwards, I replaced them with Lawton pads.
 
My TH-900 has a low serial number, so with any luck maybe they improved the coating on later models.

Thanks for the heads up.  I see...I'm more worried about the head-band which isn't quite so easily replaceable.  Did it flake as well?

 

[Svatopluk]

  Thanks for the heads up.  I see...I'm more worried about the head-band which isn't quite so easily replaceable.  Did it flake as well?

No, the headband is still pristine. I purchased the TH-900 used as B-stock from a very reputable dealer so they may have been demos at one time.
There is no telling how many heads they have been on. I suppose, they are what you call "loose headphones".

 

[JackarlTwo]

  Okay whoops double post, but does the pleather TH900 flake?  And if so, how do you prevent that situation from arising.

 
I've had mine for a year and a half and they haven't started flaking yet. Serial number: 3580
Not sure if they've made changes to later models to fix it.

 

[thatonenoob]

  No, the headband is still pristine. I purchased the TH-900 used as B-stock from a very reputable dealer so they may have been demos at one time.
There is no telling how many heads they have been on. I suppose, they are what you call "loose headphones".

If anything I do suppose this is a testament to the headband's reliability haha.  
 
 

   
I've had mine for a year and a half and they haven't started flaking yet. Serial number: 3580
Not sure if they've made changes to later models to fix it.

 
That's good news  Mine's 2266, so hopefully it shouldn't be too far off.  Though the number of silent revisions on the TH-900 seems to be less than that of the T1.

 

[Svatopluk]

Interesting, my serial number is 2547 so maybe it was due to a variation in the manufacturing process.
 
Also, cleaning the pads improperly may lead to premature flaking, be very careful about what you put on them.

 

[thatonenoob]

  Interesting, my serial number is 2547 so maybe it was due to a variation in the manufacturing process.
 
Also, cleaning the pads improperly may lead to premature flaking, be very careful about what you put on them.

I figure this might be it.  Many factors in general including temperature and climate that could account for the pads flaking.

 

[ZekeAdebayo]

Good afternoon everyone!
 
     My name is Zeke and I was wondering if there's somewhere around where I could get Th900 on loan to compare to my Hifiman HE-560s? Im in the search for another headphone.
 
 
I'm just looking for a headphone with ....
- A quality soundstage (Surround sound like with a bit of height and depth, if that makes sense, my 560s favored a more intimate soundstage and I'm looking for something else in that department),
- Precise imagining (may have given the T90s some flac earlier but the imagining on them was actually quite decent).
- Clean well extended bass that's quick and well controlled. (The 560s did all these pretty well, I did feel as though they could have had a bit more impact, Is even deeper bass possible?)
- Great detail retrieval (I favor treble over headphones that are deemed "too polite" so headphones with blanketed highs like Audeze's LCD line wouldn't really do it for me). 
- Mids (I'm unsure here, mids that will allow vocals and the music to shine, loved the airy presentation of my 560s in this department but I'm open to other presentations)
 
 I guess what I'm trying to say is something that's quite musical without losing the detail and quality of a high end. I want something that not only blows me away with its quality but has me feeling like I wasn't crazy spending what I did on them. I do know of the increase in diminishing returns the higher you go and certainly won't be expecting perfection.
 
I sincerely apologize if I'm sound too demanding here. The 560s are still my favorite pair so far but I still know I haven't reached my "ideal" headphone yet. 


   

 

[phonomat]

Hi Zeke,

have you tried the Headphone Library?

https://www.thecableco.com/product/new-headphone-lending-library

 

[ZekeAdebayo]

Hi Zeke,

have you tried the Headphone Library?

https://www.thecableco.com/product/new-headphone-lending-library

I have but would have to wait 2 or more weeks for anything plus the charge is $75 for the loan. Thanks for the reply sir. I was also wondering if anyone knew a headphone that may match/come close to my specific heaphone preferences. 

 

[Whitigir]

I have but would have to wait 2 or more weeks for anything plus the charge is $75 for the loan. Thanks for the reply sir. I was also wondering if anyone knew a headphone that may match/come close to my specific heaphone preferences. 

Amazon ?

 

[Whazzzup]

Hi Zeke,


have you tried the Headphone Library?

https://www.thecableco.com/product/new-headphone-lending-library

I have but would have to wait 2 or more weeks for anything plus the charge is $75 for the loan. Thanks for the reply sir. I was also wondering if anyone knew a headphone that may match/come close to my specific heaphone preferences. 

No can is everything, th900 has its strengths and weaknesses. There are instruments that sound as good as it gets. Drums, percussion and bass slap. Sub bass can get downright scary good. But there is a catch. The bass is fast but protrudes it's belly into the mids and may not receded as fast as say an open back headphone. Thus mids have varying perceptions of recess. Different genres shine while others may get smothered by the low end dominance. It depends what you like better bass or mids. Th900 is good but can't do it all.
But with a big caveat, it's a favorite can for many and is efficient and easy to run. Thus I think your preference and a test is always best to see if there is a match, especially for your genre preference. I have not heard 560 so someone else can chime in. Th900 is a high end refrence closed can, It's plenty wide but width and dimension to me lies in the mids.
So it's in my stable for good, just waiting for my Hawaiian koa museum grade cups from Lawton when I will do a full mod to them, once I'm back from Europe.

 

[phonomat]

I have but would have to wait 2 or more weeks for anything plus the charge is $75 for the loan. Thanks for the reply sir. I was also wondering if anyone knew a headphone that may match/come close to my specific heaphone preferences. 

Try the Pioneer SE-Master1 if you get the chance. It's double the price of the HE-560 or TH-900 and somewhat harder to obtain, but it should check all your boxes from the sound of it. Amazing soundstage, sharp imaging, details to spare and highs that are well-extended, but not strident. Very high-end.

 

[Kyle 491]

 The bass is fast but protrudes it's belly into the mids and may not receded as fast as say an open back headphone. Thus mids have varying perceptions of recess. Different genres shine while others may get smothered by the low end dominance.

I wish this misconception regarding bass intruding into the mids would be finally kicked to the curb. The TH900 bass never smears or overruns into the mids like most closed "audiophile" junk HPs such as the Sony Z7, in fact it has a recession in the low-mids to help avoid this problem (which brings a different set of issues regarding vocal richness but I digress). This is why the TH900 can be spacious and well separated for large scale orchestras, instrumentals and the like. However I do agree that the sub-bass can be too loud relative to the midrange for some music to the point of distraction, which is easily remedied by EQ'ing down the bass. The TH900 takes EQ like a champ in the bass regions in both directions due to its excellent distortion characteristics.

 

[Whitigir]

Exactly, th900 bass is untouchable ....I can not understand why some people saying it being that way...