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

[Taowolf51]

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Ah, near the Sunoco refinery?  Near the Schuykill Expressway?  Near the Veteran's Hospital?  Yeah, I've been through there in the day light.  If I had to do it at night, I think I'd pass on the offer.
 
 

 
Usually I don't go further than 40th and Haverford. Never really had any issues (even at night), but I don't want to chance it.

 

[kalbee]

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I'm glad that your method work. In my config, after using the resonator, i think beside improvement in bass, the rest of sound didn't change or i couldn't identify correctly. Can you post some picture 

?

Never heard anyone else's setup so can't call my method super effective. I'd say it would be sub-par to just about anyone else's. Pictures below show just how much exposed stock plastic I still have.
Though I did notice the bass thumping harder, and either that cause me to feel that the overall sound signature is different, or that it did change a heck lot. And actually, since my vents are open (rather, intact), the bass increase may be due to the fact that the resonator sits on top of it.
 
I didn't try resolving the reverberation issue yet, though listening to other tracks, it didn't feel as bad. Partially attributed to the song (forgot what it was too).
 

My overall setup. Paxmate only in the two strips of the cup, a tiny bit to the left of cable entry point and that one small strip in baffle (cause I had extra small pieces that fit). Plasticine only in the grooves that are sealed on the baffle-side; that is, where no wall is formed by the driver enclosure.

I know I called it a plasticine diffuser but that may be a overglorified term for it. It goes around 3 holes across the resonator plate, and the outer edges are pressed to be inclined (thus the sort of 'diffusing' part of it). Inner edges also but not nearly as much. Its was initially added to increase the mass of surface. The legs are sitting on top of the paxmate with some super old spongy double sided tape. Loose cotton within.

The plate itself is made with a tissue box... The overall diagram is drawn crappily on the picture. Thinking back, I really should have left the rough side as the contact surface, would have made much better sense. I punched 9 holes into them with an ice pick; the 4 corners are full diameter, center is around 2/3 diameter, and the rest are 1/4. Random hole placements with more size variation might work better.
 
There really isn't much of a cavity size underneath the plate. Not to mention the cup's reflect dot thing is right under it. However, with mass loaded on the center of this relatively thin cardboard, locked with spongy double sided tape AND sitting on top of paxmate, it can be quite springy. Once again, none of these are based on equations, so I can say with certainty that I did not have any specific frequencies targeted.
 
 
 
I wear my fostex out! Though I used to find the original pads really comfortable, now I find them too shallow... so until I get some 840 pads or something I probably won't be seen with it as often.

 

[wje]

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I wear my fostex out! Though I used to find the original pads really comfortable, now I find them too shallow... so until I get some 840 pads I probably won't be seen with it as often.

I, too, thought the original Fostex pads were adequate because they actually fit me pretty well and as long as I was working on getting the other modifications.  However, I finally was at the stage to order the 840s and proceed with them.  To me, it was like going from sitting on a hard dining room chair and trying to watch TV and moving onto a Lay-Z-Boy.  The difference was night and day.
 

 

[kalbee]

Sounds promising

I am actually more inclined in getting FA003 pads as suggested by LFF (they look sooooooo comfy!) but can't find them anywhere in Canada. If anyone is able to find and mail me a pair, I'd be interested to buy! Though gotta know how much it'll cost total first :S spent way too much money lately.
 
Sorry, my wallet. I know you hate Head-Fi.

 

[mmayer167]

Good ideas going around! Anyone play with completely sealing up the enclosure? Like screw holes and any possible place air could seep. I know the paradox are completely epoxied shut (included bass vents) so it'd be worth trying. The paradox aren't bass shy so whatever is going on in there doesn't need to breathe out the non ear side of the enclosure. Just a thought and statement that they sound dam perfect with the whole thing sealed up. 
 
-M

 

[Lurkumaural]

I know the Paradox is painstakingly tuned by ear over a substantial period of time, and therefore there is not only a recipe but an intent process, but I must admit I get so fascinated to find out what's been done to them.  Please feel free to leak more info

 

[Taowolf51]

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I, too, thought the original Fostex pads were adequate because they actually fit me pretty well and as long as I was working on getting the other modifications.  However, I finally was at the stage to order the 840s and proceed with them.  To me, it was like going from sitting on a hard dining room chair and trying to watch TV and moving onto a Lay-Z-Boy.  The difference was night and day.
 

