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

[mrspeakers]

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Looking for some help with my recent Rastapants 2 mod. 
 
I listened to the stock T50RP's for a bit -- just to gauge how things change -- and then I ran through the directions here to perform the Rastapants 2 mod, which went well.  I used Dynamat on about half of the inside portion of outer ear cup, taped over the vent, then covered everything with acoustic foam.  I used modeling clay to fill the holes, the outer gasket, and then removed the white gauze over the driver and covered with felt.  Finally, I exposed the ear-side of the driver (leaving the dust filter) and covered the remainder with acoustic foam.  Reassembled, etc., with the Shure 840 pads.  Nice!
 





 
Anyhow, there is no doubt that the bass response is very much improved, but I feel like the mids are overpowering, while the highs are recessed.  It's to the point where on albums with strong mids, well.... it's almost unbearable for me. 
 
Any ideas? 
 
On a related note, I'm also considering switching over to wood ear cups + baffles.  How does that change the sound sig?  Anyone else here tried the Plastic Pantz mod....and with good results?  I *love* the look.
 
Thanks....Yip

I subsequently made a few easy enhancements once I got my measurement gear setup that addressed these issues (forget where I posted those):
 
1) Use about 6 "regular" cotton balls teased apart per cup to fill the whole space in the cup.  This gets rid of a resonance at 1K that overdoes the mids.
 
2) Adjust the tape so the vent is about 80% closed.  This maximizes bass extension with these pads (don't forget two pieces of stacked paxmate on the rear edge of the pads to get some tilt).
 
3) Remove the craft felt and leave the driver bare, except for a piece of electrical tape on the center square on the inside of the driver.  This fixes the treble balance.
 
That should do it.  Let me know how it works for you.
 
 

 

[DaBomb77766]

I'm having issue with the treble being too recessed...EQing it up helps tremendously but that's only really a temporary solution since EQ doesn't work everywhere.  I'm apprehensive to remove the driver felt though...

 

[LFF]

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O.o
 
Your mod includes installing a bomb in the T50RP? Interesting...

Not exactly a bomb...but yeah...you get the idea.

 

[mrspeakers]

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I'm having issue with the treble being too recessed...EQing it up helps tremendously but that's only really a temporary solution since EQ doesn't work everywhere.  I'm apprehensive to remove the driver felt though...

Impossible to comment without exact info on your mods.

 

[applepancakes]

as soon as i removed the white felt from the driver it sounded echo-y in the lower end, though it did open the sound up. (david attenbrough's voice sounds like it is in a cave =o). mods are on a variation of rasta (using cotton, no dynmat, recabled).
 
interestingly, just holding the driver up to the ear (sans cup) had that effect. ..wonder if removing\adding some of the plasticine might change the natural resonance of the driver so as to remove the echo? easiest way might just be to cover up some of the back i'm guessing.
 
anyone try theirs with arjen's ta2020?

 

[snakeeater69]

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I believe mine measure as LFF's at this point. Or very similarly. I am done here.

 
Care to share what you did? I want o try what you did with my sandwich pads...won't do right now though...not until a re-cable again because these monoprice cable suck too much.

 

[fishski13]

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I'm having issue with the treble being too recessed...EQing it up helps tremendously but that's only really a temporary solution since EQ doesn't work everywhere.  I'm apprehensive to remove the driver felt though...

 
adding some reflective material on the headband post right behind the driver (i used electrical tape) brought some treble back for me.
 
IMO, my Fostex have very little air, soundstaging or ambient recording cues.  an opera singer in a concert hall can sound like a gated kick drum.  you want speed, texture, timbre, tone, detail without exaggerated treble and a musically engaging delivery, the Fostex deliver.  coming from any of my AKGs and even the D2000, the Fostex do sound closed in.  i'm getting used to it though, but if i want to listen to an acoustic recording, i slap on the D2000 or AKGs.  
 

 

[DaBomb77766]

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Impossible to comment without exact info on your mods.

Well, what I have is pretty simple.  Small square of electrical tape on the back of the driver, plasticine filling the baffles flush, a bit of plasticine filling the back of the cups with duct tape on top, then acoustic foam filling the bottom of the cups and a little bit up the walls.  Nothing on the post in the middle.  I also have tissues in the back of the pads.
 
Oh, right, and the vents are mostly closed, two of them closed on the inside with duct tape and acoustic foam over top and most of another one is closed from the outside with electrical tape.

 

[applepancakes]

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I'm having issue with the treble being too recessed...EQing it up helps tremendously but that's only really a temporary solution since EQ doesn't work everywhere.  I'm apprehensive to remove the driver felt though...

try putting more cotton on the underneath the backpart of the earpads, the more stuffed, the more treble i find with stock earpds. likely have to tape the pads down.

 

[DaBomb77766]

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try putting more cotton on the underneath the backpart of the earpads, the more stuffed, the more treble i find with stock earpds. likely have to tape the pads down.

I already put a second tissue under it, I doubt any more would fit.  It improved comfort tremendously, but I didn't notice a huge difference in sound...

 

[lltfdaniel]

I don't know what fostex have done to the t50rp and we all know what the t50rp sounds like and as you hear it you hear and feel something is behind this area of where live music comes from and forwards it.
 
I call this the atomosphere all other headphones do not have this and this is what i have been looking for in a headphone, with other headphones this area of live music is well smaller varying on the design,ortho drivers are bigger so yea more bigger live music.
 
Have you spotted and taken notice of this, i am a person who does not do careful listening yet this is like this, it should be balanced and back there and boring like all other headphones on the market prehaps everysingle one made back to the first headphone.
 
Everyone seeks live music and this t50rp has done it better for me anyways i can't get my head around it.

 

[rhythmdevils]

You could try SRH840 pads.  Or you could try adding damping material to the back of the driver and putting your reflex dot on top of that.  Transpore tape should add a fair amount of treble and upper midrange.  Felt should add some as well.  Did you try them with the stock damping paper in place before removing it? 

 

[drexman]

mrspeakers and hanneyo, i understand from your recent posts you are using srh 840 pads, but weren't you using stax o2 pads before? why did you change to lesser pads?
mrspeakers, you said the paradox is better balanced than your rastapants2. did you notice other differences, like in soundstage?

 

[nsk1]

Did anyone try JMoney pads for Denons or Beyers?

 

[mrspeakers]

I prefer the O2 pads but have an 840 set as well.  The O2 is super comfy, so it's almost worth it for that but the mod took longer to "dial in."  Both are now very close sound wise.  
 
The paradox is a bit flatter below 1KHz.  When we tested with Purrin it was was flatter so I went back and got some test gear 'cause my ears aren't as good as LFF's at tuning via white noise.  Once I had that in hand I was able to really clean up the response.  
 
When we compared the two via measurements, my recollection is above 1K the waterfall on the Rastapants was cleaner but that wasn't outweighed by the tonal balance.  Now, the balance is much flatter and the transient response is further improved.  I haven't done an a/b with the current mod but I'm so happy with them I'm not worrying about it.  I love the sound.