Thunderpants (T50RP mod) Group Buy - Page 45

Like I said before, they're a bit "cupped hands" sounding. The mods aren't as lush as I'd like...but they are very very clean and the extension in both directions is quite good. I just wish the mids were a bit warmer...I'll post pics soon.

Kojaku

The soundstage is a bit awakard to be honest, sometimes I like it, sometimes I dont. hmmm. Yea would like to see your can

 

 

 

Yeah. There are a couple of pics of my girlfriend and I enjoying them at the Getty Center, I like the tone. It's actually a fair amount darker than the pictures convey. It looks quilted to my eye.

 

Kojaku

Hard to tell - is he still using a belt as a support underneath the headband or has he found something else?  (I do see a couple holes in it so I guess it's a belt...)

Yes, he is. It's actually quite comfy.

 

Kojaku

So the million dollar question is what did you GF think of your new purchase? Looks like she's having a hard time getting them to fit right ;) As we all know the key to the TP1s greatness is their fit.

So I'm not hearing rave reviews about the sound of this batch of TPs -- unlike, say, the HE-500 thread, where virtually every new person who gets them reports being wowed by the sound (although there are build concerns).  Does this mean that people are not really that happy with their new TPs?  Not trying to stir up trouble, just wondering why the discussions here don't seem consistent with the TPs general fantastic SQ reputation.

Thunderpants have been out for years.  FOTM isn't as strong.

I don't think it's appropriate to interpret a lack of hype as a sign of bad performance, though I can see how that might seem unusual on this forum.  They've been doing really well for the most part with pretty much any genre.  I find them to be pretty neutral and transparent, though at times the sound does seem to have some strange properties, which could be due to the closed cups or some property of the ortho drivers, which I have no prior experience with.  It's very subtle though.  I would agree that the soundstage is a bit odd sometimes, as was stated earlier.  Overall, I don't see any reason to believe that the sound of this batch differs significantly from previous ones.

 

If people were unhappy with them, or there was something obviously wrong with them, you would absolutely hear about it.  Not to mention, Gary has made it clear to me that he's willing to do everything he can to resolve any issues.  If I had anything to complain about, it's that Gary occasionally vanishes from the face of the earth, but he seems to be turning out good stuff overall.

Actually they had just come off of my head in that picture so they were at my setting. They fit her just fine on the smallest setting. Although if I didn't have LCD2 pads that may not be the case.

Also, in regard to the issues regarding the latest batch, at least personally, I feel like my issues with sound came from improper amping. The TPs ask for a wattage of 2W, which is way more than my home built cmoy can provide. I tried amping it with my E-10's amp section and it filled in a lot better.

I'll be receiving a TTVJ slim, which I understand is very analog sounding, and I think it'll really make my TP's shine, considering how high it's output power is and the fact that people describe it as having lush mids.

Long story short: these babies are hungry and they have to be fed well.

Kojaku

I think the main thing is that for a closed can they are remarkable, but not quite to the level as similar or more expensive open cans.  With the exception of perhaps the R10 (and really that's more like having anechoic chambers attached to your ears), closed is a disadvantage.  You can perhaps get more impactful bass, but soundstage/imaging/tonality is hard to get right. 

 

Perhaps... although I thought these are supposed to sound decent without much juice? (ie. out of a DAP)  Regardless, I have a WA6SE ready and willing.  2 watts @ 32 ohms 

 

Edited by bobeau - 3/8/12 at 3:02pm

Decent? Yes, but nowhere close to what they are capable of.
 

 

They aren't too power hungry, but they definitely need more than most cans you'd usually run from a DAP, I could see some not being able to power them sufficiently.  My leckerton amp seems to have enough power for them on the low gain setting, but with the volume cranked up more than my portables.

 

By the way, anyone know where to get a good travel case for these?

I also use the Leckerton on the road.

And here is a great travel case:

http://www.dgearpacks.com/gear/2011/07/03/padded-stereo-headphone-case/

And yes that is my bag and my Thunderpants in the photos - that was the first version of the bag, I had him make a second one that had some improvements and was more compact (the dimensions listed in the web page are for the first version).

I may have a photo of the new one if you'd like to see it.

All the bags are hand made to order so you can get yours exactly how you want it.

Highly recommended
 

 

Edited by sbradley02 - 3/8/12 at 7:24pm

ugh. gary has been ignoring multiple emails in the last few weeks after saying he'll be shipping them within a week and will let me know.
he also hasn't answered whether my pair will have plastic or wooden cup holder blocks.
heh.