[smeggy]

looking forward to the madness coming to fruition

 

[mypasswordis]

Finally started listening to the ET1000 after the adapter arrived. There was a channel imbalance but I think it's getting better now (still there). I'll wait another couple more hours. It might also be the fact that one side has part of the stock fabric damping removed while the other does not.

Sound impressions: Can anyone say SR-X mk3 on steroids. Seriously, the tonality is also slightly bright (wouldn't want anything brighter than this just like I wouldn't want anything darker than the SR-5NB) which reminds me of the Lambda Sig, and the speed and clarity is absolutely mind-boggling. Which I think also reminds me of the Lambda Sig. So pretty much it's like a cross between an SR-X mk3 and a Lambda Sig.

 

[BoilermakerFan]

Can all other T10 owners do me a huge favor and try a dampening mod on your T10s? I took out the Smeggy felt and used a nickel diameter piece of Moorbrook in the very back center of the cup. So it is the Oz felt in the driver opening with no tape of any kind on the driver. Then the stock tan biscuit up against the driver and the little puck of Moorbrook at the back. The vents are only partially covered by the biscuit. I have this in a T10 with a stock crap cable so the bass is a little less present and the highs roll off a little. I'm going to recreate the scheme in my other T10s with the SPC to see how it sounds.

I came up with the scheme by just listening to the drivers OB and swapping in felts on the driver. The Oz felt sounded the best with no tapes involved. I'm going to try the 3 different tapes in the same way, OB then in the cups, but Don's latest scheme modded to get rid of the underlayment felt eliminated the midrange muffle I heard and the T10s sound so damn sweet. I'm hopeful the better cable brings the bass up a tad and extends the highs just a bit.

I think it will need just a little tweak to work with the T20v1 bezel and either Denon or O2 pads on my T10s too. The KH-83 actually does have bigger cups and more vent area! Not a lot, but enough to kill my mad scientist plan. I was really bummed to discover the T20 bezel won't fit at all and the pads are a little bigger than the T10s, which sucks because my kH-83s are the most worn so now I have to make custom lambskin pads for them when they finally give up the ghost, though Koss R10s may work and if they do, then I'll order ESW9 lambskins.

EDIT: T20v1 drivers are the same as T20v2 drivers. I carefully examined both, so Fostex recognized the reduced bass of the v1s and put them in the new cup design across the family. Too bad too, because the T10/T20v1 headband is just a nicer design.

 

[DefectiveAudioComponent]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mypasswordis /img/forum/go_quote.gif Finally started listening to the ET1000 after the adapter arrived. There was a channel imbalance but I think it's getting better now (still there). I'll wait another couple more hours. It might also be the fact that one side has part of the stock fabric damping removed while the other does not. Sound impressions: Can anyone say SR-X mk3 on steroids. Seriously, the tonality is also slightly bright (wouldn't want anything brighter than this just like I wouldn't want anything darker than the SR-5NB) which reminds me of the Lambda Sig, and the speed and clarity is absolutely mind-boggling. Which I think also reminds me of the Lambda Sig. So pretty much it's like a cross between an SR-X mk3 and a Lambda Sig.

Imbalance? That's strange. I couldn't hear any imbalance. Not even directly out of the mushroom box. It could be that I'm insensitive to that. But no one else who listened heard it either. So it's probably a safe bet that the damping is the cause if the imbalance. (Unless it got damaged in transit)

So you found it bright... well, the LCD-1 (on my system) is a bit brighter. The vintage amplifier I used could certainly have added some color though, and the cable ends connecting to the vintage amp were a bit corroded which could have messed with the sound slightly too (I have not done any test for myself of whether a bit of corrosion is a big deal or not).

 

[BoilermakerFan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DefectiveAudioComponent /img/forum/go_quote.gif Imbalance? That's strange. I couldn't hear any imbalance. Not even directly out of the mushroom box. It could be that I'm insensitive to that. But no one else who listened heard it either. So it's probably a safe bet that the damping is the cause if the imbalance. (Unless it got damaged in transit) So you found it bright... well, the LCD-1 (on my system) is a bit brighter. The vintage amplifier I used could certainly have added some color though, and the cable ends connecting to the vintage amp were a bit corroded which could have messed with the sound slightly too (I have not done any test for myself of whether a bit of corrosion is a big deal or not).

Even just the difference in the source could make them brighter. My Sony C2000ES is brighter and has less bass impact than my Denon DCD-F101 with everything else being the same...

And I may have forgotten to mention, but the Stax Mafia finally got to me. I have a pair of Stax SR-Lamdas now with a SRD6 one the way, DIY SRD7 under construction and the eXStata under construction... Not quite ready to give up my AKG K401s, but the vintage K140s and K141s may find new homes... I suspect the Fostex T40s will also go up for sale.

 

[mypasswordis]

DAC, the channel imbalance has improved greatly since my post. Now it is either barely perceptible (the damping might be the cause) or I am imagining things. And yes, it is definitely among the brighter of my headphones. Believe it or not, the impact is about average among my headphones as well. Corrosion shouldn't be a big deal, I didn't bother deoxidizing the bare copper either. I'll be getting a Lambda Sig for real soon which I hopefully will be able to repair and directly compare the two since I'm just going off memory right now.

Quote:

Originally Posted by BoilermakerFan /img/forum/go_quote.gif Even just the difference in the source could make them brighter. My Sony C2000ES is brighter and has less bass impact than my Denon DCD-F101 with everything else being the same... And I may have forgotten to mention, but the Stax Mafia finally got to me. I have a pair of Stax SR-Lamdas now with a SRD6 one the way, DIY SRD7 under construction and the eXStata under construction... Not quite ready to give up my AKG K401s, but the vintage K140s and K141s may find new homes... I suspect the Fostex T40s will also go up for sale.

