Fostex x Massdrop TH-X00 Review
Sep 10, 2016 at 3:58 PM Post #8,551 of 12,078
I'm enjoying these headphones quite a bit. They're great for their price. They're certainly gorgeous, scratch here or there or markings or not. I've gone through the initial phase of expectation equalization and like these... they sound different enough to my Z7 to be an enjoyable closed alternative 
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Sep 10, 2016 at 3:58 PM Post #8,552 of 12,078
   
I'm a bit surprised we don't have frequency graphs showing the difference in response between PH and PHBW variants at this point :) Adds a certain... pop to the midrange ? heheh 
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I C WUT U DID THAR!
 
Sep 10, 2016 at 4:11 PM Post #8,553 of 12,078
I was messing around with an EQ and just for fun I tweaked it to sound more like the Ebony FR graph. Lo and behold, that might be my favorite voicing for these drivers. More refined with less treble peakiness and "Setting Sun" still sound massive. Debating whether or not to sell the PHs in the meantime...
 
Sep 10, 2016 at 4:44 PM Post #8,554 of 12,078
  I was messing around with an EQ and just for fun I tweaked it to sound more like the Ebony FR graph. Lo and behold, that might be my favorite voicing for these drivers. More refined with less treble peakiness and "Setting Sun" still sound massive. Debating whether or not to sell the PHs in the meantime...

Do you mind sharing the tweak? Hehe
 
Sep 10, 2016 at 5:19 PM Post #8,555 of 12,078
Do you mind sharing the tweak? Hehe


You want Tweaks ? Here are some

http://www.head-fi.org/t/802704/th-900-fostex-ez-simple-mods-and-other-fostex-dynamic-variants-x00-denon-more-bass-mid-soundstage-smooth-trebles

Below is what my Ebony cups got dampened as a better job, my set-up and Ebony 900 without Logo. This cups is E-MU Ebony cups standing on the carrying case




 
Sep 10, 2016 at 5:54 PM Post #8,556 of 12,078
You want Tweaks ? Here are some

http://www.head-fi.org/t/802704/th-900-fostex-ez-simple-mods-and-other-fostex-dynamic-variants-x00-denon-more-bass-mid-soundstage-smooth-trebles

Below is what my Ebony cups got dampened as a better job, my set-up and Ebony 900 without Logo. This cups is E-MU Ebony cups standing on the carrying case




Lovely, but it looks scary! I don't know if I'll ever have the guts to 'cut' open my TH-X00's like that!
 
Sep 10, 2016 at 5:57 PM Post #8,558 of 12,078
I might do this, but after I live with them for a bit. I did it to the Z7s and I was shocked at how improved it was, but it did change the sound in a way where I kind of miss the original sound; I'd just gotten used to it. But yeah, I think it's worthwhile. You do have to be handy and unafraid tho :) 
 
Sep 11, 2016 at 12:00 PM Post #8,559 of 12,078
I went to the Comex convention in Singapore and honestly it was boring AF. Overcrowded too. Audio Technica was there and I was disappointed with all the products I was interested in, only exception being the A990X. Sennheiser was only interested in selling some closed back for teens. And a big audio shop only showed up with some miscellaneous products.
Then there were these guys in the corner of the somewhat large Creative exhibition:

Upon picking them up I instantly felt familiar. No doubt it's a brother to my THX00.
The convention was too noisy to assess the EMU's true stength, even inside an audition booth they have next to that table. But I think both of these EMUs were somewhat brighter and more neutral than my Mahogany THX00. The trebles sound definitely crispier, midrange not as lush and bass seems to be the same (it was really, really noisy inside the convention center). My iPhone 6s Plus is really not the best player to drive these prestigious cans and I'm not sure about the Creative devices that they use over there, but I don't think the EMU would stray too far from the familiar Fostex sound sig.
Perhaps tomorrow I would write an email to EMU asking if I can do borrow a pair for comparison. I love Singapore and with Creative/EMU being Singaporean companies, doing a review on these would be a privilege.
 
Sep 11, 2016 at 5:34 PM Post #8,562 of 12,078
  Do you mind sharing the tweak? Hehe

I just lowered the bass a bit gradually starting at around 500, maxing out at 60 and tapering off at the lowest bar. I boosted the mids a bit between 600-800 and 3-4k, and rolled the treble off at 6, 8, 12 & 16k. That makes the PHs sound less V-shaped and smooths the top-end off quite nicely. Nothing more than a few dBs. Still sounds like the same phones with a more versatile voicing.
 
Sep 12, 2016 at 5:11 PM Post #8,564 of 12,078
Someone started a thread asking about real differences between the PH and Mahogany. I have both on the same setup, so I thought I'd post my impressions here as well.
 
I've been A/Bing them recently, and the first thing I'll say is that I'm not positive that I consistently hear a difference. That should tell you how subtle it is. It also may be track dependent. I listen out of a Bifrost 4490 and Magni2 Uber, across multiple genres. The differences I think I hear are as follows:
1. The PH has a tiny bit more energy throughout the treble range. Massdrop claimed they tamed a spike in the Mahogany, and that's backed up by their FR graphs, but I think the treble as a whole is ever so slightly elevated compared to the Mahogany.
2. With the bass, I feel like I'm hearing a very subtle increase in bass energy. Unlike the treble, it doesn't seem to be throughout the whole bass region though. I'd say the deep bass is equivalent, but somewhere above the deep lows but below what I think people generally call the mid-bass (120 hz or so) I hear the PH as having VERY slightly more bass.
3. The mids in the PH can sometimes seem like they are little further back. I'm not sure I'd even say quieter, if that makes any sense.
 
Again, all of these are very slight differences. On the first few listens, I couldn't pinpoint any differences. It took some very extreme test tracks to pull out the differences I think I hear. Others with better ears may disagree. I also don't know how much of that could be duplicated using EQ, as I only use the EQ that's built into Foobar.
 
Sep 12, 2016 at 5:19 PM Post #8,565 of 12,078
  Someone started a thread asking about real differences between the PH and Mahogany. I have both on the same setup, so I thought I'd post my impressions here as well.
 
I've been A/Bing them recently, and the first thing I'll say is that I'm not positive that I consistently hear a difference. That should tell you how subtle it is. It also may be track dependent. I listen out of a Bifrost 4490 and Magni2 Uber, across multiple genres. The differences I think I hear are as follows:
1. The PH has a tiny bit more energy throughout the treble range. Massdrop claimed they tamed a spike in the Mahogany, and that's backed up by their FR graphs, but I think the treble as a whole is ever so slightly elevated compared to the Mahogany.
2. With the bass, I feel like I'm hearing a very subtle increase in bass energy. Unlike the treble, it doesn't seem to be throughout the whole bass region though. I'd say the deep bass is equivalent, but somewhere above the deep lows but below what I think people generally call the mid-bass (120 hz or so) I hear the PH as having VERY slightly more bass.
3. The mids in the PH can sometimes seem like they are little further back. I'm not sure I'd even say quieter, if that makes any sense.
 
Again, all of these are very slight differences. On the first few listens, I couldn't pinpoint any differences. It took some very extreme test tracks to pull out the differences I think I hear. Others with better ears may disagree. I also don't know how much of that could be duplicated using EQ, as I only use the EQ that's built into Foobar.

Thanks for your inputs.
It just verifies my expectations that the actual differences between different X00 versions are more subtle than one would expect it. 
 

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