Fostex TH909 Open Back Headphones

The Fostex TH909 is the new open-backed flagship headphone from Fostex, based on the acclaimed TH900. The TH909 carries over the biocellulose driver and premium, hand laquered Urushi wood finish of the TH900. New is the semi-open metal grille of the headphone which has allowed Fostex to achieve a different tuning.

The TH909 has a more balanced and sound than its 'V-shaped' closed-back sibling. Bass still has stunning impact and depth, but the quantity of bass is no longer as overwhelming as it is with the TH900. High frequency treble is also slightly reduced from the TH900, meaning that the TH909 is less prone to sibilance. With the TH909, the upper midrange is more pronounced. This makes the TH909 sound exceptional with slower genres like acoustic and jazz music, where the bright upper midrange brings out the texture of vocals and saxaphones. It also means that the TH909 can sound raw and aggressive with pop and electronic music.

With the right tracks, the TH909 has beautiful texture and detail. Fans of classic vocal forward tunings from Japanese companies like Fostex and Audio Technica owe it to themselves to have a demo of the 909.

If you prefer a sound that is still detailed, but more gentle, we recommend the Focal Clear. For a headphone that is similarly detailed but places a greater emphasis on treble rather than the upper mid-range, the Audio Technica ATH-ADX5000 is worth a demo. And of course, if you prefer an even more exciting, aggressive sound, the original Fostex TH900 is an obvious choice.