[VRacer-111]

OK,

There seems to be enough strong opinions about the benefits of amping that I guess I'll look into it.

On a side note, @koover I know you're an advocate for the driver dampening Lawton mod, along with a few others here. I have the DYI and am planning on doing it sometime later this week after more listening, but just wanted to get some impressions on how I should expect the sound to change?

I'll give my opinion:

Stock TH-X00 PH = slightly bloomy, muffled, and conjested sounding.

Lawton driver modded TH-X00 PH = cleaned up/tightened bass with better detail and extension, mids brought a little more forward, vocals/words much more intelligible and clear, same for highs. Sound is also opened up along with much improved instrument separation.

 

[macky112]

so I've been listening to my replacement pair of PH from MD for about a week, and I found the stock pads to be acceptable in terms of comfort, but my only complain is that the right earpad seems to loose its seal pretty easily when I move my head.

anyway, I went to a car audio shop near my work and ask the guy if I could buy some small sheet of Dynamat Xtreme, and the guy was pretty cool about it and gave me some left over irregular sized pieces for free!

I just completed my DIY dynamat xtreme copy Lawton style driver housing damping setup (http://www.lawtonaudio.com/fostextuneupinstructions.html). the "rings" from Lawton kit (pieces C and E) were pretty straight forward, just cut and wrap around the driver housing as pictured, but the "donuts" (pieces D and F) were too much for me to mimic, so I went with a pentagon donut with 5 small straight pieces, LOL.

Lastly, I covered all exposed Dynamat aluminum surfaces with left over felt from my M1060 fuzzor mod.

I'll give my opinion:

Stock TH-X00 PH = slightly bloomy, muffled, and conjested sounding.

Lawton driver modded TH-X00 PH = cleaned up/tightened bass with better detail and extension, mids brought a little more forward, vocals/words much more intelligible and clear, same for highs. Sound is also opened up along with much improved instrument separation.

I must admit I am getting similar experience as vracer.

 

[gadu]

I'll give my opinion:

Stock TH-X00 PH = slightly bloomy, muffled, and conjested sounding.

Lawton driver modded TH-X00 PH = cleaned up/tightened bass with better detail and extension, mids brought a little more forward, vocals/words much more intelligible and clear, same for highs. Sound is also opened up along with much improved instrument separation.

that sounds delightful. kinda want to do it right now

 

[koover]

that sounds delightful. kinda want to do it right now

Just do it!

 

[gadu]

Ok I couldn't resist. I did the driver dampening mod.

A few notes for DIY'ers. The strips I got were a bit longer than they should have been, so I just cut it shorter with scissors so it would fit snug.
The screws you have to unscrew are the ones inside the little notches where the earpad adaptor goes into. AND THEY ARE DAMN HARD TO REMOVE.
I legit had to use power tools, I couldn't get it open with the mini screw driver I had.

I used the ear pads themselves as a safe little storage bucket for the screws so they wouldn't get lost

Other than that it was pretty straight forward. I was pretty careful but nothing inside the internals seemed particularly delicate anyways.

But now that it's all done.
Oh my. Sorry if I ever doubted any of you (which I didn't) but I couldn't resist coming back here and writing something after just 10 minutes of listening.

So much more detail across the lows mids AND highs. It adds a certain clarity. It also did wonders for the bass. It can go hella low now, super clean, it even seems to hit a bit harder.

I'm curious to see how this pairs now with the stock ear pads, but to the people advocating for the driver dampening + ori pads. I can see why now, because these certainly pair delightfully.

Now to see about getting a DAC & AMP

Edit: to anyone who hasn't done this mod what are you waiting for. Literally.
Go right now: http://www.lawtonaudio.com/fostextune-up.html
You'll have to message and ask for the driver dampening parts only. I was quoted $19 + shipping for this

 

[Mark Up]

I get that the treble is improved - is there any perceived increase of the amount of treble, and noticeably more sibilance or piercing highs from cymbals, tambourine, etc.?

 

[chocomel167]

Does anyone know how large/deep the earpad openings are?

 

[koover]

I get that the treble is improved - is there any perceived increase of the amount of treble, and noticeably more sibilance or piercing highs from cymbals, tambourine, etc.?

I know this is addressed to gadu but are you referring to the driver dampening and Ori pads? I can’t speak for anyone else but the group who has this set up or have heard it will probably echo my comments. Probably!
The treble is actually cleaned up and I personally don’t notice any siblance at all other then how a track was laid down from the studio, or how it was mixed. It’s more detailed with better extension and it doesn’t sound as thin because of the toned down treble.
It sounds fuller to me ever so slightly. It’s also cleaner, has tighter treble while the crash, splash and high-hat all sound good to my older ears.
I also need to make mention that I’m amping and with a Dac. This exact set up on a Lyr2 with British Brimar tubes is a great pairing with these mods and is a major improvement over stock versus running “only” through a source. It also sounds great running through my Jot and Mimby.

 

[VRacer-111]

I get that the treble is improved - is there any perceived increase of the amount of treble, and noticeably more sibilance or piercing highs from cymbals, tambourine, etc.?

l have a second TH-X00 PH coming in along with a Tascam MH-8 (professional 8 headphone distribution amp)... so I can have a direct comparison between stock PH and modded PH observed differences. I will say, the treble doesn't seem more siblant/harsh than stock - if anything it's a little bit smoother yet with a little more energy/body behind it...tis good stuff. Sibilant sounds/recordings will still be sibilant...but seem slightly better/smoother.

 

[Pahani]

Ok I couldn't resist. I did the driver dampening mod.

