[mrspeakers]

Full Compass had some last week.

 

[treal512]

They're out. I may give them a call though.

 

[200poundsofamp]

Bluemonkeyflier, you ever try the Faust mod? There's a couple people here who really like it, might be worth a shot if you're bored. When I tried it I had problems with reflections, but the bass definition was pretty insane, it would be cool to see what you thought about it. Not sure I even did it right though!
 
Quote:

Does anyone know if these are available anywhere? I checked last week and everything was back ordered.

 
Amazon just sold out, unlucky.

 

[treal512]

It's been sold out lol except the vendor asking for almost double the price.

 

[dogears]

^Will become a trend?

 

[bluemonkeyflyer]

The Faust3D mod is one of the first T50RP mods I read about.  I tried it and heard excessive bass that negatively effected the mids too much for my preferences.  I was never sure about the difference, if any, in the blue and black felt in the diagram or the type of felt to use - thickness, composition, "limp", or stiffened.  There's no doubt in my mind that the specific type and thickness of felt used has a dramatic effect on SQ.  Some work great while others do not.  For example, mrspeakers reported that stiffened craft felt is better than limp craft felt.  I tried it for myself and agree.  The difference to my ears was night and day in favor of stiffened felt over limp felt. So, perhaps I used the wrong kind in my Faust3D mod.
 
Others have tried and like the Faust 3D mod. For me, BMF #6 is significantly better than all the other mods I've tried across 6 sets of T50RP's. I compared each set with one another, a stock set of T50RP's, and with my LCD2's after making only1 mod at a time.  BMF #6 is simple, effective, and reversible.  
 
I believe the synergy of "Super Mass Loading" the baffle with extra plasticine, ear side of the baffle Dynamat, Paxmate in the cups, ear pad "lifters", baffle equalization vent open, and retaining the stock black and white felts creates the euphonic signature and sound quality I'm hearing.  Tuning the bass by covering various numbers of bass port slots and the treble with different numbers/grid placements/types of reflex dots to your preferences is easy and also reversible.
 
In the final analysis, "whatever sounds good to you, sounds good to you." 
 
Quote:

Bluemonkeyflier, you ever try the Faust mod? There's a couple people here who really like it, might be worth a shot if you're bored. When I tried it I had problems with reflections, but the bass definition was pretty insane, it would be cool to see what you thought about it. Not sure I even did it right though!
 
Quote:

Does anyone know if these are available anywhere? I checked last week and everything was back ordered.

 
Amazon just sold out, unlucky.

 

 

[CYoung234]

It looks like I am approaching an "end-game" headphone mod (for me - your mileage may vary). I am currently listening to the following mod:
 
Cups - fully lined with Paxmate, with shaped paxmate over center post. The 4 port lines are left totally open.
 
Baffles - mass loaded with Locktite "Fun-Tak" (I will likely replace this with Plasticine once it arrives). I covered this with Paxmate per the RP-2 mod. The stock white felt over the driver is removed and replaced with 2 laters of 3M Transpore tape, and squares of Transpore covering the 2,4,6,8 and center sections.
 
Ear side: The driver covering has been removed, and there is one layer of Paxmate under the pads with a 2nd layer built up around the rear of the pads to give them some angle. Pads are currently stock, but I have a pair of Shure 840 pads that have arrived, and will likely try them as well.
 
The results: This setup, for me, is extremely involving and the frequency spectrum seems very well balanced. I listened to the following recordings. Source was my highly modified Adcom GCD-575 and L'Espressivo Torpedo tube amp.
 
Shostakovich Sym 7: CSO / Bernstein, Movements 2-4
Muse - the Resistance
Peter Gabriel - Plays Live - Disc 1
Philip Glass - Symphony 8, Movements 2-3
Sheryl Crow - Wildflower
 
The level of detail and balance in this setup seems almost perfect. Soundstage is good - very natural, not quite as big as my K501's, but the phones certainly do not sound like closed cans! 
 
I say almost perfect because I also have a pair of T50RP's modified with the RP-2 mod, minus the O2 pads. I am using Fischer FA-003 pleather pads with this right now, but I cannot get rid of the midrange hump in this mod. However, the low end of this mod is a bit better than the pair described above. If I could get the low end of this set into my other one, then it would be, for me, perfect.
 
Edit: I should note that many of these ideas are from BMF's past mods. I suspect I can improve this some more through better mass loading on the baffle side (I may try the BMF #6 suggestion in this regard).

 

[Cortlendt]

Is it safe to bend the headband to increase clamp? I'm not sure it is a safe thing to do.

 

[bluemonkeyflyer]

All of these ideas came from other people except for:
 
1. "Super Mass Loading" the baffles with extra plasticine
 
2. Applying Dynamat to the ear side of the baffle after chiseling off the dust covers
 
3. Removing the stock white driver felt intact, and
 
4. Using 3M flexible clear  perforated plastic tape (Transpore) as a good substitute for the white driver felt. I think the stock driver felt is better, though, and works best with BMF #5 and #6.
 
Quote:

It looks like I am approaching an "end-game" headphone mod (for me - your mileage may vary). I am currently listening to the following mod:
 
Cups - fully lined with Paxmate, with shaped paxmate over center post. The 4 port lines are left totally open.
 
