[AnotherN00b]

 
 
 
 
 
Quote:
 

You guys know this e7 amp/DAC better than I. Is he asking too much of this thing? The review on anythingbutipod.com was pretty laudatory, but...
 
AN00b: Does being "engaged" require high sound pressure levels (SPL)? I can't help but think you should also audition the good-cheaps,  the ATH-FC700A being the one I'm most familiar with. I'd love to have you join the Ortho Fellowship, but the T50RP wouldn't be my first choice for footloose use.

 
 
No I don't need to crank the volume -- I just want something that's not too laid back; I like the sound to be "lively" but not artificially so. So for example, I liked the sound signature of the Shure SRH440s and K240S better than the HD555 which was accurate (I guess) but less engaging or the AE2 which seemed artificial and lacking detail. Again, my experience is very limited here but I'm trying!
 
Thanks for the feedback!

 

[leeperry]

 

i really would like to see what type of damping you have leeperry.  I've been struggling to bring the bass up on mine.

rather simple, I used Akasa noise reduction open cell foam(to absorb resonances), newplast clay(one of the very best damping factor in this comparison), removed the felt before the side vents and the drivers, used slightly angled sa5k earpads and a thick layer of felt before the drivers. The latter increases the bass response drastically, very much like the foam discs that are before the drivers in the DT770 Pro/Premium...try to remove them and the bass is GONE. Also, the newplast has been a major improvement over blutack(3X higher damping factor).
 

 
since those photos, I've also added newplast in all the tiny holes around the driver itself(and also in the screws gaps ^^). It has improved the inner-cup reflections damping and the isolation from outside noise(one of the holes is connected to the driver front).
 
the next step will be to open the top fake vents, I shall do it soon or later as opening the bottom vents really provides a stunning 3D XYZ SS

 

 
Should I believe the hype? Would a set of T5RPs sound better (accurate, detailed, smooth, engaging) than the 440s

 
Don't believe anything of what we say here, this phone sounds worse than a SkullCandy

 

[AnotherN00b]

Quote:

 
Should I believe the hype? Would a set of T5RPs sound better (accurate, detailed, smooth, engaging) than the 440s

 
Don't believe anything of what we say here, this phone sounds worse than a SkullCandy

LOL, reverse psychology, I like it! I really am just about sold. They've got that awesome 1970's radio shack vibe and to think that they can compete with $500+ phones with a little tinkering makes them pretty hard to resist! 

 

[VulgarDisplay]

The felt I had on hand sure did drastically increase the bass when added between the drivers and my ears.  

 
It detracted from the sparkle of the highs a little too much for me though so I need to find something thinner I can use.  Maybe a few layers of the micropore tape I have will pull this off.  TINKERING TIME!

 

[VulgarDisplay]

I'm an idiot.  I had the EQ on in foobar for my ad700, so that's why I had extreme amounts of bass, and rolled off highs.  Turned it off and it's much more balanced, but the bass is still more present.  I switched back to the stock pads too because they brighten the highs a little more and reduce the bass in comparison to the m50.  Bass and mids have more authority now, and the highs are still razor sharp.  Thanks for the advice leeperry.  

 

[leeperry]

Glad you like it. Yeah, the stock felt before the drivers completely ruins the potential of those drivers...it could easily account for the bass roll in those measurements. It simply filters the wrong frequencies to my ears.
 
And running it w/o felt requires titanium eardrums IME, the trebles are just unbearable...they really do need to be tamed down, which has the nice counter-effect of increasing the bass response.
 
I also had good results with washing the felt using hair softening shampoo several times, it made the felt softer to the ears and I'd swear that it improved the SQ as well...shrinking the fibers and all.

 

[VulgarDisplay]

I still have the stock felt and a layer of thick felt on mine.  The treble is still bordering on too much for me.  I'm pretty sensitive to higher frequencies though.  

 

[leeperry]

IME, the stock felt compromises the whole phone...anyway, YMMV

 
Once fully damped, the trebles are not sparkly anymore for me...I don't even EQ them down anymore.
 
Another added value of adding felt before the drivers is that the thicker it is the higher the isolation from outside noise.

 

[dBel84]

It might be interesting to try and layer the front damping a little - I couldn't find the pictures of the early ortho iterations of this but RD was kind enough to take awesome images of the HE6 and Fang has applied this approach 

 
..dB

 

[Rick]

Why have more felt on the top right side of the driver? that supposed to be where your ear canal rests?

