[Aurora-Storm]

Hello! I was seriously considering these headphones for gaming/music. I was looking for something super immersive that treated vocals, environmental ambience and electronically-laced music very well (with no worries about the bass response being super heavy, just "right"). Need them to be very comfortable for 6+ hrs and not fatigue your jaw.
 
The only issue that has come up when reading reviews was someone mentioning that layers can "bleed" or "blend" into each other. I listen to some very complicated, heavily layered tracks and I love to lose myself in complex soundscapes. Unfortunately if this were the case that might be a deal-breaker for me. Can it keep up with cluttered tracks, like this or this? Does it treat music with a lot of electronic sound well?
 
Most of all, I want immersive, generally darker or electronic songs to sound fantastic, definitely not blended or flat. Ex: Homesick by Parov Stelar, Parks on Fire by Trifonic, Rusty Nails by Moderat, Hearts Collide by Little Boots.
 
That being said, I listen to a wide variety of genres, and of course I'd also like them to work well for games. Right now I'm comparing them against Sennheiser HD598, which seems like an all around good headphone too. I'm mostly worried about the layers thing. Any opinions?
 
PS: What are the differences between 900 and 900X?

 

[treecko2694]

  Hello! I was seriously considering these headphones for gaming/music. I was looking for something super immersive that treated vocals, environmental ambience and electronically-laced music very well (with no worries about the bass response being super heavy, just "right"). Need them to be very comfortable for 6+ hrs and not fatigue your jaw.
 
The only issue that has come up when reading reviews was someone mentioning that layers can "bleed" or "blend" into each other. I listen to some very complicated, heavily layered tracks and I love to lose myself in complex soundscapes. Unfortunately if this were the case that might be a deal-breaker for me. Can it keep up with cluttered tracks, like this or this? Does it treat music with a lot of electronic sound well?
 

 
First song sounds ok, things do get a little messy by the middle of the song, but you can follow most of the sounds easily. Second song is a mess. Sounds really bad. Thing is, both songs have a pretty poor recording quality, so i don't know if any headphones could help.
 
Quote:

 
Most of all, I want immersive, generally darker or electronic songs to sound fantastic, definitely not blended or flat. Ex: Homesick by Parov Stelar, Parks on Fire by Trifonic, Rusty Nails by Moderat, Hearts Collide by Little Boots.
 
That being said, I listen to a wide variety of genres, and of course I'd also like them to work well for games. Right now I'm comparing them against Sennheiser HD598, which seems like an all around good headphone too. I'm mostly worried about the layers thing. Any opinions?
 
PS: What are the differences between 900 and 900X?

Parks on Fire sounds pretty nice, even from that YouTube video. Everything is clear and well separated. Bass is, of course, lacking, but I believe that helps the overall clarity you can hear.
 
Rusty Nails also sounds good, same with Little Boots. In fact, I might even add those to my library haha
 
I really like how Parov Stellar sounds on these cans, both "Coco" CDs sound really good, so don't worry about that.
 
Be aware that bass is lacking here, especially for electronic music. If you're accustomed to bass heavy headphones, you'll feel out of your element here. However, once you get used to the sound signature, you'll love these babies.

 

[Aurora-Storm]

Thank you!! Your feedback is super, super helpful. I admit that I miss oomph-y bass sometimes, but right now all I have is a lousy pair of Bose stereo speakers, and I haven't had headphones since my noise-cancelling Sennheisers (for portable music) broke ages ago. I'm sure that once I get used to it I would really appreciate the signature of these headphones, they're certainly lightyears beyond what I have now.
 
Sorry about the recording quality being low, I didn't have much control over where I could show examples for tracks besides viemo and youtube, which are... yeah. I generally listen to FLAC, so if the first song sounds pretty okay, than the second song.. either I can unplug the headphones for one song or I can make some adjustments, maybe. I more often listen to tracks like the first song than the second song, so they should generally be OK. I'm really glad that the other tracks sounded good, even on youtube. Can't wait to hear them on foobar through a new pair of phones.

 
Thanks again for listening to the tracks and giving me some insight. It's kind of daunting trying to decide on a single pair of headphones. I had no idea there were so many companies before I started doing research last week, nevermind how many damn phones each company produces. It's a maze, but you guys have been super helpful.

 

[treecko2694]

  Thank you!! Your feedback is super, super helpful. I admit that I miss oomph-y bass sometimes, but right now all I have is a lousy pair of Bose stereo speakers, and I haven't had headphones since my noise-cancelling Sennheisers (for portable music) broke ages ago. I'm sure that once I get used to it I would really appreciate the signature of these headphones, they're certainly lightyears beyond what I have now.
 