The Fostex with the 840 pads really are *very* comfortable. Coming from someone used to the Denons.
They don't quite disappear on your head like the Denons do, but they're still very comfy compared to the average headphone. And with how relaxed the sound is, I could wear them for days without fatigue methinks.
 
Quote:

Good ideas going around! Anyone play with completely sealing up the enclosure? Like screw holes and any possible place air could seep. I know the paradox are completely epoxied shut (included bass vents) so it'd be worth trying. The paradox aren't bass shy so whatever is going on in there doesn't need to breathe out the non ear side of the enclosure. Just a thought and statement that they sound dam perfect with the whole thing sealed up. 
 
-M

Strangely enough, I've noticed sealing them up on the cup side makes them less bass heavy, whereas sealing them up on the ear side made them more bass heavy.
 

 

[mmayer167]

lol ^    your asking me to break open my paradox so you can find out whats in there!?  For all we know there are butterfly wings inside 

. Besides being able to see that they are completely sealed up, that is it. LFF put lots of work into them and it shows through the sound they produce. My mention of the above was to share something simple that works with whatever is going on inside. Take it or leave it, but it may be something to use as a control in your testing.
 
I went back and listened to my previous modded pair of t50's which were basically a variant of the rp2 with half sealed bass vent and fa003 pads ( I spent a lot of time on them and thought they sounded amazing). In comparison to the Paradox the bass was uber boomy and stomped all over the mids, it was more fun but less fulfilling. It got better when I taped up the vents which led me to believe that totally sealed is the way to go, for my sonic preferences anyways (which is, the flatter the better).   
 
I enjoy reading though all your ideas and am really tempted to get another pair to mess with because it's just so dang fun! 
 
Plug for the V-moda cable, got one the other day for 15 bucks and really like it. It's light, the perfect length, the angled plug is perfect and the sound is maybe a hair better than the stock with a barely noticeable better soundstage. 
 
-M

 

[Questhate]

Anyone tuning these with stock pads? My friend gave me his to play with and I'm having a hard time getting the stock pads to sound right. 
 
I'm pretty shocked at how much difference just the pads make. The stock ones are so mid-forward -- once I slap on the 840 pads, everything fits into place much better. 
 
He has the stock white paper on his driver, and I'm having a hard time getting that honkiness out of the low-mids -- even with 840 pads. Mine has been replaced with a coffee filter, and I'm not detecting any sort of bloom in that area on mine. I may need to damp with some additional material on top of the stock white driver backing because I don't want to do anything irreversible on his. I tried layering on a few layers of tissue paper, which helped but not quite enough. I'll probably try something more air-restrictive. I'm guessing there's a peak or resonance around 300-500hz. Anyone with stock white driver felt have any ideas?
 
As for my pair, I took RexAeterna's advice and damped with a combination of polyfill and fiberglass and the results are MUCH better than just cotton balls. My set up looks like driver --> 1 gram of polyfill --> 1 gram (one inch thick) of fiberglass --> Silverstone --> cup. I have my stock white paper off and have replaced it with a coffee filter (inspired by RD). Also, I have 840 pads on mine. I compared it with my LCD-2r2 over several days and do NOT see it losing out at all. The LCD-2r2 has more bass impact, but it's also noticeably more resonant (think "echo-y") than my T50RP which sounds very clean. 
 
The hemholtz resonator and cardboard diffuser ideas on the past couple of pages look interesting. I may sit down and play with some of those ideas over the weekend. Good stuff guys. 

 

[hans030390]

I did a bit more work with my cardboard diffuser mod. There's a bit more in the cups now, and I redid it so that it was a bit more...random? It seems like it helps a bit with bass extension, and maybe even with the soundstage and imaging. Again, I could be completely wrong. I'm only using my ears to judge. It might even sound worse for all I know!
 

 

[proid]

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Never heard anyone else's setup so can't call my method super effective. I'd say it would be sub-par to just about anyone else's. Pictures below show just how much exposed stock plastic I still have.
Though I did notice the bass thumping harder, and either that cause me to feel that the overall sound signature is different, or that it did change a heck lot. And actually, since my vents are open (rather, intact), the bass increase may be due to the fact that the resonator sits on top of it.
 
