[Navyblue]

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You're not crazy, and you're not alone.  I finally got around to performing a few mods a few days ago, and while I was too conservative, they changed the sound enough to make my T50RP's sound decent.

  I listen relatively quietly (sometimes very quietly), but I noticed a feeling of pressure and dull discomfort pretty much the first time I listened to them extensively, just like you.  I feel it right now in my left ear, which is what brought me back to the forums this morning...and lo and behold, someone else is posting about it.  It's tolerable for me, but I am a little vaguely concerned about whether something might be causing damage.

I feels good to know that I am not crazy.

 
I really think it's weird. Right now the headphone is playing a few feet on my left (quite loudly, I am burning it in), and I actually felt some strain on my left ear!
 
I think it's getting better for me, I don't know if I am developing resistant to it, not a good thing if there is indeed something wrong with this headphone.
 
Btw, what amp are you using? I wonder if my amp is having some kind of oscillation and that produces ultrasonic noise.

 

[Twinster]

What are you planning to drive the HE-5LE with? If I remember they like plenty of juice and I believe people are using the speaker output tap of full size receiver.
 
Cannot wait to get your impression vs the Fostex. I'm too expecting a new toy and I'm too hoping to not be disappointed.  

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I'm currently suffering from a case of Fostex guilt.  After all the hundreds of dollars of headphones that I've had through my home in the past year, I have to keep pinching myself to prove that I'm not dreaming.  $83.00 + the extra supplies for this sound I'm getting?  
 
Now, let's just hope I don't break out into full tears in the morning when my Hifiman HE-5LEs arrive and the Fostex 'phones trump them on sound and performance.  This hobby can be dangerous.
 
TV has never turned me into a couch potato because I don't watch much of it.  However, these Fostex 'phones are making a serious couch potato out of me.  I just drop onto a cushion with the Sansui vintage receiver on, remote for the Squeezebox in hand and album surf my life away.
 
 

 

 

[Questhate]

 
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I bought a pair of these last Spring with high hopes. I found them to have unacceptably "subdued" highs and low bass. I attempted to burn them in hoping they would get better to no avail. Certainly not anything that could be trusted as an accurate reference. The only thing I can think is that people like these who have either never heard better headphones or simply love the midrange to the exclusion of the highs and lows. I have, have owned, or have auditioned most of the better headphones out there. I currently own the Sennheiser 650s, AKG 701s, AT M-50s and the Denon 2000s, 5000s, and 7000s, wthe 7000s being my favorites by far, although not perfect. I use them in a studio context and have excellent full range speakers and amplifier that are not overly bright. Sorry for the wet blanket but for me, the Fostex were a waste of money.

This couldn't be further from the truth. There are plenty of folks here that do own higher-end headphones, including the flagship orthos, that love their T50RPs. In fact, there are measurements of modded Fostex'es that objectively perform better than much costlier headphones. I think it'd be unfair to write off this headphone unless you've performed mods because it has been stated several times that you need to mod these to extract the most performance out of them. 

 

[piedpiper]

Thanks! someone sent me a link to this thread, so I'm new here and didn't notice the rest of the posts till after I responded. I'll look into it when I have a few weeks to kill... just kiddin'...
 
edit: ...and obviously, I was referring to the unmodded stock version in reference to the original post. I have no idea how the mods improve them, but they would have to improve them a lot to make me happy. They may well do that...

 

[junkers]

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Thanks! someone sent me a link to this thread, so I'm new here and didn't notice the rest of the posts till after I responded. I'll look into it when I have a few weeks to kill... just kiddin'...
 
edit: ...and obviously, I was referring to the unmodded stock version in reference to the original post. I have no idea how the mods improve them, but they would have to improve them a lot to make me happy. They may well do that...

 
I think you'd be surprised. People are comparing the mods to LCD-2s, which is a pretty insane jump in quality when you take into account the price difference.

 

[kalbee]

 
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I feels good to know that I am not crazy.

 
I really think it's weird. Right now the headphone is playing a few feet on my left (quite loudly, I am burning it in), and I actually felt some strain on my left ear!
 