Baffles - mass loaded with Locktite "Fun-Tak" (I will likely replace this with Plasticine once it arrives). I covered this with Paxmate per the RP-2 mod. The stock white felt over the driver is removed and replaced with 2 laters of 3M Transpore tape, and squares of Transpore covering the 2,4,6,8 and center sections.
 
Ear side: The driver covering has been removed, and there is one layer of Paxmate under the pads with a 2nd layer built up around the rear of the pads to give them some angle. Pads are currently stock, but I have a pair of Shure 840 pads that have arrived, and will likely try them as well.
 
The results: This setup, for me, is extremely involving and the frequency spectrum seems very well balanced. I listened to the following recordings. Source was my highly modified Adcom GCD-575 and L'Espressivo Torpedo tube amp.
 
Shostakovich Sym 7: CSO / Bernstein, Movements 2-4
Muse - the Resistance
Peter Gabriel - Plays Live - Disc 1
Philip Glass - Symphony 8, Movements 2-3
Sheryl Crow - Wildflower
 
The level of detail and balance in this setup seems almost perfect. Soundstage is good - very natural, not quite as big as my K501's, but the phones certainly do not sound like closed cans! 
 
I say almost perfect because I also have a pair of T50RP's modified with the RP-2 mod, minus the O2 pads. I am using Fischer FA-003 pleather pads with this right now, but I cannot get rid of the midrange hump in this mod. However, the low end of this mod is a bit better than the pair described above. If I could get the low end of this set into my other one, then it would be, for me, perfect.
 
Edit: I should note that many of these ideas are from BMF's past mods. I suspect I can improve this some more through better mass loading on the baffle side (I may try the BMF #6 suggestion in this regard).

 

 

[AnotherN00b]

Yes and it's recommended to get a better seal. Just gently but firmly press the two sides together until you get a snug fit. Some people have also bent the gold adjustment slider where it already bends a little further for the same purpose (not sure of the correct terminology). Nobody's broken them so far
Quote:

Is it safe to bend the headband to increase clamp? I'm not sure it is a safe thing to do.

 

 

[hans030390]

Just got my 840 pads in!
 
Stock pads sound awful.

 

[leeperry]

Is it safe to bend the headband to increase clamp?

 
Very much safe, get it to shape like an egg and you'll be very happy.

Stock pads sound awful.

 

 

[SLaRe]

Just for pure fun, I've being doing A/B comparisons between my Fosteximus T50RPrime and my Koss Pro DJ100 equipped with AT ATH-M50. The price is more or less the same: USD75 the stock Fostex and USD100 the Koss Pro DJ100, though the Fosteximus T50RPrime has costed me about USD230 with all the materials and the Stax EP-007 and the Koss Pro DJ100 about USD140 with the M50 pads and the HICON 1/4" plug. For those who don't know, my Fosteximus T50RPrime are a heavily modified version of the stock Fostex T50RP, with Stax EP-007 earpads, leather secondary headband, totally altered interior of the cups, full dampening scheme in the both sides of the baffles and in the back of the cups.
 
If we consider both totally stock (without any extra pads or mods) the Koss Pro DJ100 is more fun sounding, because has a bass with more body, but the Fostex T50RP has more overall detail and clarity, being able to reproduce a lot of nuances in the songs.
 
If we consider them with the mods the leap is even bigger. My Koss Pro DJ100 sports the Audio Technica ATH-M50 earpads, that are known to change the sound drastically, with a very good bass and nice mids and highs. Nevertheless, the Koss Pro DJ100 makes no rival for the Fosteximus T50RPrime, because the latter is better reproducing sub-bass frequencies and has that supersmooth sound in the mids and the highs that no dynamic headphone can match. Also, the Fosteximus T50RPrime has even more detail than the stock Fostex T50RP, being a pleasure listening to classical music or songs with a lot of different sounds and distorted lines. I could consider the Koss Pro DJ100 to be my "basshead" headphone, though it's not as bass heavy as other headphone, but it has a very nice bump in the 30-100Hz range, making very enjoyable with groovy music. Regarding the comfort, the Fosteximus T50RPrime is also a clear winner, because the Stax EP-007 are more comfortable than two pillows attached to a headband, although the M50 pads also increase the comfort and the sealing of the Koss Pro DJ100.
 
Even with that huge leap in terms of sound quality and comfort, I'm still keeping my Koss Pro DJ100 as my portable headphone, due to the foldable design, the cool outer look and for being the dynamic headphone in the sub-USD500 that I like most.

 

[hans030390]

Quote:

 

Yeah, I just can't get the stock pads to sound good with any of the Rastapants-type mods. The difference between stock pads and 840 pads is astounding. Might just be my ears/shape of my head, or perhaps the RP mods (not the 2nd one) just don't work well with stock.
 

 

[LadroneScar]

Just used deoxit and dielectric silicon grease on the T50 headphone connection. It completely fixed it cutting out and switching between L/R channels. If your plug is sensitive I highly recommend doing this. Also, it works on most other sensitive plugs, I would try it on any headphone that cuts out.