My bad , I meant 1W. I’m going to think about it , thanks for your quick response. I also tried to contact them for more info on the HP-3. Asked them if they ever go on sale for 1000$ or less but I haven’t received an answer yet.
I will think about it… I’m pretty sure neither pair can disappoint me.
I think that the Fostex TH 900 are already a classic on the basshead and the audiophile community, so, if you buy them for 1050$, you will get a very good price (compared with spanish prices, for example) and if you don’t like them, then you won’t probably have a lot of problems selling them with a small or with any loss. That was my thought process on the Z1R-IER, I bought them for 1000€ and I won’t sell them, because I really like them so much.
I cannot speak about the Klipsch, other than they look really beautiful, but I don’t know how they sound.
I have the CFA Cascades, they are really great headphones, they might have too much mid bass for rock, but they are great for electronic music. They might be a niche headphone, either you love them or you hate them. I am on the love side, but I agree that they shouldn’t be over 600$ because they have some comfort issues with a pretty bad headband. They can fold, but they are not good for outside use. Clamp force is loose, and they look awful in your head. I know it’s a silly reason, but I would never wear them outside, even if they are closed back. Pads are great, so they might be ok if you don’t have a hot spot because of the headband. In any case, they do really sound great, not only on bass, general sense of clarity, detail, soundstage, almost everything sounds great except music sensitive to a elevated mid bass. They are my end game for electronic.
I also have the Argons, something special, but I wouldn’t consider them on the same league that we are considering here.
Finally, I have the Fostex Ebony (also on the lower tier, but still very good reputation for the biodynamic driver), and I love them too, so, I also would recommend any of their variations, something like Denon, Emu, and so on, are safe bets in my opinion.
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TH-900 should be the sub-bass kings. I don’t really care about mid-bass as much as I do for the sub lows , so the Cascades are lower priority and I don’t think they can compete with the soundstage and imaging presented in the other two. The HP-3 are a slightly more refined and airier TH-900 (still bass cannons but with less pain in the treble) , although I cannot confirm that statement since it’s based on a few vague comparisons I’ve seen here and there.
Finally , I want to thank you guys for your help as I’ve almost came to an agreement with the TH-900 owner. I’m pretty sure now that I always have the option to get rid of them if there’s anything bothersome with their sound and look to buy the HP-3 instead if I get a good deal. It’s the complaints about treble that I’m worried about and I can’t be sure if swapping pads , EQ or pairing them to the right source is ABLE to fix that.
Thank you, again.
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Oh if you want to try something different and less expensive but are still serious bass cannons, pick up a pair of nighthawk carbons.
Not available here.I heard some people say that the Klipsch HP-3 is a direct upgrade from the Nighthawk.
Probably is, I’ve never heard the HP3s unfortunately.
Nighthawks seem interesting nonetheless, although people either love them or hate them just like the Cascades.
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Yeah the design of the drivers make them sound different till you get used to the ultra low distortion. Once you get used to it there’s a ton of detail and enough bass to shake the ear cups lol.
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I have for years been trying to get my hands on those drivers somehow. Wanted to replace it with my stock biodynas to see how it would sound.
It’s common sense but at least someone used it - I’m surprised Denon and Fostex still haven’t picked up on this rather straight forward implementation - this is the same as the difference in the terminals installation between an HD 560s and an HD600 headphone driver - the circuit is taken right to the edge, and the whole diaphragm can move much more linearly. Put that sense into a 50mm biodyna, man you have a winner driver.
The cheapest and yet the most sensible product Audioquest has ever put out.
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Thank you for the compliments!
Do you own a Fostex/Denon? Have you tried them open/semi-open? Are you interested in such a mod?
I can walk you through the plans to make something like this for yourself, too, if you so desire.
I ended up pulling the trigger on the Fostex for about 1000$ and after 3 listening sessions so far , I’m simply just blown away… They make me smile and that’s what matters most for me.
