[Tsukuyomi]

Hello everyone,
I'm a little stuck between these two cans.
I'm looking for a closed back, detachable cable thats got a "fun sound" (not neutral/flat).
Both the Sony and Fostex mentioned in the title are 899.99$ CND (on amazon.ca).
I'd like to hear your opinions on which would be a better buy and why. I'm a little stuck between the two and would like to hear what other people have to say.

PS: Please don't recommend MD headphones as they are not available for me to get in my city/country and after shipping and import tax from the u.s. it would amount to much more. thanks.

 

[jmills8]

TH900

 

[Tsukuyomi]

TH900

Out of budget, but thanks for the input i suppose.

 

[jmills8]

Out of budget, but thanks for the input i suppose.

Used goes for 700 to 800.

 

[Tsukuyomi]

Used goes for 700 to 800.

In Canada? i highly doubt it.

 

[jmills8]

In Canada? i highly doubt it.

Ok then try another , than after a month or two try looking for a TH900 MK1 not MK2.

 

[Tsukuyomi]

Ok then try another , than after a month or two try looking for a TH900 MK1 not MK2.

It's just not feasable, usually people dont sell these used around here. and if it is up for sale, its pretty much gone almost right away. If i could find a used th900mk2 for under 1k sure i may consider it.

 

[Mhog55]

Personally, I'd grab the 610s. But I'm not a fan of the Sony house sound. If you could provide some insight as to what kind of sound signature you're after, you'd probably get more responses. Can't really make suggestions other than personal preference without more information. Fun means something different to most everyone.

 

[PaganDL]

Hello everyone,
I'm a little stuck between these two cans.
I'm looking for a closed back, detachable cable thats got a "fun sound" (not neutral/flat).
Both the Sony and Fostex mentioned in the title are 899.99$ CND (on amazon.ca).
I'd like to hear your opinions on which would be a better buy and why. I'm a little stuck between the two and would like to hear what other people have to say.

PS: Please don't recommend MD headphones as they are not available for me to get in my city/country and after shipping and import tax from the u.s. it would amount to much more. thanks.

Hi @Tsukuyomi,

Apologies for being late to the discussion, I was going to reply earlier but Windows randomly tried to brick my keyboard on the day your post came out so couldn't respond then got busy in real life.
Anyway...

I have demo both headphones extensively, the only one I ended up buying the 610 after several years debate & finally deciding to allocate budget for it.
It is by far my favourite headphone over the Sony

But back to the merits of the 610...
Sound
Starting from a comfort standpoint, while I didn't really have an issue with the stock pads in aforementioned comfort or sound, I was after a firmer pad & while my go to ZMF Cowhide Universal was decent, it was a little snug & ironically didn't change much in comfort till I recently found Yaxi Pads in Alcantara which made the 610 float on my head with even pressure all round.
Comfort is a big thing for me in enjoying sound.

Now as far as sound is concerned, staging & imaging on 610 is really good, especially if you & I know you do...have good source gear but I will add source recording quality matters a lot as well as gear synergy.
Of the 3 headphones, they are also the easiest to drive, not only in impedence &/or sensitivty but overall enjoyment, as they can be used for serious listening or casual with little need to change anything up.
So yes, a lot more can be had with the 610.

M7m2 sound signature as described by many needs some work & you have to like their sound to get them as unless you have gear which is lively & dramatic, it's almost like many mid to high tier Audio Technicas as those have the same synergy issues otherwise they just sound too polite even with impactful music, eg classical, jazz, metal, etc.
Even with the M7m2 recently being average half off in a local retailers ongoing sale, it's still not really an option to consider for the reasons highlighted.

Hope this all makes sense, feel free to ask more if you need.

Be interested to know what you decide.

Hope you have a great day !

 

[Tsukuyomi]

Personally, I'd grab the 610s. But I'm not a fan of the Sony house sound. If you could provide some insight as to what kind of sound signature you're after, you'd probably get more responses. Can't really make suggestions other than personal preference without more information. Fun means something different to most everyone.

