New Fostex RP open-backed planar magnetic headphone, TH500RP! Available now!
Jun 14, 2017 at 3:54 AM Post #526 of 583
I noticed that the forums have been a tad quieter than usual after the revamp to the overall looks.

Anyway, I finally grew a tad fond of the th500rp after fiddling alittle with some eq settings; i.e. bring the mids forward as the overall sound signature are too laid back for my taste. Its like it totally transformed the headphone and with the lush vocals, brings out the overall 'musicality' somewhat.
 
Nov 28, 2017 at 2:50 PM Post #528 of 583
So I swapped the stock earpad for some HM5 round velour, it was a perfect fit and the sound is definitely more open and spacious, the highs and vocals are more pronounced and the sound is just plain better.
I'm using this headphone a lot more than my Audeze EL-8.
Fostex.jpg
 
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Nov 28, 2017 at 6:35 PM Post #529 of 583
Hey, does anyone know whether it's possible to swap TH-x00 drivers in to the TH500RP frame? I've found a pair of drivers for sale somewhere and think open back pair might be interesting
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pic from https://www.head-fi.org/threads/fostex-x-massdrop-th-x00-review.788776/page-464
post 6951
The open version has been done before. It looks fabulous don't it? This was before the HP-3 open biodynas. Though some people cut into their Denons , this looks waaaaaaaaaay better. I couldn't imagine cutting into d7k woodies. Yikes! :xf_eek:
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Good Luck and let us know :D
 
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Nov 28, 2017 at 6:40 PM Post #530 of 583

pic from https://www.head-fi.org/threads/fostex-x-massdrop-th-x00-review.788776/page-464
post 6951
The open version has been done before. It looks fabulous don't it? This was before the HP-3 open biodynas. Though some people cut into their Denons , this looks waaaaaaaaaay better. I couldn't imagine cutting into d7k woodies. Yikes! :xf_eek: Good Luck and let us know :D


So that was my initial project. I was working on those headphones for a while... what I did instead of putting biodynamic drivers into the TH500rp frame.. I put the TH500cups on TH600s. Basically the same thing. And the aluminum open cups screw right on.

It sounded insane. Different to anything else in terms of bass and highs. Mids is what needed tuning, but since I don’t have a measurement rig, it got old very quickly to try and Tune it by ear. I still have the whole setup and extra cups and everything.
 
Nov 28, 2017 at 6:43 PM Post #531 of 583
So that was my initial project. I was working on those headphones for a while... what I did instead of putting biodynamic drivers into the TH500rp frame.. I put the TH500cups on TH600s. Basically the same thing. And the aluminum open cups screw right on.

It sounded insane. Different to anything else in terms of bass and highs. Mids is what needed tuning, but since I don’t have a measurement rig, it got old very quickly to try and Tune it by ear. I still have the whole setup and extra cups and everything.

Wow, that is awesome. I've mentioned so many times my surprise that more of these haven't popped up on head-fi. One guy on Emu Teak thread was talking about how wonderfully they sound without the cups. Then you had the guys who bought the 4" speaker grills and slapped them on, but IMO they don't look as nice as the th500rp mod. Excellent thinking . This is on my bucket list for sure. Good work! :D
 
Nov 28, 2017 at 6:44 PM Post #532 of 583
So I swapped the stock earpad for some HM5 round velour, it was a perfect fit and the sound is definitely more open and spacious, the highs and vocals are more pronounced and the sound is just plain better.
I'm using this headphone a lot more than my Audeze EL-8.
Question. How easy/hard is swapping the pads on these? The closed sound is my one gripe with these cans and if a pad swap will open them up I'd be happy to try it.
 