I think it's getting better for me, I don't know if I am developing resistant to it, not a good thing if there is indeed something wrong with this headphone.
 
Btw, what amp are you using? I wonder if my amp is having some kind of oscillation and that produces ultrasonic noise.

I'm starting to wonder what mods made these headphones tiring... Used to be so relaxing stock! Then again I wasn't displeased with the stock sound but wanted a bit more body to it. Maybe plasticine since that's pretty much all I put in it (otherwise it's paxmate). Funny that it only affects my left ear as well. Must be something to do with the FR distribution of the left driver.
 


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I've found the Paxmate here which is fantastic as the left-over will be put to great use on my computer.
But I'm unable to find any plasticine in the UK, the only stuff I can is children's toy plasticine.
And for the last "core" mod I heard I'd need some felt however it seems there's a lot of felt and people have had trouble in the past finding the right stuff, any link (preferably to a UK vendor) of the correct felt I need?
 
Then with the plasticine/paxmate and felt modding done I believe that's the last of the primary mods, then I can add my choosing of pads and I'm away!
Also, this may seem like a silly question, but I've seen pictures of people adding something under the pads, any ideas what this might be?

 Everyone in this thread seems to talk about the easy availability of felt at craft stores, which is ironically one thing I cant find anywhere. Instead I'm thinking of picking up a pair
Of dollar shop shoe insole. The felt looks just about he same thickness as what people here used. Next is where to get acetone... Oxidate propane on my own?! Lol
so yeah, try whatever felt you can find that seems to fit the descriptions. As for plasticine, any craft clay that doesn't dry should do the trick, be it children's toy or not. 
As for stuffing under the pads... I believe most have first started with tissue paper and moved up to foam of sorts depending what was lying around in the house. The main reason for it seems to have been to raise the pads to keep the ears off the baffle. just watch out as the original pads are held on with 4 pieces of double sides tape.
 
 

 

[Twinster]

After you are done with the mod's and that you get them tune to your liking just get ready to sell some of your headphones 

 Unless you don't mind dusty headphones due to lack of head time.
 
​Welcome in the Fostex T50rp family.
 
Quote:

Thanks! someone sent me a link to this thread, so I'm new here and didn't notice the rest of the posts till after I responded. I'll look into it when I have a few weeks to kill... just kiddin'...
 
edit: ...and obviously, I was referring to the unmodded stock version in reference to the original post. I have no idea how the mods improve them, but they would have to improve them a lot to make me happy. They may well do that...

 
 

 

[wje]

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What are you planning to drive the HE-5LE with? If I remember they like plenty of juice and I believe people are using the speaker output tap of full size receiver.
Cannot wait to get your impression vs the Fostex. I'm too expecting a new toy and I'm too hoping to not be disappointed.  

 

 
Simon,  I'm actually at work and had to grab what I could after getting the headphones in the mail this morning.  I'm powering the HE-5LEs with the following:
 
iPod Touch 4G ----> O2 Amplifier ---> HE-5LE Headphones
 
So far, what I'm hearing - or, what my ears are telling me:
 
1) The highs are about on par with my Fostex headphones following the modifications.
 
2) The vocals I'll have to give the nod to the HE-5LE
 
3)  For the low end and the "quality" -- not necessarily "quantity" - I'll give the nod to the HE-5LE.
 
Please keep in mind this is just through listening to these with this one system while I'm  here at work.  Once I get home with my Sansui 881, things might really change.  Also, keep in mind, I purchased the HE-5LE used -- and, did not pay the current $699 price that they are being sold at.  Yes, I'm about ready to go out on the ledge and say that the Hifiman is a better sounding option.  Now, is it worth $400 more in sound?  I can't answer that because sound is unique to each individual and some people will spend more for smaller incremental changes.
 
However, my message to all of the Fostex modfiers out there would be to not give up.  There is so much potential with the Fostex T50RP headphones and $20 in materials - if you don't buy replacement ear pads.  I don't have my Fostex phones with me, so I can't quickly put them on for a quick sound check.  But, I don't think I'd feel horribly crushed and start calling the Fostex a crappy headphone at all.   I think the only way I could or would start to diss the Fostex were to be if I felt I had some superiority complex due to owning a set of higher-level headphones.  The Fostex phones still have a place in my heart.  They're fun to work with and try out the various mods.  Plus, when I've had them on for 2+ hour listening sessions, my ears were never disappointed.
 
