[Mortalcoil]

  Yeah thanks man, I have them boxed and ready to be taken to Fostex HQ Australia, which fortunately is located here in Sydney just down the road, so hopefully they have the parts on hand and won't take too long. I don't know how it works, if you have to buy a matching pair or if they match the driver up with the existing one, but in any case  I'm going to ask to replace both drivers

 Good to see that the wheels are in motion.
 
Also good that the trip to Tokyo may not be required.  Keep us posted on the progress.

 

[Byrnie]

Yeah thanks man, I have them boxed and ready to be taken to Fostex HQ Australia, which fortunately is located here in Sydney just down the road, so hopefully they have the parts on hand and won't take too long. I don't know how it works, if you have to buy a matching pair or if they match the driver up with the existing one, but in any case  I'm going to ask to replace both drivers

From what I've heard the customer service at Fostex is fantastic

 

[Gandah]

From what I've heard the customer service at Fostex is fantastic

I just got back from Fostex a few minutes ago, yes customer service was top notch, I asked if they also could mod the SE connector with 4pin XLR while they were changing out the drivers, unfortunately they couldn't because of policy and procedure which is fair enough.
 
However, I also found out today "different source" a new TH900 balanced version will be released soon, it's going to be showcased in the United States at a upcoming HI-FI show

 

[GalaxyGuy]

 
I just got back from Fostex a few minutes ago, yes customer service was top notch, I asked if they also could mod the SE connector with 4pin XLR while they were changing out the drivers, unfortunately they couldn't because of policy and procedure which is fair enough.
 
However, I also found out today "different source" a new TH900 balanced version will be released soon, it's going to be showcased in the United States at a upcoming HI-FI show

Wow.  A balanced TH900?  I wonder if it could possibly sound better than my SE version.  The ears boggle.

 

[Gandah]

 
Wow.  A balanced TH900?  I wonder if it could possibly sound better than my SE version.  The ears boggle.

I don't know, but I feel they won't change much because they are so efficient at 28ohm, unlike higher ohm phones which do change for the better balanced
 
EDIT:
I think it's more for convenience then anything, If I was to buy new TH900 and had the choice of SE or Balanced, I would choose Balanced, not because I think they would sound better, rather because I run balance

 

[levap]

 
Wow.  A balanced TH900?  I wonder if it could possibly sound better than my SE version.  The ears boggle.

Recently I had opportunity to try for a couple of weeks balance-modded 900 + Bryston BHA-1 and I like SE of Bryston more. So balanced mode for 900 is not beneficial by deafult and balanced 900 will "sound better" if you amplifier "sound better" in balanced mode.

 

[AppleheadMay]

From what I've heard the customer service at Fostex is fantastic

 
Sure is in the UK, very helpful people!

 

[BlakeT]

I had my TH900 re-terminated with a 4-pin XLR and then had an XLR to single-ended adapter constructed from the original TH900 single-ended connector.  This way, I can use my TH900's with single-ended or balanced output amps.
 
My headphone amp is not a balanced design, however, it has XLR and single ended outputs, so it was easy for me to run A/B tests using each connector.
 
The balanced connector sounds better to me.  Just my two cents.

 

[Trastan]

Hi everyone!

I've been interested in headphones for a good decade or so, owning various kinds, from the Grado SR-60 to Sennheiser's HD-650, with a whole lot in between. A few months ago the possibility of apartment living caused me to decide that I wanted to finally buy my final, home-only set in the event that I couldn't use my speaker system.

I ended up comparing the Grado PS-500, Senn HD-700, HiFiMan HE-560, and finally now have the beautiful Fostex TH900. Coupled with this, I bought a Schiit Asgard 2 and Bifrost with the Uber Analog and USB Gen 2 upgrades, hoping that I should be in great shape for as long as I can hold off the upgrade urge.

For all of this, I have a problem - one that I didn't realize the extent of until recently: I'm kind of a bass head. Don't get me wrong, I also *need* clear, crisp highs and full mids, but a strong, physical bass representation is very important to me. This I blame completely on my subwoofers, which I enjoy significantly.

