[jimmers]

 
Funny. I have one of those travellers neck pillows which is filled with little memory foam beads. If there was a way to keep the pad firm enough without being too stiff to the ear they would make the perfect solution.

When I read this I was worried as I had bought a neck memory foam neck pillow hoping it would be solid foam so I could make some alternate pads for my Q701(one day, maybe).
I had a look last night and good news it is one piece so I should be to slice a number of discs from it, the cover is soft black velour, should enough to cover 3 sets of pads so I might try making them for my T50 too.
The pillow was from Aldi, cost $15, so if I can make 3+ sets it will be a bargain.
Thinking I'll start with the T50, I have the original pads to play with (and they're not much good for anything else).

 

[micmacmo]

Some unsolicited advice: If you have one, try using an electric carving knife to cut the memory foam. The foam has a weird consistency that defies razors and most knifes I tried.  

 

[jimmers]

  If you have one, try using an electric carving knife to cut the memory foam.

Thanks, I had just been hunting for mine, must be down the back of something

 

 

[kalbee]

Punching holes and drilling both works IMO.
In the case of drilling, cleaning up the foam (and your work space) with a vacuum would be recommended.
Heck I drill through my pleather headbands. When you have two/three layers already sown together it's a pretty big hassle to make openings.
 
On the mention of perforating holes throughout the memory foam, that could help I guess though you might also feel it. For better or for worse, I'm not sure; I know I do feel the holes on pillows with those kind of design (to use stiffer/harder memory foam but give the impression of softness). If you use hole punchers perhaps you can fill the memory-foam holes with regular foam cylinders (also punched)

 

[Stuff Jones]

How portable are these and how much do they leak after using common mods? I'm looking for some headphones for working in cafe's and libraries. 
 
Also, how well does the Fiio X3 drive them?

 

[zach915m]

  How portable are these and how much do they leak after using common mods? I'm looking for some headphones for working in cafe's and libraries. 
 
Also, how well does the Fiio X3 drive them?

There is a little leak after doing "standard" mods on the t50rp, even if you cover the vents completely there can be some sound leakage, but it is very minor and you should be able to use them in a library.  Can't hurt to test after you mod them though.
 
Fiio X3 drives the T50rp's amazingly well.  You can do better, but you can do much worse too.  The high gain setting is nice to have!  Can't wait for the X5.

 

[Stuff Jones]

 
There is a little leak after doing "standard" mods on the t50rp, even if you cover the vents completely there can be some sound leakage, but it is very minor and you should be able to use them in a library.  Can't hurt to test after you mod them though.
 
Fiio X3 drives the T50rp's amazingly well.  You can do better, but you can do much worse too.  The high gain setting is nice to have!  Can't wait for the X5.

 
Good to hear. How about general portability/durability? I'm using the Koss DJ100's now and I can just throw them in my messenger bag without much concern. Will these hold up to every day use like that, or do they need to be babied? 

 

[zach915m]

   
Good to hear. How about general portability/durability? I'm using the Koss DJ100's now and I can just throw them in my messenger bag without much concern. Will these hold up to every day use like that, or do they need to be babied? 

Hmmm...I think they'll hold up pretty well, I certainly have thrown a number of pairs around in my backpack for quite some time and they turned on every single time.  I can't speak to how much of a backpack tosser you are though!  I'm moderately violent with mine, a few tosses here and there.  They are made of plastic though and like anything, too much strain may crack the cups etc etc.  They are quite durable though.  Not jogging phones for sure though.

 

[Stuff Jones]

  Hmmm...I think they'll hold up pretty well, I certainly have thrown a number of pairs around in my backpack for quite some time and they turned on every single time.  I can't speak to how much of a backpack tosser you are though!  I'm moderately violent with mine, a few tosses here and there.  They are made of plastic though and like anything, too much strain may crack the cups etc etc.  They are quite durable though.  Not jogging phones for sure though.

 
OK cool, that's two checks in their favor. What about modding? I know that's a huge question (702 pages), but is there consensus on a few basic mods that will drastically improve sound quality, are idiot proof (no risk of screwing things up) and don't cost much or take long? I'm worried about going down a rabbit hole of money, time, and unrealistic expectations chasing diminishing audio improvements.
 
I just want to plop down my $140 or so, spend a couple of hours tops and with very little risk get great sound. 

 

[zach915m]

   
OK cool, that's two checks in their favor. What about modding? I know that's a huge question (702 pages), but is there consensus on a few basic mods that will drastically improve sound quality, are idiot proof (no risk of screwing things up) and don't cost much or take long? I'm worried about going down a rabbit hole of money, time, and unrealistic expectations chasing diminishing audio improvements.
 
I just want to plop down my $140 or so, spend a couple of hours tops and with very little risk get great sound. 

Well, there's a plethora of answers to that question.  the best resource for modding is the wiki:  http://www.head-fi.org/a/fostex-t50rp-modification-summary-links-wiki
 
There's a ton to choose from that take varying lengths of time and have different sound qualities.  Some use little material, some many.  Also with material, some is more removable than others.  Be careful though, it's addictive!

