The TH900’s arrived today. I usually don’t write reviews for my new toys. Besides, other reviewers on this forum have articulated the pros and cons of these phones quit nicely and have vast more knowledge and experience when comparing these cans to other makes and models. So what do I have to add? Well probably very little but there are just so good, I felt compelled. So if you are tired of reading another TH900 review, please skip over this one. I won’t be offended. If not, well here it goes:
My primary audio source is delivered via vinyl by a Rega RP8 turntable (Transfiguration Axia cartridge) and a Heed Quasar phono stage amp. The headphones are driven by a Woo Audio WA6SE headphone amp (Sophia Princess 274B, RCA 6FD7’s).
First off, I have to mention that I purchased my 900’s from PriceJapan. No problems. I put my order in on a late Wed. night and received them at my door the next Wed. at noon. I would have rather purchased the headphones from one of the many fine U.S. dealers. However, no one was having a sale and I could not pass up savings of almost $300 by ordering through PriceJapan.
Just two boxes when unpacking, one contained the headphones, the other the headphone stand. Regarding the latter, I had read about the stand being made out of “wire”. My stand was not this but a rather sturdy one-piece stand. The warranty card was written in Japanese. However the manual actually had a section translated into English. This is how I learned that the right cup has a thin silver ring on it while the left one doesn’t. I had read about the beauty of the cups and I was not disappointed. Just beautiful. However, I didn’t buy these for their good looks.
My first listen was Donald Fagen’s Sunken Condos. The album is so well produced that I was not surprised to have been immediately taken into sonic bless. As others have commented, bass was tight and full (not bloated), with the high frequency not being too bright or harsh. I know some have commented on the perception that the mids are somewhat recess, but this was not my impression. This may have been due partially to the phono cartridge I use which is known to accent the mid range. Even though people have made reference to the clarity of these phones, I was taken back by how good the separation of instruments and vocals were. In fact, I was able to hear background talking on a track of Cold Blood’s Sisyphus that was obviously a mistake during a guitar solo. Next up was Rick James’s, Come Get It. Not exactly a reference record but again, the clarity was just amazing. The Clavinet tracks (mids) were so distinct (and funky). For the finale, I broke out two of my Pink Floyd 180 gram albums, Whish You Where Here and Dark Side of the Moon. The analog synths were warm and again the separation stunning. These phones are truly fun!
One other impression is how comfortable these headphones are. I have now spent long listening sessions with them and hardly realize that I have them on.
If I had to comment on any minor faults it would be that the sound stage is not as wide as one might expect from phones in this price range. Also, as others have commented, even though these are closed headphones, they do “leak” considerably.
Finally, I was intrigued by the recent conversations of “black background” regarding these phones. I must say that I noticed a lack of “blackness” when listening to albums through the 900’s. I was able to reduce the ambient noise somewhat by turning off the Heed phono stage (SS) while keeping the WA6SE on. I am not sure if the background noise is being picked up by the phono cartridge or, if it is a factor of using non hi fi cabling. Overall, my guess is that this has nothing to do with the 900’s but is more of an issue with my sources.
Now before I close, I have to say that I was aware of the psychological phenomenon known as Cognitive Dissonance. That is, the more one pays for any item, the more one will likely attribute positive attributes to that item. I’m not sure if I fell victim to this. All I can say is wow; I know that they sounded damn good, right out of the box, no burn in. I am sure that other headphones in this price range are also as amazing. However, at this point, I have no need to search elsewhere.
Oh, one other negative. I still have to find a way to explain to my wife the cost of these headphones and why this was an imperative purchase. Any suggestions along these lines would be appreciated.
