[Pahani]

  Initial impressions, after 3x4 hrs listening.
The colors of the earcups are  much more brown than orange. Not what I expected, but I like it.
My ears comfortably fit into the earcups without touching anything.
The headphones are much lighter than expected. They look quality, but somehow I expected more impressive appearance.

My main headphone was X2 for more than a year, so most of the comparison will be to X2. Worth to mention, I recently bought and sold NH as well (had it for 2-3 weeks).
I do not really believe in physical burn in, more in brain burn in. And the time of brain burn in may differ. But I spent quite some time with each of these headphones.

I am not going into scaling, using the headphones with different amps, I just mention, I used Mojo for comparison. (I can't stop myself to say that X2 scales surprisingly well.)

So, in music listening I am looking for a fun sound more than a natural studio monitor. Casual music listening is my aim, not analytical detail hunting. Also, much of my music is electronic, so detailed and deep bass is essential.
 I love however the space and naturalness of opened headphones, I can even sacrifice some bass for more air.
This is how I ended up with X2. Best opened back bass, but still there is some naturalness and space and air.  HD600 felt pale next to X2, HE400s just didn't have bass at all. M100 was too closed and boomy, Nighthawks was good. Great actually. Superb bass, details, warmth and smoothness and warmth and smoothness, and more warmth. Like you were locked into a fluffy bubble. In long term I might have been able to embrace it. But 1-2 weeks with NH was not enough for that.
 Close, intimate experience with NH, but upper frequencies just not my taste.
X00 was my best hope.
It does have a more exciting sound than X2, it is obvious in the first few minutes. The sound is not as close and not as intimate as it is with NH. But still much closer than X2. Bass is much better than X2, same level as NH, but with more impact and "slam". NH bass is smoother, more mellow. X2 bass in comparison is just a sneeze in the gloomy autumn dawn.
 Highs on X2 are more airy and more natural. X00 highs seem to be emphasized a bit. Just as its lows and mids. NH highs are just melt away, nothing left to say about it. So warm and dark.
Mids on X2 are slightly recessed compared to a HD600, but still more natural than X00 or NH. And more airy and natural. X00 feels a bit like W shape sometimes. NH was just bass, and then less mids, and then even less highs.
 The truth has to be said: X2 sounds boring compared to X00. While it still competes with NH for a fun and bassy sound, X00 just beats it and finishes the debate. NH has such a unique sound signature, that it divides people. Love it or hate it.
 X2 has good space, and sounds quite natural. But X00 is just better in every other aspect. Better and more bass, more details. (Maybe even more than with NH.) More punch, more impact, more fun. X2 is still like open air music listening. NH is a closed fluffy bubble, X00 has like a covered tennis court amount of space.
 With my music I am happy to sacrifice a little space for better bass.
My only concern is, after longer listening X00 almost sounds a bit fatiguing after X2's smoothness. Stronger bass, stronger highs. Is this something that tames with burn in?
Even though this initial harshness worries me a little, I already find I couldn't go back to X2 only, as it sounds grey and unexciting compared to X00s.

 


 

Awesome!! As a fellow X2 fan, I've been awaiting your X00 impressions
 
I will say that my X2's have taken a back seat in recent weeks to my new T50RP Mk3's. I still can't pinpoint their sonic signature, but the clarity, detail, and the excitement is there I switched back to my X2's for just a few minutes and was absolutely shocked at how muddy they sounded in comparison.
 
It'll be a long wait until August for my Purplehearts to show up >.< But those cups are just so beautiful in pictures that I wouldn't have it any other way. I suspect as well that X00 will be my last stop on the Mid-Fi train, and it'll take a large jump to top them.

 

[BB 808]

  This...infuriates me.

No need to get mad about it.  The EX-EP-61 for TH610 looks like it has a slightly bigger opening than the EX-EP-50.  If anyone finds the TH-X00 pads too small they should probably find a way to buy the TH610 pads or the TH600/TH900 pads.

 

[DavidA]

  Aloha David.  I think they are very close, not different enough to keep both.  The TH-X00 has slightly less bass, slightly more forward mids and slightly less extended highs.  I still have both because I love the TH-X00 mahogany wood cups and the TH600 stealth black cups.  Eventually I will need to sell one or both to get the new TH-900mk2.