But I also got the Cascades from the store for 500$ . Why? Because I don’t think I’m able to use the TH-900 regularly. I want to treat this pair like a gem and the Cascades are the perfect sidekick for general use.
One thing I want to say is that the Fostex only has harsh treble in poorly mastered tracks. I can listen to them fatigue-free on most songs that don’t go overboard with the treble. I actually find the Cascades more fatiguing to listen at high volume. Both paired with the iFi Micro iDSD BL so maybe this could also contribute to my experience with them.
After spending time with these headphones , I went back to my higher end IEMs to compare. Repacked them and put them out for sale.
As for the CFA Honeydew (which is my cheaper pair) , they simply just sound like a lesser version of the Cascades. I’m debating whether I should keep these or not… I still kind of enjoy their sound.
In the end , I’m very happy with both headphones. The Cascades are very well built and the only issue I have with them is gettting a proper seal. In comparison with the TH-900 , the Cascades simply just lack the “magic feel” I get from the TH-900 in some tracks. Fostex take the crown for sub-bass presentation and overall bass quality , pristine highs , soundstage/layering and other tehnicalities. On the other hand , Campfire take the win for the sheer quantity of mid-bass that hits like a mule while still keeping decent quality compared to other headphones and decent mids, I guess… but I haven’t used them enough , they might need a bit of burn in to shine more.
Hope I won’t be missing the Klipsch HP-3 , which was my #1 priority initially. I just couldn’t pay that much for them when I found out that they were once being sold for 600$. ZMF headphones like the Eikon seem interesting too , but I might be paying too much with shipping , duties and all.
Any pad suggestions for the TH-900? I was looking at Eikon pads but I’m not sure…
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Here’s a thought (for the pads). Just got mine. Remember - they’re not quite TH900 spec (which are quite open inside), and may not even be that comfortable in comparison. But they surely provide the best low end, and improved imaging (since I’ve tried other, open pads on my EMUs resulting in bass loss - pads like the 900s type):
Also, they’re $20 - and they’re sheepskin!
There’s other $20 fenestrated sheepskin pads out there too on AE. And then the non-fenestrated ones.
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Thank you for the pad suggestion.
Quick update:
I was so excited about the Cascades when they arrived until I just found out that it wasn’t the seal I was having problems with , it was the driver itself. The bass coming from the right cup is weaker in comparison to the left cup. It was obvious during L/R testing.
I don’t think they’re able to send me another pair because it was the last in stock and probably won’t come back. Did Campfire stop producing this model?
Well…that’s how it went. I really liked these headphones and now I have to send them back. Unfortunate.
I would appreciate some help on this.
I’m thinking that it might be a cable problem but I’m not sure. How can I tell if it’s the driver or the cable?
Hm, with those connectors it’s not cheap to try to find some aftermarket cables so your best bet would be a multimeter with alligator clips and see if you can measure a resistance of more than 0.1 ohms when you move the cable around
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That’s so bad 
it really sucks when you get a bad product. It can happen with any brand.
I have really enjoyed the Cascades, but I have almost abandoned them after purchasing the Z1R-IER. All bass heavy songs sound so great with these. They have something special difficult to describe. It’s not just the just bass quantity coming from a good quality driver, they seem to have created a small resonance chamber that makes the bass sound amazing.
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Yeah , it was my only chance to get the Cascades. I was looking at some other options available here to replace them.
Hifiman HE-R9 (400$)
iBasso SR2 (570$)
AQ Nighthawk (530$) - bad price?
Hm if you’re still looking for other biodynamic cans maybe search for some used zmf eikon for a bit smoother sounding HP than the th 900
And 530 for nighthawks o_0 remember those on the used market for 200 - 300 bucks but they might be in short supply nowadays 
Someone was selling a Cascade and a Nighthawk Carbon recently in buy and sell here. Might still be available?
Where are you located?
In Romania , why?