[Terriero]

Yes, I think that was the point of this new tuning: serving more the mainstream consumer taste, but bringing in high-end features like build quality and sonic refinements. As far as I know the new models were warmly welcomed in their target audiences, with feedback often along the lines "you changed just the right things".

I can now appreciate a warmer tuning much more than some years ago, but I still dislike midbass... all descriptions of the T5 leave me with the impression that I'd miss subbass and get too much midbass instead, so I held off since I don't want to order online when there's a high chance of me sending them back. And there's not much chance of trying one out right now. Yet I think I'd need a T5 with the tuning of the T1... but the T1 gen. 2 left me quite disappointed, it felt totally bland to me. So I won't try the T1 either.

On the other hand... I don't need another headphone anyway

Yes, that's exactly how I feel when compare the 1990 to 9200s bass section. Yo can slightly feel the subbass with the 1990 Pros but have to concentrate on it (I'm using balanced pads with the 1990 Pros).

 

[plakat]

Yes, that's exactly how I feel when compare the 1990 to 9200s bass section. Yo can slightly feel the subbass with the 1990 Pros but have to concentrate on it (I'm using balanced pads with the 1990 Pros).

As to my (unreliable) acoustic memory I'd say the DT1990 was a bit more linear than the DT1770 in that regard, but, being open, rolled off a bit too early for my taste. I never directly compared them, but from what I remember I'd prefer the D9200 over both. A bit unfair at three times the cost, but in the end its the fun factor that counts... The Beyers do feel nice in hand and the build quality is obviously high. I like the design of especially the DT1990 very much btw.

 

[jason41987]

I am curious. How many of you put open velour pads on closed back headphones? I did it with a cheap pair of closed headphones I had and really liked the reduced bass and flatter sound it offered. Then when I got the DT770s I am using now, it too had too much base for my liking, so I put some inexpensive velour pads on that too, and now the bass seems to be in perfect balance with the mids and highs. I guess this opens up the closed backs more and creates something more of a semi-open headphone, but in this case, and in my opinion it made the DT770s sound amazing where before, there was just way too much bass.

So, I wonder if anyone else has done this to their closed backs and what they think of the sound?

 

[waveSounds]

Heh, to be honest, I'm not all that surprised that you'd be modding the Fostex's headband in this very manner. Frankly, the clamp force, or the distinct lack of it, is the TH900 Mk2's major issue, at least within the comfort stakes. I've had many a grumble about its effortless ability to slide off your head at an inopportune time - like in the middle of a euphoric music session, and you find yourself banging your head a little too much.

To combat this niggling issue, I've installed a ZMF Pilot Pad. It helps to increase the "sticky" factor, and it doesn't slide around too much now.

Haha indeed, I definitely have an increased propensity for headbanging while listening to these but the Sennheiser padding is working much better than I thought it would. With the added friction and slight increase in clamp I can now tilt my head forward approximately 32° before they start sliding, an increase of 30°. To quote Borat, great success!

The pilot pad was another option, but as with most of the more esoteric audio things, getting them in the UK is not easy. Surprisingly, there was a small company here who stocks it, but at £40 the value proposition was pretty poor.

I have not heard the K9 Pro yet, but the Burson Playmate 2 (with Vivid op-amps) provided a stellar listening experience, albeit with a different set of cans.

Another good all-in-one that I've auditioned on several occasions - and I've been fairly impressed, too - is the Topping DX7 Pro.

I didn't test any of these AIO units with a TH900 Mk2, though. Nevertheless, they are fairly well-rated products, so I'm fairly confident that they won't disappoint, from both technical and power-delivery aspects.

Doing some net wondering today I stumbled across an amp that I didn't know about previously, but for the price it sounded good enough to take the plunge. If there's no delays to delivery I'll have an xDuoo MT-602 along with the cables needed to connect it to the Dangerous Source here tomorrow. Coincidentally it takes the same tubes as the Little Dot I have so I already have some rolling options.

