Fostex T50RP Incremental Mods and Measurements
Feb 20, 2017 at 2:14 PM Post #2,296 of 2,829
It is a sound dampening foam pretty similar to the Silverstone foam. Yes, it was mostly for the treble, still trying out different materials though. This solution or toilet paper behind the pads have worked the best for me so far.
 
Mar 9, 2017 at 4:53 AM Post #2,298 of 2,829
  @ZGLISZCZ
can't wait to hear your impression on all those wave guides

 
hi m1ck3y,
I actually moved out of headfi website because some disapointing situation related to those wave guides. I also took break from headphones design and now Im in the middle of some speaker designs. I will get back to it but not in the upcoming months. Cheers man
 
Mar 9, 2017 at 3:59 PM Post #2,299 of 2,829
hi m1ck3y,
I actually moved out of headfi website because some disapointing situation related to those wave guides. I also took break from headphones design and now Im in the middle of some speaker designs. I will get back to it but not in the upcoming months. Cheers man


My waveguides? If so, I'd like to hear went went wrong, I'm not happy how they turned out, but the tolerances are so small Shapeways doesn't like printing them. I'm wondering what I can improve
 
Mar 9, 2017 at 5:39 PM Post #2,300 of 2,829
My waveguides? If so, I'd like to hear went went wrong, I'm not happy how they turned out, but the tolerances are so small Shapeways doesn't like printing them. I'm wondering what I can improve

Heh:) no no, I meant mine. m1ck3y mentioned me in his post so I guess he means mine? Sorry but I don't really follow this thread anymore and just got email notification that someone mentioned me. 
 
Mar 21, 2017 at 1:52 PM Post #2,301 of 2,829
Ok, here we go. I know I've asked before, and used to have alot more molding ideas in my brain a year or so ago, but I've forgotten alot. Currently, I have my father in law turning some cups our of black limba (finally I've wanted to do this for years) and making custom baffles out of mdf. I'm using a hifiman headband/gimbal assembly I got a long time ago, so the cups will be slightly bigger than most of the fostex ones. My question is this, where did everyone land on mods when using a good tone wood cup? And also, I'd like to use alpha pads since i already have them,so keep that in mind. Lastly, any different ideas for the baffles would be appreciated, so far they'll just be a basic design I found on Google images from another t50 woody mod. Thanks folks! Hopefully people are still molding away, seemingly died off a little lately.
 
Mar 21, 2017 at 7:42 PM Post #2,302 of 2,829
Ok, here we go. I know I've asked before, and used to have alot more molding ideas in my brain a year or so ago, but I've forgotten alot. Currently, I have my father in law turning some cups our of black limba (finally I've wanted to do this for years) and making custom baffles out of mdf. I'm using a hifiman headband/gimbal assembly I got a long time ago, so the cups will be slightly bigger than most of the fostex ones. My question is this, where did everyone land on mods when using a good tone wood cup? And also, I'd like to use alpha pads since i already have them,so keep that in mind. Lastly, any different ideas for the baffles would be appreciated, so far they'll just be a basic design I found on Google images from another t50 woody mod. Thanks folks! Hopefully people are still molding away, seemingly died off a little lately.

 
So I am in the middle of making some Ebony T50 woodies. I'll be using Ebony for the baffles and the cups.
 
I used to make MDF baffles, using multiple layers of the stuff. I found they didn't sound as good as hardwood baffles for some reason. It might have been design too though. On the MDF I had a square hole that I dropped the driver into. On the hardwood ones I have a hole and I don't let the driver drop in, effectively pulling it a couple of millimeters further away from the ear and reducing the distance between the back of the cup and the back of the driver. It could have been that, and not the baffle material that made the changes I heard...
 
Mar 21, 2017 at 8:18 PM Post #2,303 of 2,829
So I am in the middle of making some Ebony T50 woodies. I'll be using Ebony for the baffles and the cups.

I used to make MDF baffles, using multiple layers of the stuff. I found they didn't sound as good as hardwood baffles for some reason. It might have been design too though. On the MDF I had a square hole that I dropped the driver into. On the hardwood ones I have a hole and I don't let the driver drop in, effectively pulling it a couple of millimeters further away from the ear and reducing the distance between the back of the cup and the back of the driver. It could have been that, and not the baffle material that made the changes I heard...


OK I'll have to ask him to make the baffles from limba as well, I have a 4foot piece of it so we have material to tinker. Have any pictures you can post of the baffles so I can steal your idea?
 
Mar 22, 2017 at 10:29 AM Post #2,304 of 2,829
I am also considering building a Thunderpants-style enclosure for the Fostex T50RP (mk3) for some time now. Instead of stretching and gluing the earpads over the baffle and cup like in the original design, I want to incorporate some kind of mounting ring or groove into the baffle. This would make changing earpads so much easier.
 
My original idea was to remove a bit of material from the wooden baffle on the flat side that is touching the wooden cup. This would create a groove between the baffle and the cup. Problem with this idea is that I would either expose the screws holding the baffle and cup together, or make the groove too shallow and unusable.
 
