[franconero]

Do you think a Schiit Asgard will drive them properly?

 

[KneelJung]

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There's tons of talk re the Fostex T50RP around, but most of it seems to center around the various ways to mod them. I'm really not interested in modding, but reviews like the one at Headphonia makes me want to try it.
 
Is modding essential with these, or are there people out there who enjoy them stock, as-is? 

I dont think modding them is essential at all, they sound pretty good stock, they just sound a lot better modded.
 
 
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Unfortunately, I haven't head a chance to hold, feel or hear the Fostex phones, yet.  However, please look at my signature and you might get an idea how I really feel. 

  

We're going to have to fix that.
 

 
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Do you think a Schiit Asgard will drive them properly?

Yep, my Sparrow drives mine just fine.
 

 

[FearSC549]

They sounds pretty good stock, but they're very mid centric with a bit of a midbass/low-mids hump. The mods are so simple, it's worth spending 10-20 minutes modding them.

 

[anetode]

Mid-centric is putting it kindly, stock T50RPs sound like they are almost completely missing the lower end and the higher end response. It's what I expect headphones to have sounded 60 years ago, where all it mattered was whether the headphones adequately relayed the vocal range. That's the best thing I can say about them stock: they are adequate for most vocal reproduction. If you're an engineer working on an audiobook, they should fit the bill. If you like your music with all the excitement of a live event, they will disappoint with a canned sound.

 

[ChavaC]

Just got my pair today. Wasn't expecting much but a little disappointed in the stock sound. Mids sound alright but bass and treble are kind of rolled off, and I didn't realize how much sound they leak. For 70 bucks I guess they're alright.
 
Looking forward making some wood cups and modding them though.

 

[LFF]

They sound ok but there is a lot left to desire.
 
Don't be scared to open them up and start modding them. The sound improves dramatically.

 

[rawrster]

I thought they sounded ok but the resonances made it pretty bad to listen to.

 

[WhiteCrow]

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Just got my pair today. Wasn't expecting much but a little disappointed in the stock sound. Mids sound alright but bass and treble are kind of rolled off, and I didn't realize how much sound they leak. For 70 bucks I guess they're alright.
 
Looking forward making some wood cups and modding them though.

Run then out of a speaker amp, they sound very good with excess amounts of power.

 

[devouringone3]

 
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Appreciate the responses. I'm going to give them a shot without modding, but who knows - if there are mods that even a complete klutz like me could make, maybe I'd give it a shot. 

 
I bought a T50RP quite recently and also this : http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Fostex-T50rp-super-mod-kit-includes-paxmate-newplast-/110753782122 in case I really felt that I needed to mod them. But I didn't want to. I wanted to believe Fostex already had made their best when designing the headphone so that is has the best possible sound out of the box. I wanted to believe Smeggy had started all the modding craze and the the new imbued sound was only a DIFFERENT and not a BETTER sound, or only a sound that is better for your ego because you made it yourself. [edit* actually the graphs are innerfidelity.com easily prove me wrong, comparing the original T50TP (http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/FostexT50RP2011A.pdf) to the TP by Smeggy (http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/FostexT50RPDSmeggyThunderpantsontherivet.pdf) or the Paradox by LFF (http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/FostexT50RPDIYModifiedLFFParadox.pdf)]

I love them, built quality is top notch, usability too. Also they seal and they provide bass, they are comfortable and "360"X2 adjustable (= very adjustable, almost HD adjustable).
 
Headband for the T50RP, like the headbands of my two grados, hurt my skull because they press at one punctual spot and in the long run it becomes like the water drop suplice (a drop or water on the same spot, every second of an hour will became like hammer smash in the end). So I do like I do for all three headphone, I put a http://www.ebay.com/sch/kiwispace/m.html?_nkw=band&_sacat=0&_odkw=&_osacat=0&_trksid=p3911.c0.m270.l1313 sport head band or a wrist band between it and my head. Those thing are cotton comfy and washable, I also use one as a wrist rest for my mouse-using hand.
 
My main gripe with the Fostex are that they are, not TOO HOT, but TOO SWEAT-INDUCING (the ears themselves don't sweat, it is the hairless skin in front of them or around them). No matter the room temperature, how naked or cold I am, how clean I am, etc. which soap I used to clean the skin around my ears that sweats etc. I needed to keep a wet clothe to wash my T50RP pads each time (because I didn't wanted sweat to dry up and accumulate in layers on my beautiful stock pads I really like on the T50RP) and that sucked so I just passed on using my T50 and reached for my Grados instead.
 
Quite recently... (pictures) I felt in love again with my stock T50RP by doing the sock mod.

I repeat that these are perfectly stock (don't be fooled by their appearance!) and I still am indecisive whether or not I am going to mod them. (*edit I've begun modifying them and I definitely think you can make them sound better)
 
 sorry I didn't even bother smiling
here I did bother, or tried; err, looking weird... well that's not the point here
view of the right cup
 close up
 donuts dipped in white sugar
 first dough nut, you can always do a better job then I did (I took no more then 5 mins total to do it) at slipping the sock under and inside the stock pleather pad
 
 second dough nut, a little better, both holds up pretty well during and after listening, I really like how I did it and that's why I say this way of modding is better than using a carton ring (or any ring) to keep the contour, out of the way, inside the pad.
 
 the socks I used for the mod, they used to be full size now they are heel high, it's okay I still like them
 "supporo", I don't know if this is a real brand, after a google look up I don't think so. I bought these at Shopper's Drug Store, a pharmaceutics turned into a popular chain of general stores present in almost all Canadian cities (if you live in Canada chances are that you could get the exact same thing as those stores sell roughly the same stuff and stores the same brands). 10 bucks is a lot for one pair but they are special socks for diabetic people (which I am not, actually I can't even remember how and when I bought a pair of 10 dollars socks at "Pharmaprix" (it is called in french) for diabetic people, but these are (/were) among my favorite socks to wear... I might just return to buy a black pair). They have less compression around the lower leg, which makes them fit the T50RP perfectly and not too tightly I believe.
 
 I won't need to wash them any more yay! I can just take out the sock and throw it in the washing machine.
 
All in all those small "mods" made me very happy, they didn't altered the sound too much, a placebo would actually make me think they improved it! Making for a better/evenly distribution of the sound in the air space of my ears, allowing the sound to breath a little with the outside too, as these mesh aren't as hermetic, I don't know how to explain further the effect. But I like how they sound, and not too far from how they sounded before the socks too. I believe it would be like comparing velour pads with pleather ones (I prefer velours, or "comfort extra-soft" on my Razer Carcharias http://store.razerzone.com/store/razerusa/en_US/pd/productID.175961600) although I don't see much of a difference in the bass, I just say it got tighter.
 
 comfortable headphone is a headphone that sounds good! (haha, far from always the case!)
 
Dressed this way I definitely like how they sound... and I will enjoy them as my primary headphone for a while, over my recabled RS1. They were and they are still an infinite listening headphone (that never hurts no matter how 12 hours you listen to them) but without the sweat! (so you can wear them for longer because your head won't become wet!)
 
They might be a little hotter with the socks on... but they weren't hot to begin with so as long as you don't run with it's not an issue.