[up late]

On the topic of OTL, I'm not a fan of the TH900 paired with my OTL WA2. Compared to any of my SS amps, the sound is overly smooth and lacking in energy, regardless of what I'm listening to. The tubes in use may make a difference, but I would be careful about pairing the TH900 with an OTL without hearing it first. IMHO, YMMV, take everything with a mountain of salt, etc.

MP1968: For what it's worth, I really enjoy my TH900 with my Conductor which has a Soloist as the amp section. If you like the sound of the TH900, I don't think you will be disappointed with that setup. 

This topic pops up in Sound Science once in a while. Essentially, it boils down to the idea that a properly designed amp that is operating within spec and has a sufficiently low output impedance will be transparent (only providing gain) and not impart any sort of audible coloration. Of course, this doesn't apply to amps that intentionally add color (tube distortion, BASS BOOST, etc.). I don't want to delve too deep into this, but there is a lot of science and testing out there to reinforce it. 

With that said, I'd be happy to do some comparisons between my amps later today though none of mine reach far past $1200. I don't have the means to do a proper blind test, but I can provide some subjective comments. 

good post

 

[MacedonianHero]

  I didn't like burson amps with TH900, makes everything muddy, I prefer neutral amps. IMO.

 
The original Burson amp, I totally agree with you, but the Soloist is damn clean sounding to my ears.

 

[Gandah]

  My DAC is the Calyx 24/192, which should offer good clean sound.  

I use a Calyx dac as well and like it especially with TH900 because of it's neutral signature, the TH900 is colourful enough

 

[The Life]

  This topic pops up in Sound Science once in a while. Essentially, it boils down to the idea that a properly designed amp that is operating within spec and has a sufficiently low output impedance will be transparent (only providing gain) and not impart any sort of audible coloration. Of course, this doesn't apply to amps that intentionally add color (tube distortion, BASS BOOST, etc.). I don't want to delve too deep into this, but there is a lot of science and testing out there to reinforce it. 
 
With that said, I'd be happy to do some comparisons between my amps later today though none of mine reach far past $1200. I don't have the means to do a proper blind test, but I can provide some subjective comments. 

 
Yeah, what he said. I've put this to test several times and I haven't heard much difference between well-measured solid-state amps (At least not enough of a difference to rule out the fallibility of human auditory memory). As for tube amps...when I decided I wanted a "warm, tubey sound," I bought a W3000ANV and called it a day.

 

[Mortalcoil]

   
Yeah, what he said. I've put this to test several times and I haven't heard much difference between well-measured solid-state amps (At least not enough of a difference to rule out the fallibility of human auditory memory). As for tube amps...when I decided I wanted a "warm, tubey sound," I bought a W3000ANV and called it a day.

 Overall consensus at one time suggested that the W3000 was anything but warm. 

 

[The Life]

 Overall consensus at one time suggested that the W3000 was anything but warm. 

It definitely isn't bassy, but, I would consider the sound "warm," but with ample treble. The warmth I feel in the W3000 sits squally in the upper bass/lower-mids area, as opposed to something like the TH900 where the warmth is fully in the bass area. However, moreso than its technical tonality, the reason I consider the W3000 warm (and "tubey") is the way it makes most songs sound overall. For lack of a better word, my music seem to have a warm "glow" about it when I'm listening to them through W3000. Even the coldest, most technical music feel just a tad more "musical" in them.

 

[up late]

^ agree with you about amps and the w3000anv

 

[Mortalcoil]

It definitely isn't bassy, but, I would consider the sound "warm," but with ample treble. The warmth I feel in the W3000 sits squally in the upper bass/lower-mids area, as opposed to something like the TH900 where the warmth is fully in the bass area. However, moreso than its technical tonality, the reason I consider the W3000 warm (and "tubey") is the way it makes most songs sound overall. For lack of a better word, my music seem to have a warm "glow" about it when I'm listening to them through W3000. Even the coldest, most technical music feel just a tad more "musical" in them.

 Fair enough...if that's how you hear them its all that matters.  Enjoy them.

 

[deuter]

 Fair enough...if that's how you hear them its all that matters.  Enjoy them.

