[ezekiel77]

  welp, just hit 18 pages of notes for my review of these, haha.  9 pages of music listening notes, 2 pages of aesthetic/build quality, 4 pages of amp pairing, 2 pages of comfort, 1 page of miscellany

 
TH-X00: A serialised review.
 
A HiFiMan HE1000 I read once had 3 parts, so it's not uncommon. Way to go!

 

[fjrabon]

Understood. Just chiming in - and not even directed at you really, but I do see a fair number of too-long amateur reviews on Head-Fi.

eh, I mean we're hobbyists doing it for fun, and if somebody else happens to enjoy it, all the better.  I don't think you can really call something somebody does out of passion "too-long" as long as they enjoyed writing it, then that's all that matters on a website like this.  It's not like you're paying them and got a substandard product in return.

 

[fjrabon]

   
TH-X00: A serialised review.
 
A HiFiMan HE1000 I read once had 3 parts, so it's not uncommon. Way to go!

haha, the 9 pages of listening notes are largely repetitive, since a lot of songs got similar remarks.  I mean I think I wrote "drums are powerful, present, crisp - excellent rendering of drums" roughly 30 times, haha.  And that's a good thing, because it confirms certain aspects of the THX00 signature when they're written over and over.  But it also means those 9 pages of listening notes probably converts to maybe a half page of actual typed text.  Also, looking voer them, I noticed some things that I hadn't seen written, and I hadn't anticipated.  The layering, for example is excellent.  While it's a forward sounding can, I think that causes people to think the 3 dimensionality of the sound isn't good.  But that's just not true.  While the overall image is shifted forward, more intimately, it still retains great layering and 3D rendering.  

 

[lusagi]

Well I finally got around to opening up the THX00.  I'm surprised I got number - 004 and I purchased at 9am, according to my email time stamp.
 
Well first impressions, the sound stage is much wider than my Sony 7520 headphones.  They kind of remind me of the Grado 325i open headphones I used to have for a bit, but in a closed format with more bass.  The ear pads are extremely comfy on my average size ears.  They basically surround them and nothing touches my ears.

 

[shuto77]

I agreed, all stock cables use stranded Litz OFC cables...which is very mehz.... I upgrade to solid silver cables for any gears that I own. The improvements is very obvious, people who never witness it would be skeptical, but the improvements is true.

Can you point to any measurements of these improvements?

 

[bavinck]

eh, I mean we're hobbyists doing it for fun, and if somebody else happens to enjoy it, all the better.  I don't think you can really call something somebody does out of passion "too-long" as long as they enjoyed writing it, then that's all that matters on a website like this.  It's not like you're paying them and got a substandard product in return.

Ah, I do think "bloated" is the opposite of a clear and succinct review. Too long often reflects negatively on the writer's editing experience and lack of clear thinking/writing skills.

Not directing at your writing, just your one comment

 

[Dr4Bob]

I have found the TH-X00 really improve with some burn in (70-80hr LOUD electronic in another room...); my impression is much improved micro detail, wider and taller soundstage (not much deeper, though still pretty good). The initially excellent bass seems even tighter. I expect these to be similar to the Denon D- 000 phones. My D-5000 really sounded better with a couple hundred hours on them and look forward to seeing how much better the now outstanding TH-X00 will be in the near future.

 

[Makiah S]

I agreed, but to me, I wouldn't call fostex dry...clean may be ? But yeah, if anyone want that fluidity or smooth, that would be Z7

. Used one can go for as much as thx00 goes.

me neither, it's... average imo, not lacking nor excessive in decay 
 

  I thought the Z7 was quite dry sounding. Fostex sound dry also. That's the nature of V shaped headphones. If someone wants a smoother, more liquid sound HD650/LCD-2 are the ones to go for.

 
 

 
yeah, I think this is it.  They sound like V-shaped headphones.  Some people love that, some people don't.  I'm not sure what else anybody was expecting in regards to this. There was never a single impression that these were anything other than U or V shaped (unless you wanted to get complicated and call them m or w shaped).  

 

I agreed, but to me, I wouldn't call fostex dry...clean may be ? But yeah, if anyone want that fluidity or smooth, that would be Z7

. Used one can go for as much as thx00 goes.

Trust me it's not "dry" it's... maybe average in that the deacy isn't overly forward or withdrawn, the HE 4 is a dry headphone, the Beyer DT 880 running out of a very clean Solid State is dry my modded W1000x is a VERY DRY headphone, an I enjoy dry headphones honestly, still the TH X00 is imo a very balanced though "bassy" headphone 
 

  I thought the Z7 was quite dry sounding. Fostex sound dry also. That's the nature of V shaped headphones. If someone wants a smoother, more liquid sound HD650/LCD-2 are the ones to go for.

Indeed, I had the HD 600 an I ran it out of my Schiit Vali an it was very smooooth, I enjoyed it 
 

So, I hope it's ok to ask this here. I am curious to know if there is a headphone, open or closed, that does what these do in the mids and highs but has more accurate bass. It may be that the th x00's are revealing shortcomings of certain albums vs others, because occasionally bass is very accurate, albeit slightly high in the mix. Other times it seems boomy and confusing to me. I listen to Jazz and I really just want to hear and enjoy the music and the information in the music from each musician as accurately as possible. I find that the TH X00's present jazz drummers extremely well. All the way to the clarity of the cymbal and even further the pitch of the cymbal decay, which is what a lot of headphones don't reveal for some reason or another. To me it is a very high quality presentation of treble. I just wish I could get the same level of quality in the bass. Once in a while, during drum solos it gets a little boomy, which also seems unnatural.

