[Degru]

I ordered a pair of these after finding an article talking about how this headphone was made specifically for Sony Music Japan back in the 80s. It's such a great headphone, I can't believe people don't talk about this more since it's not easily ordered off amazon. I haven't tried any of the other Sony monitoring headphones but the vocals from this is what really gets me. Comfort could be better but it's a $200 headphone so I'm not expecting too much. Really lightweight and has decent detail for a mid-fi headphone. For the price, I honestly don't see any flaws with it. If anyone knows where I can get this recabled to be balanced, let me know!

Yaxi stpad pleathers (not the second ones) improve comfort significantly without affecting the sound too much.

 

[axtran]

Can you post where you got your parts? They're not the most expensive headphones so i might give it a shot if it's pretty easy.

https://www.amazon.com/CESS-4-Pole-Stereo-Socket-Connectors/dp/B00ZGQYVKS/ - I used silver cable that I had from some other project in the past. A note to make is to bend the non-tip pins (to the two rings and the sleeve) together so that the ground connector is stronger.

The donor headphones were a haggard looking pair from the Amazon Warehouse that was probably a practice football for some NFL team.

 

[driftingbunnies]

Yaxi stpad pleathers (not the second ones) improve comfort significantly without affecting the sound too much.

Yep, those are exactly what I got. They definitely helped but they still fall short of being the most comfortable I've tried. My ears are relatively big so they'll still touch the drivers.

 

[mobbaddict]

I have fun with these headphones. Here's my modded pair: http://imgur.com/a/DYuGYUz

Dual 2.5mm balanced inputs mounted by epoxy, I cut away a tiny bit of port plastic where the stock cable goes in. I also ended up replacing the headband hinges with a MDR-V6.

Really cool mod!

 

[driftingbunnies]

Has anyone tried these pads with the CD900st? They look pretty nice but I don't know if it changes the signature or not like some of the other aftermarket pads.

https://www.adorama.com/deathm50xpl.html?EmailPrice=T

 

[Degru]

Has anyone tried these pads with the CD900st? They look pretty nice but I don't know if it changes the signature or not like some of the other aftermarket pads.

https://www.adorama.com/deathm50xpl.html?EmailPrice=T

Thicker pads ruin the sound. The driver doesn't like when you increase the size of the front volume. I once tried putting hm5 microsuede on it for lulz, and it turned into a super bright and thin monstrosity. Funnily enough was great for gaming tho, but unbearable for anything else.

 

[mobbaddict]

Not sure if this was shared already but I recently came across Crinacle's measurement of the CD900ST

Really not bad for a 30 year old can.

 

[MrSushi]

My question is: these vs the 280 pro (new revision)

 

[driftingbunnies]

These.

 

[BokTroy]

Has anyone heard an original CD900 from the 80's? I have a chance to buy a pair (all black cup housing) and am wondering if it's worth the buy if I already have a pair of CD900st'.

 

[DrunkSaru]

Has anyone heard an original CD900 from the 80's? I have a chance to buy a pair (all black cup housing) and am wondering if it's worth the buy if I already have a pair of CD900st'.

not worth it unless you are a collector. IMO.

 

[BokTroy]

not worth it unless you are a collector. IMO.

Thanks so much for the response! That relieves a lot fo the FOMO I had about potentially missing as rare buy.

 

[jjss]

Many who own / use the CD900ST complains / dislike the thin ear pads and short distance between ear and driver. BUT this is by design for a purpose so as to meet requirements raised by the Sony Studio (see this: https://soundchaser.org/the-story-behind-sony-mdr-cd900st-and-its-unique-design-and-tuning-choices/). Sony intends using the MDR-M1ST to replace the CD900ST as the former is designed with very similar philosophy, but so far it seems that the latter is still a very popular item in Japan and is still selling well! For those who are interested in the CD900ST and wish to have an updated version improving some of the CD900ST shortcomings the M1ST can be a good choice!

 

[rga02]

Just got my pair last month and I'm loving it.

Pairs well with all the J-pop and idol garbage I listen to.

 

[BokTroy]

About a week ago I received my Sony MDR-CD900ST's, and I've put a good amount of time on them (been hitting them pretty much non-stop, actually), and I've come to the conclusion that they have among the best mids in a headphone I've ever heard. Ever since getting my AKG K271's I considered myself a mid-head, and have been chasing a better and better mid range. I had upgraded to the K601's in an effort to improve that aspect, and was completely satisfied by that move. I've kind of wandered around trying other sound signatures lately, but mid-lust had me wanting a headphone that was more traditional to me.

I had heard of these before, but opinions on them were always mixed, with the only real consensus being that they had a nice mid range. When these popped up on the for sale board, I figured it was my chance to try something new, and, at the same time, not really new. I figured I might get something that had a K601-esque mid range, but in a closed design. What I got, instead, was a vocal range that was miles beyond the K601's. I was floored from the second I put them on, because the vocals were so lush, but not in a veiled or lazy kind of way. I didn't really know why I felt they weren't veiled until a couple days later when I came to the conclusion that they were very, very detailed as well. Not a typical kind of detail where they spike up the upper-mid range, but a very, very natural detail that made the singer sound like they were in the room with me.

Hearing the tiniest little nuances in a singer's voice in a completely natural way has really made me fall in love with the human voice again.

If you find yourself wanting an absolutely gorgeous mid range, these deserve some serious consideration. I don't want to compare them directly to the Sennheiser HD800 or LCD-2's I've heard, but I will say, based on the time I had with those phones, the mids on these could very well be within the same league. They really are just something beautiful.

Has anyone else heard these, and want to share thoughts on them? Gear used with them? Do you feel they improve much when changing amp/source?

I got actually got a chance to directly compare the HD800S to the CD900st and on tracks with vocals (especially well mastered female vocals) and from what I remember, the resolution was very close. So it wouldn't be to out of place to compare them to the HD800s.