[rovopio]

ma-900 is like the mini hd600. hd600 is clearer with more balanced mids and vocals sections, while ma-900 is more mid-forward and depending on your preference, will be really good (or not) for vocal-heavy songs like indie folk, jazz, and accoustic.
 
i'll gladly get hd600 if only it's like 300 or 350. but where i'm at, it's 550-560 usd and ma-900 is a really great headphone on it's own. And the music genres i listen to, for musical enjoyment, it's just perfect.
 
Maybe not technically top of the line..., can always use better treble extension and better resolution and micro-details... but in terms of musical enjoyment, my song collections happens to be perfect for these.
 
I've got this based on amigomatt, defiance00, and xkonfuzed posts mostly. I'm really glad i got them. I owned other cans too, but in terms of personal satisfaction, ma-900 is the one headphone i'm really glad i have. The fact that i got them at $140-$150 doesn't hurt either.
 
For reference stick, my music collections are mostly (pop / club jazz) female-vocals centric songs where when the vocalist are singing... only piano and some salt-shakers and tringgg-y instruments playing in the background. So ma-900 is just so damn good for them.
 
I'm not going to say the bands names because it's all japanese and it's not easy to find on youtube either. Some covers exist, but it takes some effort to find the original songs lately (used to be easy a couple years back).

 

[Folex]

These are the most comfortable headphones I've ever listened too. I just got a pair and i can't get over how light and awesome they feel.
 
I wouldn't think they would need an amp but they really do. When I first listened to them they sounded really slow. The bass seem to linger giving the music a very muddy sound. I turned my amp to +10 and the bass became snappy and quite enjoyable.  
 
It's only day 1 but I can say I'm enjoying these headphones so far. Only paid $138 so I figured I didn't get hurt too badly. 

 

[dinesh18892]

  These are the most comfortable headphones I've ever listened too. I just got a pair and i can't get over how light and awesome they feel.
 
I wouldn't think they would need an amp but they really do. When I first listened to them they sounded really slow. The bass seem to linger giving the music a very muddy sound. I turned my amp to +10 and the bass became snappy and quite enjoyable.  
 
It's only day 1 but I can say I'm enjoying these headphones so far. Only paid $138 so I figured I didn't get hurt too badly. 

Congrats
these will get better with time.
Enjoy the great sound

 

[Folex]

  Congrats
these will get better with time.
Enjoy the great sound

 
None of my headphones ever stay stock. I plan to put a different mesh on them, make it dual entry, detachable cable and good chance of painting them. 
 
Example of my last headphone that was modded.
 


 
Quick Render of what it might look like. Not sure on which color I want.
 

 

[Viber]

After a few days of reading reviews on the SONY MA900 i can give you all a summary which can perfectly portray the public opinion on them:
 
-Are very well built, but they feel flimsy and cheap.
 
-They have a very grained,veiled,distorted sound yet it is also very smooth,revealing and pleasant to listen to.
 
-These have no bass WHATSOEVER yet they have a very surprising bass for an open can so every genre will sound great with them.
 
-When a lot of instruments are playing these are A MESS but these are great if you listen to huge orchestras , you can really hear every instrument clearly. 
 
-They are the most comfortable headphones in the history of mankind and you can wear them for hours yet the earpads are too shallow and the headband is unbearable after 30 minutes.
 
-These sound almost as good as the HD600 but not as good as 150$ pair of Sennheisers so they are an excellent bang for the buck yet not good for the money at all.
 
 
So there you have it folks, a clear, conclusive summary of the MA900.
I suffered so you won't have to. 

 

[rovopio]

  After a few days of reading reviews on the SONY MA900 i can give you all a summary which can perfectly portray the public opinion on them:
 
So there you have it folks, a clear, conclusive summary on the MA900.
I suffered so you won't have to. 

 
I'm sorry, that's your own conclusion. If you don't like them, you don't like them. But your opinion is not public opinion. Your opinion is yours as mine is mine.
In fact, my opinion on them is the opposite of yours.
 
I owned shure940, dt880, grado sr60, 60i, 80e, and he400i (on delivery). Just on vocals alone, ma-900 is better than all of them for the genres i listened to. Which happened to be japanese musics. I also very extensively auditioned hd650 and Alpha Dogs (as in 6 hours auditioning them). And for their sound sig, i prefer ma-900 than hd650 by far. That doesn't mean hd650 is worse than ma-900, they are just not my cup of tea. Between the two 600/650, I'm more a hd600 guy.
On the hd650 and Alpha Dogs audition, I a/b/x them with ma-900 all those 6 hours. As good as Alpha Dogs was at $600 (or in my case $720), the ma-900 at $140 reproduce female vocals better to my likings on my genres than the Alpha Dogs. While Alpha Dogs reproduce a higher fidelity sound, the ma-900 forward midrange makes me feel for the songs better.
Obviously if one is talking sound reproduction and technicality, Alpha Dogs are ahead of ma-900, in terms of bass, in terms of less-forward midrange, and in terms of clarity and treble extension. But when talking about enjoying the music, i enjoy the two, with my preference goes to the ma-900.
 