A general response on head fi is usually to recommend "neatral" headphones that are light in the bass. Not necessarily what I'm looking for. Just want to hear everything represented accurately, but I don't mind a little bass accentuation. Maybe even prefer it. I own HD 600's and really like them. Would the he400i do the trick? Beyerdaynamic dt880 600 ohm? I owned the hd650's and wanted a little more cymbal so I settled on the hd600's. Maybe I'm destined for hd800's.

imo the DT 880 is one of the BEST headphones for the cash to be had PERIOD, I had it for about a year an I loved it! Pair it with something like a Schiit Vali an you've got an EXCELLENT set up imo, honestly going with something like an oDac, Schiit Vali an DT 880 should run you about $500 or so, upgrading from that exact set up cost me around... $1200 :/ a little over double what I paid an I did NOT "double" in terms of sound quality
 
That said a TH X00 an a DT 880 an I'd say your set! Though if curiousity gets you... xD your in trouble! 
 
 
Holy CRAP... you guys know that moment when you hear something new for the first time with a headphone you've had for a while Dx
 
I finally got my TH X00 running SE out of my iBasso PB2 [an holy crap this is a BLACK amp in both balanced AN single end Out] an I finally heard the bass line in Metallica's "Blackened" on the very bass light original master 
 
either, as others have said this headphone REALLY opens up with a good amp! Sadly my NFB10ES2 has a very poor Single End output [though honestly most fully balanced amps sound poor in their Single Out simply because it's balanced amp an the SE output is more of a convience]
 
Either way I'm really diggin these ^^ Super excited to actually get them balanced an REALLY listen to them open up on my balanced amps output! 

 

[Hansotek]

Would you consider the O2 neutral and linear? I am asking out of curiosity and I certainly do not think it is the end all be call of neutral SS amps. I am just curious as to whether or not others feel it is neutral as I found it very neutral, to the point of sterile, personally.

I think it's a touch bright. mostly because it has a touch of bass rolloff. I think it also has some noise issues that cause people to need to turn it up a smidge more for resolution. In my experience noisy SS amps sound brighter and more brittle.

Just adding to your point... I wouldn't necessarily call it bright*, as it doesn't over-etch headphones that are already bright. I mean, the Beyer T1 was pretty tolerable through it. But it is totally rolled off, as you say. High-gain is noisy and kinda sketchy overall. I think some of the noise has to do with the fact that he put the volume pot in a dumb place.

I think the perception that the O2 is dry and sterile has more to do with people's expectations rather than the actual sound of the amp. Certainly, it is a tad dry and better paired with a fun sounding headphone, but it's not as vanilla as people make it out to be.

Overall, it's punchy and spacious and a good value for the price, but it's revered and talked about on Head-fi in a way that doesn't align very closely with reality. It is not the paragon of neutrality, nor is a feat of unmatched engineering. It is a half decent amp that was created to prove a point that certain things could be measurably achieved for very little money.

*Within my subjective interpretation of brightness.

 

[Asr]

I finally got around to actually listen to my pair despite having it for several days now (just haven't had time yet).
 
I decided to start with some of my favorite electronica albums, and I have to say, the bass response makes me laugh. I'm not really used to bassy headphones in general, since those are the kinds of headphones I typically avoid, so this is definitely ridiculous, in a good way. I guess I could say it's a nice change of pace from my usual kind of headphones.

 
I know I won't be keeping these though, because for me it doesn't really do anything better than the Audio-Technica MSR7, which is also cheaper. The MSR7 is a definite keeper for me; the TH-X00 not so much. It'll be fun to have for a while but that's about it....

 

[Astral Abyss]

  I finally got around to actually listen to my pair despite having it for several days now (just haven't had time yet).
 
I decided to start with some of my favorite electronica albums, and I have to say, the bass response makes me laugh. I'm not really used to bassy headphones in general, since those are the kinds of headphones I typically avoid, so this is definitely ridiculous, in a good way. I guess I could say it's a nice change of pace from my usual kind of headphones.

 
I know I won't be keeping these though, because for me it doesn't really do anything better than the Audio-Technica MSR7, which is also cheaper. The MSR7 is a definite keeper for me; the TH-X00 not so much. It'll be fun to have for a while but that's about it....

 
They aren't really the type of headphone I would normally go for either.  Compared to my LCD-2F and HD650, the bass is ridiculously over the top.  But I just can't stop listening to them.

 

[dcpoor]

Literally just received mine about 20min ago.
At work but the missus was nice enough to open them up and she was really impressed... Which is difficult to do.

I joked with the wife that I would probably get 999...I needed up getting 01999, Hahaha.

You'll be partying like it's 1999.
nice.

 

[obsidyen]

I wish I didn't leave the drop. I had TH900 for a week and while it had glorious bass, the treble was too harsh for me. This seems like it might suit my tastes better. I hope Massdrop starts another drop soon.

 

[TWerk]

I wish I didn't leave the drop. I've had TH900 for a week and while it had glorious bass, the treble was too harsh for me. This seems like it might suit my tastes better. I hope Massdrop starts another drop soon.

Wanna trade?

 

[obsidyen]

Wanna trade?

Returned it mate, sorry.