If you don't plan to mod these, then you shouldn't buy them. My ratings are based upon the state of my pair after modding, which I believe is fair because most of my mods can be cheaply and easily replicated.
However, everyone should buy one and mod it. These are by far the best value headphones I've tried. For about $100, you can get these headphones, upgraded ear pads (Shure SRH840 are good), and the materials to do basic mods. If you are willing to put in a couple hours, pretty much anyone with patience can perform the necessary mods to make these shine and compete with headphones that are much more expensive. These are now competing (and receiving about equal playtime) with my Markl modded Denon D5000 w/ J$ pads.
The Sound:
Initially the sound on these was mid-centric with bass and treble roll off. I thought sounded thin and tinny as well, though my point of reference at the moment was my D5000. However, post modding these are completely different headphones. The sound seems fairly neutral with a couple dips and peaks in the treble. Very impressed by the amount of detail and clarity these now have.
The soundstage is good for a closed can. I am sure that there are different ways to mod these to further improve soundstage, but I don't feel like the sound is cramped or stuck inside my head. The separation is also very good.
Isolation is excellent on these and leakage is minimal. The stock pads are quite poor in sound and comfort, but there are a number of much better pads that improve both of these aspects. The headband is alright, but for longer listening sessions, installing some sort of padding is a smart choice.
EDIT: I changed out my Shure 840 pads for the J$ pads from my Denons. The J$ pads are super comfortable, and once a new headband is added, these will be one of, if not the most comfortable headphones I've had!
It is also important to note that these require some power. They need an amp to get up to good volume levels
Con:
The one real issue with the T50rp IMO is the cable. The angled plug and locking system seems nice, but I had many issues with one of the sides cutting out if the plug wasn't in just right. I tried a different cable and it worked just fine. I've since cut the proprietary pieces off of the angled plug so that it is free to rotate in the plug and the issue seems to have been solved. The other thing I am not a fan of is that the cable terminates into a 1/4" plug and no adapter is provided. I enjoy using the 1/4" plug when I have an input for it, but when I have to use a 1/8" adapter, the plug becomes bulky and heavy. I am a much bigger supporter of 1/8" standard termination with a 1/4" adapter.
Overall:
Buy these and set aside an additional $30 to try your hand at modding them. It is a fun learning experience, and with all of the great resources here on Head-fi it is pretty easy to end up with a very impressive headphone.
PICS (more to come soon):
This pic shows the Denon J$ pads that I added, and the liner on the underside of the headband is some Silverstone acoustic foam. It's a temporary help on the comfort side until I get a HD580 headband.
I now have my new headband padding and I can say with the padding and the J$ pads, these are one of the most comfortable headphones I've ever used.
Here are the three different pads I've tried (Left to right: Stock T50rp, Denon J$, Shure SRH840):
However, everyone should buy one and mod it. These are by far the best value headphones I've tried. For about $100, you can get these headphones, upgraded ear pads (Shure SRH840 are good), and the materials to do basic mods. If you are willing to put in a couple hours, pretty much anyone with patience can perform the necessary mods to make these shine and compete with headphones that are much more expensive. These are now competing (and receiving about equal playtime) with my Markl modded Denon D5000 w/ J$ pads.
The Sound:
Initially the sound on these was mid-centric with bass and treble roll off. I thought sounded thin and tinny as well, though my point of reference at the moment was my D5000. However, post modding these are completely different headphones. The sound seems fairly neutral with a couple dips and peaks in the treble. Very impressed by the amount of detail and clarity these now have.
The soundstage is good for a closed can. I am sure that there are different ways to mod these to further improve soundstage, but I don't feel like the sound is cramped or stuck inside my head. The separation is also very good.
Isolation is excellent on these and leakage is minimal. The stock pads are quite poor in sound and comfort, but there are a number of much better pads that improve both of these aspects. The headband is alright, but for longer listening sessions, installing some sort of padding is a smart choice.
EDIT: I changed out my Shure 840 pads for the J$ pads from my Denons. The J$ pads are super comfortable, and once a new headband is added, these will be one of, if not the most comfortable headphones I've had!
It is also important to note that these require some power. They need an amp to get up to good volume levels
Con:
The one real issue with the T50rp IMO is the cable. The angled plug and locking system seems nice, but I had many issues with one of the sides cutting out if the plug wasn't in just right. I tried a different cable and it worked just fine. I've since cut the proprietary pieces off of the angled plug so that it is free to rotate in the plug and the issue seems to have been solved. The other thing I am not a fan of is that the cable terminates into a 1/4" plug and no adapter is provided. I enjoy using the 1/4" plug when I have an input for it, but when I have to use a 1/8" adapter, the plug becomes bulky and heavy. I am a much bigger supporter of 1/8" standard termination with a 1/4" adapter.
Overall:
Buy these and set aside an additional $30 to try your hand at modding them. It is a fun learning experience, and with all of the great resources here on Head-fi it is pretty easy to end up with a very impressive headphone.
PICS (
I now have my new headband padding and I can say with the padding and the J$ pads, these are one of the most comfortable headphones I've ever used.
Here are the three different pads I've tried (Left to right: Stock T50rp, Denon J$, Shure SRH840):
I wrote Shure and Denon, the pics seems of Denon.