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

[hodgjy]

Well, my T50RPs arrived today.  They've been burning in for a while.  So far, I have about 4 hours on them.  I have to say that I'm utterly disappointed.  Yes, I'm disappointed in the sound, but I'm more disappointed in myself for once again falling victim to the hype.  Back in December, I fell for the Panasonic RP-HTF600-S hype. 
 
It shouldn't be a surprise since both these cans are cheap.  They both share very tinny mids and a high level of honk.  Sure, I'm a believer in burn in, but burn in won't take away that honk.
 
Oh well.

 

[Kibble Fat]

Well, my T50RPs arrived today.  They've been burning in for a while.  So far, I have about 4 hours on them.  I have to say that I'm utterly disappointed.  Yes, I'm disappointed in the sound, but I'm more disappointed in myself for once again falling victim to the hype.  Back in December, I fell for the Panasonic RP-HTF600-S hype. 
 
It shouldn't be a surprise since both these cans are cheap.  They both share very tinny mids and a high level of honk.  Sure, I'm a believer in burn in, but burn in won't take away that honk.
 
Oh well.

You do realize you posted this in a T50RP modding thread, right? :rolleyes:

 

[hodgjy]

Yep.  I was hoping they'd sound better than they do stock so modding wouldn't have to be so extensive.
 
Quote:

You do realize you posted this in a T50RP modding thread, right?

 

 

[shrimants]

Modding isnt that extensive. If you look in the wiki, theres a guide that has a basic summary of the idea behind modding. You essentially need to mod comfort for headbands if they dont fit first so you can properly wear them.

Once thats out of the way, you add mass, add dampening, and swap the pads and open/close the vents. I wouldn really call it extensive unless you go the smeggy route and change out everything. Really its a preference based thing. You say it sounds abysmal. now explain in as exact detail as you can manage WHY it sounds abysmal. Every single disappointment you have, write it down in a neat little organized table.

Now, get to work and open them up. research how to get more or less detail, how to get more or less highs lows and mids, how to squeeze comfort and such out of them. Keep a record of every mod you do and what effects it had and never change more than 2 things around at once or you wont know what effect you really had.

Keep your head up and if you are diligent about it you'll end up with a pair of headphones that you actually worked to make sound good. And they'll sound good to YOU, which is all that matters.

 

[hodgjy]

Excellent post.  Truly. 

 
Quote:

Modding isnt that extensive. If you look in the wiki, theres a guide that has a basic summary of the idea behind modding. You essentially need to mod comfort for headbands if they dont fit first so you can properly wear them.
Once thats out of the way, you add mass, add dampening, and swap the pads and open/close the vents. I wouldn really call it extensive unless you go the smeggy route and change out everything. Really its a preference based thing. You say it sounds abysmal. now explain in as exact detail as you can manage WHY it sounds abysmal. Every single disappointment you have, write it down in a neat little organized table.
Now, get to work and open them up. research how to get more or less detail, how to get more or less highs lows and mids, how to squeeze comfort and such out of them. Keep a record of every mod you do and what effects it had and never change more than 2 things around at once or you wont know what effect you really had.
Keep your head up and if you are diligent about it you'll end up with a pair of headphones that you actually worked to make sound good. And they'll sound good to YOU, which is all that matters.

 

 

[Magick Man]

Yep.  I was hoping they'd sound better than they do stock so modding wouldn't have to be so extensive.

No, they're pretty lackluster without mods. Sorry.

 

[headphonatic]

Tried stuffing cotton right in front of the driver on the ear side of the baffle. Killed off all sub bass, but adds some more bass presence. Mid range detail increased. They sounded kind of thin. Has anyone compared the Beyer gel pads to the 840 pads?

 

[shrimants]

If you pay 74 bucks for a pair of orthodynamic headphones, you will get a 74 dollar pair of orthodynamic headphones. If you spend 250-350 bucks you can turn them into headphones that sound like they are worth 400-500 dollars. If you spend 100-200 dollars worth of time and effort, and maybe 50 dollars worth of parts, you will get headphones custom tailored to your exact preferences and needs. Every song you listen to will not only sound good because you made it that way but because every song will have one extra instrument playing: pride.

Look at the head-fi video of jude. he talks about how the fostex t50rp were "nothing special" and how drastic of a change smeggy's time and effort made. Some of the people here have a lot of experience with tweaking and things like that, others have none. but I can guarentee one thing, they all started from square one and worked their way up. Its a learning process and personally, i'd get much more satisfaction if I broke my t50RP and learned a bunch than if I simply bought a pair of good headphones. Thats why i'm even in the DIY scene at all, most of my time is spent in the DIY section on this site. Theres a certain feeling you get when you accomplish something, a certain high, and that is what i'll probably be chasing well into my later years where audio is concerned.

Good luck and happy modding, hodgjy!

EDIT: @headphonatic: I was thinking of experimenting with fiberglass insulation, the type you can use to make sound damping panels. I think its a semi porous material so it will still let air through but it will impede it greatly and not reflect it. that will definitely lower the bass depending on the amount but it should also be a much cleaner and more controllable approach than cotton. Cotton has a tendency to fluff up or compact but its hard to make it stay in between. With the fiberglass insulation you can cut out different shapes and try them out around the cup, perhaps with a mild adhesive.

On that note, does anyone know of a mild adhesive? I used to use a glue stick if I wanted something that will only stick for 24 hours or so but i think that wont work in this case, nor will rubber cement. I'd like something that can easily peel off and that doesnt really form a bond. maybe double sided scotch tape or double sided masking tape or something? The sticky quality of masking tape is exactly the amount i need.

