[kintsaki]

Do note Headfonia is a review website and not a shop, we're not linked to selling Audeze and Hifiman in any way.
This article might make things more clear to you: https://www.headfonia.com/the-return-of-michael-ting/

In the article I was referring to,
you yourselves said that.

you may take it back now I could care less as to what you really do.
If you are a review site and not associated with sales that is fine with me,
sorry for the inconvenience.

 

[GearMe]

Do note Headfonia is a review website and not a shop, we're not linked to selling Audeze and Hifiman in any way.
This article might make things more clear to you: https://www.headfonia.com/the-return-of-michael-ting/

In the article I was referring to,
you yourselves said that.

you may take it back now I could care less as to what you really do.
If you are a review site and not associated with sales that is fine with me,
sorry for the inconvenience.

Always follow the $$$...

TBH, it's a minor difference; a review site that accepts ad $$$ from equipment companies they review should always be viewed with a healthy amount of skepticism. Not to say, they can't be objective; just extremely difficult to do so!


FWIW, the content below is cut and pasted from the https://www.headfoniastore.sg/ website

HeadfoniaStore.sg is created by Mike behind Headfonia.com and HeadfoniaStore.com.

We have forged strong relationships with many Japanese brands that we feel offer extremely good value for money but not yet present in the Singapore market.

 

[Ultrainferno]

That's Mike's store, he left the review site to run the store. The name causes confusion but it's exactly why I posted the above article because they're non related. The Headfoniastore owner do is is the founder of Headfonia, but he left the site to run the store. Mike has no more link to Headfonia as explained in the interview. You can not run a store and have a review site.It's all explained so I'll leave it with this

 

[GearMe]

Do you still take ad money from manufacturers/dealers/etc. whose equipment you review?

 

[kintsaki]

Do you still take ad money from manufacturers/dealers/etc. whose equipment you review?

Great, finally a Headphonus Supremus on our side

I am going to start using this as signature

Any "Wall of Fame" without the 125$ Fostex Tx0 RP MK III is a "Wall of Shame"

 

[trellus]

Do note Headfonia is a review website and not a shop, we're not linked to selling Audeze and Hifiman in any way.
This article might make things more clear to you: https://www.headfonia.com/the-return-of-michael-ting/

Goodness, that link didn’t help at all, it talks about the Headfonia Store that just opened in 2017.

Also, the linked article relevant to this thread and cited here explicitly has a disclaimer at the top that the Headfonia Store sells Fostex headphones.

Also, in the article itself, when comparing to the LCD-2, it explicitly notes that the Headfonia Store sells many of those.

I think in the context of the post, the disclaimer was relevant and that’s why the poster mentioned it.

What the relationship is now between the Headfonia Store and the Headfonia review site, as confusing as it surely seems, isn’t relevant to that article since it seems to have been different then at the time of that review.

 

[kintsaki]

Goodness, that link didn’t help at all, it talks about the Headfonia Store that just opened in 2017.

Also, the linked article relevant to this thread and cited here explicitly has a disclaimer at the top that the Headfonia Store sells Fostex headphones.

Also, in the article itself, when comparing to the LCD-2, it explicitly notes that the Headfonia Store sells many of those.

I think in the context of the post, the disclaimer was relevant and that’s why the poster mentioned it.

What the relationship is now between the Headfonia Store and the Headfonia review site, as confusing as it surely seems, isn’t relevant to that article since it seems to have been different then at the time of that review.

Very well and accurately explained

 

[Nick-s-f]

I'm working on reading through this thread so forgive me for a possibly stupid question: Does ZMF or other custom version of the t50rp change anything with the drivers themselves? If I were to swap out stock drivers with some out of ZMF Blackwoods would there be any sonic differences? I'm wondering If I can start stock and work my way up slowly to a certain point. Thanks!

The drivers are certainly altered, but the ear-side is the only part I have seen (I've swapped earpads on my Ori many times). As far as I can tell, the metal airflow plates are partially shaved down to allow more air flow from the driver. I think that is why the bass on the zmf planars is so "big".

I am guessing the mod also raises the treble, so the materials placed over the driver are to calm down the treble.

Only a guess, but its quite a unique driver mod.

 

[mbwilson111]

The drivers are certainly altered, but the ear-side is the only part I have seen (I've swapped earpads on my Ori many times). As far as I can tell, the metal airflow plates are partially shaved down to allow more air flow from the driver. I think that is why the bass on the zmf planars is so "big".

