My Impressions: ATH A900 and FiiO E10

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hahahari

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Ok. this not a full blown review, but more of what I feel about this particular setup.

Few months back, I bought ATH A900 from #pristinenotes and I had always felt the bass lacking(high expectations?) but the detailing, the amazing depth, the comfort, everything was perfect. The treble was a little harsh. Anyway, I just received my FiiO E10 from our own TE member DareDevil

Where am I coming from?

NOT an audiophile, I enjoy music and this is my first major purchase other than my M2 IEM's.

What kind of music?

70's, 80's, Rock(almost all form's), Blues, Country, Hip Hop, rock and roll, rap, pop, Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada music. That is pretty much everything except jazz and opera

Impressions before DAC/AMP:

Detailing and instrument separation was good. Though the quantity of bass was lacking, the quality was really great. Mids were slightly recessed with treble extending well although a little harsh and in your face. Slight hissing when everything was quite. Not sure if my laptop was the reason.

Low fatigue and amazing comfort levels have to experienced to know what I am saying. Just put them on and you will forget they are there.

Impressions after DAC/AMP:

Bass set to ON and gain set to high. I listened to few bass heavy tracks. My mind was blown, first time I have experienced my ear lobes reverberating! Soundstage improved a bit but the depth of music is where everything changed. The depth is massive. Treble is just as harsh and in your face but it is laid out better and is much better to listen to.

The mids are definitely not forward, but not as recessed either.

All things considered, I AM A HAPPY MAN! A900 is a perfect all-rounder and E10 is extremely good VFM product(kicking myself that I dint buy it earlier.).
 
Thanks for sharing.

Just curious, how were you driving the headphones initially. From the post, I guess you were mostly using a laptop. Did you try it with a soundcard ?
 
Nope, sry. No sound cards. I own a laptop and thats it. I used Fuze+ but the output was okish, Laptop was much better.
 
Like i've said before dude, the A900 are excellent headphones with a lotta emphasis on bass. I still think that you haven't unlocked the last level of potential from them. Pair them up with a good desktop rig and you'll truly hear the bass rumble even further. Personally I din't find the treble to be harsh at all. Normally I would recommend using bright sounding headphones like grado's or a AKG K701 with a tube amp which would naturally roll off the treble but I don't think it would be a good pair with a A900. Perhaps a Burson HA-160D should be your next purchase #[member='hahahari'].
 
bennysachdev said:
Like i've said before dude, the A900 are excellent headphones with a lotta emphasis on bass. I still think that you haven't unlocked the last level of potential from them. Pair them up with a good desktop rig and you'll truly hear the bass rumble even further. Personally I din't find the treble to be harsh at all. Normally I would recommend using bright sounding headphones like grado's or a AKG K701 with a tube amp which would naturally roll off the treble but I don't think it would be a good pair with a A900. Perhaps a Burson HA-160D should be your next purchase #[member='hahahari'].
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Is xonar dx sufficient to drive a900?
 
#[member='bennysachdev'], thats exactly what I have experienced. Initially I thought its worth the money I paid, but now that I have coupled it wit a decent amp, it worth twice the money I paid for it. Umm that amp is retailing for over 800 USD. I wont be able to afford that any time soon
sad.gif
.

Reg the treble, I think that is bcs maybe I like my treble a little less in the face, maybe others are even worse. I will have to check out some Grados to see what I can do.

Also since I see that you do own a Denon 5000, would you compare the sound sig a bit? I might want to upgrade since my relatives are coming from the states and if the price diff b/w India and US is big enough, I might upgrade and sell the A900.
 
No I don't think xonar dx is good for the A900. A Xonar St/stx is what you should be looking at.

Dude its been over a year since I've heard the A900 so I can't make a fair comparison between the D5000.

Over the top of my head from what I remember of the A900 com paired to tbe D2000, the D2k sounded a bit more spacious and a tad brighter. maybe since the A900 dominated in the bass quality and quantity region.

I've been thinking of getting a A900 for a longtime, looking for a good used deal. I think the A900 would be perfect for home use for trance and dub step. The entire audiotechnica range of headphones I feel are very very good in detailing, especially as you go higher up price wise.

But I wont ever be selling my D5000, that's for sure.
<
 
Gotta tell you mate, this is a wonderful CAN. Listening to electronic, dubstep, bass heavy rock, hip hop or anything that has that percussive bass is amazing. Its a wonderfully weird sensation feeling your earlobes just go out of control. U need closed cans for this effect. Cant imagine wearing an open can after this.