Congrats on the Lambda, I just sold my second pair.

If you sell the T40v1s I call dibs. I can't not have a pair, even if it means breaking my promise.

 

[Kabeer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DefectiveAudioComponent /img/forum/go_quote.gif So you found it bright... well, the LCD-1 (on my system) is a bit brighter.

Either you have a darker system than MPI, or we have found someone who likes treblyness more than MPI (which was previously thought to be impossible, and against the laws of the universe!!

)

Quote:

Originally Posted by mypasswordis /img/forum/go_quote.gif Congrats on the Lambda, I just sold my second pair. If you sell the T40v1s I call dibs. I can't not have a pair, even if it means breaking my promise.

Hahahaaa, 23 days, WEAK!

 

[BoilermakerFan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by i_djoel2000 /img/forum/go_quote.gif any chance selling the T10?

I have (2) pairs of T10s and the T10 drivers in a slightly modded version of the T10 cups in the KH-83. The one pair of T10s from the pics are probably sold, but I will be selling one of the other two remaining. It could be the actual T10s or it might be the KH-83s (if I decide to sell the KH-83s, they get offered to the buyer of the other T10s first as he's a repeat customer of mine), and here is the reason why...

If the T20 bezels with T10 drivers O2 pads are killer and trump the tuned KH-83s in spades, then I will keep the modded T10s and sell my precious KH-83s. It will be tough, but I've put a pretty big gauntlet in the sand and it's survival of the fittest now as I've decided I don't need to hoard cans. If they're close, then the KH-83s stay and the T10s go even if they are a hair better, but they would be sold as T10s, not as the T10/T20 fusion unless all my costs were covered, i.e., the T10s, T20s, and Denon pads were sold together (sorry: O2 pads, not for sale), but I don't think I'll do that. I see woodied T20v1s in my future if I decide to sell off the T10s.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mypasswordis /img/forum/go_quote.gif If you sell the T40v1s I call dibs. I can't not have a pair, even if it means breaking my promise.

I'll let you know MPI. The T40s would have to really blow me away over the KH-83 or T10s, as both sound really open now and I just like their unique sound signature and they are getting close to miniature version of the RP18s. Very intimate without feeling closed, RP18s just have more impact from the bigger driver. I really don't like closed cans and it's just psychosomatic, but I feel more pressure on my ears with closed cans and they always sound congested to me. The only high isolation headphone that has never given me that feeling are my Denon C-710s. And they're canal phones and fill my ears so they should trigger the same response, but I guess it's because the rest of ear is exposed to air that helps. Either way, I'm definitely going to tune them to my liking before I sell them, then you can listen and retune to your tastes and your system...

 

[mypasswordis]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kabeer /img/forum/go_quote.gif Either you have a darker system than MPI, or we have found someone who likes treblyness more than MPI (which was previously thought to be impossible, and against the laws of the universe!! )

He compared the LCD1 and the ET1000 off the same receiver, so that means the ET1000 is still relatively darker.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kabeer Hahahaaa, 23 days, WEAK!

Well, in my twisted gear-hoarding mind, since I gave my first pair away it doesn't really count as a purchase since I'm just replacing it.

And thanks, BMF. Do let me know. I totally understand about the closed-in feeling and the T40v1 is the only closed headphone I've heard that I liked.

 

[smeggy]

Congrats on the et, truly one of the all time greats IMO and my fave stat so far.

 

[mypasswordis]

Thanks.

I'm glad I at least got to try a pair out. I have high hopes for the SR-X Pro but if you say cranking up the bias really makes it sound good I'll have to at least try normal bias, which is still 50V higher than stock. Do you have any tips on how to make the pads thicker or more comfortable? They hurt my ears after an hour or so, but in a different way from the SR-X.

Edit: I just opened it up. As I expected, it's got very thick damping, on the order of orthos. But stock. And a 'stat. That's how it achieves its ridiculous speed.

 

[smeggy]

Personally I've found that an almost absolutely flat pad works best and are most comfy with the ET. It sounds strange I know, but a flat pad doesn't put any pressure on any specific places and seals just as well. The problem I have with all the small donut pads is that they tend to hurt in various places after a short time because of the relatively small contact area pressing. Seriously, a thickish piece of soft leather will probably be great. I use some old pads where the foam is completely disintegrated leaving only the vinyl cover, and the pads were very thin to begin with.

Also, you can bend the hangars a bit to angle the cups so they sit at a more natural angle to your ears. They're already a little angled, I just add a little more.

I feel these sound better than my own smegma pro (pro driver) and basically beat all the other stats I own for sheer musical enjoyment. I run them from the normal socket on the stax box with no trouble. Enjoy

 

[mypasswordis]

I just ripped the pads off my Philips electret which I have no hope for fixing the channel imbalance that developed, and put them on the ET1000. Insta-circumaural, insta-comfort. Sweet. Also helps tame the treble a bit, which was previously too hot for me. I'll let the new sound grow in on me a bit and report back. All I can say now is I have great hopes for running them off a Stax amp at normal bias.

Edit: Nah, it's still bright. I'm going to try removing some of the stock damping but it's glue extremely tightly to the backs of the drivers.

 

[iQEM]

sharing what i've found from the auction, but it's too late...it's has already ended when i found em...not in the good shape though, i mean the pads...

 

[redsosis]

Pics of my portable ortho Yamaha YHD-3

I've changed the broken foampads with leatherpads.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Something stupid... I though its using 1/4" plug. So I use converter to 1/8" But then, my friend iQEM found something weird. This is it. So silly.