[Whitigir]

One thing to note, 90% of the cup sound differences go away if you do the full Lawton mod.

Dampening the cup chambers will decrease a lot of the tones coloring from the wood cups. However, the chambers depth and cavity are shaped much different from one to another, and that should still affect the final outcome

 

[fjrabon]

Dampening the cup chambers will decrease a lot of the tones coloring from the wood cups. However, the chambers depth and cavity are shaped much different from one to another, and that should still affect the final outcome

sure, that was why I said 90%.  For the ones that are shaped the same (THX00 cups, EMU ebony and rosewood) they should be virtually identical after doing the full lawton mod.  TH900 and EMU Teak should still sound a little bit different but it will cut down a lot of the differences.

 

[Whitigir]

Agreed

 

[fjrabon]

After doing my first long session with the THX00 and ECP Torpedo III amp, I can confirm its a phenomenal match. Switch it to the low-Z setting and it really lets these babies shine. It really pushes these bio-dyna drivers to their max as far as bass response, dynamicism, extension on both ends and smoothness goes. It's the first tube amp ive really liked with any of the Fostex bio-dyna series. It doesn't change the sound signature very much, if at all, but it does remove almost all the high order harmonics and thus makes the treble much smoother. Bass is tighter than even with a zero impedance solid state amp, and hits a bit harder. Midrange is pure liquid bliss. Highs are very well extended but never fatiguing. If you find the highs in your THX00 fatiguing but you also don't want a dull roll-off either, this is your solution.

It's probably overkill for the THX00 at ~$1500 built to the specs I have mine at and shipped from Beezar, but if you're pairing the THX00 with an HD800, this could absolutely be your summit fi amp. Equally brilliant with both, which two weeks ago I thought finding a single amp that took the HD800 and THX00 to their max ability would be impossible. Doug is a freaking genius. Was talking to Purk about this yesterday, and we both think Doug is probably the best amp designer in the world.

For reference I have my TIII with: cinemags, Tube CCS, Output CCS and Mundorfs. Currently using the EH 12ay7s. But rolling in others too.

 

[jamor]

Does the thick & long TH-X00 cable work with the Just Mobile HeadStand?  It just dropped on Massdrop. 

 

[-19db]

I started with just the driver mod. Had it that way for a few weeks, got a good feel for the improvements there. Then I did the cup mods. To me, the driver mods are a no-brainer. You get a cleaner sound with virtually no downsides. Better resolution and soundstage (better phase coherency) and you don't lose any bass. The cup mods are more of a trade off. You get a good bit more resolution, imaging is further improved, depth is improved. But you lose some perception of bass. It's a trade off I was willing to make, but for some it won't be.

I'll try the driver mods first, then the cups.  Since my other 'phones are HD600, AKG Kxx and ER4s, the Fostex will always seem to have plenty of bass.

 

[fjrabon]

I'll try the driver mods first, then the cups.  Since my other 'phones are HD600, AKG Kxx and ER4s, the Fostex will always seem to have plenty of bass.

The good thing about the cup mods is that you can audition them without making it permanent by attaching the foam to the cup disc and then just sticking that in there. It's not 100% like it sounds when fully adhered, as when fully adhered it cuts down cup vibration even more, but it will give you a very good idea.

 

[Eudis]

I'll try the driver mods first, then the cups.  Since my other 'phones are HD600, AKG Kxx and ER4s, the Fostex will always seem to have plenty of bass.

Just careful with the dynamat, that really becomes difficult to remove if you let it fully adhere.



My mods are coming along pretty well, layering transpore tape helps reduce vibratioms and distortion too you could try working with that.

There are scarier mods you can do like replacing all the stock dampening material with a different type but that becomes permanent and the potential for damage increases.

 

[drjigarn]

Can someone who has heard these and B&W P7s give me a brief idea about the differences in sound?
 
Thanks in advance!

 

[EinZweiDrei]

So the purplehearts are the bassiest of them thx00. According to one of the reviews the purplehearts bass seems to touch the treble a bit. Will it be a bit muddy sounding? Im about to recieve my purplehearts soon and im a bit worried. The reason i got the purplehearts is because i heard it's smoother sounding than the mahogany, that was when the existance of ebony thx00 was still unknown.

 

[Liu Junyuan]

So the purplehearts are the bassiest of them thx00. According to one of the reviews the purplehearts bass seems to touch the treble a bit. Will it be a bit muddy sounding? Im about to recieve my purplehearts soon and im a bit worried. The reason i got the purplehearts is because i heard it's smoother sounding than the mahogany, that was when the existance of ebony thx00 was still unknown.

I don't think there is any reason to worry. The differences between each of the models are already relatively minute. I personally invite a less orthodox, less neutral, funner sound in my collection at this point. Not only do I look forward to receiving my Purplehearts, but I am fairly confident they are/would be my favorite among the three in any case, as a former owner of the already outstanding Mahogany edition. 
 
You may indeed find the same. I can't wait to try them from the ZDS and CTH.

 

[slex]

Beaverface Mahagony reporting, today i realize it actually look like a beaver face after a long herbination

I just wanna find out whats the different weight among the popular woods available. I intending to add some weight by applying multiple coating of boat varnish.

 

[SleepingLesson]

Whelp, finally got my ebony cups on!

 

 
I'll spare you the gory insides. I had to dremel the **** out of these to get them to fit, and even then they're super tight.

 

[HC Over Lambda]

  Whelp, finally got my ebony cups on!

 
Those are gorgeous

 

[SleepingLesson]

   
Those are gorgeous

Thanks, I think so too! They really pop in the sunlight don't they?
 
I also added some extra padding as you can see; the standard headband was too bare-bones for my delicate scalp.