The ATH-AD900 Thread
Jan 27, 2012 at 7:32 PM Post #587 of 668
Headroom has had a pair of these available for under $200 for a while now in their B-stock. Only "issue" is an open box. I'm really surprised no one has picked those up yet. I've ordered a couple of their open box items and you would never know they weren't brand new. At $175, I think it's quite a bargain for these headphones.
 
Feb 1, 2012 at 3:17 PM Post #588 of 668
I feel the same, AD700 is just something that seems to be unbeatable in comfort. At first, my AD900 felt uncomfy too, but later I found the right way how to position them, and now it's okay. Its lighter and makes your ears less warm, but still, AD700 is far better because it has more space for your ears and using much less clamping force. 
 
Quote:
I've been lurking on Head-Fi for a while and I just picked up a pair of AD900s.
 
I have to say, however, that the comfort just doesn't match the AD700s, which are the most god-damn comfortable pair of headphones I've ever worn in my entire life. They clamp far tighter and they're much more picky when it comes to head positioning. Is there anyway to do the foam mod on the AD900s without affecting the sound with the stock velour pads? Even when I wear them "properly" the comfort still leaves a lot to be desired.



 
 
Feb 2, 2012 at 12:44 AM Post #589 of 668


Quote:
Headroom has had a pair of these available for under $200 for a while now in their B-stock. Only "issue" is an open box. I'm really surprised no one has picked those up yet. I've ordered a couple of their open box items and you would never know they weren't brand new. At $175, I think it's quite a bargain for these headphones.


Absolutely - strongly recommended at anything resembling that price. You will not be sorry, unless you are an out-and-out bass fiend, in which case I dont understand what attracted you to these cans 
eek.gif

 
Seriously, I have never regretted a cent of the 300+ Aussie dollars I paid for mine.
 
 
Feb 13, 2012 at 2:51 PM Post #590 of 668
One thing I just discovered, it WILL change the soundtage dramatically: roll up a paper tissue, and put it under the earpads in half circle, positioned at the back of your ears. To clarify: in the left earcup it will be on the left side, on the right on the right side. Normally this is for improving comfort, and beleive me, it will dramatically improve comfort, you'll get as much space as can be found in AD700. But the best part is the change in soundtage: you'll get an even bigger one, with improved sq in every way. It takes about 2 min and you won't harm anything, give it a try :wink:
 
Feb 13, 2012 at 3:01 PM Post #591 of 668


Quote:
One thing I just discovered, it WILL change the soundtage dramatically: roll up a paper tissue, and put it under the earpads in half circle, positioned at the back of your ears. To clarify: in the left earcup it will be on the left side, on the right on the right side. Normally this is for improving comfort, and beleive me, it will dramatically improve comfort, you'll get as much space as can be found in AD700. But the best part is the change in soundtage: you'll get an even bigger one, with improved sq in every way. It takes about 2 min and you won't harm anything, give it a try :wink:



Many people have done this on the AD500/700/900 to improve comfort for the top of your ears, and yes, this also improves soundstage by a bit. 
 
Feb 13, 2012 at 3:10 PM Post #592 of 668
On AD500/700 it is unnecesarry because there's plenty of space by default. However on AD900 you have less space in the earcupe, so everything is closer, and comfort can be problematic. I know it's not a new thing, I've done it before on other headphones, but never on AD900 - till now. What I hear is a really big improvement in soundstage (and in overall tonality I find it much better), althought on other headphones there was only a small improvement. The thin pads on AD900 really need this.
 
Quote:
Many people have done this on the AD500/700/900 to improve comfort for the top of your ears, and yes, this also improves soundstage by a bit. 



 
 
Feb 23, 2012 at 5:56 AM Post #593 of 668
I originally owned the AD700's but swapped them out for the AD900's because I seemed to get too much reverb on the vocal track while listening to music. I too was disappointed with the comfort of the AD900's. To me they clamped too tight pushing my ear right into the driver screen. I have solved the problem though I slightly bent out the support wires at their apex. I was really hesitant to do so because I paid $299 for these awesome sounding cans. The support wire is really strong, but you have to be careful that you don't over do it, I had a couple of goes at mine, and am now really really happy with them. I use them instead of my A40 headset with the astro mix amp, and can hear everything. Great for the music I listen to as well.
 