Sorry about the recording quality being low, I didn't have much control over where I could show examples for tracks besides viemo and youtube, which are... yeah. I generally listen to FLAC, so if the first song sounds pretty okay, than the second song.. either I can unplug the headphones for one song or I can make some adjustments, maybe. I more often listen to tracks like the first song than the second song, so they should generally be OK. I'm really glad that the other tracks sounded good, even on youtube. Can't wait to hear them on foobar through a new pair of phones.

 
Thanks again for listening to the tracks and giving me some insight. It's kind of daunting trying to decide on a single pair of headphones. I had no idea there were so many companies before I started doing research last week, nevermind how many damn phones each company produces. It's a maze, but you guys have been super helpful.

Don't worry, my pleasure. If you want me to try more samples, let me know. Also, you can move the EQ around a little bit on the bass area, it gives the headphones a warmer touch. Make no mistake, though, they don't become bass monsters, but it helps them sound better, especially for electronic music.

 

[TheMadcap]

Broken as in snapped the plastic? Or have you broken the hinge inside the plastic enclosure?

The hinge inside is broken.

 

[Noli]

  Hello! I was seriously considering these headphones for gaming/music. I was looking for something super immersive that treated vocals, environmental ambience and electronically-laced music very well (with no worries about the bass response being super heavy, just "right"). Need them to be very comfortable for 6+ hrs and not fatigue your jaw.
 
The only issue that has come up when reading reviews was someone mentioning that layers can "bleed" or "blend" into each other. I listen to some very complicated, heavily layered tracks and I love to lose myself in complex soundscapes. Unfortunately if this were the case that might be a deal-breaker for me. Can it keep up with cluttered tracks, like this or this? Does it treat music with a lot of electronic sound well?
 
...
That being said, I listen to a wide variety of genres, and of course I'd also like them to work well for games. Right now I'm comparing them against Sennheiser HD598, which seems like an all around good headphone too. I'm mostly worried about the layers thing. Any opinions?
 
PS: What are the differences between 900 and 900X?

 
I have the AD900s though, sadly, only operating out of one side at the moment (totally my fault and in no way a reflection of their build quality which is excellent). I also have the Sennheiser HD558 which can be modded by removal of 2 pads of tape to be substantially identical to the 598s (which I've done).
 
Much though I love my AD900s, I'd say to go with HD598s. I never realised until I got my 558s that the bass of the AD900s is a tad loose. Funnily enough this gives great atmosphere to many tracks I find but I find the 558s bass even lighter and more taut. I would imagine this is better for layer separation and also helps on the gaming side where you want to hear the 'pad pad pad'of footsteps creeping up behind you without them being muffled by big booming explosions too much..
 
Both produce a beautiful and wide soundstage, essential for directionality in gaming and probably related to how distinctly different 'layers' as you put it are resolved. Also, despite many reviews saying otherwise, I found the AD900s quite fatiguing on my ears as the inner film would press against my ears. I have modded mine again in this regard with much juicier, thicker pads, but right out the box, the Senns, despite looking slighter, feel more roomy and comfortable.
 
I still love the AD900s for producing a richer overall tone but for everything you've said, I'd go towards the Senn 558 / 598s. Cheaper as well probably and certainly loads more on ebay last I looked.

 

[squelchy451]

Hi. How do I take off the pads of the ATH-AD900? I might need to see if there are hairs stuck to the drivers (buzzing noise during loud low-pitched sections of music) and also I bought a replacement pair.
 
Thank you

 

[krayzk9s]

I broke one of the wing clip pads on my AD900s. Is there anywhere I can go to purchase a replacement? My google-fu seems weak.

 

[CADCAM]

Hello all, hope people still monitor this thread. I have a fairly large head 7 5/8 baseball cap, I can do a 7 1/2 but it's tight. How well do you feel this headphone will fit me? I do have smallish ears.

 

[curenut73]

Due to the wings, it's very adjustable and light on the head.  Small ears will mean the plastic from the drivers will rest on them. Search phatpad mod and that might help some.  Clamping force is also adjustable because the bars across the top are metal and can be bent some to preference.

 

[CADCAM]

Purchased this headphone from LinkPro here and all I can say is Wow! I know I'm a few years late but they sound fantastic. Might be the best sound I've heard so far on my headphone journey. Foam mod on rear of pads is necessary for proper comfort though...I wonder how many gave up on these due to the ear touching the driver screen.  

