[Twizzleshnizzle]

I've been using my 909 exclusively from my Mojo 2 as I hadn't been able to find a tube amp pairing for my 909 until yesterday. Woo Audio WA2... oh my goodness! Being OTL I didn't expect it to pair well, I was very wrong.

 

[obzilla]

I've been using my 909 exclusively from my Mojo 2 as I hadn't been able to find a tube amp pairing for my 909 until yesterday. Woo Audio WA2... oh my goodness! Being OTL I didn't expect it to pair well, I was very wrong.

I have an OG pendant from ampsandsound x ZMF that plays really nice with them as well

 

[Easa]

Hello guys,

I am thinking about upgrading my headphones from DT880 250Ohm to something more serious. I use RME ADI-2 DAC FS without additional amp. Struggling between picking up TH900 Anniversary (Purple) vs. TH909. Never heard any of them, but from studying this forum, they seem nice. I have auditioned DT1990 Pro yesterday, it is better than DT880 in every aspect, but the treble is earth piercing on some tracks. Other than that, I really like the sound signature, especially the clarity, stronger bass (vs the 880), the drums sound great & the acoustic guitar is perfect.

Aesthetically i much prefer the TH900 Purple.

What is the better pick here?

 

[Twizzleshnizzle]

Hello guys,

I am thinking about upgrading my headphones from DT880 250Ohm to something more serious. I use RME ADI-2 DAC FS without additional amp. Struggling between picking up TH900 Anniversary (Purple) vs. TH909. Never heard any of them, but from studying this forum, they seem nice. I have auditioned DT1990 Pro yesterday, it is better than DT880 in every aspect, but the treble is earth piercing on some tracks. Other than that, I really like the sound signature, especially the clarity, stronger bass (vs the 880), the drums sound great & the acoustic guitar is perfect.

Aesthetically i much prefer the TH900 Purple.

What is the better pick here?

The 900 is even more piercing. Personally I don't like them but I love the 909.

Big BUT... You need a dac/amp that pairs well. I use the Mojo 2 and it smooths it out nicely. I first tried it with a Schiit Jotunheim. It was like sticking glass in my ears.

I also really love my TH610 (it you want closed back). It's an excellent performer but also pays to have a good positioning. I think these bio drivers can be quite picky.

 

[Music225]

The 900 is even more piercing. Personally I don't like them but I love the 909.

Big BUT... You need a dac/amp that pairs well. I use the Mojo 2 and it smooths it out nicely. I first tried it with a Schiit Jotunheim. It was like sticking glass in my ears.

I also really love my TH610 (it you want closed back). It's an excellent performer but also pays to have a good positioning. I think these bio drivers can be quite picky.

Yes they are really source dependent. For taming the treble, I can also say the iFi Gryphon (more effective) and Aune BU1 does the job.

 

[Easa]

So guys, I just had the opportunity to test out borrowed Sennheiser HD660S2, Dan Clark Aeon2 Open & Audeze LCD-X (2019). All listened through my RME ADI-2 DAC FS. I dare to say that none of these impressed me by any means.

Audeze: Sterile, acoustic guitar sounds muffled & the sparky details are not there. Weight & comfort was kinda OK.
Senn: Built quality resembles €20 headphones from Ali. Sound is comparable to DT880, more bass, less treble.
DCA: Probably the best sounding from these three, but the percussions sound weird in many tracks. Best fit and comfort.

Still, the sound of DT1990 (except the ear piercing treble) was subjectively better than all of these, for my ears and my music. Also, I would like harder hitting bass. Based on reviews & fulfilling dreams of the past, I ended up buying used, like new TH909 from classifieds, they should be here next week. I am super excited for them, to the point that I am quite worried about them not meeting my expectations. I just hope that the RME will pair well with them. Would they benefit from having a separate tube amplifier, like Feliks Echo II?

If they dont end up like I wish, I probably try out TH900MkII Purple, or go straight for the DT1990 and call it a day.

 

[Slim1970]

So guys, I just had the opportunity to test out borrowed Sennheiser HD660S2, Dan Clark Aeon2 Open & Audeze LCD-X (2019). All listened through my RME ADI-2 DAC FS. I dare to say that none of these impressed me by any means.

Audeze: Sterile, acoustic guitar sounds muffled & the sparky details are not there. Weight & comfort was kinda OK.
Senn: Built quality resembles €20 headphones from Ali. Sound is comparable to DT880, more bass, less treble.
DCA: Probably the best sounding from these three, but the percussions sound weird in many tracks. Best fit and comfort.

Still, the sound of DT1990 (except the ear piercing treble) was subjectively better than all of these, for my ears and my music. Also, I would like harder hitting bass. Based on reviews & fulfilling dreams of the past, I ended up buying used, like new TH909 from classifieds, they should be here next week. I am super excited for them, to the point that I am quite worried about them not meeting my expectations. I just hope that the RME will pair well with them. Would they benefit from having a separate tube amplifier, like Feliks Echo II?