Thanks for the reply, "Aloha" to you too.  I think I might just cancel my order for the TH-X00 based on your comments and look at either TH-900 or _________

 

[obsidyen]

  Initial impressions, after 3x4 hrs listening.
The colors of the earcups are  much more brown than orange. Not what I expected, but I like it.
My ears comfortably fit into the earcups without touching anything.
The headphones are much lighter than expected. They look quality, but somehow I expected more impressive appearance.

My main headphone was X2 for more than a year, so most of the comparison will be to X2. Worth to mention, I recently bought and sold NH as well (had it for 2-3 weeks).
I do not really believe in physical burn in, more in brain burn in. And the time of brain burn in may differ. But I spent quite some time with each of these headphones.

I am not going into scaling, using the headphones with different amps, I just mention, I used Mojo for comparison. (I can't stop myself to say that X2 scales surprisingly well.)

So, in music listening I am looking for a fun sound more than a natural studio monitor. Casual music listening is my aim, not analytical detail hunting. Also, much of my music is electronic, so detailed and deep bass is essential.
 I love however the space and naturalness of opened headphones, I can even sacrifice some bass for more air.
This is how I ended up with X2. Best opened back bass, but still there is some naturalness and space and air.  HD600 felt pale next to X2, HE400s just didn't have bass at all. M100 was too closed and boomy, Nighthawks was good. Great actually. Superb bass, details, warmth and smoothness and warmth and smoothness, and more warmth. Like you were locked into a fluffy bubble. In long term I might have been able to embrace it. But 1-2 weeks with NH was not enough for that.
 Close, intimate experience with NH, but upper frequencies just not my taste.
X00 was my best hope.
It does have a more exciting sound than X2, it is obvious in the first few minutes. The sound is not as close and not as intimate as it is with NH. But still much closer than X2. Bass is much better than X2, same level as NH, but with more impact and "slam". NH bass is smoother, more mellow. X2 bass in comparison is just a sneeze in the gloomy autumn dawn.
 Highs on X2 are more airy and more natural. X00 highs seem to be emphasized a bit. Just as its lows and mids. NH highs are just melt away, nothing left to say about it. So warm and dark.
Mids on X2 are slightly recessed compared to a HD600, but still more natural than X00 or NH. And more airy and natural. X00 feels a bit like W shape sometimes. NH was just bass, and then less mids, and then even less highs.
 The truth has to be said: X2 sounds boring compared to X00. While it still competes with NH for a fun and bassy sound, X00 just beats it and finishes the debate. NH has such a unique sound signature, that it divides people. Love it or hate it.
 X2 has good space, and sounds quite natural. But X00 is just better in every other aspect. Better and more bass, more details. (Maybe even more than with NH.) More punch, more impact, more fun. X2 is still like open air music listening. NH is a closed fluffy bubble, X00 has like a covered tennis court amount of space.
 With my music I am happy to sacrifice a little space for better bass.
My only concern is, after longer listening X00 almost sounds a bit fatiguing after X2's smoothness. Stronger bass, stronger highs. Is this something that tames with burn in?
Even though this initial harshness worries me a little, I already find I couldn't go back to X2 only, as it sounds grey and unexciting compared to X00s.

 


 

 
As someone who has similar tastes to you, this is somewhat worrying. I had TH900 for some time and while I loved its bass, its treble was harsh enough for me to let it go. I've been hoping TH-X00 has smoother treble. I'm in the new drop, should get them early June.
 
I don't know what's the answer to our musical tastes, 2016 LCD-2?..

 

[DavidA]

@bestula, did you try the TH-X00 and X2 on other DACs/amps besides the Mojo?  BTW, nice review.

 

[DeadWaves]

While these headphones are good with no amp I really recommend the Ican micro, it brings out that bass slam and makes everything seem richer and in charge. I was quite surprised with just how much difference it makes when comparing. This headphone sounds like a really nice stereo system to me, I have the purples on order too and was planning to sell one but I like them so much I'll likely end up keeping both!

 

[nicholars]

If I found the D2000 annoyingly sibilant, will I find the TH-X00 annoyingly sibilant as well? Also recessed mids on the D2000, what about the TH-X00?
 
I think it is the biocellulose drivers, they have amazing bass but harsh highs? Is the TX-00 better than the D2000 for sibilance?

