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Sonido
61
Dec 11, 2015
I finally got a chance to listen to these today thanks to @fjrabon and was able to compare them side by side with the TH900. The setup was m9xx as DAC into my Bakoon HPA-01M on current mode. If you search TH900 and Bakoon, you'll find universal praise for this pairing, with many saying it's the best amp for the TH900. As far as mods go, everything was stock for both headphones i.e. pads and cable.
So how do they compare? Honestly, these are very close in signature, with the TH900 being a bit more V shaped. I think a lot of people misunderstand V shape and think it means drowned out mids. It may be the case for Beats or consumer headphones, but that's not the case for the TH900 imo. Consumer headphones give a bad rep to the V shaped sound because they generally have a mid bass hump that bleeds into the mids. What sets the TH900 apart is how the bass is presented. The bass on the TH900 is more controlled compared to the TH-X00, but most notable to me is the bass boost for the TH900 is in the sub bass, whereas the TH-X00 had more of a mid bass bump. This helps the mids on the TH900 stay coherent and transparent because the mid bass isn't so boosted that it competes with the mids. Even though the mids are less forward compared to the TH-X00, it was still very clear.
I felt the TH900 was more transparent and seemed to have a blacker background as well. I think this was due to a couple things. First, the TH900 has more treble. It may bother some, but it does not bother me. Also this treble is very refined and not glaring like the treble issue I had with the AKG K812. This adds air and allows you to hear more details. Finally, I found the TH900 to have better soundstage, probably because of the cups. The TH-X00 cups surprised me in that it was quite comfortable. However, I felt it congested the sound compared to the TH900 cups.
So overall signature the TH900 to me sounds more transparent and refined due to the treble, better soundstage, and less mid bass bump to compete with the mids. The mids on the TH900 is less forward, but not in any way drowned out.
However, there is one big caveat. The sparkly treble can be polarizing and is fatiguing to some. If that's the case, the TH-X00 is probably the more appropriate headphones for you to listen to. But for those like me who don't have issues with elevated but refined treble similar to the treble of the HD800, then the TH900 are a definite upgrade over the TH-X00. Is it a $900 upgrade? Probably not, at least not in the linear sound quality per dollar sense. I think going from HD600/650 to HD800 is a bigger jump than from TH-X00 to TH900. To me the TH-X00 is 85-90% of the TH900 and you'd be really trying to get that last bit of refinement and transparency. However, I can see this difference in transparency can deter those used to TOTL headphones. I was talking to @MattTCG about why he sold his TH-X00 and I'd bet the lesser transparency of the TH-X00 compared to the likes of Ether or HD800 was a major turn off.
The verdict from me? If you have no issues with elevated refined treble and you have the money to spare, get the TH900. Otherwise the TH-X00 is a damn good value at $400, and imo, easily besting the likes of $600+ headphones like the Audioquest Nighthawk or the Audeze EL8/EL8C, and I don't mean in value here. It's comparable in value to the Hifiman HE-500 I used to have, except the TH-X00 isn't as finicky with amping which adds to the value.
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