Feb 28, 2012 at 9:54 AM Post #594 of 668


Quote:
I originally owned the AD700's but swapped them out for the AD900's because I seemed to get too much reverb on the vocal track while listening to music. I too was disappointed with the comfort of the AD900's. To me they clamped too tight pushing my ear right into the driver screen. I have solved the problem though I slightly bent out the support wires at their apex. I was really hesitant to do so because I paid $299 for these awesome sounding cans. The support wire is really strong, but you have to be careful that you don't over do it, I had a couple of goes at mine, and am now really really happy with them. I use them instead of my A40 headset with the astro mix amp, and can hear everything. Great for the music I listen to as well.



Just curious at what genre of music you listen to. Judging from the reviews here, the ad900 can go from "good for most genres if you're not a basshead" to "bass too light, so this has a narrow genre bandwidth". Oh and for the record, my profile page:
 
 
Music Preferences
 
General music listener. If I have to choose, the music the likes of Muse, 30 Seconds to Mars, the Killers, Keane, Arctic Monkeys, Bloc Party, Coldplay, anime songs and soundtracks. Like vocals and how the instruments play with each other. Dislike very bassy music; indifferent on EDM and such. Also have almost no idea of music genre except the general ones.

 
I wonder if this will fit my preferences.
 
Mar 2, 2012 at 11:48 AM Post #595 of 668
The AD900's would probably be a good choice for the bands you listed. They work really well anything guitar or vocal centric, even really "busy" music with a lot of backing instruments. The large soundstage makes those tracks even better in my opnion.
 
What to avoid with the AD900: poorly recorded or mixed vocals. The AD900's high detail makes bad recordings stand out, and overly sibilant or scratchy vocals can get painful. They aren't great for EDM, hip-hop or noise/sludge metal either, but you can eq the bass up without distortion if necessary.
 
Mar 2, 2012 at 12:59 PM Post #596 of 668


Quote:
The AD900's would probably be a good choice for the bands you listed. They work really well anything guitar or vocal centric, even really "busy" music with a lot of backing instruments. The large soundstage makes those tracks even better in my opnion.
 
What to avoid with the AD900: poorly recorded or mixed vocals. The AD900's high detail makes bad recordings stand out, and overly sibilant or scratchy vocals can get painful. They aren't great for EDM, hip-hop or noise/sludge metal either, but you can eq the bass up without distortion if necessary.



Thanks for your input. Very interested in this because it is easy to drive, thus less money spent. LOL.
 
Mar 3, 2012 at 5:52 AM Post #597 of 668
WOW, the tissue under the back half of the earpad of the AD900s has to be the Super Simple Mod of the Century, at least for me and my ears. Soooo much more comfortable, better defined soundstage, a bit more bass, a bit more relaxing (less fatiguing).
 
I had the AD700 and had really liked them. Got the AD900s and was disappointed. They sounded thin and sharp compared to the 700s. However when I compared them to the 700s I also noticed that the 700s bass was stronger, but wasn't quite right, a bit thick in the upper bass. IOW it seemed like the 900s were doing something right, but at way too low a level in the bass, or unbalanced vs. the highs, or something. So now I didn't like the 700s or the 900s. Great.
 
So I started to  wonder whether something was wrong with my 900s. Fortunately I also have Fostex T50Rps. The modder's phones. So I knew about modding. So I said to myself, hey maybe somebody's modded the AD900s. And hey, here I am, and thanks to you guys (and I mean that in a he/she kind of way, in case there are any shes here) I've now got happy ears and  tissueified AD900s. Thanks!
 
-Chris
 
May 11, 2012 at 10:22 PM Post #599 of 668
Got these 2nd hand and got some new pads for them, sounds good, needed that bass compared to my AD700, definitely good for some types of music only, why I love the LCD-2 and the HD650 of mine.
 
Jul 26, 2012 at 2:17 AM Post #600 of 668
The AD700s were my favorite cans for a long time, but I got tired of fixing my broken jack, so I sold them. I ordered the AKG k240 MKII, but the magic just wasn't there, so $212 later, I have the AD900s set to arrive at my door tomorrow. Can't wait!
 
One question: I ordered a little Bravo amp to fool around with - any experience with that or the Indeed and the AD900?
 

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