For the mounting ring alternative, I am not really sure what material would be thin and rigid enough and how to fasten it to the ear side of the baffle.
 
I would like to ask if somebody did something similar for wooden headphone enclosures before and would be willing to share their ideas / designs with me. Every bit of info is appreciated.
 
Cheers,
M
 
Mar 22, 2017 at 10:36 AM Post #2,305 of 2,829
  I am also considering building a Thunderpants-style enclosure for the Fostex T50RP (mk3) for some time now. Instead of stretching and gluing the earpads over the baffle and cup like in the original design, I want to incorporate some kind of mounting ring or groove into the baffle. This would make changing earpads so much easier.
 
My original idea was to remove a bit of material from the wooden baffle on the flat side that is touching the wooden cup. This would create a groove between the baffle and the cup. Problem with this idea is that I would either expose the screws holding the baffle and cup together, or make the groove too shallow and unusable.
 
For the mounting ring alternative, I am not really sure what material would be thin and rigid enough and how to fasten it to the ear side of the baffle.
 
I would like to ask if somebody did something similar for wooden headphone enclosures before and would be willing to share their ideas / designs with me. Every bit of info is appreciated.
 
Cheers,
M

Have you seen this thread:http://www.head-fi.org/t/815052/headphone-wood-cups-fostex-tx0rp/15
 
Mar 22, 2017 at 11:02 AM Post #2,306 of 2,829

Hello Reima,

 
thank you for your answer. I am lurking on this site for several months now and saw also the mentioned thread (probably all of them already).
 
I forgot to mention that I will be turning the cups and baffles on a lathe. The cups and baffle in the thread you posted were created using CNC.
 
To achieve something similar on a lathe (see the "pillars" for screws in the first picture in post 29 of that thread), I would need to make the cup walls thicker so the screws are closer to center by few millimeters, leaving a deep enough groove for the earpad lip to slide into it. This on the other hand could make the headphone too heavy. Striking a balance between the groove depth and cup wall thickness could be quite tricky so I leave this option as my last resort :)
 
M
 
Mar 22, 2017 at 11:06 AM Post #2,307 of 2,829
  Hello Reima,

 
thank you for your answer. I am lurking on this site for several months now and saw also the mentioned thread (probably all of them already).
 
I forgot to mention that I will be turning the cups and baffles on a lathe. The cups and baffle in the thread you posted were created using CNC.
 
To achieve something similar on a lathe (see the "pillars" for screws in the first picture in post 29 of that thread), I would need to make the cup walls thicker so the screws are closer to center by few millimeters, leaving a deep enough groove for the earpad lip to slide into it. This on the other hand could make the headphone too heavy. Striking a balance between the groove depth and cup wall thickness could be quite tricky so I leave this option as my last resort :)
 
M

If you go to post 28 you will see that Klechty says that he made a pad holder out of something called red POM.
 
Mar 22, 2017 at 11:12 AM Post #2,308 of 2,829
OK I'll have to ask him to make the baffles from limba as well, I have a 4foot piece of it so we have material to tinker. Have any pictures you can post of the baffles so I can steal your idea?

 
Not yet. So here's the tricky part. The person I am helping with these wants to be able to mount two types of driver: the T50rp driver, and the old, round, T20 driver. The Old T20 driver needs to stay in its stock baffle. So I need to design the baffle to have a recess on the ear-side capable of taking the T20 baffle, and and keep the space behind the baffle open for the T50 driver...I am not sure how this will affect sound, but its going to make an impact. 
 
  I am also considering building a Thunderpants-style enclosure for the Fostex T50RP (mk3) for some time now. Instead of stretching and gluing the earpads over the baffle and cup like in the original design, I want to incorporate some kind of mounting ring or groove into the baffle. This would make changing earpads so much easier.
 
My original idea was to remove a bit of material from the wooden baffle on the flat side that is touching the wooden cup. This would create a groove between the baffle and the cup. Problem with this idea is that I would either expose the screws holding the baffle and cup together, or make the groove too shallow and unusable.
 
For the mounting ring alternative, I am not really sure what material would be thin and rigid enough and how to fasten it to the ear side of the baffle.
 
I would like to ask if somebody did something similar for wooden headphone enclosures before and would be willing to share their ideas / designs with me. Every bit of info is appreciated.
 
Cheers,
M

 
I have done the groove before, but only when using Hot Glue, not screws to hold the baffle and cup together. Not ideal, as it doesn't help folks wanting to tinker with the sound. You don't need a particulalrly massive groove though. I am pretty sure you could have a groove and screws. I use a lathe to make cups as well.
 
Mar 22, 2017 at 2:31 PM Post #2,309 of 2,829
Thanks for that woody thread, sent the pictures to my father in law for the baffles
 
Mar 24, 2017 at 10:54 AM Post #2,310 of 2,829
Thank you both for the tips. I think I will go with the groove-on-baffle method then and hope that it will not gradually destroy earpad lips with the screw edges.
 
I figured I could also try to do a POM or wooden ring over a thinner baffle that would be fastened with another set of screws. Screws that hold the cup and baffle together would be hidden inside the groove created between the ring and baffle. Let's see how that goes.
 

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