[gelocks]

Yeah, it seems these drivers perform better with more power...

 

[dorino]

From what I've experienced, MrSpeakers is being fair in saying that you can power these and get decent sound out of just a portable player. That said, I don't think anyone would disagree that T50RP's, of any modification, benefit from amping.

 

[wje]

Quote:

I heard Mad Dog headphones and compared to Thunderpants costing twice more and can say only one thing if you looking for headphones with well balanced sound go with Mad Dog but if you want emphisized overpowering bass which takes over entire track go with Thunderpants. The only reason i didn't buy Mad Dog's is because when driven by Cowon A3 player the bass is not as deep and punchy as T70p but may be different with different setup

 
Or, one could just buy a serious amp and have the Mad Dog's * perform as well in the bass department as the Thunderpants.  

 
 
* Disclaimer: I haven't heard the Mad Dog, nor the Thunderpants.  However, I do have my own "mish-mash" version of modified Fostex T50RPs connected to a 2-channel stereo receiver (Yamaha RX-797) and it totally kicks the c*ap out of all the amps I've used up until now as well as just using the headphone out jacks on portable music players.  I don't consider on ear, or over ear headphones portable headphones, so it's not a requirement to have ultra-portability.  If I want something portable, I'll settle for the iPod classic and some $40 Skull Candy Titans to get me through the day.  However, once I get home and I'm able to put on some headphones being driven by a decent amount of power / current, the flowers really begin to blossom.  Surprisingly, the regular headphone jack and the Yamaha receiver is really, really good.  When I picked up the receiver, I thought I'd be making speaker taps and building some 4-pin XLR cables to handle the task.  But, I don't think that move is needed at this point.  Price of Yamaha RX-797 = $110 (Just like new, original box, manual, remotes and packing materials).

 

[mrspeakers]

Orthos are particularly good for just plugging into a receiver. 
 
A regular headphone has impedance peaks and troughs which interact with the padding resistor in the receiver that drops the amplifier's voltage to levels that won't blow your phones.  Essentially, it's a voltage divider circuit, and this causes anywhere from a small to a several DB rise in bass output for most dynamic phones.
 
Because the orthos (all of them) are essentially a resistor to the amplifier, the voltage divider has a constant ratio at all frequencies, so the sound won't get muddied up or bloom excessively, and the there is no change in the overall frequency response of the system.
 
The Mad Dog is ok with all the Apple portable devices I have tried, though the volume doesn't really get to the point where these sound their best, and the bass is a bit anemic.  Good enough at your desk while you're working, though.  A portable amp is always a good step up.  
 
The one mobile device I tried that just couldn't handle any real volume was an Android phone with "Beats" audio.  That didn't work so well.

 

[dorino]

The "Beats" audio phones aren't very impressive, hardware wise.
 
My portable set up includes an amp, and out of my iPod (a second generation iPod Touch) they sound pretty good with and without the amp, but better with.
 
(Cmoy -> FiiO L9 -> iPod Touch)
 
They're definitely not as loud at the Sennheisers, but they'll get loud enough for comfortable listening. I'll agree that the bass benefits from the amp.

 

[olegausany]

 
 
 
 
Quote:

 
Or, one could just buy a serious amp and have the Mad Dog's * perform as well in the bass department as the Thunderpants.  

 
 
* Disclaimer: I haven't heard the Mad Dog, nor the Thunderpants.  However, I do have my own "mish-mash" version of modified Fostex T50RPs connected to a 2-channel stereo receiver (Yamaha RX-797) and it totally kicks the c*ap out of all the amps I've used up until now as well as just using the headphone out jacks on portable music players.  I don't consider on ear, or over ear headphones portable headphones, so it's not a requirement to have ultra-portability.  If I want something portable, I'll settle for the iPod classic and some $40 Skull Candy Titans to get me through the day.  However, once I get home and I'm able to put on some headphones being driven by a decent amount of power / current, the flowers really begin to blossom.  Surprisingly, the regular headphone jack and the Yamaha receiver is really, really good.  When I picked up the receiver, I thought I'd be making speaker taps and building some 4-pin XLR cables to handle the task.  But, I don't think that move is needed at this point.  Price of Yamaha RX-797 = $110 (Just like new, original box, manual, remotes and packing materials).