Nov 28, 2017 at 7:21 PM Post #533 of 583
Wow, that is awesome. I've mentioned so many times my surprise that more of these haven't popped up on head-fi. One guy on Emu Teak thread was talking about how wonderfully they sound without the cups. Then you had the guys who bought the 4" speaker grills and slapped them on, but IMO they don't look as nice as the th500rp mod. Excellent thinking . This is on my bucket list for sure. Good work! :D

Thanks. One thing also that I did later was swapping the planar driver itself. So the original 500RP used a mk2 driver, and I swapped in a mk3, and it was a huge improvement. Kind of like the improvements from the t50rp mk2 to mk3
 
Nov 28, 2017 at 8:54 PM Post #534 of 583
Thanks. One thing also that I did later was swapping the planar driver itself. So the original 500RP used a mk2 driver, and I swapped in a mk3, and it was a huge improvement. Kind of like the improvements from the t50rp mk2 to mk3

Do you mean you swaped in mk3 from the t50rp? Also i would imagine one could put this into a woody setup, correct? If you have more pics, that would be great. Your mods did not go unnoticed, that pic i've circulated a few times as it caught my eye big time the first time i saw it. I would think the 500rp driver would be out of control suddenly closed by a woody, but obv a t50rp mk3 driver might have a chance since the th-x00 is essentialy semi-open design. I'm not exactly sure how your mk3 setup is, but interested in details/pics. The unsung heroes of head-fi and their cowboy ways of modding :)

208.gif
 
Nov 28, 2017 at 9:49 PM Post #535 of 583
Do you mean you swaped in mk3 from the t50rp? Also i would imagine one could put this into a woody setup, correct? If you have more pics, that would be great. Your mods did not go unnoticed, that pic i've circulated a few times as it caught my eye big time the first time i saw it. I would think the 500rp driver would be out of control suddenly closed by a woody, but obv a t50rp mk3 driver might have a chance since the th-x00 is essentialy semi-open design. I'm not exactly sure how your mk3 setup is, but interested in details/pics. The unsung heroes of head-fi and their cowboy ways of modding :)

208.gif


Right so I really don't have pictures and if I do id have to dig them out of last years picture backups but here is how I started and where I ended up. here we go:

- I first got TH600s and did stage 1 lawton mods and pads

- Then I got TH500RPs, and took those Aluminum open cups and put them on the TH600, Sounded amazing, but didn't tune it too far since I have no real measurement tool, bass and highs were impressive (pictures you saw)

- Got THX00 Mahogany Cups and I put them on the TH600, Basically made them into THX00. With THX00 Pads also.

- I then got TH900 cups and put then on the TH600 with 1/2 the polyfill they come with, the cups really made a nice smoothing to the slightly sibilant treble of the TH600.

- I acquired MK3 T50RPs, and transplanted the new MK3 driver into the TH500RPs. Much welcome improvements. Better sub bass (still not a whole lot), Highs came up a bit. Overall better to my ears.

- I bought a EMU teak Headband, TH900 Drivers, and a bunch of pads (Denon, THX00, Dekoni, etc. Made frankenstein Fostex that sounds unbelievable. I'm confident it measures better then any Fostex combo out there.

- So right now my Fostex are these:

TH600 with TH900 Cups, Lawton stage 1 Damping on the drivers, 1/2 OEM white Polyfill, Denon Pads

TH500RPs with MK3 Drivers, Denon Pads, stock polyfill

TH-Something, made up of EMU Headband and gimbals, TH900 Driver with Damping mods, THX00 Cups with Lawton damping to cups, Dekoni pads with attenuating rings, and 1/2 white polyfill.

I also have extra parts galore including D2000 Cups, D2000 Drivers, OEM TH600 Magnesium Cups, extra set of TH500RP cups, and pads galore. ETC.

Current pictures: https://imgur.com/a/OpelW
 
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Nov 28, 2017 at 10:59 PM Post #536 of 583
Right so I really don't have pictures and if I do id have to dig them out of last years picture backups but here is how I started and where I ended up. here we go:

- I first got TH600s and did stage 1 lawton mods and pads

- Then I got TH500RPs, and took those Aluminum open cups and put them on the TH600, Sounded amazing, but didn't tune it too far since I have no real measurement tool, bass and highs were impressive (pictures you saw)

- Got THX00 Mahogany Cups and I put them on the TH600, Basically made them into THX00. With THX00 Pads also.

- I then got TH900 cups and put then on the TH600 with 1/2 the polyfill they come with, the cups really made a nice smoothing to the slightly sibilant treble of the TH600.

