[ExtraNice]

Been looking to buy my first "real" pair of headphones, and the AD900 has been the pair that's caught my eye.

Originally it was the HD555, then it was the AD700, and now it's the AD900.
Reason why I changed from the AD700 to the AD900 is because of the better build quality and greater bass and mids.

Anywayz, I was just wondering if there were any other headphones in the AD900 price range that I should also consider.
I'll be using the headphones for long periods of time, so comfort is a must. Also I would be using the headphones for gaming, so a good soundstage is important. Also I using the cans (getting in with the lingo) for a variety of music genres, mainly:

1. classic rock, e.g. Pink Floyd, Beatles, Rolling Stones, Joy Divison, Simon and Garfunkel, Led Zepplin
   electronic/ electronica (this is NOT dance/ trance music, but music produced electronically), e.g. Daft Punk, Kraftwerk, The Field,
   Indie music, e.g. Fleet Foxes, Okkervil River

Basically what I'm saying is that my main music tastes states covers most genres of music, except for classical music and jazz.

Given the reviews, I'm worried that the classic rock and electronic music won't have enough bass depth. I'm not a bass head who craves for deep thumping bass, but I do find the bass important. Should I or shouldn't I be worried?

Thanks for your comments and recommends in advance. Oh yeah, for most part the headphones will be unamp'd.

 

[lucky]

I can't think of more than a handful of phones under $1000 that I'd prefer for unamped usage besides the AD700/900. With regard to bass, it really depends on what your goals are. I find the AD700's bass fine, as I've come to treasure clarity and soundstage, and an overpowering bass is incompatible with either.

 

[fraseyboy]

A relatively cheap external amp (such as the Little Dot MKII) improves the bass a lot too, so if its lacking you can always do that.

 

[mbd2884]

Yep the bass on my AD900 is very distinct, lots of impact and just eargasm with the proper DAC/Amp now.

I don't think you will need to spend a 1000 dollars to get a great setup.

I would look at either the Compass, which I have or look at KECES 151 or Audio-gd DAC-100 for DACs. Then look to find a nice amp for under 200 USD. Like the Little Dot 1+, MK II or a used amp. I suspect the Meir Audio Arietta would sound great also. Even a iBasso D2 or D3 would improve the sound.

But yes, the AD900 you can definitely enjoy without an amp. I do suggest looking into setting up a proper Foobar2K with ASIO output though.

 

[rehban]

Although unfortunately I'm just not educated enough on audiophile headphones to give comparison, I can say that as an owner of the 555 and recently purchased the ATH-AD900, I will have to agree with the above on the amp benefits.

I decided to pair mine with just a fiio e5 since it was cheap and I have a garbage source, and it did make a world of difference to my ears. The Bass Boost is almost perfect, and I have not broken these things in at all yet.

As far as the 555's go, as far as my opinion goes, they sound absolutely nothing like the ath-ad900, and the more I use the new cans the more I think it's a good thing. But if you haven't listened to the 555's I guess you would never know the difference.

FWIW I listen to mostly rock as well and spend most of my time with games. Hope this was some help.

 

[Duke309]

I've only really listened to my AD900s with my EMU 0404 usb, which has a nice headphone amp. I think they would do great for the music you listen to. As for comfort, I can easily forget I have them on. They can get a little hot after having them on for 2+ hours, but I usually need a break by then anyway. I can't recommend these headphones enough.

 

[mbd2884]

If anyone complains about Bass with AD900s, its because they need a better DAC/Amp to go with it.

I'm listening to Sander Kleinenberg's This is Everybody album and the bass is just exploding. Massive amounts of bass, if I had anymore, it would be hurting my ears, and well I listen to music for pleasure, not pain.

So yes, if you can get a proper amp and source, the AD900s will fulfill all of your needs for Daft Punk. Daft Punk's Human After All album sounds fantastic on the AD900s, I listened to it last night and was just awesome.

Are you familiar with Ronald Jenkees? With AD900s and the Compass, you can really tell how poor his recordings are, before it was pleasant. Now its a bit, Ronald you need to get some professional mastering done on your works!

 

[ExtraNice]

Thanks for the replies.
BTW, what is DAC, and do I need DAC if I get a headphone amp?

 

[fraseyboy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ExtraNice /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thanks for the replies. BTW, what is DAC, and do I need DAC if I get a headphone amp?

DAC stands for 'Digital Analog Converter'.