 

[r010159]

Hello! I was seriously considering these headphones for gaming/music. I was looking for something super immersive that treated vocals, environmental ambience and electronically-laced music very well (with no worries about the bass response being super heavy, just "right"). Need them to be very comfortable for 6+ hrs and not fatigue your jaw.

The only issue that has come up when reading reviews was someone mentioning that layers can "bleed" or "blend" into each other. I listen to some very complicated, heavily layered tracks and I love to lose myself in complex soundscapes. Unfortunately if this were the case that might be a deal-breaker for me. Can it keep up with cluttered tracks, like this or this? Does it treat music with a lot of electronic sound well?

[snip|

I do agree with what was said here. It is an immersive sound that lacks definition in the soundstage. For some people, it is definitely a step up. But due to the soundstage, I sent the phones back to Amazon. Because of the physical design, they also felt like they would slide off the side of my face. I found the DT880s to image better. And they can be immersive with the right amp and source material.

Bob Graham

 

[CADCAM]

I think you need a fairly good size head to wear these comfortably. Also the design puts the drivers cover very close to your ear, if you have the right (or wrong) shape ear it will touch the driver cover/screen. This is a problem and happened to me. I have a big head but somewhat smaller ears and the driver cover touching my ears was strange and uncomfortable. I read this entire thread and did the "foam mod", which just shims the back of the pads out enough to clear your ears and the problem was solved. 
 
BTW this headphone sounds really good out of everything I have tried with it. My Onkyo Integra cd players headphone out sounds really good, they sound even better out of my JDS Labs O2 and really seem to come into there own with my Little Dot MKIII. For the record I did spend a little time matching interconnect cables to the amps. The LD MKIII was initially too bright but a quick switch to a mellower cable tamed the highs. I have several pairs of headphones but these have my full attention right now.
 
As for soundstage and individual placement accuracy I would say this headphone has a wide, open, airy soundstage with great stereo imaging and detail of whats happening left or right. As for being able to close your eyes and pinpoint say the bass player or an individual musician exact location this has always been a slight issue with me and headphones. I have a very nice straight 2 channel audio system which I can easily point out each individual musicians position in space (within reason to the recording) but have never gotten that extreme detail within the soundstage from headphones. Don't get me wrong you can detect their relative position but I don't get that he is seated at the piano approx 12 feet from me detail that I can get with my regular audio system. 
Perhaps that comes a little later in my headphone journey...

 

[Thad-E-Ginathom]

It may be a bit late in the day, but having stopped lurking and actually joined up recently, I would like to appreciate my ATH-AD900s!
 
No comparisons, because I am a late convert to headphones. Apart from flying, trains and commuting, I never liked to be closed off from the world, and nobody told me about open-back phones. Having a wife who sleeps early, in a small house is incompatible with my late-night music habit, so there was only one answer.
 
I had a recommendation from someone who had bought the AD700s, and I listened to them and to the AD900s on a trip to Singapore. The AD900s won the comparison, and I felt that the extra "air" and high-end detail (as I heard it) was worth the extra money.
 
At first, they feel a little odd on the head. They seem to float there without gripping, but experience shows that they don't actually fall off. The huge ear pads reach all the way down to the jaw. At first this is odd, but I haven't noticed it for ages. The positioning needs experiment, both for max comfort and sound, but once found, they can be forgotten. Sometimes I forget to take them off for a while after the music finishes!
 
They were originally "powered" by the headphone socket of an Echo Audiofire2 firewire interface. Having come to enjoy the headphone experience, I immediately started to think of upgrading! One day, I plugged the AD900s into my Cyrus integrated amplifier, and realised how much more they have to give.
 
My desktop chain now consists of PC --> ODAC -->McCormack TLC-1 (other sources will be attached) --> ifi iCAN --> AD900.  I adjust the Xbass and 3D on the iCAN according to what I'm listening to, sometimes track by track.
 
I am thinking of upgrading, but still delight in the light weight and enjoyable sound of these 'phones. I think I'll always be glad that they were my introduction to serious head-fi.

 

[CADCAM]

These headphones do work magic with the right material. For me it's female vocals. I absolutely love what these things do with female vocals, you can hear lips opening and closing. It's the amount of detail they give me that keeps me coming back to them. Comfort wise I'm a little on the fence. Luckily I've got a massive noggin' and they stay where I put them but I don't like that I have to position them several times in order to get the right spot. They are awesome with what they do and I'll be keeping them awhile longer.
BTW had the TLC pre liked it still have two McCormack dna 0.5 amps! Happy listening.