[RedBull]

I think I will order these Sony Ma900 tomorrow

Don't think, just do it!

 

[donunus]

One thing I can say about these MA900s is that pianos have that tactile realism that I haven't heard on another dynamic headphone. Well maybe the AT AD2000 has tactile pianos too but the ma900 combines that tactile presence with a very good tonality that the AD2000 can't touch. Now if only the power handling of the sony's were as powerful as the ATs. aaarghhh we can't have it all I guess. Listening to James Bond 30th anniversary 1st track of disc 2 and it sounds amazing on the ma900. Great soundstage. The instruments have an air around them that is not present on most other headphones out there.

 

[Kdavis71]

It's official, I ordered them! They should be here by Tuesday. I hope they get here on time, there shipping all the way from Japan.

 

[Kdavis71]

For those that believe in burn-in, how much does it effect these headphones?

 

[donunus]

I am burning them in now and the sound hasn't changed much in terms of tonality but their loudness capability has gone up compared to what I was hearing yesterday. I don't burn in every headphone I buy but these were an exception because they just didn't play loud enough for me before distorting. I still wished they played louder before distorting at the moment and hope that burn in still helps with it. Yesterday it sounded like listening to speakers while touching/holding the woofers. Since people here haven't mentioned this, I am guessing either i listen to music louder than the average or my ma900 was a sample that happened to get less factory burn in... dunno. I have the Japanese market version by the way in case that matters.
 
Kdavis71, let us know if yours distorts too when you first listen to them since you are also getting one from Japan like I did.

 

[Kdavis71]

Alright, hoping I won't have that problem but I'll let you know if mine distorts. You said you don't burn in all your headphones but wouldn't just using them like you normally do count as burn in? I never believed or even heard of burn-in until I got my ath-m50 and even then I was skeptical but somehow the sound did change from when I first got them, mainly the bass. The bass is definitely more prominent now then when I first got them about a month ago and it's a night and day difference.

 

[donunus]

What I meant by saying that i dont burn them in is that I don't usually have to do a burn in process before I can start to listen and enjoy the cans. One other headphone I had to burn in was the Sennheiser HD555. I had to burn them in because they sounded damaged too when I first got them. The senns had obscene amounts of reverb and highs it was really weird. I am burning these MA900s hoping that all of the distortion will go away.

 

[appsmarsterx]

weird.. I haven't noticed any distortion with ma900, even in very high volumes ..  btw I haven't noticed much change, even after using 200hrs+

 

[kman1211]

I haven't noticed any distortion on the MA900 on what I consider high volumes, although if I did crank them up really high far beyond normal listening volumes they did distort before my K612 but my HD 555 and K240 distorted before the MA900 did. The MA900 barely changed sonically after burn in. It's not like the HD 555, K240, K612, or PX-100 ii which became different beasts after heavy burn-in and/or break in.

 

[donunus]

^^ It could be possible that the ones made for international or US markets are burned in at the factory and the Japan one isn't.

 

[Primetime86]

Alright, hoping I won't have that problem but I'll let you know if mine distorts. You said you don't burn in all your headphones but wouldn't just using them like you normally do count as burn in? I never believed or even heard of burn-in until I got my ath-m50 and even then I was skeptical but somehow the sound did change from when I first got them, mainly the bass. The bass is definitely more prominent now then when I first got them about a month ago and it's a night and day difference.

It's not burn in it's manly the pads getting more broken in. Poor bass responsense or less of it is usually pad related in my experience.

No-one should have this issue with the MA900.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Poor bass response on the MA900 is more than likely due to people wearing them with their ears further back on the pads. If they wear it properly (with the ears more centralized), the bass should be full, if even a bit emphasized.

 

[donunus]

pads and the way they are worn have nothing to do with the drivers crapping out. So far as placement is concerned, Ive experimented and got the best sound out of them already. Thats not the problem at all since they sound fantastic at lower volumes before the drivers  go brrrrrrp

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

I wasn't referring to you, but in general. I have heard complaints that the MA900 is bass light, which just isn't true if they wear the MA900 properly.

 

[kman1211]

I've heard that complaint about the as well but I never thought it was the case even when I wear them all the way back, I always though the bass was quite neutral with some emphasis in the mid-bass.
 
The distortion could be from the drivers not being fully burned-in as I have noticed some headphones tend to handle higher volumes better after burn-in.