Where do you stay btw, maybe I can check out your Grados and D5000 if your up for it. #bennysachdev

To me, great music is sound waves that give me an emotion so strong it often creates a physical reaction. If it makes me smile, if it makes my eyes fill with tears, if it makes my body dance, if it makes me feel I'm flying, if it gives me goose bumps, or what not, then to me it's great music.

I read this in head-fi and pretty much vocalizes my thoughts about music coming from my A900s right now.
 
Faraz said:
Is xonar dx sufficient to drive a900?
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I'll second bennysachdev's suggestion to rather avoid the DX.

The DX is basically a multichannel card. It's great for powered speakers, and HT setups, but will fall short for headphone usage. Not that the Sound Quality would be bad, but because it lacks a decent internal amp. So if you were getting the DX, you would have to also get an external amp for most high end HP. It might do OK with low impedance, high sensitivity headphones. I used AD700 with the DX for some time before moving to STX. The AD700 aren't difficult to drive, so the DX wasn't an issue. But if you're using, for eg, HD650, the DX would be hobbled without an amp.

A better option in place of DX would be the DG. Its very good bang for the buck. I believe it measures fine, and has an inbuilt amp which should be OK for mid-end HP. Otherwise, look for the ST/STX, as bennysachdev suggested.
 
I live in Singapore dude, your welcome to come and try out my cans anytime in the weekends you please
<


I think for me I'd go to a club if I want my body parts massaged with sound. If I'm at home listening to music, I'd like to lie back and listen to something smooth, balanced and non harsh. And currently the D5000 with the Jmoney pads and the HD600 are getting the job done in different ways. D5k is when that extra bass is required and the HD600 when its not.

P.S. your a basshead and you know it
<
 
Gryph0n said:
I'll second bennysachdev's suggestion to rather avoid the DX.

The DX is basically a multichannel card. It's great for powered speakers, and HT setups, but will fall short for headphone usage. Not that the Sound Quality would be bad, but because it lacks a decent internal amp. So if you were getting the DX, you would have to also get an external amp for most high end HP. It might do OK with low impedance, high sensitivity headphones. I used AD700 with the DX for some time before moving to STX. The AD700 aren't difficult to drive, so the DX wasn't an issue. But if you're using, for eg, HD650, the DX would be hobbled without an amp.

A better option in place of DX would be the DG. Its very good bang for the buck. I believe it measures fine, and has an inbuilt amp which should be OK for mid-end HP. Otherwise, look for the ST/STX, as bennysachdev suggested.
Click to expand...

But isnt dg inferior to dx? I also need the sound card to drive corsair sp2500 speakers.
 
Faraz said:
But isnt dg inferior to dx?
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You mentioned Headphones, and for those, the DG is anyday better than DX. From what I remember from reviews, I believe they're not that far off from the DX in terms of SQ.

Faraz said:
I also need the sound card to drive corsair sp2500 speakers.
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For driving speakers, all 3 are suitable (DG, DX, STX).

If you're looking for Headphones and Speakers, only 2 are suitable: DG & STX.

Have a look at reviews, and pick the one that meets your requirements & budget.
 
bennysachdev said:
I live in Singapore dude, your welcome to come and try out my cans anytime in the weekends you please
happy19.gif


I think for me I'd go to a club if I want my body parts massaged with sound. If I'm at home listening to music, I'd like to lie back and listen to something smooth, balanced and non harsh. And currently the D5000 with the Jmoney pads and the HD600 are getting the job done in different ways. D5k is when that extra bass is required and the HD600 when its not.

P.S. your a basshead and you know it
tongu23e.gif
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Oh no worries, I might just drop in
<
although its a little bit out of my way, lol.

Oh yeah am a bass-head specially for those particular genres
<


The thing is you have the luxury of spending on a club AND owning a gazillion cans man. I have to make do with one
<
(for now)
 
this is good! but is there any other threads on the a900's , just want to see what the most common setup with the 900s is! :)
 
toxicdrift said:
this is good! but is there any other threads on the a900's , just want to see what the most common setup with the 900s is! :)
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You'll have to check headfi for more. but even then its limited. These cans dont need uch to make them shine. So I stuck to a lower mid tier AMP.
 
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