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

[dogears]

My T50RPs are already better in some aspects compared to my ~USD1000+ Earsonics EM3Pros I'm not buying any headphones anymore

Well, another pair of T50RPs could be a possibility though

 

[LFF]

Quote:

I'm not buying any headphones anymore

Well, another pair of T50RPs could be a possibility though

X 2!

 

[starNdust]

i wish there is a video or a toturial show someone mod this headphones in a fast motion so noobs like me could at least understand the steps to that , what the materials u use and other stuff 

 

[LFF]

Quote:

i wish there is a video or a toturial show someone mod this headphones in a fast motion so noobs like me could at least understand the steps to that , what the materials u use and other stuff 

There are some detailed pictures in this thread which should help you. Just go back a few pages.

 

[starNdust]

Thanx LFF  so much : )  , would just damping the headphones with  dynamat and add some shure pads would give great result like the expensive modded you people doin here like thunderpants and your paradox 
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There are some detailed pictures in this thread which should help you. Just go back a few pages.

 

 

[bluemonkeyflyer]

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Well, well, well.... After screwing my first pair that I bought two years ago (or that's what I think I did, must check them in the future) I´m almost done with my 2.0 version of the T50RP. The only things that I need to try is the naked driver and covering it with organdi, as bluemonkey recommends, and experimenting with the bass vent opening.
 
The reflex dot is like a miracle, I'm astonished.... Never thought that such small thing would make those improvements to the sound.
 
The detail and extension of these headphones is unbelieveable. The sub-bass is there without intoxicating the other frequencies, tight, fast and controlled. The mids are just in the right presence, without being like a slap in your cheeks and the trebles are very balanced, without any sibilance. Also the soundstage is totally 3D.
 
Next month I will buy the 02 pads to finish them.

Excellent, SLaRe.  
 
For the price, I think they modified T50RP's are unbeatable.  By trying many different mod configurations and a specific configuration with different (even slightly different) material compositions (felt vs plastic vs acoustic foam vs electrical tape, and so on), a person can easily tune T50RP's to their hearing preferences for less than $10 of modding materials.  All it takes is patience, time, curiosity, and persistence.  For example, I tried rubber and felt reflex dots compared to my BMF configuration with its semi-hard plastic reflex dot, keeping everything else constant except for the reflex dot composition.  Rubber and felt toned down the treble and left the bass and mids alone.  With my upper frequency hearing loss, I prefer the sound produced by the harder composition of the clear "softtouch" furniture bumper because it accentuates the treble. Others, however, may prefer the toned-down treble and obtain better treble tuning with rubber or felt; see what I mean?
 
Next, I applied 2 layers of Paxmate around the perimeter of the baffles on the ear side.  This resulted in improved sealing, better comfort, and enhanced bass BUT at the cost of mid-range vocal clarity that sounded muffled or bloated.  Modifying the bass port tuning by applying electrical tape over the outside of 2 or 3 of the 4 slot lines reduced the mid-range bloat without taking away the bass slam, but the treble is not as prominent as my BMF configuration.  So, I am going to remove 1 of the 2 layers of Paxmate from the ear side of the baffles to see if this has any effect on the treble without losing the enhanced bass.
 
I have compared each modification that resulted in significant sound signature/quality improvement to my LCD2's.  So far, the LCD2's have won every time.  Stating the obvious - we must remember that statements that "headphone 1 is better than headphone 2" are based on one person's opinions, not facts.  We each have different auditory perception X auditory preferences that determine what we think sounds best. 
 
SLaRe, what did you use for your reflex dot?
 

 

[dogears]

http://www.head-fi.org/t/571549/fostex-t50rp-modification-summary-links
 
Quote:

i wish there is a video or a toturial show someone mod this headphones in a fast motion so noobs like me could at least understand the steps to that , what the materials u use and other stuff 

 

 

[LFF]

Quote:

would just damping the headphones with  dynamat and add some shure pads would give great result like the expensive modded you people doin here like thunderpants and your paradox 


 

Depends on who you ask.
 
Personally, I couldn't ask for a better headphone at the moment, but as bluemonkeyflyer stated above...."we must remember that statements that "headphone 1 is better than headphone 2" are based on one person's opinions, not facts." You can always try to judge based on the measurements but nothing equates to the actual experience of listening to the actual headphones.
 

 

[kkl10]

One question to you guys:
 
Since I'm very averted to closed back enclosures sonic shortcomings - ressonances, colorations, boxiness feeling, etc... - I was wondering if, with all those mods you people are doing on your T50RPs, is it possible to completely erase these sonic issues from your headphones?
 
Do mass loading and acoustic foam use actually make your T50RPs sound as ressonance free and 'pure' as open headphones?
Or do your T50RPs still ultimatelly sound like a closed headphone?
 
Would it be reasonable to assume that mass loading and using acoustic foam on other closed headphones could eliminate ressonances as well as it does on the T50RP?
 
Thanks!

