[takato14]

 

  Still loving my custom SS100, and can't find any succesor even 1000$ range.

Have you ever owned a Fostex T50 or variant? (since they supposedly share identical drivers)

Not identical, similar. Fostex likes to combine parts and materials from the T50 and T30. The SS-100 has the T50 diaphragm traces and the T30 magnets, and the T30 diaphragm material.
 

 

 
Top is the SS-100, bottom is the T50. The T30 uses mylar for its diaphragm, and the T50 uses kapton. The T30 magnets are one solid slotted ferrite disc while the T50 has individual bar magnets. I think the gaps between the magnets on the T50 accounts for the harshness I experienced from my RP18 when compared to the SS-100, soundwaves reflecting around like crazy due to the inherently poor acoustics and etc, but this is pure speculation. I will note that the SS-100 has slightly lower overall distortion in the upper regions than the Aiwa HP500 Tyll has up, which also uses the bar magnets like the T50 and RP18.
 
BTW, pre-emptive strike, for when Tyll posts the update on InnerFidelity with the SS-100's measurements: he did not get a proper seal on the earpads. My earpads are too thin for a dummy head and the SS-100 has fit issues. I'd like to see about getting them remeasured with a better seal. Maybe someone else can send theirs in? It'd be interesting to see the two custom pairs (Synthax's and Tinkerer's) measured too. Tyll did just start a volunteer measurement program... check it out.

 

[Tinkerer]

I'd have to open mine up again to double check, but I'm pretty sure the T-30 drivers are physically smaller than the SS-100 drivers. So while the SS-100 design is a combo, the actual parts aren't shared IIRC.

 

[takato14]

I'd have to open mine up again to double check, but I'm pretty sure the T-30 drivers are physically smaller than the SS-100 drivers. So while the SS-100 design is a combo, the actual parts aren't shared IIRC.

?
 
If anything the SS-100 driver housing is going to be smaller because of how it's whittled down to fit into the earcups. The T30 diaphragm and magnets are interchangeable with the T50 models. Someone put a T50 diaphragm into a T30 once. Can't remember where I saw that though...

 

[Tinkerer]

I don't know what to tell you man. Sansui measures 3 1/8 " from outside of driver to outside of driver. (brown to brown of the actual driver, not the black plastic of the mount). The T30 only measures 3" including the black plastic casing. That's at least 16mm difference. I've never held a T-50 in my hands so I don't know how it compares, but look for yourself.

 

[takato14]

I don't know what to tell you man. Sansui measures 3 1/8 " from outside of driver to outside of driver. (brown to brown of the actual driver, not the black plastic of the mount). The T30 only measures 3" including the black plastic casing. That's at least 16mm difference. I've never held a T-50 in my hands so I don't know how it compares, but look for yourself.

I actually just checked this myself. Based on what your picture shows, the T50 and T30 are indeed interchangeable, as that is the same frame as the RP18, but the SS-100's frame is completely different. Its thinner and has a lot of weird cutaways for mounting the earcups... the cups actually attach to the driver, which is then screwed into the baffle plate. Very smart, this keeps the driver dampened tightly. And damn, the SS-100 has literally twice as much damping as the T50/RP18. No wonder they sound so different...
 
The diaphragms (active area) and magnets are the same size still, which is what I was getting at. The SS-100 might have a larger mount though (the brown piece you were talking about).

 

[GREQ]

 Very smart, this keeps the driver dampened tightly. And damn, the SS-100 has literally twice as much damping as the T50/RP18. No wonder they sound so different...

4 pucks of yellow biscuits?

 

[takato14]

 

 Very smart, this keeps the driver dampened tightly. And damn, the SS-100 has literally twice as much damping as the T50/RP18. No wonder they sound so different...

4 pucks of yellow biscuits?

Yeah, two per driver. The mesh cup actually compresses them slightly too, whereas the RP18 has a solid ~1cm between the damping and the back of the cup.
 
Also, God, every time I put this headphone on after work it just sounds so incredibly "right". So sweet and clear. I don't want to sound like I'm fanboying, but just... wow. It's been months and this headphone is still surprising me. The Z7 never did that... nothing has ever done that.

 

[GREQ]

 
Yeah, two per driver. The mesh cup actually compresses them slightly too, whereas the RP18 has a solid ~1cm between the damping and the back of the cup.
 