 

[ukkisavosta]

Quote:

BUT, the reason I'm posting here is that I keep seeing the Fostex T50RP pop up and I am absolutely intrigued by the idea that with a moderate amount of effort I can make this $75 set of headphones sound vastly superior to the 440s. Should I believe the hype? Would a set of T50RPs sound better (accurate, detailed, smooth, engaging) than the 440s with a measly e7?   Sound quality is my primary concern...

You guys know this e7 amp/DAC better than I. Is he asking too much of this thing? The review on anythingbutipod.com was pretty laudatory, but...
 
AN00b: Does being "engaged" require high sound pressure levels (SPL)? I can't help but think you should also audition the good-cheaps,  the ATH-FC700A being the one I'm most familiar with. I'd love to have you join the Ortho Fellowship, but the T50RP wouldn't be my first choice for footloose use.
 

 
I think the E7 might have a hard time driving the Fostexes: I have the Senn HD650's and an E7/E9 combo, and if I use the E7 alone to drive the HD650's, I'm at nearly max volume when listening to certain classical records, whereas the E7/E9 combo can easily drive the HD650's even on the low gain setting.
 
Incidentally, as mentioned in another thread, I placed an order on a pair of T40RP mkII's today after reading some of this thread and the T50RP thread. I believe you have a pair of the T40RP mkII's, wualta? Do the same damping modifications apply to those cans as well?
 
Also, I can't believe the wealth of information on here. This is like a gold mine of ortho knowledge!

 

[wualta]

 
Quote:

I really am just about sold. ... and to think that they can compete with $500+ phones with a little tinkering makes them pretty hard to resist! 

Well, we tried to talk you out of it.. Sounds like you're ready to take the plunge. Good luck, stay in touch, call the hotline if the modding should go bad and you just want sell all your headphones and take up pen-wiper collecting... Seriously, take photos as you go (very important should you have a question), change only one thing at a time, report back here regularly.
 


Quote:

It might be interesting to try and layer the front damping a little - I couldn't find the pictures of the early ortho iterations of this but RD was kind enough to take awesome images of the HE6 and Fang has applied this approach 
 

That's wild. It reminds me of the old Stax SR-3 earcup.


Quote:

I think the E7 might have a hard time driving the Fostexes: I have the Senn HD650's and an E7/E9 combo, and if I use the E7 alone to drive the HD650's, I'm at nearly max volume when listening to certain classical records, whereas the E7/E9 combo can easily drive the HD650's even on the low gain setting.
 
Incidentally, as mentioned in another thread, I placed an order on a pair of T40RP mkII's today.. I believe you have a pair of the T40RP mkII's, wualta? Do the same damping modifications apply to those cans as well?

RE: the E7: I was afraid of that. When using (or judging) any headphone, it's good to have more than the minimum requirement of power.
 
RE: the T40RP ii: While the T20RPii's driver is both visually and audibly different, I hear a much smaller difference between the T50RP and the T40RPii, a difference that could easily be accounted for by the different earpads. I won't say the 40 and 50 drivers are identical, because I don't know. I do think they're in the same ballpark and that the mods that apply to one will work for the other but will have to be tweaked due to the difference in earpads and enclosure (the 40 is, or is supposed to be, closed). Let us know what you find.

 

[VulgarDisplay]

Quote:

It might be interesting to try and layer the front damping a little - I couldn't find the pictures of the early ortho iterations of this but RD was kind enough to take awesome images of the HE6 and Fang has applied this approach 

 
..dB

Is that was the actual damping looks like, or was it cut away like that for photographing purposes?  

 

[rhythmdevils]

That's what it looks like.  All I did was take off the pads, and remove a bunch of dust and specs in photoshop. 

 

[Kabeer]

Quote:

That's what it looks like.  All I did was take off the pads, and remove a bunch of dust and specs in photoshop. 

Can anyone make sense of that front-driver damping scheme? Why is it like so?
 
If I were to make a guess, id assume its to reduce treble response near the pinnae...(where the major treble detail is caught)... But the way it's progressively done is strange. Would be interesting to see exactly what it does. and how it sounds like without that damping, maybe it could be implemented in the vintage damping schemes.