I'm a fan of the Beyer house sound, and Bang & Olufsen house sound. I've heard Hifiman, Audeze, Abyss and Focal. I'm a fan of thoes house sounds, but i'm not a fan of Senn, Meze or MrSpeakers house sound. they don't tickle my ears

 

[Tsukuyomi]

Hi @Tsukuyomi,

Apologies for being late to the discussion, I was going to reply earlier but Windows randomly tried to brick my keyboard on the day your post came out so couldn't respond then got busy in real life.
Anyway...

I have demo both headphones extensively, the only one I ended up buying the 610 after several years debate & finally deciding to allocate budget for it.
It is by far my favourite headphone over the Sony

But back to the merits of the 610...
Sound
Starting from a comfort standpoint, while I didn't really have an issue with the stock pads in aforementioned comfort or sound, I was after a firmer pad & while my go to ZMF Cowhide Universal was decent, it was a little snug & ironically didn't change much in comfort till I recently found Yaxi Pads in Alcantara which made the 610 float on my head with even pressure all round.
Comfort is a big thing for me in enjoying sound.

Now as far as sound is concerned, staging & imaging on 610 is really good, especially if you & I know you do...have good source gear but I will add source recording quality matters a lot as well as gear synergy.
Of the 3 headphones, they are also the easiest to drive, not only in impedence &/or sensitivty but overall enjoyment, as they can be used for serious listening or casual with little need to change anything up.
So yes, a lot more can be had with the 610.

M7m2 sound signature as described by many needs some work & you have to like their sound to get them as unless you have gear which is lively & dramatic, it's almost like many mid to high tier Audio Technicas as those have the same synergy issues otherwise they just sound too polite even with impactful music, eg classical, jazz, metal, etc.
Even with the M7m2 recently being average half off in a local retailers ongoing sale, it's still not really an option to consider for the reasons highlighted.

Hope this all makes sense, feel free to ask more if you need.

Be interested to know what you decide.

Hope you have a great day !

This is great information, Thank you very very much!
I havent tried any audio technica cans, but ive seen at the store and i'd definitely like to try and see what you mean.
Unfortunately sony and fostex dont have a hold in my city audio shops, so i can't demo them. which is ironic since you see other brands like hifiman and audeze there. which i would argue is less common than Sony or Fostex lol.

 

[PaganDL]

This is great information, Thank you very very much!
I havent tried any audio technica cans, but ive seen at the store and i'd definitely like to try and see what you mean.
Unfortunately sony and fostex dont have a hold in my city audio shops, so i can't demo them. which is ironic since you see other brands like hifiman and audeze there. which i would argue is less common than Sony or Fostex lol.

No problem, @Tsukuyomi.

Yeah, no demos make it tricky which usually leaves out a fair bit on my end too so I sympathise though pro audio shops in your area might have Sony & Fostex as well as AT to look at, doesn't hurt to check, who might also give you even better deals than regular retail.
By the way, where in CAD are you, the Headphone Bar keeps popping up whenever I try to find headphone stores in CAD so their marketing metrics must be pleasing Google or DuckDuckGo a lot.
Headphone Bar seems to have a lot of sales too.
As said, or at least implied, AT has a lot of sleeper hits in the mid to high range which is why a demo is a must as synergy with AT cans can be tricky though from a pricing standpoint, it is hard to justify.
I had a little spiel about Focal Elegia vs Stellia before you removed the former from your list which expanded on the top tier pricing but not necessarily sound.
Oh, one you might want to consider at an affordable price is AT SR 9, a lot of people overlook these ones as they are the more refined version of the MSR 7 & came out way before MSR 7B. Pricing varies wildy for SR 9 too & I finally got mine a few months ago after several years debate when it was a quarter retail price locally.
The important to note about SR 9 is subjectively & personally, they need a pad change, Yaxi Alcantara are an ideal choice if you don't want to spend CAD exchange rates from ZMF Direct for his Cowhide Universals.
The SR 9 also needs a source with high current, not necessarily power or voltage to work its best too.

