[ostewart]

Comparison: It's not very in depth but gives you an overview of the different sound signatures
 
Gear Used:
Audio Opus #1 / Dell XPS 15 > Matrix Quattro II > Matrix HPA-2C
 

 
 
Tech Specs:
(T20RPmk3)
Driver:    Regular Phase (or Orthodynamic)
Impedance:    50 ohm
Sensitivity:    92dB (at 1kHz, 1mW)
Frequency Response:    15Hz – 35kHz
Maximum Input Power:    3000mW
Weight:    315g
Cable:    Detachable 1/4” Stereo Phone (3m) and Stereo Mini (1.2m)

(T40RPmk3)
Driver:    Regular Phase (or Orthodynamic)
Impedance:    50 ohm
Sensitivity:    91dB (at 1kHz, 1mW)
Frequency Response:    20Hz – 35kHz
Maximum Input Power:    3000mW
Weight:    315g
Cable:    Detachable 1/4” Stereo Phone (3m) and Stereo Mini (1.2m)

(T50RPmk3)
Driver:    Regular Phase (or Orthdynamic)
Impedance:    50 ohm
Sensitivity:    92dB (at 1kHz, 1mW)
Frequency Response:    15Hz – 35kHz
Maximum Input Power:    3000mW
Weight:    315g
Cable:    Detachable 1/4” Stereo Phone (3m) and Stereo Mini (1.2m)
MSRP: £119
 

Packaging, Build Quality and Accessories:
The packaging is quite simple, a card box with a picture on the front and info and specs on the back, these do not come with an elaborate fancy box, but again they are studio headphones so no need. Nothing special here, but the box does protect the headphones during shipping.
 

 
The build quality is great, they feel like they are built to last with solid metal sliders, a metal headband and the use of high quality plastics. The earpads are soft but very flat with a small opening for your ears. They use a locking detachable cable mechanism, which works well and again shows they are made to last. I have no issues with the build quality.
 
Accessories are not many, all you get in the box is the headphones and 2 cables, 1 long black 3m cable with a 6.3mm jack, another short orange 1.2m cable with 3.5mm jack for portable use. I would have liked to have seen a carry pouch, but not a necessary accessory and for the price I cannot complain, these are all about the sound.
 

 
Isolation, Cable noise, Comfort and Driveability:
Isolation varies between the models due to their design, but on the whole none of them isolate very well, they isolate enough to block out mild outside noise but if you require isolation go with the T40 out of all of them due to their closed back design.
Because the T50 are semi-open back and T20 are open back, both leak more than the T40 and are not suitable for use in very quiet environments where you may disturb others.
 
The comfort is not great, the clamping force is manageable but the pads are rather thin, luckily you can change them out. It may alter the sound a little, but will most likely alter the comfort for the better a lot more. I find these fine for short listening sessions, but the padding on the headband is minimal which causes slight irritation after about an hour’s use.
 
Cable noise is not an issue with these headphones.
 

 
Well these are not easy to drive headphones. I highly recommend using a powerful amplifier to get the best out of these headphones, using them out of a portable device usually tends to make them sound thin, and even distorted in some cases. With a powerful amp you can turn them up to unlistenable volumes without distortion.
 
Now on to the sound:
 
All have a similar base sound, with a few differences between the models, I find the sound of the TXXrp headphones to be smooth, full and very coherent. The mids are incredibly detailed, and the whole range is well reproduced. A well rounded, do it all headphone, with very quick and responsive sound.
These are a great model to get if you are looking at Orthodynamic headphones, they give you a taste of what they sound like, without hitting your wallet too hard, and online you will find extensive mods that you can do to make them even better. Below are the key differences:
 

 
T20rp –
Full articulate lows, with weighty punch and adequate extension. Good spacial queues. Mid notes have a sharp and crisp edge to them, very clear and detailed. Highs are slightly lacking in presence.
A warmer, fuller sound with good control, articulation and a more mid centric sound signature with plenty of detail.
 
T40rp –
Slightly more intimate sounding, the lows are similar in presentation, maybe with a tad less body. The mids don’t sound quite as crisp, they sound a little smoother and the highs gain a little presence.
More balanced sounding with a slightly thinner note to the sound, I find these to be a little on the brighter side of sound.
 