 

 

[wje]

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Next is where to get acetone... Oxidate propane on my own?! Lol
 

Acetone is one of the main ingredient in nail polish removers.  Head to a drug store and pick up a small bottle from there.
 

 

[Questhate]

 
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Thanks! someone sent me a link to this thread, so I'm new here and didn't notice the rest of the posts till after I responded. I'll look into it when I have a few weeks to kill... just kiddin'...
 
edit: ...and obviously, I was referring to the unmodded stock version in reference to the original post. I have no idea how the mods improve them, but they would have to improve them a lot to make me happy. They may well do that...

Haha! "A few weeks to kill" is pretty accurate actually. This headphone is a tinkerer's dream, but those that are impatient will grow frustrated. 
 
It's sort of the irony with this headphone. It's a great-sounding headphone, but also difficult to enjoy fully because in the back of your mind, you'll always be wondering if you could get them even better.
 
Bliss and torture -- this headphone is a gift and a curse.

 

[Magick Man]

Thanks! someone sent me a link to this thread, so I'm new here and didn't notice the rest of the posts till after I responded. I look into it when I have a few weeks to kill... just kiddin'...

Few weeks? I guess you could do that, but I worked on them as a fun weekend project.

 

[Magick Man]

Also, my RP2s have done a really good job of revealing how crappy some of my MP3s are, so now I'm having to re-rip a lot of my music to FLAC. Sigh...

 

[warchild]

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Simon,  I'm actually at work and had to grab what I could after getting the headphones in the mail this morning.  I'm powering the HE-5LEs with the following:
 
iPod Touch 4G ----> O2 Amplifier ---> HE-5LE Headphones
 

I can promise you the O2 does not drive the 5le's well at all. I've yet to find a portable amp that does. I also find the O2 makes the T50RP's sound a bit harsh.

 

[wje]

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This headphone is a tinkerer's dream, but those that are impatient will grow frustrated. 

That's actually part of the beauty of them - their great price.  One can essentially buy 2 pairs.  They can then put them on a rotation basis as they go through the various iterations of modification on them.  Though, I will put a warning out there for anyone who is considering a re-cable job on these headphones.  The solder "dots" on the Fostex can be even trickier than the Grados when it comes to handling with removing the old cable and installing new cable.  That's with me still using a cooler 15W iron and being generous at keeping the tip properly tinned.  Also, since the original gauge of wire has got to be some very thin cheap stuff - maybe 28 ga. or 30 ga.  When you go to a 22 ga. with 2 conductors such as the Mogami, I'd find a spot to adhere the main cable to a part of the inside of the baffle next to the driver.  Then, with enough slack in your loose wires, you can extend them to the terminals, to properly solder them.  Using a heavier cable with 2 conductors soldered directly to the driver without applying some sort of protection by securing the cable jacket, might mean that the cable could easily rip loose from the driver since the wire traces that go to the driver are just simply embedded within the thin layer of film that connects to the driver.  A little safety with these can go a long way.

 
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Also, my RP2s have done a really good job of revealing how crappy some of my MP3s are, so now I'm having to re-rip a lot of my music to FLAC. Sigh...

Even your 320kbs CBR files?  Normally, a 320kbs CBR file will sound pretty good with minimal degredation.
 
 

 

[wje]

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I can promise you the O2 does not drive the 5le's well at all. I've yet to find a portable amp that does. I also find the O2 makes the T50RP's sound a bit harsh.

Thanks.  Shortly, I'll be leaving work and heading home.  A bit later tonight, I'll be able to run them off of my Sansui 881 which will certainly provide them with enough juice to make 'em sing.  I just grabbed the O2 and my portable gear today as I wanted to hear the Hifiman's after receiving them this morning.  I don't imagine myself carting these back and forth to work on a daily basis.  It's just not practical - nor smart.