Unfortunately, this leaning seems to put me at odds with what is generally considered to be high-end sound. What I find that many of you refer to as a flat response I call anemic. Right now I'm boosting my bass level (50hz) by 9 decibels, and that, on the PC USB > Bifrost/Asgard 2 > Fostex TH900 system, gives me what I would call an "adequate" bass amount.

Admittedly, I listen to a lot of electronic music, so my bass needs will, I imagine, be higher than those into acoustic or classical. My question is: am I doing this wrong, somehow? I read posts stating that the Fostex TH900 have so much bass that it actually bothers people enough to return them(!). By default? Really? I don't understand how that could be possible, unless folks saying this haven't spent time with a decent home theater setup, or just plain hate bass.

Am I crazy here? Configuring something incorrectly? Any thoughts would be tremendously appreciated - like I said, I'm new to this level of hardware, and this is something that I really want to get done right.

(By the way, I am otherwise very happy with this setup!)

 

[Gandah]

Hi everyone!

I've been interested in headphones for a good decade or so, owning various kinds, from the Grado SR-60 to Sennheiser's HD-650, with a whole lot in between. A few months ago the possibility of apartment living caused me to decide that I wanted to finally buy my final, home-only set in the event that I couldn't use my speaker system.

I ended up comparing the Grado PS-500, Senn HD-700, HiFiMan HE-560, and finally now have the beautiful Fostex TH900. Coupled with this, I bought a Schiit Asgard 2 and Bifrost with the Uber Analog and USB Gen 2 upgrades, hoping that I should be in great shape for as long as I can hold off the upgrade urge.

For all of this, I have a problem - one that I didn't realize the extent of until recently: I'm kind of a bass head. Don't get me wrong, I also *need* clear, crisp highs and full mids, but a strong, physical bass representation is very important to me. This I blame completely on my subwoofers, which I enjoy significantly.

Unfortunately, this leaning seems to put me at odds with what is generally considered to be high-end sound. What I find that many of you refer to as a flat response I call anemic. Right now I'm boosting my bass level (50hz) by 9 decibels, and that, on the PC USB > Bifrost/Asgard 2 > Fostex TH900 system, gives me what I would call an "adequate" bass amount.

Admittedly, I listen to a lot of electronic music, so my bass needs will, I imagine, be higher than those into acoustic or classical. My question is: am I doing this wrong, somehow? I read posts stating that the Fostex TH900 have so much bass that it actually bothers people enough to return them(!). By default? Really? I don't understand how that could be possible, unless folks saying this haven't spent time with a decent home theater setup, or just plain hate bass.

Am I crazy here? Configuring something incorrectly? Any thoughts would be tremendously appreciated - like I said, I'm new to this level of hardware, and this is something that I really want to get done right.

(By the way, I am otherwise very happy with this setup!)

Bass on the TH900 is accentuated about 2db, however the tonality of the bass is quite spectacular its like no other HP, extremely good for EDM where bass is always accentuated anyways

 

[Levaix]

Hi everyone!

I've been interested in headphones for a good decade or so, owning various kinds, from the Grado SR-60 to Sennheiser's HD-650, with a whole lot in between. A few months ago the possibility of apartment living caused me to decide that I wanted to finally buy my final, home-only set in the event that I couldn't use my speaker system.

I ended up comparing the Grado PS-500, Senn HD-700, HiFiMan HE-560, and finally now have the beautiful Fostex TH900. Coupled with this, I bought a Schiit Asgard 2 and Bifrost with the Uber Analog and USB Gen 2 upgrades, hoping that I should be in great shape for as long as I can hold off the upgrade urge.

For all of this, I have a problem - one that I didn't realize the extent of until recently: I'm kind of a bass head. Don't get me wrong, I also *need* clear, crisp highs and full mids, but a strong, physical bass representation is very important to me. This I blame completely on my subwoofers, which I enjoy significantly.

