[HDMan]

I have started making my own cups, with the dimensions from earlier posts. Nice dark hardwood. I don't have a lathe though, going to be fiddly, might use a routing drill bit from the hardware store.

 

[dBel84]

 
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Calling for all broken TP50rp drivers  - I am starting up a "recycle"/repair point as quite a few folk are pulling off the solder tabs and having to replace drivers - no promises on repair and turnaround will be as time permits, there will be no charge. Don't send me a driver with a screw driver hole through it  -  you would have wasted postage. I may ask for postage cover if it gets crazy but initially the only cost to you would be sending the driver to me. If you have a spare driver to donate - send it along as I will keep it to redistribute. ( I may just keep a pair for myself if I find an excess and have an urge to play ) I currently have one driver repaired. Initial rules will be , send me a driver , if it can be repaired, I will do so and return it. If I end up with a small stash of drivers, I will merely send a working driver to replace a damaged driver, repairable or not ) ..dB
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[ambchang]

So I finally made my mod on the T50-RP.  I actually modded one side first, tested it, then mod the other side.
 
I have to be honest, the changes are not as dramatic between the modded and unmodded sides when I put them on together, but I then actually tried one side first, then the other, and I can tell that there is definitely much more bass, and that there is a certain level of thump to it.  I may have opened up too much of the vents, and there are times where the bass is a little boomy.  The mids are as nice as ever, but the highs seems to be a little piercing at certain frequencies (especially pianos).  I am not sure if it's the recording or the phones itself.
 
Anyways, I am very happy with the results, considering how cheap the entire exercise was, and I would say that my modded Fostex sounds better than my Westone 3s, which costs almost 3 times as much.
 
I am still looking to get some Paxmate, as I felt the acoustic foam doesn't fit into the cups too well.  If you have any left, please let me know.  I would be happy to either trade you some dynamat, or pay you.
 
Here is the step-by-step of what I did:
 
1. Open up the cups (well, duh ...)
2. Tape on some Nashua tape, and slit open one vent

 
3. Damp the cups with dynamat (I took out that little piece at the middle later on)
 

 
4. Stuck a piece of felt in the middle, and stuffed the cups with acoustic foam (I am not sure if I should stuff the sides of the cup)

 
5. Damp the back of the bevel with modelling clay, and stuck holes in it with a screwdriver

 
7. Stick everything back together.
 
I am looking to get some SA5000 pads, get some paxmate, and maybe upgrade the cable, and this would probably be the mods for these T50-RPs.

 

[Bjarne]

Congrats ambchang!!! 

 I'm happy for you that the modding worked well for you!
 
Have fun with your Fostex! 

 

[mrspeakers]

Nobody wants to remove the white felt, that's the scary part.  However, it makes a major difference, and is what really allows the driver to shine, IMHO.
 
I don't know of anyone who has removed it who doesn't feel it was an upgrade (anyone?  People with other experiences?) so if you feel you didn't get "that much" of an improvement, that's where I'd start.  
 
But you'll still need craft felt, maybe make some ear-side changes, and close off the vent to turn it into more of a port...  The sound will initially be quite different and maybe hugely over-bassy and boomy until those mods are made....
 

 

[marcan]

@mrspeakers
You can silmply remove the withe felt from the driver?

 

[mrspeakers]

It takes a sharp exacto knife and some care, after doing a few I can now "peel" it off, but you can also cut out the squares 1 at a time.  
 
It's not reversible, which is why many don't take the plunge, but it is what really allows the bass and mids to snap, and takes the edge off the treble.
 

 

[RanDiesel]

Quote:

Nobody wants to remove the white felt, that's the scary part.  However, it makes a major difference, and is what really allows the driver to shine, IMHO.
 
I don't know of anyone who has removed it who doesn't feel it was an upgrade (anyone?  People with other experiences?) so if you feel you didn't get "that much" of an improvement, that's where I'd start.  
 
But you'll still need craft felt, maybe make some ear-side changes, and close off the vent to turn it into more of a port...  The sound will initially be quite different and maybe hugely over-bassy and boomy until those mods are made....
 

 
It was definitely scary, but I applied the rastapants mods in three phases and didn't really feel like it was making all that significant of a difference, until i scraped the white felt off and replaced it with craft felt. The bass was bloated at first and the vocals seemed distant. But once I put some electrical tape over the outside of the vent, the vocals became focused and the bass tightened up. That was the moment it all came together and the T50s came alive, these headphones have it all for my ears: nice bass, amazing detail, and really life-like vocals. Nothing I did prior to taking the white gauze off got these headphone where I wanted them to be on the low end, that driver needs to breathe.
 
 

 

[HDMan]

Is there any point upgrading to wooden cups if they are lined with dynamat, filled with cotton, blutac or modeling clay?
 
I personally would think that the wood will still offer better resonance ability, especially the power these drivers can output.
 
I might not cover all the wood, want some woody sound.

 

[ambchang]

I will probably not go with the white felt mod until I got another set of Fostex.  Before then, I would have to enjoy these phones for a while, get used to the sounds before I take the plunge.
 
Thanks for the note, and I am probably going to get bit by the DIY bug in a few months.
 
BTW, thanks for everyone in this thread for the help.  The instructions from page 100 to 103 really helped a great deal (even though I didn't really folow all the instructions .....)

 

[joelpearce]

I'd say leave it on if you're happy with it on.  Taking it off makes a huge difference, and it can be for the better, but once it's off, you really are committed.

 

[ambchang]

Just for curiosity's sake, what is craft felt?  I got some felt from Michael's, and that was it.  Is there any point in me getting some special felt?
 
Also, I have to get some paxmate before I do the white felt mod, reason being the acoustic foam I have right now would really stick into the drivers because they are so thick.  Where can I get some paxmate?  I can't find them around where I live.

 

[mrspeakers]

There are a gazillion (that's a lot!) ypes of felt, from thin acrylic to very thick materials. Some are wool, too. There is a group here that swears by wool, though my own experience was that the density was more important in my mod than the actual fabric, others have experienced better effects with wool in their mods. The wool has a tendency to absorb more energy at the top, which in my setup had a dull sound, but every mod is different and in some this might be needed.

I know that before I removed the white gauze I needed a lot of damping on the ear side of the driver...

 

[bluemonkeyflyer]

I got mine here:
 
http://www.performance-pcs <dot> com
Quote:

Just for curiosity's sake, what is craft felt?  I got some felt from Michael's, and that was it.  Is there any point in me getting some special felt?
 
Also, I have to get some paxmate before I do the white felt mod, reason being the acoustic foam I have right now would really stick into the drivers because they are so thick.  Where can I get some paxmate?  I can't find them around where I live.

 

 

[joelpearce]

The cheap stuff you get at Michael's is perfect.  The goal is to get an acrilic felt that's thin and doesn't impede driver motion and act too much as a dampener.
 
Some felts are partially or mostly wool, and they have a much more drastic impact on the sound--you should never get more expensive/thicker/fancier felt unless there's a specific reason to.