[KepinCemit]

^ I finally had the courage to stretch the pads it does fit! Another question: did you remove the included driver cover of the pads? Not really good at describing what I hear but it seems to me the highs became a bit harsh using these pads.

I ripped off the back cover on my brainwavz pads, fiiguring MA 900 drivers already have a fabric cover

The thing is, i did this without using brainwavz pads WITH the back cover first, so i have no idea how MA 900 would sound with 2 fabric covers, one on the drivers + the backcover of the brainvwavz pads.

Only after ripping off the back cover on the brainwavz i realiized i havent tried listening with them on first, lol.

and yes, highs became a bit too scratchy when using brainwavz pads compared to original pads, probably because of increased distance from drivers to ears ?

 

[Ufasas]

Got them from Japanse ebay seller for 130 uk money, now nobody selling them for below 200 o.O a rarity, but I think i will have to let these go, maybe on ebay, as i want more portability over sound quality right now :/

 

[nikoichi]

and yes, highs became a bit too scratchy when using brainwavz pads compared to original pads, probably because of increased distance from drivers to ears ?

Probably, I really don't like it to be honest. I'll try to remove the cover of the pads to see if the sound changes.

 

[Sp12er3]

My MA900 also have the paint bubble son the rims like that.... I think its because of the high humidity in my house (lacking in vents) Does anyone have a tips to prevent it form worsening? or should I just let it be and paint it over years to come when it's surpassing my tolerance?

 

[Sp12er3]

The Brainwavz did make my M40's sound harsher and more sibilance, but that fixed after I stuff some toiler paper inside the pads (just below the foam, over the back cover)... that damps those annoying 'sss', can it be done to the Sony's as well? (not near mine ATM) I don't know whether it'd close the air gap on the posterior part of the can though....

 

[TheBoss]

Aww man,

As recent as January of this year, the price of MA900 was hovering around $170~ on amazon and ebay.
Now they are almost $300!

Is Sony MDR MA900 now officially discontinued?

Now I really regret NOT buying a second MA900 so I can experiment with it (removing the resistor, for example)

 

[Sp12er3]

just checked local price, yeah, price seems to start hiking up~ I paid $220 less than a year ago, now it's $280-$300 minimal here... haven't asked official distributor here, but it just might not be sold straight from Sony (Mine was) anymore... so just stocks left in store.
Hrmm...

 

[Miks]

just checked local price, yeah, price seems to start hiking up~ I paid $220 less than a year ago, now it's $280-$300 minimal here... haven't asked official distributor here, but it just might not be sold straight from Sony (Mine was) anymore... so just stocks left in store.
Hrmm...

Hey. If somebody is interested i do have them in mint condition, bought from amazon.jp time ago. Was used few times, but found myself that i just like a bit different sounding headphones in general. For music they are very good indeed. If somebody wants i can sell them without problem, only i am from Europe not States, or Canada.

 

[vidzegg]

I started a new thread but have not gotten any response so i am copying the same question here.

"I am a semi audiophile and have tried a few headphones in the past ( SRH 840, ATH- M50, DT 990 pro, Pioneer MJ 591, IEMs like DBA-02 mk II, MEElectronics A161P, UE 600v etc). I have settled down on Sony MA 900 with E17 for everyday use (mainstream music, you tube videos, movies) for last couple of years because i like its comfort, open soundstage and warm sound.

Now, i can afford more high end headphones and so upgraded to HD650. To my surprise, i did not like it much because of really small sound stage and returned it a few days. After some more research, I ordered Koss ESP 950. I must say that i liked the electrostatic clarity and mid focused sound. It also has decent sound stage. However, It is somewhat lacking in bass and I find myself going back to MA 900 especially for movies.

So my question is, what would be real upgrade from MA 900 ? its proving harder than i thought.
My priorities are comfort, quality bass, nice mids, decent amount of detail and wide sound stage. budget is 1000$

i have already ruled out LCD-2( comfort), Senn HD 800 (treble spike, analytical), PHILIPS FIDELIO X2 (mids recessed), Oppo PM1 (heavy, modest soundstage) and focal Elear ( heavy, mids hole)

Any feedback is welcome."

 

[kman1211]

I started a new thread but have not gotten any response so i am copying the same question here.

