[chicolom]

@ ZenErik
 
Wow!  You've gone through a lot of gear since the last time I saw you, including the T1 and HD800!  My I ask why you sold them? 

 

[a_recording]

Okay, an update on my order with Warehouse123:
 
I'm a little tiffed. Its almost been a week and the order still hasn't shipped out. They have told me by email they have to do a credit card verification for international customers, and that's reasonable because of the risk of charge backs. What's not reasonable is that it isn't stated on their website that they do this for international customers, or that the process might take this long. They also didn't inform me about this process until I sent them an email asking what up. 
 
I've never purchased anything from an international store that took a week to clear my payment.
 
Considering that they claim that 95% of their orders ship out the same day, and that the item is listed as shipping out in 1-2 days, I would have appreciated being informed about the potential for delay.
 
If it doesn't ship out today I might have to go with some other seller; either BHPhotovideo or some of the MA900 listings on eBay.

 

[maverickronin]

Quote:

 
If it doesn't ship out today I might have to go with some other seller; either BHPhotovideo or some of the MA900 listings on eBay.

 
B&H is pretty solid IME.
 
They have an odd habit of not letting their website take orders on Jewish holidays.  I was not previously aware that that Sabbath applied to Javascript.

 

[maverickronin]

Exactly.  It should fall into one of those loopholes.  The server is just sitting there and you can browse it just fine.  I don't even understand by their rules.  Why couldn't you just place the order when ever you want with a notification that they won't charge you, pack it, ship it, etc until whatever time it is when they're allowed to?

 

[HiFiGuy528]

eBay from Japan sellers?  I've bought this way many times without issues.

 

[Moosecraft]

would these be driven well straight from a pc?

 

[HiFiGuy528]

My impressions are up. You are see the video here.

http://www.head-fi.org/t/613534/new-sony-mdr-ma900-headphones-my-impressions-video

 

[slawterjoe]

Nice impression looking forward to the new can

 

[juantendo8]

I was wondering if anyone could shed some light specifically on soundstage vs. headphones like the K701 and HD650/600. These sound like really solid headphones and I may be convinced to add them to the roost. Also, what genres do you believe they do well in?

 

[chicolom]

Quote:

I was wondering if anyone could shed some light specifically on soundstage vs. headphones like the K701 andHD650/600.

 
x2 
 
Some comparison to other headphones would be useful (especially regarding soundstage

).  Just praising them and saying they're great, while encouraging, doesn't really help the rest of us form expectations of how they might sound.
 
Thanks for the impressions though HiFiGuy528!

 

[a_recording]

Okay: Warehouse123 takes 1 week (and counting) to verify my credit card address. I order through BHPhotovideo, they take 1 hour to process my order. It's now listed as sitting in Botany, Australia, after UPS has admirably had it pop from point to point over the weekend. (I now know that UPS operates a massive facility they call the 'Worldport' in Louisville, Kentucky. The more you know!) Thanks to our venerable Queen (Happy Birthday!) I will have to wait one more day to have a listen to these. I'm pretty excited.
 
As for the warehouse123 order, I told them to cancel it, but they aren't even responding to that email. -___- I guess you get what you pay for (or in this case, have yet to even pay for).

 

[obobskivich]

While I haven't tried the MA900, the other Sony open-back cans with angled drivers have similar soundstaging to one another (so I would assume the MA900 will follow?), and compared to the 701 it's more "in front" and "3D" instead of the "big shoebox" presentation. Think about it like a big angled screen (that you're facing) that sounds are splashed onto, instead of a big tub that they're thrown into. FWIW.

And yeah, Worldport is very big - there's actually a documentary about it that aired on Science TV here in the US.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Worldport_(UPS_air_hub)
And some more:
http://money.howstuffworks.com/ups1.htm

 

[MuppetFace]

Quote:

 
x2 
 
Some comparison to other headphones would be useful (especially regarding soundstage

).  Just praising them and saying they're great, while encouraging, doesn't really help the rest of us form expectations of how they might sound.
 
Thanks for the impressions though HiFiGuy528!

 
 
The problem is, soundstage is one of the most personal and illusive phenomenas related to headphone listening (second only to "there-ness" perhaps). I was speaking to someone the other day who seemed quite surprised when he heard instruments "outside his head" for the first time, despite having listened to headphones for a while. I was a bit taken aback, because this is an effect I always experience while listening.
 
Compared to the Q701, the presentation of the MA900 strikes me as less "cinematic," ie. less wide, but it has a similar expansive and open feel. The Z1000 is similarly very wide but flat, and in comparison the MA900 has a better sense of depth and dimensionality to it. I'd say it's comparable to the Q701 in terms of its impressiveness for me, but it's slightly different as I say.
 
It's above average, just as a general comparison.

 

[sleach]

I can only compare with headphones I own, of course, so it is a mish mash and will be comparing headphones designed with totally different ends in mind.  But compared with Grado SR80 the soundstage is both wider and deeper. Compared with the sony F1 I find the soundstage to be deeper though about the same in terms of apparent width. Compared to Sony PFR v1 it is difficult to say because the MA900 sound is so much fuller that it feels more immersive . However,   if you listen carefully to the PFR v1 the soundstage seems to be pretty similar, just that all the instruments are all a bit smaller. Soundstage on the MA900 is far better than HD251-ii and while I love the HD25s for travelling because they are totally indestructible, the MA900s do not feel so indestructible but sound superior in every way, I find. On the other hand, the Hifiman HE500 through my Benchmark DAC1 have a slightly better soundstage and also much better separation. However, when I like to walk around wearing headphones the MA900 win again because I can run them through the Fiio E17 with a great result whereas the e17 struggles to drive the he500. 
 
Sorry if it seems like bland praise, but I am really enjoying these headphones and so I try to explain why I like them more than other phones I own.

 

[a_recording]

Quote:

 
Sorry if it seems like bland praise, but I am really enjoying these headphones and so I try to explain why I like them more than other phones I own.

 
That's the best way to do it :3 Nice impressions. I'm looking forward to getting mine - so much that in fact I just tripped down the stairs to answer the door thinking it was UPS. Ow.