Unfortunately, this leaning seems to put me at odds with what is generally considered to be high-end sound. What I find that many of you refer to as a flat response I call anemic. Right now I'm boosting my bass level (50hz) by 9 decibels, and that, on the PC USB > Bifrost/Asgard 2 > Fostex TH900 system, gives me what I would call an "adequate" bass amount.

Admittedly, I listen to a lot of electronic music, so my bass needs will, I imagine, be higher than those into acoustic or classical. My question is: am I doing this wrong, somehow? I read posts stating that the Fostex TH900 have so much bass that it actually bothers people enough to return them(!). By default? Really? I don't understand how that could be possible, unless folks saying this haven't spent time with a decent home theater setup, or just plain hate bass.

Am I crazy here? Configuring something incorrectly? Any thoughts would be tremendously appreciated - like I said, I'm new to this level of hardware, and this is something that I really want to get done right.

(By the way, I am otherwise very happy with this setup!)

Source can change a lot, too. I haven't heard the Asgard 2, but the couple reviews I just glanced at don't give a glowing recommendation on the bass front. Also, this might sound like a goofy question, but what kind of laptop do you have? There's at least one brand I know of out there that can throw you for a loop on EQ.

How long have you had this setup? It could be your ears are still adjusting. Sometimes it takes me a while to adjust to something new.

As for sound preference, I hear you on people seeming to like an "anemic" sound. I appreciate bass, doubly so because I play low brass. That being said I've never in the least enjoyed ugly sheer quantities of sound, like you hear out of the subwoofers in some cars. If that's what you're looking for, yeah, you're not going to find it in a $1000+ headphone, lol.

 

[Oregonian]

Trastan, you ARE a basshead - embrace it!

You'd be amazed how good the bass would sound out of a vintage amp with the loudness switch thrown........

 

[Zojokkeli]

Admittedly, I listen to a lot of electronic music, so my bass needs will, I imagine, be higher than those into acoustic or classical. My question is: am I doing this wrong, somehow? I read posts stating that the Fostex TH900 have so much bass that it actually bothers people enough to return them(!). By default? Really? I don't understand how that could be possible, unless folks saying this haven't spent time with a decent home theater setup, or just plain hate bass.

Am I crazy here? Configuring something incorrectly? Any thoughts would be tremendously appreciated - like I said, I'm new to this level of hardware, and this is something that I really want to get done right.

(By the way, I am otherwise very happy with this setup!)

 
I had the very same setup and I can tell you that your problem is the Asgard. I got my Japanese Bakoon amp yesterday and the difference in bass is crazy. Asgard sounds polite, but the Bakoon is very kickass and really brought the TH900's to life. I also used to be curious about some people saying the bass was too much for them, now I can see why. 

 

[MisterMoJo]

   
I had the very same setup and I can tell you that your problem is the Asgard. I got my Japanese Bakoon amp yesterday and the difference in bass is crazy. Asgard sounds polite, but the Bakoon is very kickass and really brought the TH900's to life. I also used to be curious about some people saying the bass was too much for them, now I can see why. 

@Zojokkeli:  Did you have the Asgard or the Asgard II?  I have the Asgard 2 with the TH900.  I could always use more bass.  I was looking at the Bakoon HPA-01 as an upgrade.  Could you post some impressions of the combination?  Even if you have the HPA-21, I would love to hear your opinion.  Thanks!

 

[Zojokkeli]

  @Zojokkeli:  Did you have the Asgard or the Asgard II?  I have the Asgard 2 with the TH900.  I could always use more bass.  I was looking at the Bakoon HPA-01 as an upgrade.  Could you post some impressions of the combination?  Even if you have the HPA-21, I would love to hear your opinion.  Thanks!

 
I have the Asgard 2 and Bakoon HDA-5210mk3. I'm not great at detailed explanation of the sonic differences, but overall the TH900 feels much more energetic and in-your-face than before, and the bass definitely hits harder. Very rock 'n roll.