Just listened to some Fostex T50RPs today... WOW! - Page 11

yes, the fabric in front of the side vents...does the t40rp mk2 have it too? anyway it seems to be a lower grade driver indeed, and I guess the SS must suffer greatly considering it's fully closed.

As for SS, you should audition a T40RP mk II. Then you can judge whether it's a lower grade driver indeed. Sometimes a closed headphone will surprise you.

these 3 phones seem to be sharing the same shell and earpads...I guess you could open the side vents like on the t50rp?

while googling on the t40rp, I've found some graphs on how dampening changes the FR of a non-mk2 t40rp: http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=ja&u=http://homepage2.nifty.com/hai2audio/P1/phone/t40mod.html&ei=WPqOTJmsEomP4gagtZmBDg&sa=X&oi=translate&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CAkQ7gEwADgo&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dt40rp%26start%3D40%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26sa%3DN

this link seems to be saying that the old t40rp is better than the mk2: http://wiki.faust3d.com/wiki//index.php?title=Fostex_orthodynamic_headphone_identification_guide#Fostex_T50RP

"the good T40v1 with the likewise meh-sounding T40RP mk II"

...but that was all before the v2 earpads.

I agree that the less dampening, the more hollow it sounds at low volume.

I've never tried cushion stuffing, it might just be the right time: http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/426594/hd650-stealth

The stock felt in front of the drivers is really too thick, but I've added the one that was in my cd1k...it's going a lot better.

w/o any felt, the trebles are really harsh IMO, and some uber-soft felt goes a long way comfort-wise. Now I'll try to adapt my cd999 headband. 

EDIT: oh yes

Found some online information that these weight 1.2 pound, that heavy....

330g (excluding cable): http://www.fostexinternational.com/docs/products/RP-Series.shtml

they get heavier w/ bluetack in the inner baffles, which is mandatory otherwise they sound plasticky to death.

Originally Posted by wualta 

 there shouldn't be any problem with orthos at low volume. If they're properly damped, they should sound very nice indeed. Low level linearity is an excellent test of headphones, speakers, even amps, if you know what to listen for.

Actually, my real problem was that the center channel was WAY too dim...forcing me to pump up the volume to unreasonable proportions. But after some fiddling w/ xfeed plugins, it seems top notch now

I bought T20 v2 and my conclusion is exactly the same as yours.  I've ordered the T50RPmk2 for 70 bucks on the internet and hope to receive them soon, I can't bloody wait and hope they're similar.
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pianist 

I auditioned a pair of these at a local audio store this morning. I heard that they are based on Orthodynamic technology and was really curious about what an Ortho sounds like. I plugged them into my Sony NWZ-A816 MP3 player without expecting much at all. The seller at the store told me that they are "just OK," and I certainly believed him - the price tag on them said "$149", but I knew that these can be bought for even less online, so "hmm yeah..." I thought, "...these are probably just another typical studio monitor in that price range, like Sony V6 or Senn HD280Pro and have all those typical flaws in their sound as well..." But once I plugged them in and hit "play" on my Sony, I was like . How the heck could something so inexpensive sound so damn great?! I was totally blown away by how realistic they sounded! The best thing about these is the mids I think - they are just sooo even and natural! I listened to some of my favorite instrumental and jazz through them and all the instruments and vocals sounded like they were right there beside me! The transient response and clarity of this headphone was also incredible - I've never heard anything quite like this before. The detail resolution seemed even better than that of my ES3X, since I could hear details in the music I've never heard before! The bass seemed to extend very deep and the highs sounded a bit subdued, but still really detailed, clear and natural. Now, this is the first time I've listened to Orthodynamic headphone, so take my impressions with a grain of salt.

Does anybody else here love these guys? I am about to order a pair off ebay. For only $70 + shipping they seem like an incredible bargain for the sound that they produce. I honestly don't think that any armature or dynamic driver based headphone at that price even begins to approach these Fostex cans in sound quality.

BTW, I dunno what the other modders decided, but I think that the felt before the drivers should stay where it is....I'm gonna put mine back on. The trebles energy is really deafening sometimes w/ the drivers barenaked IME...and I guess they took it in account when finetuning the drivers FR.

Even the TP ppl always seem to be using earpads w/ embedded felt.

I've also tried the cd1k felt, but I think the stock felt does a better job..I'll try a few other kinds before calling it a day.

i was board this after noon while it was raining so i tried to dampen the stock cups never got it to the point where it sounded great it was a good improvement over stock though.

I've done a bit of felt rolling:

-the cd1k felt is too thin and the trebles are still pretty ear-piercing

-the stock felt is too thick and veiled

-I was given a somewhat thick see-through felt that's spot-on I think...it tames down the drivers pressure, and yet doesn't veil the trebles. It also seems to beef up the low end bass percussion somehow, and is made of natural fibers so it's very soft.

PS: less clamping and much better isolation >>> perfect

can u just damp with anything or is it best to use felt or suggestion?

foam, cushion stuffing, bluetack, dynamat...try it all.

BTW, the japanese site explains more than the others: http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fostex.jp%2Fuser_file%2Ffostex-sh%2Fetc%2Ft50tech.html&sl=ja&tl=en

apparently the driver relies on the magnetic field created by these 3 strong magnets feeding the zigzag coil and making the diaphragm vibrate:

and the v1 pads didn't have pleather at the back...that's a terrible idea for the bass response indeed: http://tiiduka.blogspot.com/2010/03/fostex-t50rp.html

the spare earpads cost $50 per pair...I've hooked up w/ a guy who could make them in lambskin and memory foam for more or less this price, time will tell!