[Infoseeker]

Sure, I don't mind lending them. I'll send a private message.

 

[goldwerger]

The advantage of being a dynamic, responds really well to portable gear.

Using with my iFi Gryphon.

This combo with the Presence-boost for the borderline polite upper-mids.
Then xBass for subbass and slam.

This is an amazing end-game combo, that I didn't expect portably.

May I ask where you bought them? seems pretty hard to source (in the US)

 

[ddlo]

finally got my pair (used) from japan auction site. this really sounds fantastic! very good bass attack and alluring vocal presentation. wearing comfort is great too. and it's really meant for portable use - the folding mechanism, the leather carrying case, light weight, very slim built (this is very important for portable use but seems not many ppl talking about) and being very easy to drive nature all make it a real choice for portable use (of coz if ). sound isolation is ok but of coz can't compete with ANC wireless headphone. yet i found it already good enough for daily commute in bus or train or walking in the city with music playing.

frankly i like the sound of wm90 than yh-5000se during my visits to tokyo recently (but the look of yh-5000se are too good to ignore . . .) the grossy surface of the aqua timber cups are very delicate and hairline marks seem inevitable even using them with care.

 

[GREQ]

the grossy surface of the aqua timber cups are very delicate and hairline marks seem inevitable even using them with care.

I bet you could polish most of them out with a very fine polishing compound.
It looks like they likely have a layer of lacquer coating, so hopefully none of the scratches are very deep.

 

[swedishpat]

finally got my pair (used) from japan auction site. this really sounds fantastic! very good bass attack and alluring vocal presentation. wearing comfort is great too. and it's really meant for portable use - the folding mechanism, the leather carrying case, light weight, very slim built (this is very important for portable use but seems not many ppl talking about) and being very easy to drive nature all make it a real choice for portable use (of coz if ). sound isolation is ok but of coz can't compete with ANC wireless headphone. yet i found it already good enough for daily commute in bus or train or walking in the city with music playing.

frankly i like the sound of wm90 than yh-5000se during my visits to tokyo recently (but the look of yh-5000se are too good to ignore . . .) the grossy surface of the aqua timber cups are very delicate and hairline marks seem inevitable even using them with care.

I think this may be what I’m looking for for portable use. Are they the best closed back you’ve heard? Bass goes deep? Worth $4000 compared to other totl’s?

 

[swedishpat]

I have had these beauties (without musical tuning service) for just about two months and absolutely love them. They are definitely on the 'musical' side of the spectrum and so much fun to listen to. The bass is prominent and will likely turn off a lot people, but I only occasionally find it a little too much. Mids are present, clean, and very clear. They are not prominent like on the typical AT's and other Japanese tuned phones. Treble is smooth and even with no noticeable peaks to my ears. No harshness at all. They are definitely not bright headphones but I personally would not call them dark. The soundstage is quite good though not quite at the level of some of the Denon's. The detail retrieval and imaging are superb-- truly a holographic presentation.

Comfort is excellent. They have a tight grip that is perfect for on-the-go listening but I do not find it uncomfortable at all and can listen for hours at a time. There is nothing awkward about the fit at all and they are not at all finicky about getting the placement right. Build quality is superb. They are gorgeous to look at up close and very understated from a distance. I am using them in my office and don't ever get a second glance. I wish they did not use the suede type material for the underside of the headband as it can't be wiped down. I am using an aftermarket headband cover to protect it.

I like to listen to ambient electronic chill type music and movie soundtracks (Alexandre Desplat, Cliff Martinez) when I am working at my desk and these are phenomenal for that kind of music. Pretty much anything with heavy use of synthesizers is sublime. My alternative, new wave, and big 80's stuff... all fantastic. I like to use Van Halen's 1984 title song as a test track and I have never heard it sound better. I really dislike dry headphones like the HD800s and these are basically the opposite-- smooth liquidy goodness that is completely engaging. They are all-rounders to my ears, but again, the bass likely will be trouble for some.

I listened to a lot of closed headphones including most of the top flagships over about six or seven months before settling on these. It took a few auditions before I caught on that there was something special going on. I found the Focal Stellias to be a little lacking in the bass and uneven and peaky up top. Never mind looking like you have a couple of Fabrege eggs stuck to your head. The top ATs just too forward and bright with a lot of music I like. I have never been able to get into the planar sound, the top Audeze and Mr Speakers are great but just a little too distant to me. The Sony flagship is just too uneven to my ears and I find the Fostex to be too harsh. The Denons were close, but I feel they took a step in the wrong direction from the D7000s. I brought home both the Cascades and Neumann NDH20s and really like them both, but not enough to stop me from hunting for something better. I just never got too excited to put either of them on. The WM90s just cross that threshold from excellent to elite.

I never owned the old JVC DX1000s. I tried them a few times and liked them, but I was a card-carrying D7000 nut back in the day. I suspect that if you were into either of those phones, these will be the modern take you have been looking for.

Japan is great place to try headphones and I also checked out all the biggie open phones and prefer the JVC's to anything I heard. I had the Focal Utopias and would rate them as the overall best headphones I have encountered, but I sold them to fund the JVCs, which give up the wonderful open soundstage and the nice balanced frequency response but give a lot more joy in return. I don't regret the swap for a second.

The price is bonkers, no doubt. I am not sure what the point of that submerged wood is but if it is somehow connected to what makes these special, then super. It would be nice if they released a version with these drivers and some more mundane ground-growing trees at a lower cost. I suspect they would be pretty good. I just couldn't swallow the retail price and held out for a second-hand pair. Still crazy expensive but much more palatable. In the end, I feel very, very satisfied with what I got in return for my hard-earned money.