T50rp –
As good spacial queues as the T20rp, slightly less weight in the lows than the T20 but better balance and highs. It sound the most open of all of the models, and the most balanced.
Highs have extension, mids are crisp and clear, the lows are in perfect quantity and balance.
 

 
I really enjoy all 3 models, to pick a favourite is hard, it would be between the T20 and the T50. I find the T40 to have a little more fatiguing sound in comparison. I think the T50 is my favourite, the T20 just has a tad too much low end emphasis, whereas the T50 is very neutral and balanced.
 
All models are a great buy for the price, especially since there are incredible modding possibilities, Fostex have perfected the RP driver used, and just changing the enclosure brings quite audible changes, now think of the possibilities for DIY projects.

 

[gwompki]

Great post! Thanks for sharing your impressions.

 

[marcan]

Yep Thx
The drivers are all exactly same or there are some driver tuning for each model?

 

[eeagle]

  I really enjoy all 3 models, to pick a favourite is hard, it would be between the T20 and the T50. I find the T40 to have a little more fatiguing sound in comparison. I think the T50 is my favourite, the T20 just has a tad too much low end emphasis, whereas the T50 is very neutral and balanced.
 
 

I see you also have the Fostex TH-500rp, which Txx model does its sound signature most resemble.
 
It is said that the TH500RP has the same driver as the Txx, but the earpads look a lot more comfortable.

 

[Taggerung]

Would an amp with these specs be enough to drive the RP's adequately?
 

Impedances
Input impedance	>10 kΩ
Output Impedance	<1Ω
Headphone impedance	8 Ω - 600 Ω
Audio
BW	13Hz - 100kHz	±0.2 dB
SNR	110 dB	32 Ω; 0.1W
THD + N	<0.004 %	0Hz–20kHz; 0.2W battery operated
Slew Rate	2000V/μs
DC stop filter	Yes
Output
Maximum Voltage RMS	1 Vrms
Maximum Voltage Swing	2.7 V
Maximum Output Current	70 mA x2
Output power RMS	19.60 mW x2  39.20 mW x2  49.00 mW x2  40.83 mW x2  30.63 mW x2  15.31 mW x2  8.17 mW x2  3.27 mW x2	Load of 8 Ω Load of 16 Ω Load of 20 Ω Load of 24 Ω Load of 32 Ω Load of 64 Ω Load of 120 Ω Load of 300 Ω

 

[CJG888]

From what I understand, the RP family will probably need upwards of 0.8W to sound their best...

 

[Aradea]

Would an amp with these specs be enough to drive the RP's adequately?

Impedances
Input impedance	>10 kΩ
Output Impedance	<1Ω
Headphone impedance	8 Ω - 600 Ω
Audio
BW	13Hz - 100kHz	±0.2 dB
SNR	110 dB	32 Ω; 0.1W
THD + N	<0.004 %	0Hz–20kHz; 0.2W battery operated
Slew Rate	2000V/μs
DC stop filter	Yes
Output
Maximum Voltage RMS	1 Vrms
Maximum Voltage Swing	2.7 V
Maximum Output Current	70 mA x2
Output power RMS	19.60 mW x2  39.20 mW x2  49.00 mW x2  40.83 mW x2  30.63 mW x2  15.31 mW x2  8.17 mW x2  3.27 mW x2	Load of 8 Ω Load of 16 Ω Load of 20 Ω Load of 24 Ω Load of 32 Ω Load of 64 Ω Load of 120 Ω Load of 300 Ω

With that power rating.. I dont think so

 

[SeEnCreaTive]

Taggerung

You'll be surprised what will run them, my iPod Classic 160gb does alright enough not to be distracting bad. And that's running my full mods

 

[el boricua]

I got the 20's and both my note 3 cell phone and fiio x1 drive them to satisfactory levels for music. but I need my fiio A3 to drive them when watching videos in my Fire tablet.

 

[ostewart]

  I see you also have the Fostex TH-500rp, which Txx model does its sound signature most resemble.
 
It is said that the TH500RP has the same driver as the Txx, but the earpads look a lot more comfortable.

Hi There,
 
They use the same driver, but the sound is quite different than all the Txx models so it is not easy to say they sound like any of them.
 
The TH500rp have a smooth, refined and spacious sound. All the Txx series are more monitor like, rather than refined high end sound.