"I am a semi audiophile and have tried a few headphones in the past ( SRH 840, ATH- M50, DT 990 pro, Pioneer MJ 591, IEMs like DBA-02 mk II, MEElectronics A161P, UE 600v etc). I have settled down on Sony MA 900 with E17 for everyday use (mainstream music, you tube videos, movies) for last couple of years because i like its comfort, open soundstage and warm sound.

Now, i can afford more high end headphones and so upgraded to HD650. To my surprise, i did not like it much because of really small sound stage and returned it a few days. After some more research, I ordered Koss ESP 950. I must say that i liked the electrostatic clarity and mid focused sound. It also has decent sound stage. However, It is somewhat lacking in bass and I find myself going back to MA 900 especially for movies.

So my question is, what would be real upgrade from MA 900 ? its proving harder than i thought.
My priorities are comfort, quality bass, nice mids, decent amount of detail and wide sound stage. budget is 1000$

i have already ruled out LCD-2( comfort), Senn HD 800 (treble spike, analytical), PHILIPS FIDELIO X2 (mids recessed), Oppo PM1 (heavy, modest soundstage) and focal Elear ( heavy, mids hole)

Any feedback is welcome."

Look into the Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro or Beyerdynamic Amiron Home.

 

[Sp12er3]

Y'know what... the MDR Z1R is a VEEERY nice Upgrade from the MA900, but that's at least $1600 on street price.
I also had a chance to upgrade to HD6XX but refrain as I don't think I'd sell my MA900 even if I own them.

One headphone that has a very similar sound wiht the MA900 is AT's R70x, it has AT's best implementation of their 3D wing design headband, light weight, but tighter clamp, Sound is more balanced, mids is more laid back (a tiny bit), while the biggest upgrade in sound is in its bass, that's tighter, more controlled, while quite similar in quantity. treble also more present, definitely has better detail retrieval to the Sony, drawback is soundstage is smaller, quite intimate even, but on the trading side you got one with more precise instrument placement, the position is more concrete and not as diffused like on the Sony. It definitely has the obvious advantage in overall technicality, but it's also much heavier (470ohm)to drive than the Sony, so If you don't have a dedicated headphone amp to drive it, don't.

For me, I chose to have 2 headphone for different mood rather than upgrading form the MA900, I chose a K702 and it fits a completely different use case and excels in music that the Sony can sometimes feels lacking, also all the detail I lost is here. Still, nothing beats just how natural the MA900 is though... (even the Z1R has some tizziness on its midrange), I just love how non fatiguing and analogue-sounding the MA900 is. Sorry if I haven't help much but all of us in this thread Do look ahead to "what's next" after our beloved MA900, and sometimes just have to compromise on some parts to get another.

I also am interested about the Amiron Home, that and T1 is quite interesting. if anyone can do a comparison of it with the Sony I'd be glad to know your impression

 

[vidzegg]

Look into the Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro or Beyerdynamic Amiron Home.

Y'know what... the MDR Z1R is a VEEERY nice Upgrade from the MA900, but that's at least $1600 on street price.
I also had a chance to upgrade to HD6XX but refrain as I don't think I'd sell my MA900 even if I own them.

One headphone that has a very similar sound wiht the MA900 is AT's R70x, it has AT's best implementation of their 3D wing design headband, light weight, but tighter clamp, Sound is more balanced, mids is more laid back (a tiny bit), while the biggest upgrade in sound is in its bass, that's tighter, more controlled, while quite similar in quantity. treble also more present, definitely has better detail retrieval to the Sony, drawback is soundstage is smaller, quite intimate even, but on the trading side you got one with more precise instrument placement, the position is more concrete and not as diffused like on the Sony. It definitely has the obvious advantage in overall technicality, but it's also much heavier (470ohm)to drive than the Sony, so If you don't have a dedicated headphone amp to drive it, don't.

For me, I chose to have 2 headphone for different mood rather than upgrading form the MA900, I chose a K702 and it fits a completely different use case and excels in music that the Sony can sometimes feels lacking, also all the detail I lost is here. Still, nothing beats just how natural the MA900 is though... (even the Z1R has some tizziness on its midrange), I just love how non fatiguing and analogue-sounding the MA900 is. Sorry if I haven't help much but all of us in this thread Do look ahead to "what's next" after our beloved MA900, and sometimes just have to compromise on some parts to get another.