 

[LFF]

 
Quote:

One question to you guys:
 
Since I'm very averted to closed back enclosures sonic shortcomings - ressonances, colorations, boxiness feeling, etc... - I was wondering if, with all those mods you people are doing on your T50RPs, is it possible to completely erase these sonic issues from your headphones?

Yes...despite my Paradox headphones being closed, they sound like open headphones.
 
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Do mass loading and acoustic foam use actually make your T50RPs sound as ressonance free and 'pure' as open headphones?

In my case, yes...they sound very neutral and the soundstage is very open, accurate and three-dimensional.
 
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Or do your T50RPs still ultimatelly sound like a closed headphone?

Depends on the mod....
 
Mine do not sound like closed headphones at all.

 
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Would it be reasonable to assume that mass loading and using acoustic foam on other closed headphones could eliminate ressonances as well as it does on the T50RP?

Some people have tried similar mods on other headphones like the FA-003 and have achieved similar results.
 

 

[joelpearce]

Realistically, I think the answer is no (to the "can you make them sound open" question).
 
I think there's something more going on than just resonance when you hear closed headphones.  It also has to do with the movement of the air and how that affects the overall sound, and that's what doesn't get changed with these mods.  I've definitely not managed to get any closed headphones to sound fully like open headphones.  Even the Thunderpants, while pretty much flawless sound-wise as far as I'm concerned, are clearly a closed pair of headphones.

 

[LFF]

Quote:

Realistically, I think the answer is no (to the "can you make them sound open" question).
 
I think there's something more going on than just resonance when you hear closed headphones.  It also has to do with the movement of the air and how that affects the overall sound, and that's what doesn't get changed with these mods.  I've definitely not managed to get any closed headphones to sound fully like open headphones.  Even the Thunderpants, while pretty much flawless sound-wise as far as I'm concerned, are clearly a closed pair of headphones.

I disagree....
 
You can get very close. The FA-003 is a closed headphone that sounds like an open headphone. I know I am not the only one who has noticed that.
 
Also, more than one person has asked me if my mod'd T50's are open after hearing them....

 

[SLaRe]

Quote:

Excellent, SLaRe.  For the price, I think they are unbeatable.  By trying many different mod configurations and a specific configuration with different (even slightly different) material compositions (felt vs plastic vs acoustic foam vs electrical tape, and so on), a person can easily tune T50RP's to their hearing preferences for less than $10 of modding materials.  All it takes is patience, time, curiosity, and persistence.  For example, I tried rubber and felt reflex dots compared to my BMF configuration with its semi-hard plastic reflex dot, keeping everything else constant except for the reflex dot composition.  Rubber and felt toned down the treble and left the bass and mids alone.  With my upper frequency hearing loss, I prefer the accentuated sound produced by the harder composition of the clear "softtouch" furniture bumper because it accentuates the treble. Others, however, may prefer the toned-down treble and obtain better treble tuning with rubber or felt; see what I mean?
 
Next, I applied 2 layers of Paxmate around the perimeter of the baffles on the ear side.  This resulted in improved sealing, better comfort, and enhanced bass BUT at the cost of mid-range vocal clarity that sounded muffled or bloated.  Modifying the bass port tuning by applying electrical tape over the outside of 3.5 of the 4 slot lines reduced the mid-range bloat without taking away the bass slam, but the treble is not as prominent as my BMF configuration.  So, I am going to remove 1 of the 2 layers of Paxmate to see if this has any effect on the treble without losing the enhanced bass.
 
I have compared each modification that resulted in significant sound signature/quality improvement to my LCD2's.  So far, the LCD2's have won every time.  Stating the obvious - we must remember that statements that headphone 1 is better than headphone 2 are based on one person's opinions, not facts.  Every one of us has different auditory perception X auditory preferences that determine what we think sounds best. 
 
What did you use for your reflex dot?
 

 
The plastic bumpers for furniture that you've mentioned. They're round, 1 cm of diameter and about 3 mm high, with dome shape.
 
One thing that I love listening to with the T50RP is a song with distorted lines. There you can appreciate how resolving and clear they do sound, because with other headphones that kind of songs are almost unlistenable.
 

 

[joelpearce]

Quote:

I disagree....
 
You can get very close. The FA-003 is a closed headphone that sounds like an open headphone. I know I am not the only one who has noticed that.
 
Also, more than one person has asked me if my mod'd T50's are open after hearing them....

Fair enough.
 
I actually rarely pull out my open headphones--I'm not convinced that open headphone design is inherently better.  I've had a couple of closed headphones that I could almost mistake for open, as well, but my T50RPs are not one of them.  Perhaps it's time to have another go at them.
 

 

[dogears]

I don't have my K701s anymore but I never heard AIC's Unplugged as 'spacious'/ambient before. I'm just amazed how it can get intimate with the audience when listening with the T50RPs. And I believe the T50RPs can be tuned to equal/exceed your fave open headphone given time and careful tweaking. Your ears, your tweaks, your T50RPs - that's all you need