 

[kingoftown1]

what about just using a low strength spray adhesive?

 

[headphonatic]

Hey, got another question, what happens if the cable is cut and there is an opening, it's not too big and the cable is inside the left cup that connects the cable box to the driver. It still works no problems but will I still need to get a new cable?

 

[Magick Man]

Elmer's craft glue? You know, the stuff we used to eat in kindergarten.

 

[shrimants]

what about just using a low strength spray adhesive?

I'll consider it but the only one I have handy is the kind used to stick that weird vinyl/particulate/plastic finishes to cabinets. i'll ask home depot what they have available too. Not a fan of spray because of how uncontrolled it is but theres always ways around that like masking tape.

Hey, got another question, what happens if the cable is cut and there is an opening, it's not too big and the cable is inside the left cup that connects the cable box to the driver. It still works no problems but will I still need to get a new cable?

If it works and doesnt bother you its probably not worth messing with. Just put some electrical tape on it or something.

Elmer's craft glue? You know, the stuff we used to eat in kindergarten.

No, thank you, I had dinner just a little bit ago. I was a monster with that stuff in kindergarten, and i have not improved my elmer's application skills since. I dropped that class in favor of underwater basket weaving.

 

[headphonatic]

Loving my config so far, great for classical!
Jam packed with 3 teared apart cotton balls in each cup
Acoustic foam over dynamat layering on only square portion of the back of the cups
Dynamat around the rest of the interior of the cup
Baffles, around the drivers are filled with clay
A doughnut shaped layering of acoustic foam over dynamat on the ear side of the baffles, plus the felt on the ear side is scratched off
Shure SRH840 Pads
They might sound horrible in the ears of another, but I'm loving them!

 

[TierAngst]

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I think the problem is a general lack of knowledge and understanding of speakers/headphones, acoustics, physics of sound, etc. At least, that's the impression I have, and it could be completely wrong (no offense to anyone if it is). It's kind of hard to be creative when one is not up to speed on the subject or not sure how to apply the the knowledge they might have.
 
However, I do think many on here would be willing to learn more about this subject, and there have already been some great examples of this! There's a couple of potential problems, though. The first is that trying to learn something new like this (and sound can be a fairly complex subject) is daunting. There are so many resources out there, and it's hard enough figuring out where to start and where to go from there. It's hard to sort out what you need to know, what you don't need to know, what's applicable, what's not, etc.
 
The second is that it can take an extraordinary amount of time and dedication to really learn a new subject like this. Some don't have the time, and some aren't willing to give the time.
 
Speaking from experience, the only reason I'm quite knowledgeable and skilled with computers, networking, and IT stuff in general is because I started researching it at a young age out of pure interest. My parents used to give me crap for spending so much time on the computer (or working on computers), but they realize now it's a pretty key part of my life and career. People come to me for help because I've literally spent the a large portion of my life dedicated to this interest. They know my knowledge and experience is sound and trustworthy. Sure, they could try and solve their problems themselves, but that usually ends in frustration for both parties. 
 
I'm not saying one will need years of studying to be able to mod their T50RPs into something amazing, but it certainly won't be a walk in the park learning enough for it to make a difference.
 
I entirely agree that we could use some more creativity and digging into the topic of sound, but I also don't think it's as simple as just saying "use some creativity." That's like me telling people to just "use Google" when they run into computer problems. Almost everyone needs some guidance in addition to that. Otherwise, well...their problems stay the same! Only a very small minority of people can take something as vague as "use Google" and get positive results.
 
I don't mean this as an insult or a complaint...nothing like that! You speak the truth. I just think many of us could use more than somewhat vague hints and tips if we're expected to be more creative.

This is a brilliant post that sums up most of my thoughts on this. I would like to add though that I think there are three reasons people get into the the DIY scene and some combinations thereof. To save money, to learn how things work, to improve upon something.
 
I personally fall into the saving money part and I want to remind people that others are here for that aspect as well. I don't have $500 to throw at a pair of reference headphones and I've already went way over budget with my speakers and DAC and would like to save some money on the thing I don't use quite as often. I would honestly like to learn all the workings of audio but I don't have a lot of time to dedicate to it and in the mean time I want a good pair of headphones that I don't have to mess around with.
 
I do understand that a few of you have put a lot of time and effort into your own audio education and some of you do this for a living. It makes perfect sense that you wouldn't want to give away all the secrets of the trade. It would be nice if the people who did know what was a total waste of time would not worry about offending people and just tell it like it is and say that it is crap. Just tell us straight up, nice try but don't ever do that again. 
 
But before you get the wrong idea, for the major contributors out there: Thank you! 
 

 

[headphonatic]

Quote:

EDIT: @headphonatic: I was thinking of experimenting with fiberglass insulation, the type you can use to make sound damping panels. I think its a semi porous material so it will still let air through but it will impede it greatly and not reflect it. that will definitely lower the bass depending on the amount but it should also be a much cleaner and more controllable approach than cotton. Cotton has a tendency to fluff up or compact but its hard to make it stay in between. With the fiberglass insulation you can cut out different shapes and try them out around the cup, perhaps with a mild adhesive.
On that note, does anyone know of a mild adhesive? I used to use a glue stick if I wanted something that will only stick for 24 hours or so but i think that wont work in this case, nor will rubber cement. I'd like something that can easily peel off and that doesnt really form a bond. maybe double sided scotch tape or double sided masking tape or something? The sticky quality of masking tape is exactly the amount i need.

I've tried the Fiberglass already, bought some a Home Depot, increased bass like crazy, and killed off the treble. Cotton was much better.