 

[swong37]

 
Gonna answer my own question here.
 
I Was able to get a hold of 1540 pads locally (from Australia) and was very excited to put them on as i found the comfortability on the stock pads as severely lacking.
 
Now i absolutely love the stock sound. Fast planar sound, fast bass (abiet me wanting just a touch more) and fairly balanced to my ears.
 
Unfortunately for me the 1540 pads changed the sound signature too much for me. It made it sound a bit too dark and the bass became a touch too more for my ears and ever so slightly looser. Treble also seemed a bit more grainier. Generally speaking everything seemed a lot more closed in/muffled to my ears.
There is no doubting the comfortability of the Alcantera, they are ear pillows but for me i don't think the trade off is worth it. I missed/craved the stock sound that much. I missed the imaging and the much tighter sound (being my first planar).
 
I went back to the stock pads and put some toilet paper under the pads to try and get a bit more comfort (as they raise the pads up a bit more). Still nowhere near the comfort of the 1540s though.
 
Anyways that's just my opinion and i know a lot of people here are waiting for their pads but i thought i would share. Of course YMMV.
 
I noticed in one of the comments on Z's T50rp mk3 video that they felt the same that i did and what they did was cut open the felt insides of the 1540 pads to expose the driver. They found that this managed to get the stock sound back.
Here is his photo 
 
 
 
However i am definitely apprahensive doing this as these pads were not freaking cheap. 

Has anyone else tried this? I'm curious about trying this as well, but worried about exposing the driver as well as cutting up these Alcantara pads (just got them a few weeks ago from BHPhotoVideo).

 

[marcan]

 
Has anyone else tried this? I'm curious about trying this as well, but worried about exposing the driver as well as cutting up these Alcantara pads (just got them a few weeks ago from BHPhotoVideo).

If you want to open up the sound it will do.

 

[marcusog]

Has anyone else tried this? I'm curious about trying this as well, but worried about exposing the driver as well as cutting up these Alcantara pads (just got them a few weeks ago from BHPhotoVideo).

I have a pair of hm5 velours I am willing to do this to, but it won't be until Saturday when my non velour backups arrive.

 

[dropadred]

What do you think, guys? 
 
Mk3 + FocusPads ?
 
As far as the information about the increased distance of ear from the driver due the thicker earpads and its terrible impact on the SQ goes, how would the focuspads hold ? They are not thick, they look like a beautiful sweet-spot between stock "pancakes" pads and som thicker ones, such as Shure 1540's or Hybrid pads by Brainwavz.
 
Anyone tried it or have an opportunity to try them ? 

 

[gwompki]

I've owned these (T40RP) for a couple of weeks now so thought I would share my opinions.
 
I enjoy the sound of these, but really found the bass overwhelming.  My original thought was to throw some new pads on there and be done with it, but I decided to play around with a few other reversible mods in the meantime.
 
Here's what I've done and what I think about the results:
 
1) Installed blu tack on the back of the baffle to reduce vibrations.  I wouldn't say this lessened the bass but seemed to tighten it up a bit.
 
2) Added a wad of pillow stuffing to both cups. To my ears there was no discernible effect.
 
3) Experimented with covering the baffle vents and the rear cup vent.  This seemed to increase the bass quantity and impact.  I tried several different configurations, but nothing really seemed outstanding to my ears.
 
Finally, I broke down and ordered a pair of the HM5 hybrid pads and immediately I heard what so many others have complained about, a treble peak that was unlistenable.  At that point the first thing I decided to try was to remove the pillow stuffing which seemed to help a bit, but was still what I would call harsh.  Then I reversed all of the other things I had done (covering/uncoverning vents).  I would say it lessened the bass and seemed to improve the mids, but the treble had only been minimally improved.
 
Late last night I noticed that if I squished the pads down on my ears somewhat, the magic started happening.  Good balance between sound stage and comfort with a more appealing sound signature.  So I adjusted the clamping force of the headphones and that seems to have helped a good bit.  I would say the treble is still a bit harsh, but I'm pretty happy with the bass and mids.
 
I've heard adding some felt to the back of the drivers can help with harsh treble, but I'm going to spend some more time with them as is before I crack them open again.
 
Take all of this with a grain of salt.  I don't have a measurement rig...just trial and error.