Just listened to some Fostex T50RPs today... WOW! - Page 13

The D7000 drivers are as fast as HD800 drivers...I just did the EQ check - a bargain if there ever was one, if only people weren't so afraid of EQ.  But I always felt the T20V2 drivers were as quick as the D7000 drivers and I have no reason to suspect the T50 drivers should be any less quicker - bargain of the century, if you ask me! 
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by leeperry 

I also find it highly sarcastic that the same company is selling the grossly overpriced/dull sounding Denon D_000 serie...for much higher prices at that

 

Originally Posted by SP Wild 

The D7000 drivers are as fast as HD800 drivers...I just did the EQ check - a bargain if there ever was one, if only people weren't so afraid of EQ.  But I always felt the T20V2 drivers were as quick as the D7000 drivers and I have no reason to suspect the T50 drivers should be any less quicker - bargain of the century, if you ask me! 
 

the cd3k drivers are much faster than the t50rp to my ears...but it's not about speed.

the d2k sounds like a $10 phone compared to the cd3k tbh...some have reported that the $30 JVC RX700 was sounding far better than the d2k. I'm stunned by all the hype surrounding those utterly dull headphones. I'd rather listen to a dishwasher tbh...and Foster are making both the d2k and the t50rp, huh.

Fostex knows how to make drivers, there is no disputing - Tonal balance is subjective, use an EQ to find the truth.  I do not own the D2000s, but do own the D7000s - and I matched the equalization to the HD800 and found that they are virtually identical in driver speed.  I now own a pair of D7000s that sound amazing to me.  I'm sure if you're willing to use EQ, you can at least get the tonal balance to match your tastes.

The D7000 had to brought down from   250 hz   -2db

                                                                  125 hz   -4db

                                                                    63hz    -7db

                                                                     20hz   -12db

EQ treble to taste - and voila!!!

once I EQ'ed the d2k, it was even more boring as this phone has grossly recessed mids...to the point that my brain was starting to wonder if there was something wrong w/ my ears(The OPA-SunV2 discrete opamp gave me the exact same feeling).

I now fully understand why some ppl feel that dynamic phones are worthless and that only a handful such as the cd3k and so are worth the trouble. I've tried quite a bit of mid-range dynamics over the past 2 years, and I've always found them to be a major downgrade towards the cd3k.

I already explained my thoughts about the cd3k <> t50rp in the previous pages I think...maybe my perception of speed is flawed, not sure! what I know is that the cd3k is said to be the king of speed together w/ its sa5k elder brother, but what it does is make everything percussive. Oh yes, it sounds amazing...the t50rp doesn't do that. But after some careful listening, the cd3k simply colors everything to make it percussive no matter what. The t50rp can be percussive if the source is, if it isn't: it won't be...so yes it can sound dull in comparison, but it actually doesn't cheat.

I'd say that it's the biggest quality of the t50rp: it lets you listen the record w/o trying to cheat you, like dynamic phones are more or less forced to because they're flawed and extremely limited to begin w/...the cd3k feels like a woman w/ a thick layer of makeup after a few days of t50rp listening.

Quote:

Originally Posted by leeperry 

 

I'd say that it's the biggest quality of the t50rp: it lets you listen the record w/o trying to cheat you, like dynamic phones are more or less forced to because they're flawed and extremely limited to begin w/...the cd3k feels like a woman w/ a thick layer of makeup after a few days of t50rp listening.

Interesting.

My sort of take on orthos now that I've heard a few pairs is that they make music sound effortless.

There are some great singers who they sing, and they are amazing because they are working their voice raw to put on a show.  Other great singers make the beauty of their sound seem so effortless, like they were born to make this stunning sound.

Good dynamics sound great, but it's because they sound like they are pushing themselves as hard as they can.  Orthos never sound like they are trying; they just can.

It boils down to what Fostex explain in their T50RP brochure, and to what this review says as well: http://www.stereomojo.com/GoldringDr150headphonesreview.htm

"Attack is fine on the DR150, nothing really worthy to mention about it, but decay, on the other hand, is way too fast on it. Notes tend to sound like they're continually being abruptly cut off and not allowed to end. It's actually pretty noticeable and one of the first things I noticed - at first I thought it was something with the treble response or soundstage but further listening revealed that it just has too short of a decay. It's most noticeable on percussion instruments, as there should be that moment of sound exiting into the air for some "shimmer," but it's just completely cut off, as if there's no air and the music is playing in a vacuum or some kind of bubble. There's no cymbal wah for example"

The T50RP doesn't try to astound you w/ its PRaT, it doesn't color the sound to make it percussive by all means.

That's most likely a limitation of dynamic designs, and even the very best ones seem to be forced to abide by the same rules/limitations. It's amazing that the major manufacturers are still selling a +80yo limited technology for such high prices.Talk about polishing a turd

so noone agrees that this phone has a huge hole in the center? mine cannot play stereo at all, it's a dual mono phone...I should get a few brand new pairs next week, so I'll see how that goes stock but a friend of mine also told me that all he's got is 2 blobs w/ no link between them.

this phone is unusable in Q3 or in music/movies if I don't beef up the center channel...so there is indeed many reasons why this phone is so cheap:

-the stereo coherence is lacking big time...this is hopeless w/o a computer to beef up the phantom center channel

-the cable connection in the left cup is really crappy, I know at least 2 other persons who had the right channel cutting in from time to time...no wonder when you take it all out, what a poor connection

-the stock cups sound horrid, it takes a lot of bluetack and efforts to get a non-plasticky sound and a solid bass response

-the stock earpads are too narrow and stiff

this is really as semi-DIY as can get! but once you fix all those problems, it's truly astounding. I'll be keeping a CD850 for videogames.

