Just listened to some Fostex T50RPs today... WOW!
Jul 5, 2011 at 2:28 AM Post #1,801 of 11,346
Just don't cover over the vents.  Different configurations might need them open or closed to different degrees.
 
Jul 5, 2011 at 4:14 AM Post #1,803 of 11,346
Just wondering, could one use Dynamat Xtreme in place of plasticine for mass loading around the driver? would the results be the same?
 
I planned on using Akasa Paxmate plus in the earcups...
 
Jul 5, 2011 at 4:21 AM Post #1,804 of 11,346
Quote:
Just wondering, could one use Dynamat Xtreme in place of plasticine for mass loading around the driver? would the results be the same?
 
I planned on using Akasa Paxmate plus in the earcups...


The dynamat is meant to be constrained layer damping and not just mass loading, despite its weight.
 
If you don't mind your 'phones getting heavy you could do both by putting the dynamat on the outside of the baffle where its smooth and easy to apply and fill in the nooks and crannies on the inside with the plasticine.  I have dynamat on the outside of my baffles and some blutak on the inside but the blutak didn't seem to do anything.  I'd assume the plasticine would be better but  than the blutak butI haven't tried it
 
Doing both might be overkill, but then again this is head-fi.  
evil_smiley.gif

 
Jul 5, 2011 at 4:29 AM Post #1,805 of 11,346
LOL I'll start with the Dynamat and Akasa and take it from there....
I'm gonna be opening these damn things up a dozen times, aren't I?
 
Jul 5, 2011 at 4:43 AM Post #1,806 of 11,346
Jul 5, 2011 at 7:32 AM Post #1,807 of 11,346


Quote:
LOL I'll start with the Dynamat and Akasa and take it from there....
I'm gonna be opening these damn things up a dozen times, aren't I?



I've lost count with mine.
 
You can reach the end, though--I haven't had mine open in a couple months now and I'm still very happy.
 
Jul 5, 2011 at 10:02 AM Post #1,808 of 11,346
I thought the dynamat was supposed to be lined at the cups instead of the baffle.
 
My plan was to line the cups with dynamat (cutting an opening at the vents), then mass damping the baffles with modelling clay.
 
I also got some felt, but am not sure what I should do with them, should I cover them over the outside of the baffle?
 
Jul 5, 2011 at 10:04 AM Post #1,809 of 11,346
You can try either way.  Its up to you.
 
You just need to keep the baffle from moving along with the driver and there a different ways of achieving that goal.
 
Jul 5, 2011 at 10:07 AM Post #1,810 of 11,346
Thanks.  So other than keeping the baffle from moving, what are the purposes of the other mods?
 
The reason I was going dynamat was to avoid having the sounds bounce off the plastic cups at the back.  Is dynamt going to help with that?
 
Jul 5, 2011 at 10:18 AM Post #1,811 of 11,346
That's just purpose of putting stuff on the baffle.
 
The cup will resonate a bit too and it needs to be coated with dynamat, mass loaded with clay/plasticine, etc so it doesn't.  They're just different ways of achieving the same goal.  If you're adventurous try both ways, if you're not then just go with what materials you can get the easiest.
 
The akasa foam mentioned in this thread is to keep the treble from reflecting off the cups.  By itself, the dynamat will make that problem worse so put the akasa on top of the dynamat to solve both problems.
 
Jul 5, 2011 at 10:38 AM Post #1,812 of 11,346
Thanks a lot for your inputs.
 
I am waiting for my dynamat to mail in, and will pick up some acoustic foam from a friend of mine.
 
The plan is:
 
1) Stick dynamat on the cup
2) Lay acoustic foam between cup and driver
3) Stick modelling clay on baffles
 
Then call it a day.
 
I will see how it will sound.
 
Jul 5, 2011 at 10:40 AM Post #1,813 of 11,346
Make sure to keep the foam stuck to back of cups and to not cover up the vent in the back of the cups.
 
Other than that it sounds like a good plan.
 
Jul 5, 2011 at 5:00 PM Post #1,814 of 11,346
Final mods?  Probably not, but here's what I did today:
 
1. Added 1 layer of Paxmate to the cup walls.
2. Added a Paxmate reflex dot to the center of the cups above the screw compartment.
3. Covered the back of the driver with 1/16" wool felt secured with 2 strips of double adhesive tape and made sure the vents were not blocked.
4. Placed Paxmate in a "C-shape on the outside of the drivers, around the back side to elevate the pads a bit and focus sound forward.
5. Compared to an unmodified set of T50RP's and my LCD2's.  MacBook Pro with lossless files --> optical out to optical in of Dacmini --> headphones.
 
I think my modded T50RP's produce roughly 80% of the SQ of the LCD2's; oh, that last 20% of SQ is so very sweet but so very costly!  The LCD2's have much deeper bass, better integration of all frequencies across the spectrum, and clearer mids compared to the modded Fostex T50RP's.  There is no treble attenuation on either set as far as I can tell.
 
I think the modded T50RP's are roughly 50% better than stock.  These are obviously unscientific-subject to bias comparisons.  I am amazed that so much SQ goodness can be extracted from $75 studio headphones for about $5.00 worth of materials. You will, however, have about $20.00 of left-over supplies to use on future mods or to share with friends.
 
I will probably seal the plasticine with some sort of glue.
 
Thanks to smeggy, sachu, leeperry, joelpearce, mrspeakers, boilermakerfan, and many others for sharing your mods on the forum.
 

 
Jul 5, 2011 at 6:51 PM Post #1,815 of 11,346
Looks nice! You'll want to experiment with the vent closed vs. open vs. partially open and possibly adding felt or other material over the driver on the ear side (if you find the upper mids a little too or harsh). Those seem to be the biggest variables after the basic mods. Also, just out of curiosity, have you compared the sound with the felt over the driver vs. just the stock material? I haven't put anything there yet and am still curious on people's opinions on that. Also, there is small port in the ear-cup that is worth experimenting with that is sometimes overlooked (it's a small pin hole by the driver). I prefer the sound of mine with that open but others prefer that to be closed. 
 
Keep us posted!
Quote:
Final mods?  Probably not, but here's what I did today:
 
1. Added 1 layer of Paxmate to the cup walls.
2. Added a Paxmate reflex dot to the center of the cups above the screw compartment.
3. Covered the back of the driver with 1/16" wool felt secured with 2 strips of double adhesive tape and made sure the vents were not blocked.
4. Placed Paxmate in a "C-shape on the outside of the drivers, around the back side to elevate the pads a bit and focus sound forward.
5. Compared to an unmodified set of T50RP's and my LCD2's.  MacBook Pro with lossless files --> optical out to optical in of Dacmini --> headphones.
 
I think my modded T50RP's produce roughly 80% of the SQ of the LCD2's; oh, that last 20% of SQ is so very sweet but so very costly!  The LCD2's have much deeper bass, better integration of all frequencies across the spectrum, and clearer mids compared to the modded Fostex T50RP's.  There is no treble attenuation on either set as far as I can tell.
 
I think the modded T50RP's are roughly 50% better than stock.  These are obviously unscientific-subject to bias comparisons.  I am amazed that so much SQ goodness can be extracted from $75 studio headphones for about $5.00 worth of materials. You will, however, have about $20.00 of left-over supplies to use on future mods or to share with friends.
 
I will probably seal the plasticine with some sort of glue.
 
Thanks to smeggy, sachu, leeperry, joelpearce, mrspeakers, boilermakerfan, and many others for sharing your mods on the forum.
 
 


 
 
 

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