- I acquired MK3 T50RPs, and transplanted the new MK3 driver into the TH500RPs. Much welcome improvements. Better sub bass (still not a whole lot), Highs came up a bit. Overall better to my ears.

- I bought a EMU teak Headband, TH900 Drivers, and a bunch of pads (Denon, THX00, Dekoni, etc. Made frankenstein Fostex that sounds unbelievable. I'm confident it measures better then any Fostex combo out there.

- So right now my Fostex are these:

TH600 with TH900 Cups, Lawton stage 1 Damping on the drivers, 1/2 OEM white Polyfill, Denon Pads

TH500RPs with MK3 Drivers, Denon Pads, stock polyfill

TH-Something, made up of EMU Headband and gimbals, TH900 Driver with Damping mods, THX00 Cups with Lawton damping to cups, Dekoni pads with attenuating rings, and 1/2 white polyfill.

I also have extra parts galore including D2000 Cups, D2000 Drivers, OEM TH600 Magnesium Cups, extra set of TH500RP cups, and pads galore. ETC.

Current pictures: https://imgur.com/a/OpelW

That info is GOLD.
tumblr_ok7o02G6Lf1vala9ro1_r1_1280.gif


Bless you sir. And those parts are some of the best parts one can have. What a nice bunch of parts to play with. And the fact you were able to get th900 cups. Though I find it surprising you dont have the 900 cups on the 900 driver version. Nice collection! And thx for info. How did you manage the spare th-500rp cups, do they sell as seperate part? :D
 
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Feb 14, 2018 at 1:36 PM Post #538 of 583
My main amplifier is a Kevin Gilmore's Krell KSA5 clone that I built myself. It is not a "balanced" amp, but has separate grounds for the left and right channel. I run a 4-pin XLR and a locking TRS out, with a switch combining the grounds for the TRS. I like the look and feel of the XLR connector, and that's why I use it. Honestly, I do not perceive a difference in sound quality between the XLR and the TRS outputs. This article basically sums up how I feel about "balanced" amps: https://benchmarkmedia.com/blogs/application_notes/audio-myth-balanced-headphone-outputs-are-better

Hello,

Just found this thread and this post now and indeed the article is very well written, but I was listening to balanced amps and need to say that soundstage is bigger than in single-ended amps. Also, there could be PRO and CON, as per my 2 cents:
- output impedance is indeed twice higher in the balanced output configuration than in single ended config, hence the damping factor is better for the single-ended output
- power consumption is about 4 times higher on balanced output plug, but this is because output power is about 4 times higher too
- THD & noise is actually lower on balanced outputs and not higher (feel free to compare headamps specs)
- in balanced headamps matching output stage transistors is imperative for a neutral sound
- single-ended headamps might indeed reproduce better the original sound (warmth and increase in soundstage of the balanced output stages mean musicality and not studio reproduction)

However, high-impedance headphones could sound and measure better on balanced amplifiers, especially if cable length if longer than 1.5m; longer headphones cables (especially if cheap) from high impedance headphones = higher capacitance and some single-ended amplifiers might not drive very well those headphones.

Also, worth reading Dr. Jan Meier's article here too: http://www.meier-audio.homepage.t-online.de/
 
Mar 21, 2019 at 5:48 PM Post #539 of 583
TH500RP seems like a very underrated headphone. I just got one for $400 USD which could prove to be a bargain. Favourable comparisons of the TH500RP against other Planars such as Audeze LCD2 and a few Hifiman's is what done it for me.
 
Mar 21, 2019 at 6:33 PM Post #540 of 583
TH500RP seems like a very underrated headphone. I just got one for $400 USD which could prove to be a bargain. Favourable comparisons of the TH500RP against other Planars such as Audeze LCD2 and a few Hifiman's is what done it for me.

Oh yes...I think you just quoted what I put in my profile....Fostex th500rp - open planar - underrated - excellent

I have had them for well over two years. Can't remember what I paid. Now you have made me want to get them out for a listen but I don't have time. If I were to put them on now I would accidentally stay up all night listening to album after album...
 

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