I also am interested about the Amiron Home, if anyone can do a comparison of it with the Sony I'd be glad to know your impression

kman1211 and Sp12er3, Thanks for the suggestions.

Regarding Bayerdynamics, i have looked at a few reviews and treble energy and slightly recessed mids are main concerns. I like dark sound signature and always happily compromise a little on treble. Can you please give some detail of their comparison with MA 900 (bass, mids, sound stage etc) ?
MDR Z1R is out of range right now. In any event, i am getting wary of buying very expensive headphones because of law of diminishing returns. I have spent 1100$ on ESP 950 which has exceptional clarity and mids but even that does not cover the whole spectrum and does not satisfy my bass craving.
I have considered R70x as well but for me, wide soundstage is a must. I did not realized how addicted i am to it until I was disappointed by much revered HD650 and ended up returning it.
Lachlan also likes AKG 712 ? that seem to tick most boxes, does anyone know how does that compare with MA 900 ?

I thought i would easily find an upgrade from MA900 with the extra budget, apparently, its not that simple.

 

[HollowNoise]

^This, I own the MA900 and the R70X and they sound like an improved MA900 on most aspects minus the soundstage. They have a warm-ish sound with good detail, really good bass that reaches very deep, very similar in comfort if the earpads fit you well and they manage to have pretty good imaging, soundstage is definitely much smaller but it still manages to sound great with OSTs/Games. An alternative to the MA900 is also the K712 Pro, this one has really good soundstage and imaging, also very good bass with extension and mids with an emphasis in the 2k region which makes them sound pretty good on certain tracks. As a step up to the MA900 I would go for any of those two. However neither are a straight up upgrades all across the board, there are trade-offs in some aspects. But they come close. For overall tonality similarity I would go for the R70X, and for a vast and accurate soundstage with good detail I would go for the K712 Pro. Both are very comfortable, and both have much better bass extension than the MA900.

 

[kman1211]

kman1211 and Sp12er3, Thanks for the suggestions.

Regarding Bayerdynamics, i have looked at a few reviews and treble energy and slightly recessed mids are main concerns. I like dark sound signature and always happily compromise a little on treble. Can you please give some detail of their comparison with MA 900 (bass, mids, sound stage etc) ?
MDR Z1R is out of range right now. In any event, i am getting wary of buying very expensive headphones because of law of diminishing returns. I have spent 1100$ on ESP 950 which has exceptional clarity and mids but even that does not cover the whole spectrum and does not satisfy my bass craving.
I have considered R70x as well but for me, wide soundstage is a must. I did not realized how addicted i am to it until I was disappointed by much revered HD650 and ended up returning it.
Lachlan also likes AKG 712 ? that seem to tick most boxes, does anyone know how does that compare with MA 900 ?

I thought i would easily find an upgrade from MA900 with the extra budget, apparently, its not that simple.

The treble really isn't an issue on the DT 1990 or Amiron Home which is why I suggested them, honestly found the MA900's treble more irritating, the mids may take a slight step back to the MA900 but will have a lot more body, dynamic range, and texture to them. Those two are the darkest and bassiest of all the open-back Beyers. To be honest the MA900 doesn't even compare to the two Beyers, all it really has one them is maybe a wider soundstage and a lighter weight(the MA900 is incredibly light for a full-size headphone). Sonically the DT 1990 will be more akin in terms of FR tuning of the MA900 than the Amiron.

The K712 is better than the MA900 tbh, more refined, tighter, better tonality, but a bit brighter and not as good as either of the Beyers to my ears imho.

 

[Sp12er3]

I can ask my friend who sold me the K702 and now owns a K712. I do manage to add some bass and midrange presence uplifts to the K702 by using my Bravo Audio Hybrid Tube amps, but it still has nowhere near MA900's bass quantity and vast soundstage (yes, it's good, but it's still inferior in size to the Sony).
For the vocal and midrange presence, yes, I think it's quite good on those (clearer and slightly more intimate for vocal) . It's my go to can for listening to acoustic and faster, more complex music, like the latest Re:Creators OST's I'm listening to right now, It's also more revealing so music that's well recorded and mastered will sounds better on the AKG, but some that's don't will not sound that good (ie typical Jpop I prefer on Sony as they mask imperfections)