Just listened to some Fostex T50RPs today... WOW!

[mrspeakers]

BLuTack is really easy to remove, it pops out.  But it's still a good upgrade over stock...  Good luck and have fun.

 

[KneelJung]

Quote:

BLuTack is really easy to remove, it pops out.  But it's still a good upgrade over stock...  Good luck and have fun.

I've used dynamat on my Grado's. Just a little blob on the back of the driver magnet. It seems like its fairly similar to the blue tak. The plasticine doesnt seem like it differs a whole lot ether, so what is it about those materials that in your opinion makes them superior to the blue tak.
 
I'm listening to Breezin by George Benson right now...and I'm thoroughly digging it

 

 

[HDMan]

Has anyone toyed with the thought of making an open cup design for these, I think I will make a wood cup with perferated holes, like to see what it sounds like.

 

[mrspeakers]

Quote:

I've used dynamat on my Grado's. Just a little blob on the back of the driver magnet. It seems like its fairly similar to the blue tak. The plasticine doesnt seem like it differs a whole lot ether, so what is it about those materials that in your opinion makes them superior to the blue tak.
 
I'm listening to Breezin by George Benson right now...and I'm thoroughly digging it

 

I have not used the Dynamat, but plasticine is way denser and more "inert" than the bluTak.  This increases the mass loading of the baffle and improves absorption of resonances...  BluTak just isn't dense and heavy enough.
 

 

[mrspeakers]

Quote:

Has anyone toyed with the thought of making an open cup design for these, I think I will make a wood cup with perferated holes, like to see what it sounds like.

 
Some have tried but only one person that I saw ever reported decent results.  Note that the LCD-2 is "open," but they have layers of material  on the outside which are designed to optimize the sound.  It may just be nobody has really found the right damping schema for an "open pants."  Sorry, couldn't resist.  

 

[HDMan]

Anybody want to swap an old pair of T50RP's for some nice wood cups?

 

[bluemonkeyflyer]

For DIY cables, will this work?
 
3-pin mini xlr male and female plugs X 2.
TRS Neutrik headphone plug.
24 AWG silver plated copper stranded wires with Teflon insulation X 4.
60/40 rosin solder.
Non-expanding braided sleeving.
Heat shrink tubing.
 
1. Litz braid wires to make cables and install braided sleeving (or not) and heat shrink tubing.
 
2. Solder + Right channel cable to pin #2 of Right mini xlr plug and other end to TRS plug's Ring terminal.
 
3. Solder + Left channel cable wire to pin #2 of Left mini xlr plug and other end to TRS plug's Tip terminal.
 
4. Solder - Right channel cable to pin #1 of Right mini xlr plug, solder a jumper connecting pins #1 and #3 of Right mini xlr plug, and then solder other end of cable to Sleeve terminal of TRS plug.
 
5. Solder - Left channel cable to pin #1 of Left mini xlr plug, solder a jumper connecting pins #1 and #3 of Left mini xlr plug, and then solder other end of cable to Sleeve terminal of TRS plug. 
 
Would excluding the jumper soldered to pins #1 and #3 of each female mini xlr plug have any effect on function or sound?
 
 

 

[chrislangley4253]

Quote:

I dont really find them laid back at all. The closed design isnt leading me to find them awful or congested either. At this point I prefer my Grado's but I haven't started tinkering with them yet either. 

I felt the same way, as a fellow grado modder. However, I have yet to do any serious mods to these yet, and that is when grados shine. I have to finish my woodie 225is then I'm going to devote my time to working on these, probably once I'm back in school. 
 
 

 

[4nradio]

HDMan, here's a recent post I made about an open style DIY Fostex T50rp:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/452404/just-listened-to-some-fostex-t50rps-today-wow/1875#post_7619541
 
Quote:

Has anyone toyed with the thought of making an open cup design for these, I think I will make a wood cup with perferated holes, like to see what it sounds like.

 
 

 

[HDMan]

Quote:

HDMan, here's a recent post I made about an open style DIY Fostex T50rp:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/452404/just-listened-to-some-fostex-t50rps-today-wow/1875#post_7619541
 


 
 

 
So does it open up the soundstage at all having an open back? Traditionaly open back cans are known to have a better sound stage, "the out of your head experience"
 

 
 

 

[Naim.F.C]

Does any one have an exact list of items required for the mod, and full instructions to tet it to the 85% LCD-2 build? I'm willing to make the stab now, but with so many different posts etc it's getting very confusing. If someone could just post a concise list, I'd buy the items now and get to modding!
 
Thanks
Naim

 

[keanex]

I'm highly interested in picking some of these up due to this thread. Shame they seem to have gone up a little in price though...

 

[bluemonkeyflyer]

I don't think this is possible.  You've read 100's of posts from dozens of people describing their mods/methods and their perception of sound quality after their mods, mine included.  Their is no way to say which is better because it's all based on subjective, anecdotal reports of individual headphones.  What one person describes as 80% or 85% of LCD2 (or insert name of any other TOTL headphone) may not be heard that way to you even if you meticulously follow their method and use the same materials.  Another uncontrolled variable is the vast differences and permutations of signal chain with a multitude of sources, DAC's, amps, cables, IC's, etc.
 
I think the best approach is to read through as much of the thread as possible (or as much as you can stand), select mods and methods that make sense to you, and give it a try.  Only your perception can determine if your mods are good, fantastic, or not worth the effort.
 
Quote:

Does any one have an exact list of items required for the mod, and full instructions to tet it to the 85% LCD-2 build? I'm willing to make the stab now, but with so many different posts etc it's getting very confusing. If someone could just post a concise list, I'd buy the items now and get to modding!
 
Thanks
Naim

 

 

[4nradio]

Quote:

 
So does it open up the soundstage at all having an open back? Traditionaly open back cans are known to have a better sound stage, "the out of your head experience"
 

 
 

Absolutely. I took the plunge to make them open back style with the hope that sound staging would be improved. I definitely hear most instruments "outside the head" and spread around in an aural semi-circle from left to right. The degree of spaciousness depends a lot on the particular recording. Albums that I felt had good sound staging before the mod sound even better now that they are open headphones.
 
I was fully prepared to find a reduction in bass as a trade-off for improved sound staging. This was not the result, fortunately. I can't say how much of the success is due to having used the JVC headphones as a chassis. It would be interesting to compare it to someone else's approach to open phones with the same T50rp drivers.
 
Some Head-Fi'ers are bass heads, some live for smooth, lifelike mids and/or highs, others crave that "out of the head" sound of good open style headphones. I'm in that latter camp and I'd give up some other characteristics of fidelity if necessary for believable sound staging.
 
 

 

[HDMan]

Sounds good, I am going to make 2 sets of cups, open and closed woodies, lets see the result, thanks for the feedback on open