Also, God, every time I put this headphone on after work it just sounds so incredibly "right". So sweet and clear. I don't want to sound like I'm fanboying, but just... wow. It's been months and this headphone is still surprising me. The Z7 never did that... nothing has ever done that.

Oh, the NAD RP18 actually has two per driver too.. Same damping as the Sansui.
Unless they compensated for driver differences and the Mylar only had one layer, and the Kapton has two.

 

[Tinkerer]

Also, God, every time I put this headphone on after work it just sounds so incredibly "right". So sweet and clear. I don't want to sound like I'm fanboying, but just... wow. It's been months and this headphone is still surprising me. The Z7 never did that... nothing has ever done that.

Seconded, especially after I made mine comfortable. Sometimes I'll play a piece of music I haven't in half a year and go "I don't remember hearing that before. Oh yeah, I haven't played it since I got these." Even my fiddling with the T30 was to get it to sound more Sansui-like. Which is still ongoing. I think it's the rear of the driver enclosure acting like an acoustic lens that's giving me the most trouble.

The SS-100's really struggle if they go underamped though, which I think accounts for some other people's lower impressions. This is especially apparent when you compare them to the T30's which are easier to drive.

Though, I've also been flagship hunting lately because I want to see how it stands up to some of the more current big boys. Nothing super high end but stuff like the HE-6 and the LCD's and the HD-800.

 

[takato14]

 

 
Yeah, two per driver. The mesh cup actually compresses them slightly too, whereas the RP18 has a solid ~1cm between the damping and the back of the cup.
 
Also, God, every time I put this headphone on after work it just sounds so incredibly "right". So sweet and clear. I don't want to sound like I'm fanboying, but just... wow. It's been months and this headphone is still surprising me. The Z7 never did that... nothing has ever done that.

Oh, the NAD RP18 actually has two per driver too.. Same damping as the Sansui.
Unless they compensated for driver differences and the Mylar only had one layer, and the Kapton has two.

They must have compensated. My RP18 mylar only had one per side.
 
Also, here's the Sansuis on Tyll's site, and for comparison, the T50 and Kabeer's modded Aiwa HP500:
 
http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/SansuiSS100.pdf
 
http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/FostexT50.pdf
 
http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/AiwaHP500DIYModifiedKabeer.pdf
 
Interestingly, of all of these, the SS-100 is the only one wired in reverse phase. Other than that, all very similar headphones... methinks Kabeer used different earpads with his Aiwas, which made them seal better, as all stock headphones have the same type of earpads (though the outer diameter is smaller on the Sansuis). Or maybe we're all full of schiit.
 
One thing is for certain: the SS-100 has the best distortion measurements of the three, by a long shot... 

 

[GREQ]

One thing is for certain: the SS-100 has the best distortion measurements of the three, by a long shot... 

Noticed that too... I wonder if Sansui actually played around with the driver in a significant way, or this is simply the result of a clever enclosure.

 

[Tinkerer]

Interesting to see the measurements in. Makes me want to see what mine would be like with the seal of the big leather pads on the ears.

As for the driver, I just wish I had taken pics when I had it open before. It was just too much of a pain to do again. I had to reassemble it twice to fix the slight loss in volume and reseat it in the housing twice to kill the slight resonant buzz it gets around 80hz if all the screws aren't tightened just so. I'd probably be more willing to experiment if I had a spare. And one actually just popped up for an okay price. It would just soak up my new headphone money...

 

[GREQ]

 And one actually just popped up for an okay price

One man's "okay price" is another man's "daylight robbery"

 

 

[Tinkerer]

True enough, but but it's relative, better than the $900 that they sometimes go for. $700 is still a couple hundred more than I paid for mine. Though I imagine if they were only $200-300, everyone who liked them would have two or three. Old orthos in general just aren't as cheap as they used to be a decade ago.

 

[takato14]

 

 And one actually just popped up for an okay price

One man's "okay price" is another man's "daylight robbery"

 

Until you hear one...
 
Nah $500 is a good spot for these imo. That's what I paid. I also think the HD800 should be about $700 south from its current standing, and that pretty much nothing but the 009 deserves a price above it, so take that as you will.
 
Conversely, I now place the DR-Z7 at about $250 at most. For some better metrics: AKG Q701 at $200 is good. Etymotic ER-4S is reasonable at $300 too.