If this little fella fixes the low end problem from the Source's amp section I can stick the whole search on ice for a while and go back to reliving early 2000 - mid 2010 drum and bass albums

 

[plakat]

If this little fella fixes the low end problem from the Source's amp section I can stick the whole search on ice for a while and go back to reliving early 2000 - mid 2010 drum and bass albums

Which is definitely time better spent than hunting for amps

 

[Terriero]

Haha indeed, I definitely have an increased propensity for headbanging while listening to these but the Sennheiser padding is working much better than I thought it would. With the added friction and slight increase in clamp I can now tilt my head forward approximately 32° before they start sliding, an increase of 30°. To quote Borat, great success!

It's incredible that you can measure the movement (even the angle) of your head while listening to music... Maybe you took Terriero's advice and put a mirror (with markings) in your listening room to appreciate the red cups while enjoying your tunes

 

[Malevolent]

Yes, I think that was the point of this new tuning: serving more the mainstream consumer taste, but bringing in high-end features like build quality and sonic refinements. As far as I know the new models were warmly welcomed in their target audiences, with feedback often along the lines "you changed just the right things".

I can now appreciate a warmer tuning much more than some years ago, but I still dislike midbass... all descriptions of the T5 leave me with the impression that I'd miss subbass and get too much midbass instead, so I held off since I don't want to order online when there's a high chance of me sending them back. And there's not much chance of trying one out right now. Yet I think I'd need a T5 with the tuning of the T1... but the T1 gen. 2 left me quite disappointed, it felt totally bland to me. So I won't try the T1 either.

On the other hand... I don't need another headphone anyway

On the other hand, I used to enjoy a warmer, (extremely) bass-heavy signature when I commenced my audio journey. In fact, my first few headphones were entrenched firmly within the "Basshead Club". As the years passed, my tastes... matured? I'm still very much a basshead, but I can no longer appreciate (or enjoy) a massive mid-bass bloat, with nothing else to show for it in the rest of the spectrum.

With that being said, the T5's signature falls, thankfully, within my "acceptable" zone - it has a huge bass shelf, but it wasn't done in a particularly egregious manner; for my tastes, at least.

 

[Malevolent]

I am curious. How many of you put open velour pads on closed back headphones? I did it with a cheap pair of closed headphones I had and really liked the reduced bass and flatter sound it offered. Then when I got the DT770s I am using now, it too had too much base for my liking, so I put some inexpensive velour pads on that too, and now the bass seems to be in perfect balance with the mids and highs. I guess this opens up the closed backs more and creates something more of a semi-open headphone, but in this case, and in my opinion it made the DT770s sound amazing where before, there was just way too much bass.

So, I wonder if anyone else has done this to their closed backs and what they think of the sound?

Generally, perforated pads may change the sound to a certain degree - the "open vents" on the pads may attenuate some of that bass intensity, resulting in a sound that is a little flatter in the lower registers. This has been my experience with perforated pads.

 

[Malevolent]

Haha indeed, I definitely have an increased propensity for headbanging while listening to these but the Sennheiser padding is working much better than I thought it would. With the added friction and slight increase in clamp I can now tilt my head forward approximately 32° before they start sliding, an increase of 30°. To quote Borat, great success!

The pilot pad was another option, but as with most of the more esoteric audio things, getting them in the UK is not easy. Surprisingly, there was a small company here who stocks it, but at £40 the value proposition was pretty poor.

Yikes, £40 comes awfully close to twice the price of the Pilot Pad via ZMF's website ($30). In any case, the Pilot Pad isn't the most ideal solution - it adds a bit of padding to the band, but it's still not perfect, IMO. Your "nuggets" probably grip the head a fair-bit better.

Doing some net wondering today I stumbled across an amp that I didn't know about previously, but for the price it sounded good enough to take the plunge. If there's no delays to delivery I'll have an xDuoo MT-602 along with the cables needed to connect it to the Dangerous Source here tomorrow. Coincidentally it takes the same tubes as the Little Dot I have so I already have some rolling options.

If this little fella fixes the low end problem from the Source's amp section I can stick the whole search on ice for a while and go back to reliving early 2000 - mid 2010 drum and bass albums

When I had my Schiit Mjolnir 2 (hybrid tube amp), the extra warmth didn't muck up the sound of the TH900 Mk2; rather, it added a nice bit of lush texture to the midrange. I'm considering an all-tube amp - in the future, of course - but I don't know how it'll fare with all of that extra heat and the additional layers of warmth that comes as part of the total package. I'm still on the fence, but it's nothing immediate, I suppose.