 
 
What I'm trying to say that Thunderpants bass bleeds into other frequencies making music sound not the way it expected by performer(s) and recording team instead of not interfering with them while Mad Dog isn't doing it's just its bass isn't as deep as T70p for example with Cowon A3 player

 

[dorino]

As per a trade, I will be getting an O2. With a still more powerful amp incoming, I will comment on the improvement these headphones have, if any, with the O2, over the Cmoy.

 

[jfrocke]

I've been an audiophile for almost 30 years now but am relatively new to high-end headphone listening.  I started my quest for a high-end headphone rig about four months ago.  My budget was fairly open (but not quite cost-no-object).  I am currently using a modified Meitner BIDAT or MSB Platinum III as a source (being fed from a Hiface-2) and the Schiit Lyr hybrid amplifier.  I have been listening to the Audeze LCD-3 (latest post March 2012 version) with Q-Audio or Norse Audio cables.  I really enjoy the LCD-3 but was very curious to hear what the Fostex T50RP were capable of but I just don't have the time (or patience) to go through all the various mod options myself.
 
I found the Mad Dog's that Mr. Speakers recently has started selling through postings on Head-fi.org and decided to give them a try.  Dan from Mr. Speakers has been an absolute pleasure to work with.  He answered all my questions promptly before I ordered and has been very especially prompt throughout the process of modding my headphones (I sent him a pair of stock T50RP's to modify as I had already purchased two stock pairs).  I am extremely pleased with the Mad Dog headphones!  In my opinion they are in the same league sonically as the much more expensive Audeze LCD-3 and in a few specific ways I feel the Mad Dog's are actually superior to the LCD-3.  Below are my detailed notes that I took as I compared the two headphones over the course of a couple of weeks.
 

1. The Mad Dog's have a slight midbass emphasis compared to the Audeze LCD-3 along with slightly less low bass extension.  In all fairness I feel the LCD-3 are a touch elevated in the low bass region to begin with but this is not an bad thing to the resulting sound quality that they achieve.

 

1. The Mad Dog's have a moderately more transparent midrange versus the LCD-3 in my system.  This is the most notable difference between the two headphones to my ears.  While the LCD-3 are very enjoyable to listen to and have a wonderful sounding midrange, the Mad Dog’s clearly resolve more midrange detail to me.

 

1. The highs between the two headphones are pretty close.  The highs seem slightly more tonally accurate on the LCD-3 but are slightly airier sounding on the Mad Dog's.

 

1. The LCD-3 soundstage is more spacious & "out of head" sounding but here again the Mad Dog's still seem airier/open.

 

1. The LCD-3 have better macrodynamics/slam but the Mad Dog's have better microdynamics and are faster sounding.

 
Overall the sound quality that the Mad Dog's offer is fantastic and they are a tremendous value for the money.

 

[dorino]

These headphones are definitely very forgiving to sibilance. I'm liking the sound of The Proclaimers "There's A Touch" - There's a lot of opportunities for sibilance but instead it's very pleasant.
 
Just thought I'd add in this observation - sibilance is not a problem.

 

[wje]

JFrocke,
 
Does that mean we'll see your LCD-3s up for sale anytime soon?  

 
Apology -  I just had to ask that question.  

 

[jfrocke]

I haven't decided yet...  Will be doing some more cable swapping, tube rolling etc before I decide if I will keep the LCD-3 or not.

 

[sluker]

 

[MDR30]

Quote:

Hello, everyone. These arrived yesterday, but I was unable to listen due to getting oral surgery that day. The suspense has been killing me, so here's a review.
 
Overall:  9.5 
(Build not figured in because of extenuating circumstances)
 
Immense bonus points to MrSpeakers, who has been a pleasure to deal with. This review will be updated with my opinions on build quality in two weeks time.

 
I'd like owners to tell us how solo piano sounds (good recordings). If there are any undue resonances they sure will show up in this test.

 

[Chris_Himself]

Somebody loan me theirs, I need to get these LCD-2's away from me. I think T50RP's are pretty receptive to cables and stuff too.. time to give Moon Audio a holler (I don't use my own stuff because I'm too lazy to build it)

 

[dorino]

Quote:

 
I'd like owners to tell us how solo piano sounds (good recordings). If there are any undue resonances they sure will show up in this test.

I notice nothing out of the ordinary listening to baroque.