The T50RP Paradox | reviews, discussion, & mini-tour impressions (index in second post) - Page 11

Yes, it did :) A couple of days ago ;) But it's hard for me to describe it - I haven't had similarly priced gear, but it easily destroys my previous Bifrost+Asgard stack in every single aspect, except looks :) My fears about it to be very bright and overdetailed with Paradox were wrong - now I just have much more spacious and natural sound, with better bass section too. 

I am very interested in hearing these, but I am up in Canada.  Is it possible to put me on the list as well?

Alright guys... I did it :) - http://www.head-fi.org/t/633956/the-t50rp-paradox-review-mini-tour-impressions/90#post_8850933

 

Here's a picture of how I have been "hanging" them to keep the pads from crushing each other. 

 

http://www.amazon.com/Rubbermaid-5E12-FastTrack-Hose-Hook/dp/B0009J5NUY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1352915835&sr=8-1&keywords=rubbermaid+hose

Edited by chrislangley4253 - 11/14/12 at 9:58am

 

I actually made up a little something to keep the pads from touching :) I made it out of two coasters, it gets the job done.

Definitely interested. Would love to see what Rin has to say about them.

Just received my Paradox a couple days ago, but today is the first chance I'll have to really listen to them.

I should note, after getting my hands on the stock t50rp... The complaints I had on the treble of the paradox definitely isn't an ortho or t50rp thing. It is a paradox thing.

I'm sorry, but I have to disagree with this statement.

Between me, my brothers and my father, we probably have close to a 1000 pipe organ CD's from all sorts of recording labels such as Telarc, Dorian, RCA, Sony, etc, etc. Granted, there are some rather nasty sounding ones in there, but the majority of them that contain pipe organs with a 32' stop have the 16Hz still in the recording. Even the few CD's we have of the Atlantic City organ at the Boardwalk Hall Auditorium with its 64' Diaphone-Dulzian have the 8Hz information on the CD. BTW, the Atlantic City organ is 1 of 2 pipe organs in the world that has a 64' stop!

That 64' Diaphone-Dulzian can be combined with the 42-2/3' stop (referred to as a "resultant") which can reach down to 4Hz. Of course, finding any speaker or headphone capable of successfully reproducing a usable 8Hz much less the 4Hz is near impossible, though my twin SVS PB12-Plus/2 subs did a pretty convincing job of the 8Hz when tuned down to their 12Hz setting.

Anyway, I'm starting to ramble now, but my point is there's plenty of recordings out there (especially electronic music) on CD that have loads of information down to 16Hz.

It's just that when you start getting down to those super low frequencies, the quality of the electronic playback equipment (not the speakers/headphones) comes into question as to whether or not it can detect and reproduce those frequencies. A lot of gear has limits that cut in right around the 15 - 20Hz region to protect the amps and drivers from possible damage.

 

One thing I can say right now is that they are very comfortable (FA-003 pads). Although, I used a piece of an old belt to make my own suspension headband. Not that the one LFF included wasn't nice, but in order for it to fit on my head, I had to extend the sliders almost all the way down and the T50RP's headband stuck up a couple inches above my head.

I found that for me Paradox is much more comfortable without suspension headband at all, but I think that's a matter of preference (and a shape of head LoL) 

 

Yeah, haha. I always have problems with a pain hotspot forming on the top of my head, which is something the padless T50RP headband definitely did to me. Suspended headbands are my savior. AKG's, AT wing system, and T50RP's with a suspension headband are the only things I've ever found truly and exceptionally comfortable.

Just received Paradox #037 last night. Didn't know if I would like a "flat" headphone, but I do. All of my phones are U or V shaped so I wasn't sure what to expect. After a little listening it became clear that the biggest difference in sound wasn't a boost in the mids to lift it out of recession so to speak, but more of a tame treble. My ears were so used to boosted highs that initially the Paradox sounded a little dull. I've been so accustomed to that type of sound that it took a while to adjust. The treble on the Paradox is right on when compared with my beloved PSI Audio 17M's. Great clarity and detail.

 

BTW, my Audio-GD Phoenix powers these very nicely. It has enough volume for sure and the bass is filled out completely. I thought that I might think the bass would be lacking considering what I'm used to, but it is there in full (keeping in mind that I am a closet bass head).

 

Thanks Luis!

Edited by lmswjm - 11/22/12 at 3:07am

Flysweep’s Paradox arrived last week and I’ve spent several days with them to form some (noob to full-size) impressions. Gear used was an iPhone 5, Macbook Pro, Leckerton UHA-6s mk2 and the VentureCraft Go-Dap X.

 

Some additional things to be aware before said impressions:

I have zero experience with full size headphones.  I’m strictly a portable enthusiast who has stayed exclusively with IEMs, both universal and custom, and perhaps due to my lack of full size experience, I just don’t think I’m getting the isolation or fit I should be getting and feel like it is slightly affecting what I'm hearing- as I'll describe later.  None-the-less, the following are my abbreviated impressions.

 

Neutral. There are no other words, flowery or elaborate, to use on the Paradox, save this one.  The one IEM I’ve heard that is comparable is the Etymotic ER-6 (not 6i), of which I no longer own but share many characteristics from memory.  (For those that are not familiar with the ER-6, it is basically their Chinese outsourced version of the ER-4S - made for the sold purposes of being cheaper.  The parts were cheaper, yet it was designed to sound the same, without need of added impedance or an amp.  The result was an amazingly neutral IEM that practically gets swallowed in your ear, as its body is short and squat and completely opposite of the barrel shaped ER-4S.)

 

Basically the Paradox reminds me of the ER-6, especially from the mids through the treble - treble that is extended but never piercing or painful.  While not exactly airy, it’s effortless in its extension and never gets lost in the presentation.  Probably the one difference I could point to is the relative dryness I hear on the Paradox compared to my memory of the Ety; perhaps this the nature and tonality of orthos or maybe just the Fostex?  In any case, the Paradox does come across to me as ever so slightly dry and mid-centric.

 

I do perceive a slight roll off of deeper bass and here is where I think my inexperience with full size is coming into play.  I just can't seem to get the right fit to benefit deeper bass response.  This was confirmed using test tones via an iOS app and this site: http://www.phys.unsw.edu.au/jw/hearing.html.  In contrast, from memory, the ER-6 stayed more evenly balanced through deeper bass.  If I clamp the cups with my hands closer to my ears, it definitely improves both isolation and deep bass, bringing better neutral balance down through the deeper bass (<60hz).  

 

Most surprising, for me, was the soundstage.  I guess I had an expectation bias of a larger or grander soundstage due to being full sized cans.  Instead what I found was an average sized soundstage that felt neither closed in or expansive with excellent imaging and transparency.

 

Other than the issue I have with fit/clamping strength, I found the Paradox quite pleasing and easy to listen to.  I think I've also quenched any thirst I had to get into full-size; between the added bulk and sweaty ears, I'm pretty content to stay with IEMs.  LFF's review of the Frogbeats C4 sounds interesting… so many toys, so little time. Thanks for the audition time Flysweep!