Plus, my wife would kill me if I added a meat griller cum headphone amplifier to my already cramped desk!

Anyway, let us know how the TH900 Mk2 sounds with your new amp!

 

[Arniesb]

On the other hand, I used to enjoy a warmer, (extremely) bass-heavy signature when I commenced my audio journey. In fact, my first few headphones were entrenched firmly within the "Basshead Club". As the years passed, my tastes... matured? I'm still very much a basshead, but I can no longer appreciate (or enjoy) a massive mid-bass bloat, with nothing else to show for it in the rest of the spectrum.

With that being said, the T5's signature falls, thankfully, within my "acceptable" zone - it has a huge bass shelf, but it wasn't done in a particularly egregious manner; for my tastes, at least.

Well... thing is that headphones with their limitations cant good balance so we need heavy bass in certain situations and something else for real music.
I thought i would be ok with 1, but no way!
Open headphones for example suck when it comes to bass, but much better in high and mids.
I honestly think that people put way too much faith on amps and dacs in search pleasant distortion while eq can make way better job.

 

[Malevolent]

So... I really don't know what happened over the weekend.

I initially wanted to get a T5 (3rd Generation), from some time ago, but then ZMF November happened, and I remembered that I, too, enjoyed listening to the Atticus. The ZMF is less heavy in the mid-bass, and a little more prominent in the treble, but in the grander scheme of things, the 2 headphones share a similar signature.

Thus, I went about my days deciding between the 2. On Friday, however, I contacted my local distributor, and amazingly, they had one last unit of the Atticus available. So, yeah, I went straight down to the store on Saturday.

Here's the newest member of my collection, the ZMF Atticus.

 

[Terriero]

Yikes, £40 comes awfully close to twice the price of the Pilot Pad via ZMF's website ($30). In any case, the Pilot Pad isn't the most ideal solution - it adds a bit of padding to the band, but it's still not perfect, IMO. Your "nuggets" probably grip the head a fair-bit better.


When I had my Schiit Mjolnir 2 (hybrid tube amp), the extra warmth didn't muck up the sound of the TH900 Mk2; rather, it added a nice bit of lush texture to the midrange. I'm considering an all-tube amp - in the future, of course - but I don't know how it'll fare with all of that extra heat and the additional layers of warmth that comes as part of the total package. I'm still on the fence, but it's nothing immediate, I suppose.

Plus, my wife would kill me if I added a meat griller cum headphone amplifier to my already cramped desk!

Anyway, let us know how the TH900 Mk2 sounds with your new amp!

You know, like me, that your wife would love to see a beautiful WA33 in the dining room

So... I really don't know what happened over the weekend.

I initially wanted to get a T5 (3rd Generation), from some time ago, but then ZMF November happened, and I remembered that I, too, enjoyed listening to the Atticus. The ZMF is less heavy in the mid-bass, and a little more prominent in the treble, but in the grander scheme of things, the 2 headphones share a similar signature.

Thus, I went about my days deciding between the 2. On Friday, however, I contacted my local distributor, and amazingly, they had one last unit of the Atticus available. So, yeah, I went straight down to the store on Saturday.

Here's the newest member of my collection, the ZMF Atticus.

I love the KEF speaker there

 

[Malevolent]

You know, like me, that your wife would love to see a beautiful WA33 in the dining room

Heh. I did actually talk to my wife about the WA33 once, when I was looking at tube amps. She just rolled her eyes. I don't know.. is that a "Yes" or a "No"?

I love the KEF speaker there

Thanks! It's a great set of speakers - I wanted something that wasn't so big, powered, and delivers good sound quality. The LSX ticks all of my boxes.

 

[Terriero]

Heh. I did actually talk to my wife about the WA33 once, when I was looking at tube amps. She just rolled her eyes. I don't know.. is that a "Yes" or a "No"?


Thanks! It's a great set of speakers - I wanted something that wasn't so big, powered, and delivers good sound quality. The LSX ticks all of my boxes.

When your wife is also an audiophile, there will be a lot of rolling eyes when talking with her about well known products...

 

[AudioDuck]

You know, like me, that your wife would love to see a beautiful WA33 in the dining room


I love the KEF speaker there

@Malevolent - congrats on the Atticus! I see a ZMF headphone in my near future as well… apparently I’ve fallen off the wagon.