According to one other head-fi member here, one store owner in Japan share similar view with me. That store owner enjoys ma-900 as they enjoy the hd800, plugged into WA7 Fireflies.
 
a quote from that post "Now he's playing Blind Faith.....and the HD800 which often play Orchestra or Jazz at sit down stations and do not impress were shining on this track. The HD800 never sounded better to me with that badass amp of his and it was a treat.
 
He then un jacks and jacks the ma and plays the same song and the song sounded so much......like what I just heard

 
Why would he do that? He's making his favorite cans seem very very over priced? Many of you will balk at the comparison but it was like going backwards. He looked proud??? They really did sound quite similar on that track which kinda blew me away and he got it.
 
He pulls out a unopened box of ma 900 and says you listen to real music...Merry Christmas."
 
this is the post i refer to http://www.head-fi.org/t/663121/sony-mdr-ma900-impressions-thread/1500#post_11048083
 
I gotta agree, as much as i like Alpha Dogs, he-560, and beyer T1, when i talk about enjoying the music, (not analyzing technical aspect, mind you), i enjoy ma-900 as much (if not a little more) than i enjoy the 3 ToTL headphones i've listed above.
If talking from the technicality and hi-fi hobby aspect, let alone hd800 plugged into WA7 Fireflies, even the dt880 is better than ma-900. Even though i would still get more expensive headphones, that is mainly because getting a new headphone is a hobby, and also personal satisfaction. In terms of pure musical enjoyment though, i'm completely satisfied with ma-900.
 
Maybe my mileage is different to others because i dislike too much bass, and my musics are almost all japanese, but i'd still buy ma-900 even if it's not $140. It's just sweet that i got it for the price.
 
My understanding when reading the product is that, it's advertised as a mainstream headphone to sit back, relax and enjoy movies and music.
Even the box says "ultimate comfort & natural sound" stereo headphone. My understanding is that the MA line was not created to win audiophile technicality race, it's created for watching TV in addition to listening to music. Even the ma-100 or ma-300 box said something about "headphone for watching TV" or something.
While their XB line stands for Xtra Bass, their Z line is reserved for their ToTL stuff, their MDR line is created as an "hi-res audio" headphone.
 
In that regard, ma-900 achieved what it was created for, the ultimate design for comfortable headphone with comfortable (as in, non-fatiguing) sound.

 

[Viber]

^ i didn't say that was the summary of MY opinion, i said it's a summary of PUBLIC opinion.
I just wanted to illustrate how worthless all those reviews are...reviews on them are so inconsistent it's amazing.
 
I can still cancel my ma900 eBay order and a store near me is selling Ultrasone HFI-2400 for 140$ so i'm reading all the mixed reviews and i don't know what to do

 

 

[Star2806]

I would not recommend the HFI2400, it has a very shrill 7khz peak that gave me ringing ears.  Better off going for the Philips X1, more bass and soundstage, smooth mids.  Much more bass than the MDR MA900 and just as much soundstage.

 

[Viber]

^thanx for the heads up, i hate high-mids peaks!
I'm not considering the X1 because i'm looking for light (260~ grams), open headphones under 170$.
 
Considered the K612 but they look too big + i have to buy an amp for them + they will probably be boring for synthesizers.

 

[Star2806]

You might like the Yamaha HPH200, they are cheap, in your budget and sound very balanced with good bass, detail and soundstage.  They are compact and lightweight.  Actually they sound like a less refined Philips X1 with slightly less bass.  There's not much not to like about the HPH200, it is a safe buy.

 

[rovopio]

  ^ i didn't say that was the summary of MY opinion, i said it's a summary of PUBLIC opinion.
I just wanted to illustrate how worthless all those reviews are...reviews on them are so inconsistent it's amazing.
 
I can still cancel my ma900 eBay order and a store near me is selling Ultrasone HFI-2400 for 140$ so i'm reading all the mixed reviews and i don't know what to do

 

 
You've been hanging out on this thread long enough. i think if you're not convinced by the ma-900 by now, you won't like the ma-900 when it's arrived. If i were you, i'd cancel it now.
 
Your perception of public opinion is inherently bias and tells a lot about your own perception of the headphone, if not your own preference to some degree.
 
I strongly disagree with 2 points you made. and disagree with 1 other point.
 