 

[zombywoof]

  If I found the D2000 annoyingly sibilant, will I find the TH-X00 annoyingly sibilant as well? Also recessed mids on the D2000, what about the TH-X00?
 
I think it is the biocellulose drivers, they have amazing bass but harsh highs? Is the TX-00 better than the D2000 for sibilance?

I have never heard the D2000.  However, I can't imagine anyone finding the THX00 sibilant to the point of being annoying.  I certainly don't, but I will say that I prefer a sound signature with clear, present highs.  Recessed mids on the THX00?  Not to my ears.  The bass on the THX00 is prominent as you suggest.  I suppose it is possible to hear the mids as reccessd mids in the presence of a prominent bass presentation.  That will be something that is specific to individual preferences, I suppose.

 

[TMRaven]

THX00 has a healthy amount of energy around 800-1.5khz, so in the middle of the midrange it's quite strong.  Lower midrange isn't that bad either.  Around 3khz where it starts transitioning into the treble it's a little recessed.  That affects violins and string/brass harmonics moreso than vocals and lower pitched instruments. 
 
As far as sibilance, the area it's most prone to is the t-th area, which is around 8khz.  The treble in general is not super prominent or elevated, though.  Sadly I haven't head the D2000 in like 3-4 years, so I can't give any comparison there.

 

[betula]

@bestula
, did you try the TH-X00 and X2 on other DACs/amps besides the Mojo?  BTW, nice review.

I tried X2 with Micro iCan, but when I bought Mojo, sold the iCan. So I tried X00 only with Mojo.

 

[betula]

   
As someone who has similar tastes to you, this is somewhat worrying. I had TH900 for some time and while I loved its bass, its treble was harsh enough for me to let it go. I've been hoping TH-X00 has smoother treble. I'm in the new drop, should get them early June.
 
I don't know what's the answer to our musical tastes, 2016 LCD-2?..

X2 and NH treble is much smoother. (I am also treble sensitive.) With X00 setting volume is a bit tricky, due to its high efficiency. I used to a certain volume setting with X2, but that is too loud for X00. Need to turn the volume down. It is too early to say the treble is bothering. I didn't even put 24 hrs in X00 yet. I need more listening (and burn in) time to decide on that.
So far I like X00 very much, bass is addictive. It is probably going to make me sell the X2. But I am not in a rush.

 

[dafos58]

My TH-X00 finally arrived. It stayed one week in NY. No idea why, but the good news is, no customs bill at all!!
First impression (AK240 - Genesis 24 bit), great bass, great guitars, Phil sounds like new. Comfort is good, I don't have small ears but they fit without problems. So far I'm very happy. It is fun sounding, without (in my ears) artificial effects.   

 

[Axeslinger0u812]

Awesome!  I own the Fostex TH600 and Fostex x Massdrop TH-X00 Mahogany.  I was going to join the drop for the Massdrop TH-X00 Purpleheart, but my wife asked why I needed 3 versions of the same headphone.  My goal is to get the Fostex TH-900mk2.  I'm kind of new to this headphone thing so the Fostex made Denon headphones were already discontinued and I never got a chance to hear them.

I told the wife I wanted to get these now, and the K7xx's later this year to complete my collection for a few years, and she asked why I needed two more headphones after already having the M100's. I'll have to let her try them both at some point after I get them, and hopefully then she will understand. Lol.

 

[Hansotek]

If I found the D2000 annoyingly sibilant, will I find the TH-X00 annoyingly sibilant as well? Also recessed mids on the D2000, what about the TH-X00?

I think it is the biocellulose drivers, they have amazing bass but harsh highs? Is the TX-00 better than the D2000 for sibilance?

The main sources of sibilance on the D2000 are the poor resonant properties of plastic coupled with poor damping in the cup and pads. The wood on the TH-X00 helps a little, but the pads help a lot. Overall, I would say the treble is very well behaved, relative to the D2000.

 

[MWSVette]

I told the wife I wanted to get these now, and the K7xx's later this year to complete my collection for a few years, and she asked why I needed two more headphones after already having the M100's. I'll have to let her try them both at some point after I get them, and hopefully then she will understand. Lol.

Try asking her why she has more than two pair if shoes.  May go better for you than it did for me...