You guys just keep tempting me with those O2 pads.....must...resist...
Do what I did.. add to cart.. close your eyes & click "buy".. LOL. It'll feel better (at least that what I told myself).
Flysweep and LFF .... how is your modded t50rp compared with FA-003?
I will answer in complete honesty....
My Paradox headphones (mod'd Fostex T50RP's) kick the living hell out of the FA-003. To me, it's like comparing iBuds to the FA-003...no contest.
EDIT: To be fair...it is comparing apples to oranges...dynamic driver v. ortho....
I'm as big a fan of the 003 as you'll find (next to LFF).. I've even modded my 003 with the same acoustic foam used in the T50RP mods as well as recabled them. I felt I've reached the pinnacle of the 003 sound quality (aside from recabling with some thousand dollar wire, but that's another discussion). I simply love the sound of the 003 now too, clean, fast, natural, highlt detailed. It had become me primary phone and after hearing many full sized phones, it's the only one I decided to keep. I like them that much.
That being said, I'll wholeheartedly agree with LFF in claiming that the 003 would simply would go hide in a corner & whimper in fear when compared to the T50RP. I was truly amazed. Pair the 002 with some top notch gear and they'll sing.. put the T50RP in the same and they'll ROAR. Properly amped, the Rastapants'd T50RP make the 003 sound 2D, lifeless, and flat. And this is despite me still fighting to get the midrange and mid bass to even out.. they're that good. I was really surprised when LFF (and mrspeakers) mentioned the T50RP are an endgame type of headphone. I've extensively heard the 650, 800 and other titans of the market.. and even with my modest gear, I'm a believer. The modded T50RP is that good. It's simply the most engaging, immersive headphone I've ever heard.
The 003 though.. I still love to death and it will not be going anywhere. The fact it sounds awesome unamped serves as an asset alone since I do listen to most of my music from the iPhone. And mind you, the comparison isn't a knock on the 003.. but a compliment to just how impressive the T50RP is. Anaxilus and others have mentioned the T50RP is why they've not swam into the more expensive market of hifi, full sized phones.. cause the Fostex are simply that good. They can be an end to that journey.
LFF is also right in that it's comparing different driver technology, so it's not the most even of battle grounds.. the ortho simply sounds more dynamic and real than
any dynamic driver I've heard. So taking that into account, it doesn't feel fair to the 003. But if you're going purely on sound, the T50RP wins out, leaving no doubt.
Fischer will be revising the 003 & 002w soon.. which they said will improve their sound quality by a significant margin (quite an amazing feat if it does, imo).. LFF will be auditioning them so we'll see what FA has up their sleeve. Despite the dominance of the Fostex ortho, I'm still very excited to read about & hear this revision.
Same here... Flysweep.:
Smeggy wrote today that he has "a strip of foam" under the stock pads. If you check out the thunderpants you'll see how stock pads are raised... I think it's just acoustic foam - which is what we've done to our stock pads.
How close are 840's to O2/.... Mabe I'll pick up some 840's... Just can't justify O2 pads right now.
That's correct.. the acoustic foam laid across the earside of the baffle does indeed increase pad depth and prevents your ears from being sandwiched against the baffle.. the foam is soft too so it's pretty comfortable too. If I didn't have the O2, I might even be happy with that setup. But having the O2 pads, it a different story.. I couldn't conceive going back to anything less now, honestly. It's not just that your ears are barely touching the baffles with the O2, it the plush pads that gently surround your ear..angled and applying just the right pressure to provide an excellent seal without ever feeling like your head is in a clamp. The 003 pads deliver a very similar fit.. bit they won't angle the drivers toward your ear like the O2's will, plus the padding isn't
as comfy.. if I had the 003 pads modded the way LFF does (and never had a chance to feel the O2), I'd be perfectly happy.. but alas.. the O2's reign supreme.
Just to make the hit to the wallet a little more justifiable: the T50RP will be the last serious investment in full-sized headphone I plan to make. They're phones I use daily. In that light, the T50RP is saving me a lot of money down the line by me not having to buy/sell/trade/return other full sized headphones I'd be otherwise, be wasting money on. With that perspective, $150 seems like a manageable investment in comfort (even if it is just for pads). Do note though, pads play a very important role in the sound of the T50RP, perhaps much more than other phones.. so you're going to get an improvement in the accuracy of the sound too.
)
, there are many welcome surprises to be found and don't be fooled by the naysayers who feel that modern computer aided driver design is where it ends..dB