If they dont end up like I wish, I probably try out TH900MkII Purple, or go straight for the DT1990 and call it a day.

Did you try to EQ any of these headphones with the RME’s PEQ feature?

 

[Easa]

I did not. I would prefer to enjoy headphones in their natural tuning & then maybe play around, not try to bend them to my liking from the very start.

 

[Slim1970]

I did not. I would prefer to enjoy headphones in their natural tuning & then maybe play around, not try to bend them to my liking from the very start.

It can make headphone listening so much more enjoyable, but I understand why some head-fiers don't. The RME has one of the best PEQ implementation I've used. Since it's an AIO you can really "tune" or tailor the sound to your listening preferences with cables, mix-matching components, or tubes. Using the built-in PEQ on the RME gives you a ton of flexibility tweak the sound of any headphone. You should definitely give it try sometime.

 

[Twizzleshnizzle]

So guys, I just had the opportunity to test out borrowed Sennheiser HD660S2, Dan Clark Aeon2 Open & Audeze LCD-X (2019). All listened through my RME ADI-2 DAC FS. I dare to say that none of these impressed me by any means.

Audeze: Sterile, acoustic guitar sounds muffled & the sparky details are not there. Weight & comfort was kinda OK.
Senn: Built quality resembles €20 headphones from Ali. Sound is comparable to DT880, more bass, less treble.
DCA: Probably the best sounding from these three, but the percussions sound weird in many tracks. Best fit and comfort.

Still, the sound of DT1990 (except the ear piercing treble) was subjectively better than all of these, for my ears and my music. Also, I would like harder hitting bass. Based on reviews & fulfilling dreams of the past, I ended up buying used, like new TH909 from classifieds, they should be here next week. I am super excited for them, to the point that I am quite worried about them not meeting my expectations. I just hope that the RME will pair well with them. Would they benefit from having a separate tube amplifier, like Feliks Echo II?

If they dont end up like I wish, I probably try out TH900MkII Purple, or go straight for the DT1990 and call it a day.

The 2021 version of the LCD-X is much better. In fact it's very impressive although slightly intimate with it's soundstage. It's just the weight I couldn't take.

Aeon 2 - I had the closed and I thought it was a perfect headphone if you had to have only one. Probably one of the best all rounders I've ever tried, just master of nothing.

I've just picked up a ZMF Verite Closed. I was hoping the Verite could be my one and only headphone, and clear out the rest. It's very impressive, but it can't touch my TH909 for female vocals and the tight bass slam.

So now I'm having to keep both! Because I just can't part with the 909. It's a big step up on the 1990 (in my opinion). It's fantastic at what it does.

But a bit of a warning. The first time I tried a 909 I had a Schiit Jotunheim with onboard multibit DAC. It sounded way too bright, I just couldn't handle it. The TH900 was worse again! The 909 really is amp/DAC dependant.

Fast forward a couple of years and I tried the 909 with a Hugo 2. It smoothed out that top end and I fell in love. I downscaled from there to a Mojo 2. Equally as good. The 909 became a permanent fixture for me at that point.

The 909 doesn't need much power, in fact too much can spoil it. If you don't like it at first, try it from your phone or PC directly. See if that changes anything for you.

 

[jmills8]

I did not. I would prefer to enjoy headphones in their natural tuning & then maybe play around, not try to bend them to my liking from the very start.

Its all natural if it sounds better. Think out of the box.

 

[obzilla]

Its all natural if it sounds better. Think out of the box.

^ This. It's always an art form getting your source, amp, and phones to work as you want. EQ is an entirely valuable entry to the mix.

 

[Twizzleshnizzle]

I've had a Meze Elite delivered today. The plan was to sell up everything else and just have one good all-rounder...

That was the plan. Even the Elite can't hold a candle to the 909 when it comes to female vocals. Just asked my wife to compare them as well (she's not a headphone person). The Elite made her smile when I put Kate Bush on, the 909 made her say "wow".

So looks like I'll be selling up everything except the 909.

 

[godmax]

I've had a Meze Elite delivered today. The plan was to sell up everything else and just have one good all-rounder...

That was the plan. Even the Elite can't hold a candle to the 909 when it comes to female vocals. Just asked my wife to compare them as well (she's not a headphone person). The Elite made her smile when I put Kate Bush on, the 909 made her say "wow".

So looks like I'll be selling up everything except the 909.

I fully agree, the TH-909 is truly a special headphone - a little overlooked by many, but on par or surpassing many other TOTL headphones!
Even though I have a sh#tload of other headphones, I'll probably never sell the 909s.

 

[Twizzleshnizzle]

I fully agree, the TH-909 is truly a special headphone - a little overlooked by many, but on par or surpassing many other TOTL headphones!
Even though I have a sh#tload of other headphones, I'll probably never sell the 909s.

I think how tiny this thread is show just how overlooked. Amazing what a few misunderstanding YouTube reviews can cause. Such a source specific headphone. The DAC and amp can make or break it.