[daanh]

Hi,

Happy owner of a Fostex TH-600 and tr-x00, paired with an Xduoo BAL.

I read about these aftermarket attenuation rings that you can use to tune a headphone. Is this a Fostex thing, or do all headphones have this? How are these supposed to work?

Aldo I wonder if the drivers of the Massdrop Fostexes are really the same as the TH-600 ones.

I have a very well used TH-600 with some different aftermarket pads and got a TR-X00. The latter was louder, had more mids and sounded less hifi than the TH-600. I took the drivers from the TH-600 and implanted them in the Massdrop. I haven't rebuilt the TH-600 yet, so I can't compare, but the new hybrid 'phone sounds great. Maybe it's just because the drivers have had years of burn-in?

I took pictures of the drivers, and they have different part numbers. The Massdrop has 606005, and the older TH-600 has 481842 on them. You can see it looks exactly the same, but maybe a TH-900 driver also looks like this.

It doesn't really matter as I am happy with the cans, but maybe someone can shed some light on this.

Thanks, Daan

 

[gimmeheadroom]

If nobody answers you here in a day or two, search for the Fostex threads and ask there. There is some amazing Fostex knowledge on the forums and I'm sure somebody can help.

 

[Andrew_WOT]

Are you asking about these?
https://dekoniaudio.com/product/fostex-t50rp-th-x00-attenuation-ring/

 

[Andrew_WOT]

And I have one driver replaced that I ordered from fullcompass.
Part number:
Fostex 1471481842 Drive Element for TH-600

And you probably want to check this thread
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/fostex-th600-dynamic-headphones.631594/

 

[Deleeh]

Hello,
You should have made the effort.
Because the driver is the same.
The headphones differ in the type of wood used for the cups and nothing else.

Regarding the damping rings, they only make sense depending on what the pad brings.
Usually a little better bass and midrange.
But it depends a lot on the pad's material, damping, cut-out, etc....
That's why it's important to listen once with damping ring and once without to hear the difference.

If you are looking for useful information, check out Lawtonaudio.com.

I bought an old Denon D200 totally wrecked and rebuilt it.
So old pads,cables,headband were totally screwed up.
I redid everything and put in the EMU rosewood cups and it still sounds pretty fantastic.

 

[daanh]

Hello,
You should have made the effort.
Because the driver is the same.
The headphones differ in the type of wood used for the cups and nothing else.

Regarding the damping rings, they only make sense depending on what the pad brings.
Usually a little better bass and midrange.
But it depends a lot on the pad's material, damping, cut-out, etc....
That's why it's important to listen once with damping ring and once without to hear the difference.

If you are looking for useful information, check out Lawtonaudio.com.

I bought an old Denon D200 totally wrecked and rebuilt it.
So old pads,cables,headband were totally screwed up.
I redid everything and put in the EMU rosewood cups and it still sounds pretty fantastic.

Thanks for the replies. What do you mean when you say that I should have made the effort? I got the TR-X00 for 300 euros, it would be more expensive to fully repair my TH-600.

Yes, I mean those Dekoni rings. The shipping cost is very high to the Netherlands, so I would have to cut those myself. What is the idea behind them?

Good to know the drivers are really the same. It's insane that those Massdrop cans were so much cheaper than the TH-600...

Are the pads from the TR-X00 available anywhere? I think they're great!

Thanks! Daan

 

[Andrew_WOT]

I don't know, TR-X00 were not know for their SQ comparing to TH600, so if it's the same driver might be some other unknownreason. TH600 driver was $59 from fullcompass, but this is US. Attenuation rings mimic what stock pads with oval opening have on the back, without them phones tuning goes out of whack as they start absorbing too much sound without it being concentrated into pad opening, they start sound muddy and fuzzy.
You can cut them from thin plastic or dense thin cardboard, or even transplant from stock pads, they are stitched so it might not be easy.

 

[daanh]

I don't know, TR-X00 were not know for their SQ comparing to TH600, so if it's the same driver might be some other unknownreason. TH600 driver was $59 from fullcompass, but this is US. Attenuation rings mimic what stock pads with oval opening have on the back, without them phones tuning goes out of whack as they start absorbing too much sound without it being concentrated into pad opening, they start sound muddy and fuzzy.
You can cut them from thin plastic or dense thin cardboard, or even transplant from stock pads, they are stitched so it might not be easy.

Thanks! Did you notice change in sound with the driver replacement?

 

[Andrew_WOT]

Thanks! Did you notice change in sound with the driver replacement?

Yes, before I didn't have sound in the right channel.

It was the same driver model as original TH600, why would they sound different?

 

[daanh]

Yes, before I didn't have sound in the right channel.

It was the same driver model as original TH600, why would they sound different?

Sorry, I just can't image any other reason for what you said: "TR-X00 were not know for their SQ comparing to TH600". They have wooden cups and same driver... How could they sound worse??

The TH-600 had some dampening material in it, while the TR-X00 was empty. Maybe that plays some role?

 

[Andrew_WOT]

Pretty sure that's what I've read.
Good review of different Foster drivers based phones, also read comment section, some interesting feedback from users including one on TH600

 

[Deleeh]

Oh man guys.

Fostex Th 610,Fostex Tr x00,Emu,Denon D2000&5000 headphones have the same driver.
Except for the Denon D2000 which comes with plastic cups as standard, they all differ in the type of wood.

The Th900 doesn't because it's more powerful.
I don't know exactly what Fostex uses as a cup material, but there are also different versions available.


The Lawtonmod cup is quite similar in construction but still different.
The cups are sturdier, better made and have much more body and are available in pretty much all types of wood depending on what is available and in demand.

There is nothing more to the basic principle.
Next to the pads, the cups have the most influence.
The cups form the basic sound depending on the type of wood.
The pads tend to be more the fine-tuning.
And the finer tuning might be a little more fine-tuning on the Eq, but that's not a must.

And there is nothing more to be said about the basic principle.
The drivers can be exchanged with each other in the event of a defect - everything else is nonsense.
The driver of the Th 600 does not sound better or different than that of the Denon D5000 as an example.

In fact, the drivers sound better when they are older than when they are new. The D2000 I have simply plays softer and smoother than the Tr X00, despite modding to Rosewood.
But it is much more in the subtle range.
You have to be quite involved with it and have done some things yourself to get there to hear it.

The Dekoni ring can be an advantage or disadvantage depending on the pad and is okay.
But you can do it yourself if you want.

The pads from Dekoni are not so recommendable.
Better are the Ahg that can be found on Amazon in combination with the Dekoni rings.
Stick pads can be bought from Fostex if you want.
The Yaxi and Zmf pads are also relatively good and popular.

Most of the information can be found in other threads and forums.

 

[Andrew_WOT]

What are AHG pads? Can you please post a link to the product?
I've been using Dekoni TH900 sheepskin as a replacement for degraded stock, thought they are pretty good and don't ruin original sound, but always open for other recommendations.

 

[Deleeh]

Hello,
yes here is the Link.
https://www.accessoryhouseglobal.com/fostex-replacement-ear-cushion/

I have it in use with the Dekoni rings And are pretty solid.

 

[Andrew_WOT]

Some nice Fostex/Foster phones pads reference, seems like TH600/TH900 use circular opening and from what I can tell no attenuators in OEM form.
https://drop.com/talk/23166/denon-fostex-ear-pad-guide

I honestly don't even remember how my stock pads looked like, wondering if attenuators on Dekoni TH900 pads (with similar to OEM circular opening) do more harm than good.