I am guessing the mod also raises the treble, so the materials placed over the driver are to calm down the treble.

Only a guess, but its quite a unique driver mod.

Whatever he does, I love both my Fostex t50rp mk3 unmodded except for changing to Brainwavz hybrid pads and my ZMF Vibro ii Purplewood (from Massdrop last year).

 

[kintsaki]

Whatever he does, I love both my Fostex t50rp mk3 unmodded except for changing to Brainwavz hybrid pads and my ZMF Vibro ii Purplewood (from Massdrop last year).

The ZMF bass is not adequate when compared to the T20RP MK III stock which can be
user converted to T40 or T50 by attaching the appropriate screen or block.

 

[rikk009]

I'm working on reading through this thread so forgive me for a possibly stupid question: Does ZMF or other custom version of the t50rp change anything with the drivers themselves? If I were to swap out stock drivers with some out of ZMF Blackwoods would there be any sonic differences? I'm wondering If I can start stock and work my way up slowly to a certain point. Thanks!

Yes, Dan from Mr. Speakers once had said in his thread where he revealed the mods behind his Maddogs that he 'corrugates' the drivers. I asked him how but never got an answer. I believe Zach does the same.

 

[stellarelephant]

Just sold my HD598 and ordered the Mayflower 1 yesterday. Looking forward to my first taste of planar headphone sound, and hoping that my Pocket Class A amp will cut the mustard.

 

[kintsaki]

I have not been reading all the posts here recently... from a quick look I took took I must tell you that the new MK3 is as good if not better than what ZMF or Mr. Speakers did with the MK2. Hence their decision to quit trying to improve them. Hiroaki studied carefully the Smeggy Thunderpants (which I own) and the LFF versions of the MK2 in the last five years and produced the MK3 to much their performance (and he succeeded in my own opinion). The T20 can be user converted to T50 or T40 by externally applying a screen or a block. The pads and especially the ZMF ones fit nicely through the slot that was introduced in the MK3 baffle and provide excellent seal and comfort (hence the price increase from 50 to 75). The article Smeggy Thunderpants "Standing Ovation" by Headfonia published years ago stands true today as far as I am concerned given that I own Hifiman He-6, Hifiman X V2, Mr.Speakers C flow, and Audezee LCD-2. At moderate listening levels clarity and focus is unsurpassed. The headphones scale up to being driven by a 200 Watt RMS per channel amp into 8 ohms as the power delivered into 50 Ohms is approximately 20 Watts and the T50RP MK3 is rated as 3 Watts continuous power with 10 Watts peak. The secret (which applies to all Orthodynamics) is that a "Constant Zero Output Impedance across the entire bandwidth is required". People think that because Orthodynamcis present a resistive load they are easy to drive. Nothing is further from the truth. The output impedance of an average amp varies like a "yo yo" and looks like a roller coaster when driving Orthodynamic headphones. The ifi micro DSD will drive them with very good results however to get the true potential you must drive them through an adapter directly from the speaker output of a 200 Watt RMS per channel amp into 8 Ohms. You can add a ZMF pilot band or headband pad. You may spent money on special cables but the stock cable sounds as good as an OFC copper Jena labs or a pure silver one (I own both). No balanced amp needed the benefit cannot much the benefit of the powerful amp. Amp can be digital, hybrid, tube or MOSFET it does not matter the variations can be easily achieved by VST plugins hosted perfectly (better than multi thousand dollars DAW's) by Jriver MC 22 or later ( I use MC23). Invest in the amp it will benefit all your Orthos if you decide to upgrade to the 1000+ $ offerings by Audeze, Hifiman or Mr. Speakers.
I will be back with my impressions on the Hifiman X driven by my 350$ Sony Walkman sometime next week when I compare it to the rest of them driven by my "chain of amps" (see my profile mode) to test the claim from Hifiman that the X does not need a dedicated amp and in fact its performance decreases with high powered amps.

 

[kimikaze]

So, if i connect my mk3 directly to speaker output of NAD C 352, rated at 80W/8ohm, should be fine at moderate volume as long i don't turn volume pot to high?

 

[Oscar-HiFi]

So, if i connect my mk3 directly to speaker output of NAD C 352, rated at 80W/8ohm, should be fine at moderate volume as long i don't turn volume pot to high?

Yes you should be fine, I have plugged some 300 Ohm dynamic headphones into a 125w @8 Ohm power amp and it was fine.