A few notes for DIY'ers. The strips I got were a bit longer than they should have been, so I just cut it shorter with scissors so it would fit snug.
The screws you have to unscrew are the ones inside the little notches where the earpad adaptor goes into. AND THEY ARE DAMN HARD TO REMOVE.
I legit had to use power tools, I couldn't get it open with the mini screw driver I had.

I used the ear pads themselves as a safe little storage bucket for the screws so they wouldn't get lost

Other than that it was pretty straight forward. I was pretty careful but nothing inside the internals seemed particularly delicate anyways.

But now that it's all done.
Oh my. Sorry if I ever doubted any of you (which I didn't) but I couldn't resist coming back here and writing something after just 10 minutes of listening.

So much more detail across the lows mids AND highs. It adds a certain clarity. It also did wonders for the bass. It can go hella low now, super clean, it even seems to hit a bit harder.

I'm curious to see how this pairs now with the stock ear pads, but to the people advocating for the driver dampening + ori pads. I can see why now, because these certainly pair delightfully.

Now to see about getting a DAC & AMP

Edit: to anyone who hasn't done this mod what are you waiting for. Literally.
Go right now: http://www.lawtonaudio.com/fostextune-up.html
You'll have to message and ask for the driver dampening parts only. I was quoted $19 + shipping for this

Glad you're liking the mods! I got lucky enough to .....literally........guess correctly. I had the ZMF and Lawton pieces already sitting on my desk before my first-batch (Serial # 00179) even arrived at my door.

@fjrabon is to thank for that, his detailed impressions of the Mahogany and Emu Teak w/ Lawton mods in this thread had me sold.

I told myself I'd listen to them for 2 weeks in stock form, to get a feel for the sound, before I modded them.

..............@ 4 months later I finally stopped procrastinating and got it done. I really wish I'd have stuck to my original plan, those extra 3 1/2 months could have been more enjoyable

 

[chimney189]

Good day everyone,
I'm wondering if these headphones have any type of sibilance, sharpness and/or piercing highs?
Keep in mind that I am used to listening to an Audeze LCD-2 Rev. 2 Pre-fazor headphone model.

I'm very interested in having a 'fun' headphone that is lightweight and can also be used for gaming and movies as well as music (I listen mostly to instrumental such as game OSTs).

Thanks!

 

[gLer]

Good day everyone,
I'm wondering if these headphones have any type of sibilance, sharpness and/or piercing highs?
Keep in mind that I am used to listening to an Audeze LCD-2 Rev. 2 Pre-fazor headphone model.

I'm very interested in having a 'fun' headphone that is lightweight and can also be used for gaming and movies as well as music (I listen mostly to instrumental such as game OSTs).

Thanks!

I can only speak as a Mahogany owner, and one modded with Alpha pads at that. I had a few instances of "piercing highs" when using my previous amps (Sound Blaster E3, and to a lesser extend Sound Blaster E5). I sold those and upgraded to an ifi Micro iDSD and ever since then I haven't had a single instance of piercing highs or sibilance. For whatever reason the ifi seems to have tamed the treble 'spike' some people have experienced, so I can only conclude that if paired with the right source, you this headphone can be fun, dynamic, powerful and sparkling up top without being harsh or piercing.

Interestingly I'm about to add an LCD 2F (latest revision) to my collection, as I feel it will be the ideal 'open' complement to the Fostex. Easily the best quality of the Fostex is its bass (and bass extension), so I'm looking to partner it with a headphone that retains and even improves on the bass quality (not necessarily quantity), but also adds a new flavour, air, imaging and resolution that's only possible with a planar. I feel the combination of the Fostex biocellulose driver and LCD-2 planar driver is really suited to the sound signature I favour - plenty of high quality low end, luscious and smooth mids, and nicely rolled off highs.

 

[koover]

I’m Just curious....does anyone read anymore?
Same questions over and over again with post upon post with answers. Lol

 

[Phantaminum]

I’m Just curious....does anyone read anymore?
Same questions over and over again with post upon post with answers. Lol

This is Head-Fi and as much as I love this forum there's just lots of noise in most threads. What could possibly be done is starting a new TH-X00/E-MU Teak FAQ thread with the original sound signature reviews on the first page, CSkippy's pad measurements, recommended mods, links etc...would probably be more beneficial. I think that would cut down on most if not all of the questions. Saying that "NOT IT!!!"

 

[chimney189]

I can only speak as a Mahogany owner, and one modded with Alpha pads at that. I had a few instances of "piercing highs" when using my previous amps (Sound Blaster E3, and to a lesser extend Sound Blaster E5). I sold those and upgraded to an ifi Micro iDSD and ever since then I haven't had a single instance of piercing highs or sibilance. For whatever reason the ifi seems to have tamed the treble 'spike' some people have experienced, so I can only conclude that if paired with the right source, you this headphone can be fun, dynamic, powerful and sparkling up top without being harsh or piercing.

Interestingly I'm about to add an LCD 2F (latest revision) to my collection, as I feel it will be the ideal 'open' complement to the Fostex. Easily the best quality of the Fostex is its bass (and bass extension), so I'm looking to partner it with a headphone that retains and even improves on the bass quality (not necessarily quantity), but also adds a new flavour, air, imaging and resolution that's only possible with a planar. I feel the combination of the Fostex biocellulose driver and LCD-2 planar driver is really suited to the sound signature I favour - plenty of high quality low end, luscious and smooth mids, and nicely rolled off highs.

Thanks for the reply!
iFi products are SS devices that are suppose to mixed with a tube-like sound, so I'm not surprised that the highs were tamed. Do you ever use the bass boost feature?
I guess I need to be careful considering that I have Burson products as my main desktop setup.
Maybe I'd have better results through the AudioQuest Dragonfly Red.