Unrelated but I am interested in getting the hd800, already have the th900.
What does the hd800 give you that the th900 does not.

 

[GalaxyGuy]

Unrelated but I am interested in getting the hd800, already have the th900.
What does the hd800 give you that the th900 does not.

In a word:  Soundstage.  The hd800 might give you a bit more detail than the th900, but I think that depends quite a bit on what amp/dac you have. 

 

[deuter]

In a word:  Soundstage.  The hd800 might give you a bit more detail than the th900, but I think that depends quite a bit on what amp/dac you have. 

I have noticed excellent imaging on the th900 and detail that I have never heard before.
Soundstage wise it's not as good as the PS1000 I have.

As far as amp and dac goes, they are both flagships costing many times over what the headphones cost.

So my question stands.

 

[Mortalcoil]

I have noticed excellent imaging on the th900 and detail that I have never heard before.
Soundstage wise it's not as good as the PS1000 I have.

As far as amp and dac goes, they are both flagships costing many times over what the headphones cost.

So my question stands.

 I agree with GalaxyGuy in respect to phenomenal soundstage as well as pure detail retrieval.
 
If there is a headphone out there that embodies all things hyper detailed the 800 is that headphone.  Is it a requirement to have both the 900 and the 800.....definitely not.  There are times when the 800 can be overbearing in its presentation,  some have referred to this as analytical or cold.  I agree to some degree that hyper detail is not always the mood your in or "where your at".
 
The 900 is no slouch in this department either .... quite the contrary it just possesses more magic than the 800(personal opinion of course).  Admittedly though on many occasions the 800 will awe you in its technical prowess and how it presents the music effortlessly.
 
Bottom line deuter if you want to shake things up a little by adding a different flavor to your listening then by all means invest in the 800.  It is a headphone well worth having and yes it does compliment the 900 very nicely.... a worthy addition to any collection.

 

[rgs9200m]

The HD800 + TH900 is a nice pair to own. On a smoothly recorded piece of music, the HD800 is majestic, with very nice detail, insight, and an effortless delivery. On recordings that are rough or ragged, especially in the upper mids or highs, the HD800s can sound a bit sandpapery.
That's where the TH900 comes in, smoothing out the rough parts, adding some continuousness, but still giving the impression that you are hearing just about all the details; the speed adds to this impression, and the overall way to describe it is musical, with great impact at the same time.

 

[vlach]

Unrelated but I am interested in getting the hd800, already have the th900.
What does the hd800 give you that the th900 does not.

The HD800 will give you a broader midrange presentation, more air and separation between instruments. I think it is the very best headphone for large orchestral music such as classical. It works great with some jazz. Trumpets, sax, clarinets all have proper timbre and don't sound harsh or cold provided your DAC/amp is on the 'full bodied, rich & smooth' side of things.
That said I don't consider the HD800 to be an all rounder or 'jack of all trades'. I use other headphones for acoustical, rock & salsa.
Certainly an excellent partner for the TH900 in terms of diversity.

 

[Gandah]

The HD800 will give you a broader midrange presentation, more air and separation between instruments. I think it is the very best headphone for large orchestral music such as classical. It works great with some jazz. Trumpets, sax, clarinets all have proper timbre and don't sound harsh or cold provided your DAC/amp is on the 'full bodied, rich & smooth' side of things.
That said I don't consider the HD800 to be an all rounder or 'jack of all trades'. I use other headphones for acoustical, rock & salsa.
Certainly an excellent partner for the TH900 in terms of diversity.

A few years back when I decided to step up and find my "end game setup" Lol no such thing by the way....  I was at a crossroads indecisive of which path to take, musicality or neutral.  My first choice was to build a system around the HD800, which many a head-fier have done.  The system would had lean towards the musicality side, and of course would of sounded good with other phones as well.
 
However, I also didn't want the musicality of the system transforming the phones signature to something different than intended or should be, not that there is anything wrong with that it's up to the individual of what he or she likes.
 
So with just about a toss of a coin I chose neutral, because in the end I feel it has given me more choice and better understanding of different phones.