I was wondering, does crossfeed could solve this center channel issue ? I am not very familiar with it, but it creates a "surround" effect, right ? Then maybe any rockboxed PMP could do the trick, huh ? Of course there will be the recurrent detail issue, but it may help...

there's many different kinds of xfeed, some create a phantom center channel, some mono-ize the signal to death and some project a front channel(my favorite).

anyway, if I put my thumbs on the side vents...the SS doesn't leak nearly as much anymore, so maybe I'll keep a pair w/ the felt before the side vents for gaming if it allows for a more plausible center phantom channel...otherwise I'll get another phone for gaming, but tbh I've never heard such good bass on headphones. Maybe I could use a standalone xfeed box, but Corda don't sell theirs anymore.

I'm listening to some reel-to-reel dumps of the Beatles, the sound is so natural...unbelievable. Ennio Morricone also sounds beyond words.

Oh God, I have been lurking on those for quite a while now, and you are making me feel so much more impatient of having them ! I found some quite "cheap" sometimes, but got no money for those ~~ Now, I am juste waiting for cheapoos (shipping included), for the euro to increase even more, and the dollar to decrease more too ! xD

I find crossfeed a necessity when using closed or semi-closed headphones.  Referring back to the D7000 - even after careful equalization to match the HD800, I started to notice a fatigue that fell upon me and switching back to the HD800, the fatigue disappeared, even though after EQ the tonalities were in the same ballpark.  Then I switched the crossfeed on in the D7000s and voila! the fatigue immediately disappeared.

After extensive experience with very open can sounding HD800/K1000/LCD2, I am firmly in the belief that open cans have an inherent crossfeed that is absent on closed cans and that crossfeed will give closed cans the imaging capabilities of open cans.  JR Media and HeadFit - I find to be amongst the best.

Now I have to completely agree with your below statement Joelpearce. At least, after some more extensive listening of the T50RP, and compared to what I believe is a monument in dynamic headphones, the DT48. Indeed, both share a surprisingly close tonal balance, transparency level and swapping from one to the other is actually painless, unlike with many other headphones. However, I somehow miss some depth and density in the soundwaves hitting my ears with the T50RP, giving me a more like 2D images of vocals or instrument tones.
 

I'm looking for some new headphones and upon seeing the response from the OP in this thread I tried doing a search on the T50RP in regards to their performance in terms of isolation, gaming and metal music but it seems these headphones aren't discussed very much around here so I figured this thread would be a sensible place to ask about them. So, how do they perform when it comes down to isolation (they appear to be semi-open from the product image but I can't tell if they really are), gaming (this isn't majorly important, I would use them for gaming but not frequently) and most importantly how are they for metal music (particularly black/thrash types of metal, as well as folk and ambient to some degree as these would be my primary uses of the headphone)?

Thanks if anyone can help me out.

None of those things would really be the T50s strengths.  With some serious modding, perhaps you'd enjoy them for those purposes, but they tend to be pretty warm headphones, and a bit rolled off on the upper end.

The sound leaks a little, but I'd definitely say they are more closed than open. They are vented, which means some sound will escape.  Now that mine are modded with some foam, they don't leak as much.

They are passable for gaming, though many dynamics have a wider soundstage which makes a huge difference for games.  The detail is nice, though, so it's neither here nor there.

Your big problem is going to be for metal.  People tend to like Grados for metal because they have plenty of mid-bass, have a really fast sound signature, and have that great aggressive high-end.  The T50RP is a pretty warm headphone, which means it's a lot more lush than it is aggressive, especially stock.  They have some bass, but not a ton of bass impact, the midrange is really detailed but warm, and the high end is relatively soft.  This is pretty close to the opposite of what you want for metal, especially if what you're listening to is poorly recorded or compressed.  The modding I've done on my pair have made them significantly brighter, which may help, but you could still do a lot better for that genre.  They are good for folk and ambient, though.  I see that you sold your MS1i, though.  Why did you get rid of them, and what are you listening to now?  We might be able to find something that will suit your needs and taste.

The other thing to consider is that they require a pretty beefy amp to sound their best.

To my ears, the t50rp is definitely too laid back for games...it's not fast at all, it doesn't work on speed to astound you, it outputs a very balanced and natural sound.

I don't remember too well how it was stock, except that it was bass shy and plasticky sounding...but my modded t50rp definitely doesn't have rolled off trebles, quite honestly I hardly need to EQ down my middle ear resonances by -1.5/2dB...this phone has the flatest FR I've ever heard. All the other phones I've tried sound laughable in comparison....listening to vinyl is just beyond words.

I think I'll pick a sa3k(same drivers as the sa5k) for games, much more nervous. a frenzy game like Q3 is rather boring on the t50rp IME.