Headphones
Fostex TH-900
The Fostex TH-900 headphones are gleaming spires of sound for audiophiles seeking that last 1% of acoustic beauty and emotion hidden deep in your favorite music and recordings. Employing the expected top-tier construction materials like Japanese Birch Cherry tonewood earcups with an Urushi lacquer 'Bordeaux' finish applied by Japan's venerable Sakamoto Lacquer, the TH-900 is a sublime work of audio artistry. Features include a high-end headphone cord made with OFC '7N-grade' (99.9999%) ultra-pure cable braid and velvety soft, breathable earpad + headband cushions of synthesized protein leather and eggshell membrane delivering a weight reduction of 60% versus normal tanned leather. Easily our favorite sealed-back headphones ever at HeadRoom.
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Product Features:
- Sealed-back earcup construction with incredible Bordeaux lacquer finish
- Employs Japanese Birch Cherry wood for extra rigidity and beautiful tone
- Superb headphone cable and cushion pad engineering
- Proprietary neodymium 'magnetic-repulsion' driver design with 1.5 Tesla (15,000 gauss) magnetic flux density and HUGE dynamic range
- Our favorite sealed-back headphone in the industry today!
What's In The Box:
- Fostex TH-900 headphone support stand
- Fostex Storage Box
- Owners manual & warranty card
Applications:
Fostex were the original designers of many industry classics including the recently discontinued but superb line of DENON sealed reference headphones. The Foxtex TH900 picks up that high-end gauntlet to earn the distinction of being the most expensive sealed-back headphones available today -- and also the finest-sounding audiophile closed headphone we have laid our HeadRoom ears on. For listeners seeking the kind of dynamism and airy sense of soundstage space formerly exclusive to top open-back headphones, the TH900 exhibits the same wide-open tonality and un-boxy, accurately delineated instrumental and vocal textures of the very best open-back models. Of course, the sealed-back earcup construction affords a mild degree of environmental noise-blocking while protecting from obnoxious headphone 'leakage' disturbing the spouse or nearby office mates. Punchy, clear and true bass extension carries the full heft of the low-end with presence and textural detail sans puffed-up accentuations while the midrange stays completely free of colorations or shouty edges. And the highs, oh the sweet highs! The Fostex TH-900 soars and sings with an effortless glide into the upper treble frequencies that sounds as natural and organic as we have ever heard in this category. Forget about brightness or timbral glare rendering strings or voices as an unwashed mass of sound; the TH900 accurately resolves even minute low-level recording nuances into clear relief, making for a revelatory listening experience every time you use these kingly headphones. A great headphone amp is an absolute must for these superlative cans as is about 200 hrs of 'burn-in' time to realize the full acoustic pleasures of this wonderful piece of high-end audio instrumentation.
The Fostex TH-900 construction and build quality is as 'high-end' a work of soulful musical art as we could possibly dream of with sumptous earpad cushions made of an extra-soft synthetic-based leather material that breathes better than real leather. This unique eggshell membrane leather feels wonderful on the lobes and will not heat up the ears even during extra-long listening sessions (which always seems to happen when we put these on!). The fine finishing on the outside of the TH-900's full-size earcups gleams with multiple protective lacquer sheens applied by one of Japan's oldest, most skilled lacquering shops utilizing the classic 'Urushi' clear coat technique. The painstaking lacquer job also brings out the burnished highlights in the far-east Birch Cherry wood used for the earcup construction. As indicated, there's no question a top high-quality headphone amplifier is warranted to fully maximize this upscale headphone's broad-based and deeply competent acoustic performance. And since we're crazed headphone geeks, you should know we're currently fighting it out daily to determine listening rights to use this headphone here around the HeadRoom offices (early bird gets The Werm!)
Specifications:
- Detachable Cable: No
- Coupler Size: Large
- Ear Coupler Type: Full-Size
- Driver Type: Dynamic
- Acoustic Seal: Closed
- Impedance @ 1kHz: 25 Ohms
- Isolation: approx -10dB
- Weight: 40 grams (w/o cord)
- Connector Type: 1/4
- Headphone Type: Full Size
- Sensitivity: 100 dB
Average Rating
Posted by Shameless Gear Head from Unity, ME on 2012-08-24
Recommend Product: Yes
Pros: Great soundstage, precision & clarity, lightweight, comfortable
Cons: cable is cloth covered and subject to kinks like the Denon high end cans.
That said, I like the TH-900 as much and for some genres better than the LCD3. The LCD3 has less clarity and the soundstage is not as robust as the TH-900.
If I had to have only one of these, it would be the TH-900 by a hair. I am glad that I don't have to choose because both are wonderful to experience.
20 out of 25 people found this review helpful. Did you?
Posted by Archer from Perth, Australia on 2012-07-16
Recommend Product: Yes
Pros: great soundstage, pure sound, very comfy
Cons: a bit expensive...
I will recommand this headphone if you want the best closed back headphone.
23 out of 41 people found this review unhelpful. Did you?