Are they still your favorite closed back? Looking for something with plenty deep bass for portable use.

 

[ddlo]

I think this may be what I’m looking for for portable use. Are they the best closed back you’ve heard? Bass goes deep? Worth $4000 compared to other totl’s?

L5000 sounds more fun to me and almost equally easy to drive but that's not really portable and quite a bit more expensive (but still within the 4k mark). i think wm90b is the best sounding portable cans i've got (i mean something that really can be used on the go if you need to). my personal choices of good and cheaper alternatives are wp900 and d9200. but d9200 doesn't wear very comfortably for me. wp900 is even farther away from natural tuning.

if bought in japan as visitor, wm90b is about us$2500 only after tax deduction. definitely worth to demo in person if you visit japan (and to own it too, of coz - just preference on sound could vary greatly on different people. better demo yourself as there's no way to return in japan in general).

 

[swedishpat]

L5000 sounds more fun to me and almost equally easy to drive but that's really portable. i think wm90b is the best sounding portable cans i've got (i mean something that really can be used on the go if you need to). my personal choices of good and cheaper alternatives are wp900 and d9200. but d9200 doesn't wear very comfortably for me. wp900 is even farther away from natural tuning.

if bought in japan as visitor, wm90b is about us$2500 only after tax deduction. definitely worth to demo in person if you visit japan (and to own it too, of coz - just preference on sound could vary greatly on different people. better demo yourself as there's no way to return in japan in general).

Thanks for letting me know! I’m planning to visit Japan in the fall. Hopefully they’re still available then. I demoed d9200 but I didn’t like them that much. Hoping the Victor has better resolution.I’m also interested in L5000 but they’re even more expensive! Thanks!!

 

[ddlo]

Thanks for letting me know! I’m planning to visit Japan in the fall. Hopefully they’re still available then. I demoed d9200 but I didn’t like them that much. Hoping the Victor has better resolution.I’m also interested in L5000 but they’re even more expensive! Thanks!!

just come to mind - though they're quite different purpose devices, have you consider wireless headphones for portable use? i recently purchased mark levinson 5909 and T+A solitaire T anc wireless headphones (bluetooth). both have more than decent sound quality and at only a fraction of the price of wm90b. my personal experience is i couldn't listen critically on the go while (non-intrusive) anc and portability (and being wireless) are more important to the subtle improvement in sound quality of wired headphones over the good wireless ones. not the least you'll need to carry additional burden (at least a dap or dac/amp of some sort) to use wired headphone on the go.

 

[swedishpat]

just come to mind - though they're quite different purpose devices, have you consider wireless headphones for portable use? i recently purchased mark levinson 5909 and T+A solitaire T anc wireless headphones (bluetooth). both have more than decent sound quality and at only a fraction of the price of wm90b. my personal experience is i couldn't listen critically on the go while (non-intrusive) anc and portability (and being wireless) are more important to the subtle improvement in sound quality of wired headphones over the good wireless ones. not the least you'll need to carry additional burden (at least a dap or dac/amp of some sort) to use wired headphone on the go.

Yes I do have solitaire T but I’m also looking for something with TOTL sound quality. The buses here are quite quiet so I can enjoy something with better sound. Especially stronger bass is what I’m looking for. Something that sounds like D8000 but closed would be awesome! How does the Victor compare to D8000? That’s my favorite headphone and works great with a DAP! Thanks!!

 

[ddlo]

Yes I do have solitaire T but I’m also looking for something with TOTL sound quality. The buses here are quite quiet so I can enjoy something with better sound. Especially stronger bass is what I’m looking for. Something that sounds like D8000 but closed would be awesome! How does the Victor compare to D8000? That’s my favorite headphone and works great with a DAP! Thanks!!

I also got d8k pro and d8k. just took them out to have a quick listening. I think d8k had more low end than the pro. Yet the bass is quite a bit more impactful from wm90b than the final duo! Soundstage is not the strength of closed back and wm90b can't compete on this aspect. I personally prefer wm90b over d8k/d8kpro as it's much lighter and more comfortable to wear, also much easier to drive. the sound of wm90b is warmer, more fun oriented and not as sterile as final's offer.

d8k is open back so it's not suit for portable use anyway. if cost is not a concern and the burden of carrying extra gear is not an issue either, than i could recommend wm90b for portable use wholeheartedly. just beware it's passive isolation is just so so (far from anc performance level).

 

[swedishpat]

I also got d8k pro and d8k. just took them out to have a quick listening. I think d8k had more low end than the pro. Yet the bass is quite a bit more impactful from wm90b than the final duo! Soundstage is not the strength of closed back and wm90b can't compete on this aspect. I personally prefer wm90b over d8k/d8kpro as it's much lighter sand more comfortable to wear, also much easier to drive. the sound of wm90b is warmer, more fun oriented and not as sterile as final's offer.

d8k is open back so it's not suit for portable use anyway. if cost is not a concern and the burden of carrying extra gear is not an issue either, than i could recommend wm90b for portable use wholeheartedly. just beware it's passive isolation is just so so (far from anc performance level).

That sounds really awesome! I think I’m gonna have to invest in a Victor! Thank you so much for taking the time for a comparison!

 

[audionewbi]

Is there a place in Singapore I can try this?

 

[goldwerger]

Hi,
Where does one find replacement pads for the HA-WM90-B?
Thanks for any suggestion

 

[swedishpat]

Hi,
Where does one find replacement pads for the HA-WM90-B?
Thanks for any suggestion

Hi Goldwerger! How does the Victor compare to your L5000 and L3000?