It is pretty much a box that plugs into either USB, Coaxial or Optical and sits outside your PC and improves the sound.

No, you don't NEED a DAC but IMO getting an external DAC will have more of a sound upgrade than an external amp. Most DAC's have an inbuilt headphone amplifier so you can just plug it into that.

You could try looking into the EMU 0404 USB. It's a DAC and seems to have a pretty good headphone amp according to Duke309.

The Beresford TC-7510 is what I have and it sounds pretty good with my AD700, certainly an improvement from unamped. It's sold here Beresford Media & Electronics. However, it only has coaxial and optical inputs so if your PC doesn't have them your out of luck. EMU 0404 USB plugs into USB so that might be better suited if you dont have a soundcard already.

 

[ExtraNice]

Haha, so many buttons and jacks on the EMU 0404 USB!!! Brain overload!

'Cuse my poor wording, but if I do use the EMU 0404 USB, that would be like using a line out on a soundcard right?
BTW how can you tell the difference between a line out jack and a headphone jack?

 

[fraseyboy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ExtraNice /img/forum/go_quote.gif Haha, so many buttons and jacks on the EMU 0404 USB!!! Brain overload! 'Cuse my poor wording, but if I do use the EMU 0404 USB, that would be like using a line out on a soundcard right? BTW how can you tell the difference between a line out jack and a headphone jack?

EMU 0404 USB plugs into a USB port. It's an external soundcard. I'm not sure what you mean by 'like using a line out on a soundcard'. You would plug the headphones into the headphone out port on the EMU 0404 USB.

Normally the headphone out and line out are marked to show what they are.

 

[mbd2884]

Hey Extra,

fraseyboy's recommendations are solid. But here is alternative option.

Go with the Compass. There is a massive thread over at the full sized amp forum.

I'll give you a quick description. The Compass was build as an alternative to a highly affordable Zero DAC/AMP combo.

The Compass is built and designed by Kingwa (awesome dude) and Audio-gd. The Compass is built with a fully discrete solid state amp, which is of original design for the Compass. The DAC is from the Audio-gd's DAC-100 (249$ DAC). The power source is not a wall wart, thankfully. Power, DAC and Amp are all on separate modules which is very unique for a DAC/AMP combo design. With recommendations from Head-Fiers, Compass comes with all the inputs, RCA, Optical, Coaxial and USB. All the parts are of high quality which you can check on website and he says its all hand built by experienced audiophiles, not some random girl that you see so often in these chinese factory pictures.

Here are pictures to show the difference of the Compass compared to a another DAC/AMP combo. This is what it looks like when everything is on separate modules. Its pretty cool. Would emphasize I'm not saying Audio-gd's design is superior, but its certainly different for an entry level Mid-Fi DAC/AMP combo

Courtesy of Peete, Audio-gd Compass

Courtesy of TopPop, KECES 152

Right now, since its a promotional effort to benefit Audio-gd and the Head-fiers, you can get this for 258 USD. That means you can get a great DAC with a solid solid state discrete amp for free. And I have the AD900 and can tell you it sounds awesome.

For your first DAC/AMP for a mid-fi product, I don't think you will be dissapointed.

Their are ways to make sure it sounds you way want it. You can replace the default Moon Opamp with Earth or Sun which you can buy at the pormotional price of 20 dollars each with the Compass. You can also fiddle with the jumpers for a neutral sound or a warmer sound.

Kingwa's intention was to create the most solid, neutral sound possible that is usually only heard from in very expensive audiophile grade units into a Mid-Fi, relatively inexpensive amp. Of course it won't beat the most expensive amps dacs, but its a great entry level unit. I'm satisfied so far.

That's my suggesiton. I really don't think you will find a better deal for 258 Dollars.

If you got more money to spend, they by all means keep reading for better options. But for the money I think this is the best deal.

Good luck and I hope you do choose to get the AD900s and get yourself a nice DAC/Amp and enjoy them as much as I am!

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f5/des...ompass-385759/
- Right now there are 18 testers, including myself, but there are more knowledgeable audiophiles who will be providing their impression and reviews starting next week. Because of the high quality parts and well so many parts inside, its expected that it will take about 300 hours of burn in time before people can start to make their assessments.
- Cool part there is another awesome Head-Fier who is loving the Compass with his AD900 also.

http://www.audio-gd.com/enweb/DAC-Compass.htm
- Audio-gd's website with info about the Compass. All the parts, schematics and philosophy behind the product.