"-They have a very grained,veiled,distorted sound yet it is also very smooth,revealing and pleasant to listen to.
-These sound almost as good as the HD600 but not as good as 150$ pair of Sennheisers so they are an excellent bang for the buck yet not good for the money at all."
 
"These have no bass WHATSOEVER yet they have a very surprising bass for an open can so every genre will sound great with them."
 
Everybody's perception of  other opinions are always inherently bias. I read a lot before pulling the trigger on ma-900 (i read half of all the 100 pages). I also talk privately with some ma-900 owners before getting it. My summary of public opinion on ma-900, will be very, very different than what you've typed, and i'm sure at least three people i consulted with before i bought this will agree with my very different summary of public opinion than what you have posted.
 
What's grainy to some, is clear to me.
What's musical to some, is overwhelming lower midrange smears to me.
 
ma-900 not as good as HD598 for $150? Not only that my summary of public opinion is that ma-900 is better than hd598 at $150, nd my personal opinion is that the HD598 sounds lifeless and dead and not worth $150, let alone their $300 MSRP. I dislike v-moda m100 and sennheiser momentum, and will not pay $100 to get them, let alone $400 that they retail where i'm at, maybe people who love them will dislike ma-900.
 
That's the thing about public opinion, define grainy? define musical? define the perfect amount of bass? ma-900 has a midbass hump.
I am no expert in bass, so i'm going to copy paste this instead http://www.head-fi.org/t/663121/sony-mdr-ma900-impressions-thread/1620#post_11121575
 
They're not the end all be all headphone, they're not even designed to do that. And yes i agree, their comfort is a hit-and-miss on the wearer's ear. The 70mm size and angled cups will be a hit and miss for some people. As for myself, i wear the cups all the way back, so my ear is touching the inner padding amd it's comfortable that way. Some people wears them differently. Their headband is also decent, it's just depends on the shape of your head, and where you place the ma-900 on your head.
 
Your statement saying "the headband is unbearable after 30 minutes." is just plain wrong. If people can bear wearing shure 1540 weird headband and say that that's comfortable, there's no way ma-900 is unbearable. Not comfortable to some maybe, but unbearable is just plain wrong. Unbearable is how people define new unused S-cushion on a new unused Grado SR series, where the clamping is still tight. Comparing ma-900 headband to brand new grado sr80e S-cushion is like comparing the distance between Space and Earth. As in, it doesn't make any sense.

 

[Folex]

Here are some universal truths for the ma900.
 
- They are light, extremely light
- Stock pads are pretty bad compared to what you could have on it.
- They leak more sound then easily 95% of the headphones on the market, F1 probably being the only one that leaks more.
- They are made out of metal. Most headphones are made of plastic
- They do feel flimsy, but this is not to be confused with being cheap. 
- They are not bass cannons, nor are they devoid of bass

 

[rovopio]

I'd say Grado prestige line leaks more sound than ma-900, other than that, i agree that there's nothing holding sound back from leaking.

 

[baadaq]

  ma-900 is like the mini hd600. hd600 is clearer with more balanced mids and vocals sections, while ma-900 is more mid-forward and depending on your preference, will be really good (or not) for vocal-heavy songs like indie folk, jazz, and accoustic.
 
i'll gladly get hd600 if only it's like 300 or 350. but where i'm at, it's 550-560 usd and ma-900 is a really great headphone on it's own. And the music genres i listen to, for musical enjoyment, it's just perfect.
 
Maybe not technically top of the line..., can always use better treble extension and better resolution and micro-details... but in terms of musical enjoyment, my song collections happens to be perfect for these.
 
I've got this based on amigomatt, defiance00, and xkonfuzed posts mostly. I'm really glad i got them. I owned other cans too, but in terms of personal satisfaction, ma-900 is the one headphone i'm really glad i have. The fact that i got them at $140-$150 doesn't hurt either.
 
For reference stick, my music collections are mostly (pop / club jazz) female-vocals centric songs where when the vocalist are singing... only piano and some salt-shakers and tringgg-y instruments playing in the background. So ma-900 is just so damn good for them.
 
I'm not going to say the bands names because it's all japanese and it's not easy to find on youtube either. Some covers exist, but it takes some effort to find the original songs lately (used to be easy a couple years back).

i'll have to disagree with that statement , for me not only hd600 are more muddy but less clearer, they sound quite veiled, but that's just my personal opinion (used them from o2).

 

[Folex]

  I'd say Grado prestige line leaks more sound than ma-900, other than that, i agree that there's nothing holding sound back from leaking.

 
I'd be curious to see which one leaks more. I owned the sr80i for a couple of weeks and I don't recall it leaking to the level of the sony 900's. But its been about year since I owned them so my memory might not be as good.