As a final point, you might also want to consider is Neuman NDH 20 as they have the most balanced no emphasis FR in a headphone I have heard so far. Any alterations in FR is track dependant so if a track or media has relevant info, especially lots of it, it will be played true to source.
Just another very good headphone to consider.

Hope you have a great day !

 

[Mhog55]

I'm a fan of the Beyer house sound, and Bang & Olufsen house sound. I've heard Hifiman, Audeze, Abyss and Focal. I'm a fan of thoes house sounds, but i'm not a fan of Senn, Meze or MrSpeakers house sound. they don't tickle my ears

Well I guess that helps a little. I was thinking more about how you like different frequencies presented. For example as the other poster mentioned the Neuman, it sounds very flat and neutral.
I would grab the 610s because they present the music more in line with what I like. The Sony sounds a little relaxed, dark and distant in comparison to the 610. The 610 sounds warmer and more forward in comparison to the Sony. If you can describe how you like bass, mids and treble, this would be easier to recommend.

 

[Tsukuyomi]

No problem, @Tsukyomi.

Yeah, no demos make it tricky which usually leaves out a fair bit on my end too so I sympathise though pro audio shops in your area might have Sony & Fostex as well as AT to look at, doesn't hurt to check, who might also give you even better deals than regular retail.
By the way, where in CAD are you, the Headphone Bar keeps popping up whenever I try to find headphone stores in CAD so their marketing metrics must be pleasing Google or DuckDuckGo a lot.
Headphone Bar seems to have a lot of sales too.
As said, or at least implied, AT has a lot of sleeper hits in the mid to high range which is why a demo is a must as synergy with AT cans can be tricky though from a pricing standpoint, it is hard to justify.
I had a little spiel about Focal Elegia vs Stellia before you removed the former from your list which expanded on the top tier pricing but not necessarily sound.
Oh, one you might want to consider at an affordable price is AT SR 9, a lot of people overlook these ones as they are the more refined version of the MSR 7 & came out way before MSR 7B. Pricing varies wildy for SR 9 too & I finally got mine a few months ago after several years debate when it was a quarter retail price locally.
The important to note about SR 9 is subjectively & personally, they need a pad change, Yaxi Alcantara are an ideal choice if you don't want to spend CAD exchange rates from ZMF Direct for his Cowhide Universals.
The SR 9 also needs a source with high current, not necessarily power or voltage to work its best too.

As a final point, you might also want to consider is Neuman NDH 20 as they have the most balanced no emphasis FR in a headphone I have heard so far. Any alterations in FR is track dependant so if a track or media has relevant info, especially lots of it, it will be played true to source.
Just another very good headphone to consider.

Hope you have a great day !

I'm in Montreal, Canada.
headphone bar i think is in Vancouver, i ordered my astell and kern sr15 from them and they got it from south korea and shipped it to me. so pretty awesome site!
i got to try the entire focal line at an audio show that come here last feb. was great, i really enjoyed the clear and stellia. found thoes two really spoke to me. the utopia was too expensive and for some reason the heaviest in their lineup and not that comfortable. the elear wasnt good at all, kinda boring imo. and the elegia was good, but for the price, i've heard better closed backs. also, wasnt a fan of the way the cups looked on the outside, made it look much cheaper than its actual msrp.

 

[Tsukuyomi]

Well I guess that helps a little. I was thinking more about how you like different frequencies presented. For example as the other poster mentioned the Neuman, it sounds very flat and neutral.
I would grab the 610s because they present the music more in line with what I like. The Sony sounds a little relaxed, dark and distant in comparison to the 610. The 610 sounds warmer and more forward in comparison to the Sony. If you can describe how you like bass, mids and treble, this would be easier to recommend.

mids i like to be clean, and not too close or too far but presented in a natural way.
treble i dont mind at all, i do enjoy classical and would like highs to be detailed but not too sharp as to cause discomfort for long periods of time when i listen to violin or piano songs.
as for bass, im not too much of a bass head, i'd rather the bass be there and sound as natural as possible, but not to be overly emphasised. (I've heard the bass on the LCD2Classic and it felt fake and too too much.)