[skyforger]

Just got these, running them off of the msi z87-g45 motherboard. Got a realtek ALC1150 chip built in, I have to have these at 90 percent volume to be able to have them at an ok listening volume. Is that normal? I thought these were easy to drive, for instance my CALS only have to be at 50 percent volume to produce the same output volume.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Something is wrong with your settings if it needs that much volume. No way. Make sure softwa4re volume or something else isn't lower than it needs to be.

The MA900 is quite possibly the most sensitive headphone I've used, including next to my Koss clip ons.

 

[skyforger]

You must be right =/ Gave the new batman game a spin, and with 60% volume everything sounded low and distant. I have not changed anything though, since sending back the CALS. I just unplugged them and have had no sound for the past 6 days.
 
Turning sound blaster cinema on and off makes no difference, to the volume. Only to the effects, like surround and the fake crystalizer thingy.
 
Msi have new realtek drivers up from 4 days ago, downloading atm. I swear it's nvidia's drivers conflicting with them. Ever since I got my 770 and installed the drivers, there has been popping sounds from day one with the motherboard in the left ear/left speaker in every pair of headphones/speakers I have gotten. It starts when I start a song, or a game or a sound for the first time.

 

[kcee]

  Sorry about the cruddy pic - it is hard to get the focus on the right part, most of the photos are worse

You can see the tape wrapped around the slider and the end of the headband.  I think you can also see the tape in the lower left around the pivot (which I think has less effect, but I did it anyway).
Black electrical tape should work too.   Some sort of clay or putty stuff might work too (I actually have something that would work perfectly, a putty that hardens when exposed to air - but I used up all the black colored stuff on my car, and the rest is white and various bright colors.

 
I actually did this because I couldn't get the headband to stay in the position were I liked it.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Yeah, that's actually something I've noticed myself. If you remove the headphone and put them back on, it's like you have to readjust the position of the arms again. Not always, but once in awhile. I always like to wear my headphones slightly on tbe overextended side, and when I put them on, it feels like the arms got positioned for a smaller head

Justba minor gripe that takes a few seconds to fix. I'm not someone constantly removing my headphone...

 

[muscleking]

should got asus motherboard instead, easier to configure.
 
just go get a sound card and turn off the onboard audio. i am running asus stx and it is better than o2+ odac from my opinion. i like the stx is hardware equilizer works extremely well. bass boost is really bass boost, etc. the o2 and odac can't use any equilizer at all unless i am missing something.
 
anyways yeah listened to the ma900 for 2 days not it blew the ad700 out of water. not using the 700 anymore. the bass is too good on these. but without losing detail. that's why those paid full price on these aren't regret a bit.
 
on the stx i set to high gain. 65-250ohm to drive ma900. and volume 40% is normal listening volume. haven't tried on the normal boost yet. but every headphone sounded best on the 65-250ohm setting.
 
oh yeah also the ma900 sounds much better than dt1350 and monster turbine copper. they should make a closed version of the ma900. but i use it for home it's perfect. make you don't want to go out anymore, which is bad.

 

[kstuart]

oh yeah also the ma900 sounds much better than dt1350 and monster turbine copper. they should make a closed version of the ma900. but i use it for home it's perfect. make you don't want to go out anymore, which is bad.

I do know what you are saying, but on the other hand, it is the super-open construction of the MA900 that is what makes it sounds great.
 
BTW, the comments about the sliders constantly moving around is more evidence that they are a weak point - sometimes these "user" aspects of the design come after the sound guys are finished with their design, so they might never know that the sliders are not right.  (Note that many actors never watch the final movie, and it is possible that - in a similar way - headphone designers never check the production run months later... and that is why "mods" happen.)

 

[skyforger]

Well I plugged it into the front headphone port, it is a bit louder. Though no where near as loud as I had it a few weeks ago with the CALS, so I guess its time to save for a sound card(which I wanted to avoid by getting these low independence headphones, after sending my dt 990 pros back.).
 
Should I be using sound blaster cinema, or is that a gimmick?

 

[kstuart]

You're sure you have all the volume sliders up in Windows - overall volume, "WAVE" volume, player's volume, etc. ?

 

[skyforger]

Sound issues aside I am a bit let down by the comfort I must say. With all the raving reviews about these being thee go to comfort headphones now, I expected much better. In my opinion, the beyer DT 990's are much more comfortable, unless I am wearing these wrong. 
 
The way the drivers are slanted, they are touching my ears and cheeks at the front, and the material covering the drivers are very itchy, especially after a fresh shave. If I pull the headphones right back, so that they don't touch the ears, then you loose alot of soundstage/volume.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

I mentioned they will more than likely touch the ears. That shouldn't be news to anyone.

 

[skyforger]

That doesn't bother other people? =o
 
I must admit I am very picky when it comes to comfort, just though the touching thing would bother more people. Anyways, somehow I managed to get the sound back, uninstalled nvidia and realtek drivers then only installed nvidias again. Means I can't use the home cinema program, but I don't mind. These are keepers, the sound and soundstage alone makes these worth it. Amazing headphones.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Certainly, but ironically, some people are more bothered by the Beyer's cover touching the ears more than the MA900s. Neither bother me to the point where I wouldn't wear them. The pads are a little itchy at first, but after a few days, you get used to it and it stops itching. those minor gripes aside, there's nothing that compares to the MA900 in terms of comfort due to their super light weight.

 

[zowki]

Without EQ I find the MA900 to have too boomy and uncontrolled bass and recessed highs. With this EQ setting it sounds nice and balanced:
http://www.head-fi.org/t/663121/sony-mdr-ma900-appreciation-thread/540#post_9910893
 
My EQed MA900 is my third favorite open headphone behind the Sennheiser HD800 and Sennheiser HD600. The MA900 doesn't have the speaker-like soundstage and extreme detail of the Sennheiser HD800 but it is about half as good for a tenth of the price. The Sennheiser HD600 has more detail in the mids, more air, and an overall more natural timbre than the MA900 but the MA900 performs remarkably close for half the price. One area that the MA900 excels over the HD600 is bass. The MA900 has faster and more controlled bass than the HD600. The MA900 has better PRaT than the HD600.
 
The MA900's comfort is almost as good as the Sennheiser HD800. It feels like a HD800 with smaller cups.

 

[MattTCG]

I would echo your sentiments above with the exception of the sound stage on the ma900. It clearly and appreciable betters that of my hd650 which should be the same as your hd600. It's not even close, so I'm somewhat surprised by that comment. 
 
I've always wondered how the sound stage on the hd800 sounds but I doubt that I'll ever know on that one. I often buy hp's with no intention of keeping them and just want to hear the sound signature. But the price of admission is just too high on the hd800.