 

[Stuff Jones]

 
Well, there's a plethora of answers to that question.  the best resource for modding is the wiki:  http://www.head-fi.org/a/fostex-t50rp-modification-summary-links-wiki
 
There's a ton to choose from that take varying lengths of time and have different sound qualities.  Some use little material, some many.  Also with material, some is more removable than others.  Be careful though, it's addictive!

Damn, I don't want options!  I just want to be told here's three mods that are guaranteed to bring these to 80 percent of their potential SQ. I can worry about maximizing the final 20% later when I have time/motivation. Anyways, thanks for your fast and helpful responses.

 

[kalbee]

Good to hear. How about general portability/durability? I'm using the Koss DJ100's now and I can just throw them in my messenger bag without much concern. Will these hold up to every day use like that, or do they need to be babied? 

They're pretty durable. There's a few places you do have to watch out to some degrees though. As expected it's around the hinge.

Well it isn't really a hinge per say. The part that joins the metal arm/rod to the cup limits movement with two pins. The whole part is in plastic so forced hard enough you can break the pin.

The second part is around the same area: the exposed cables that go in between cup and headband. If you're really not careful you can snag it and possibly damage it. This applies to most headphones with exposed cables.

Overall quite durable though. They're just rather big. Doesn't stop me from using as portables though.

 

[jimmers]

 
I just want to plop down my $140 or so, spend a couple of hours tops and with very little risk get great sound. 

My post from 5 Dec (840 pads are a must unless you've got better)
 
My T50RP arrived 2 days ago, (order inspired by Magicman's 40 hr mod session) they didn't seem as bad out of the box as I feared - got some idea of how they could sound by cupping my hands around the cups and applying pressure.
I took them home that evening and, after staring at them for a while, decided to take them apart.  
I loaded the baffle etc. with modelling clay, sealed most of the vent grill, stuck some foam in the cups, put in some fluffed cotton balls - and I'd had enough (tweak energy dissipated in an hour) - screwed them back together and fitted 840 pads. 
I might only be half way to max sound-wise (or maybe I got lucky) but damn they sound good, spent the rest of the evening until late listening to music with them.
I took them back into work the next day, a teenage Beats fan had a listen and "Oh,wow" was his wide-eyed response. 
 
I'd like to thank all T50 mod contributors for leading me to this (maybe I'll try harder one day).
 
And, I loved them from X3 as USB DAC.
 
 
Edit: I bought mine from eGlobal
http://www.eglobaldigitalcameras.com.au/fostex-t50rp-rp-series-over-ear-headphones.html?gclid=CPiVgbueo7wCFVcGvAodFl8A-w
 
pads from
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Ear-cushions-Genuine-SHURE-HPAEC840-Ear-pads-fit-SHURE-SRH840-SRH440-Headphones-/190702709217?pt=US_Replacement_Parts_Tools&hash=item2c66c469e1
 
if you're in USA maybe you can get better prices, these were by far the cheapest to get sent to Australia.

 

[Stuff Jones]

  My post from 5 Dec (840 pads are a must unless you've got better)
 
My T50RP arrived 2 days ago, (order inspired by Magicman's 40 hr mod session) they didn't seem as bad out of the box as I feared - got some idea of how they could sound by cupping my hands around the cups and applying pressure.
I took them home that evening and, after staring at them for a while, decided to take them apart.  
I loaded the baffle etc. with modelling clay, sealed most of the vent grill, stuck some foam in the cups, put in some fluffed cotton balls - and I'd had enough (tweak energy dissipated in an hour) - screwed them back together and fitted 840 pads. 
I might only be half way to max sound-wise (or maybe I got lucky) but damn they sound good, spent the rest of the evening until late listening to music with them.
I took them back into work the next day, a teenage Beats fan had a listen and "Oh,wow" was his wide-eyed response. 
 
I'd like to thank all T50 mod contributors for leading me to this (maybe I'll try harder one day).
 
And, I loved them from X3 as USB DAC.
 
 
Edit: I bought mine from eGlobal
http://www.eglobaldigitalcameras.com.au/fostex-t50rp-rp-series-over-ear-headphones.html?gclid=CPiVgbueo7wCFVcGvAodFl8A-w
 
pads from
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Ear-cushions-Genuine-SHURE-HPAEC840-Ear-pads-fit-SHURE-SRH840-SRH440-Headphones-/190702709217?pt=US_Replacement_Parts_Tools&hash=item2c66c469e1
 
if you're in USA maybe you can get better prices, these were by far the cheapest to get sent to Australia.

 
Thanks. What guide did you follow for the mods that you did?
 
I think there would be a lot of value in making a wiki entry for the novice - something like "essential mods in an hour". There's a lot of great info there, but its information overload and might scare off lot of people who just want good sound with minimum effort, cost and risk (me).

 

[AnotherN00b]

BlueMonkeyFlyer can correct me but I believe the current "gold" standard for dyi mods are the DBV3 mods found on this page:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/618659/fostex-t50rp-incremental-mods-and-measurements
 
They are fairly straightforward and there are detailed step-by-step tutorials there (scroll down past all the graphs in the first post until you get to the section that reads:
 

Simplified and Consolidated Tutorial for DBV #3 
 
The basics are Shure SH-840 pads, acoustic dampening foam (paxmate, etc) in the cups, and some cotton. He will tell you it's not a magic bullet but it is close!
 

 
 
edit: added link to mods-and-meas page