I didn't try resolving the reverberation issue yet, though listening to other tracks, it didn't feel as bad. Partially attributed to the song (forgot what it was too).
 

My overall setup. Paxmate only in the two strips of the cup, a tiny bit to the left of cable entry point and that one small strip in baffle (cause I had extra small pieces that fit). Plasticine only in the grooves that are sealed on the baffle-side; that is, where no wall is formed by the driver enclosure.

I know I called it a plasticine diffuser but that may be a overglorified term for it. It goes around 3 holes across the resonator plate, and the outer edges are pressed to be inclined (thus the sort of 'diffusing' part of it). Inner edges also but not nearly as much. Its was initially added to increase the mass of surface. The legs are sitting on top of the paxmate with some super old spongy double sided tape. Loose cotton within.

The plate itself is made with a tissue box... The overall diagram is drawn crappily on the picture. Thinking back, I really should have left the rough side as the contact surface, would have made much better sense. I punched 9 holes into them with an ice pick; the 4 corners are full diameter, center is around 2/3 diameter, and the rest are 1/4. Random hole placements with more size variation might work better.
 
There really isn't much of a cavity size underneath the plate. Not to mention the cup's reflect dot thing is right under it. However, with mass loaded on the center of this relatively thin cardboard, locked with spongy double sided tape AND sitting on top of paxmate, it can be quite springy. Once again, none of these are based on equations, so I can say with certainty that I did not have any specific frequencies targeted.
 
 
 
I wear my fostex out! Though I used to find the original pads really comfortable, now I find them too shallow... so until I get some 840 pads or something I probably won't be seen with it as often.

Now i know why you get reverb. It cause of tissue surface which will reflect sound. I suggest you stuff some cotton or fiber glass in the cup, i'm quite sure that it will solve the problem.
 

 
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Good ideas going around! Anyone play with completely sealing up the enclosure? Like screw holes and any possible place air could seep. I know the paradox are completely epoxied shut (included bass vents) so it'd be worth trying. The paradox aren't bass shy so whatever is going on in there doesn't need to breathe out the non ear side of the enclosure. Just a thought and statement that they sound dam perfect with the whole thing sealed up. 
 
-M

That's very interesting information. My pairs have very strong bass even when i close all slots by tapes, i need to tame a little more mid bass and make sub bass a little louder, that will be perfect for me.
 
@Hans: tomorrow, i tried the diffuser, and it helped bass too but i feel like resonator somehow still make more extension and bass is clearer but anyway, i think you should trust your ears. With me, mod and unmod with either diffuser or resonator is clearly a big different. I think you could use test tone to hear the different better.

 

[kalbee]

Thanks for the suggestion, I will try it.
The previous attempt to mod I actually did put cotton in it but I decided to remove it. Will put it back in very light amount to still allow the resonant plate to move around.
 
Meanwhile, just tried the T50RP with my ATH-SJ5 pads (they are supra-aural and fit the likes of yamaha HP/YH-1) and I gotta say the sound is a lot better than stock pads! Fun, since it may be a while before I can purchase new pads, I will try modding/tuning this pair for supra-aural pads. I must look pretty dumb

 

[Magick Man]

Good ideas going around! Anyone play with completely sealing up the enclosure? Like screw holes and any possible place air could seep. I know the paradox are completely epoxied shut (included bass vents) so it'd be worth trying. The paradox aren't bass shy so whatever is going on in there doesn't need to breathe out the non ear side of the enclosure. Just a thought and statement that they sound dam perfect with the whole thing sealed up. 

-M

I sealed mine, except the one bass vent and the small ear-side baffle hole. I use blue tack to seal the last bass vent sometimes, it still sounds great and very punchy, just doesn't have as much extension.

 

[Taowolf51]

I tried adding a ring of clay to the outer edges of the ear-side baffel to make a "gasket" of sorts for the edge of the earpads. It brought more bass, but I'm not sure if I would call it good bass. At the time, they were bloaty enough, and I didn't want more. I may try it again now that I've really gotten these close to how I like them. Unfortunately it added quite a bit of weight and made them less comfortable.

 

[wje]

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lol ^    your asking me to break open my paradox so you can find out whats in there!?

 
Basically, yes.  If you're unwilling to do such a task, would you consider selling the Paradox?  I'll then take on the task, document the process and publish the pictures here on the forum.