[Draygonn]

Excuse the camera. Colorwise they are like the first pic, quite dark.

 

[Radio_head]

Does mean you got yours back from Tyll?  

 

[Draygonn]

Yep, got them today and my eyes are wide as saucers. Absolutely beautiful. They make a good compliment to the HD800s and the isolation is great.

 

[sbradley02]

What wood?
 

 

[Kojaku]

 
Quote:

Excuse the camera. Colorwise they are like the first pic, quite dark.

 

Looks like Ziricote.
 
Kojaku

 

[Draygonn]

What wood?

Looks like Ziricote.

Yep, Zirocote with O2 pads.

 

[dmcs414]

My only regret in purchasing brown O2 pads is that I didn't realize at the time that they wouldn't be the lambskin variety used on actual SR-007s.  I took Gary's advice and got mine (like most of you I'd assume) from Joynetcafe, and even though they were a huge improvement in both comfort and sound quality over the Fostex pads, they still pale in comparison with the ultra-comfort of the genuine variety. I had a chance to compare directly with a pair of SR-007s at a meet about a month ago when I had literally just put on my Joynet pads.  Alas, there was no comparison.  Next time I'll get the genuine article.  
 
This brings to mind another thought though.  I know Gary has told people (myself included) that the black O2 pads have those lip issues as discussed previously, but if they are from Joynetcafe, and assuming they're pleather instead of lambskin, it makes me wonder if the black STAX lambskin pads have the same lip problem.  If they don't, it seems clear it'd be worth the extra $35 bucks ($120 Joynetcafe, $155 from STAX, if I'm not mistaken) to just opt for the real deal.  

 

[Mullet]

What does Gary typically use for the default TP1 pads? What makes the O2 pads so much better than the stock T50RP pads? More bass? I feel like the TP1s have too much bass sometimes.

 

[sbradley02]

My black O2 pads were from Stax (shipped directly from Japan) and were genuine lambskin. This was a year ago. They did not have any lip issues. The issue I had with them is in very heavy use (dozens of hours per week) the foam crushed down in several months. No idea how they compare to the ones from Joynetcafe. They were incredibly comfortable but switched to LCD-2 pads due to the longevity issue.
Quote:

My only regret in purchasing brown O2 pads is that I didn't realize at the time that they wouldn't be the lambskin variety used on actual SR-007s.  I took Gary's advice and got mine (like most of you I'd assume) from Joynetcafe, and even though they were a huge improvement in both comfort and sound quality over the Fostex pads, they still pale in comparison with the ultra-comfort of the genuine variety. I had a chance to compare directly with a pair of SR-007s at a meet about a month ago when I had literally just put on my Joynet pads.  Alas, there was no comparison.  Next time I'll get the genuine article.  
 
This brings to mind another thought though.  I know Gary has told people (myself included) that the black O2 pads have those lip issues as discussed previously, but if they are from Joynetcafe, and assuming they're pleather instead of lambskin, it makes me wonder if the black STAX lambskin pads have the same lip problem.  If they don't, it seems clear it'd be worth the extra $35 bucks ($120 Joynetcafe, $155 from STAX, if I'm not mistaken) to just opt for the real deal.  

 
 

 

[dmcs414]

 
Quote:

What does Gary typically use for the default TP1 pads? What makes the O2 pads so much better than the stock T50RP pads? More bass? I feel like the TP1s have too much bass sometimes.

 
He uses the original Fostex.  The O2 pads, whether Joynet pleather or legit STAX lambskin, provide increase in comfort, soundstage, and of course the all-important seal required for better bass extension & punch.  

 

[Mullet]

I feel like I get a pretty good seal already. My coworkers claim they can't hear my TP1s when I have them on. I know I surely can't hear them Just wondering if the $112+ upgrade is justified. I guess for me it would be for a better sound stage. Anyone know how hard it is to do the upgrade from the stock to O2 DIY? It looks like Smeggy has sort of sealed on the stock pads.

 

[dmcs414]

 
Quote:

I feel like I get a pretty good seal already. My coworkers claim they can't hear my TP1s when I have them on. I know I surely can't hear them Just wondering if the $112+ upgrade is justified. I guess for me it would be for a better sound stage. Anyone know how hard it is to do the upgrade from the stock to O2 DIY? It looks like Smeggy has sort of sealed on the stock pads.

 
It's not too hard.  Maxvla and myself managed it in about an hour.  My TP1s were actually the prototype for the foam ribbon/strip Gary now uses by default underneath the Fostex pads when someone doesn't request a different pad up-front, or so he tells me.  This was his idea to make it easier for someone to change pads down the road when they start with Fostex.
 
Most of the time spent doing this is process is actually scratching off all the foam residue from the strip which has to be removed in order for the O2 pads to attach properly.  Then it's simply a matter of stretching the O2 pad's lip around the cup and fitting it. 
 
Edit-I should also mention, the wood on my TP1s in Wenge, which is really heavy compared to a lot of the other woods commonly used.  This made it particularly important to me to find pads that would better balance and mitigate the cups, which is why I went to O2s.  My needs were about 85% comfort-oriented/15% seal/soundstage.  If comfort hadn't been an issue for me, I might have kept the Fostex pads.  Just FYI.
 
Also Mullet, I just noticed you use the CTH like myself.  What tubes do you like with your TP1s?  I'm currently using an Amperex Holland BB 6DJ8, which is the best I've had so far with TP1s, but I'm always interested in what tubes others use when they make this awesome pairing between Fostex T50RPs and the CTH.   

 

[Mullet]

 
Quote:

 
 
It's not too hard.  Maxvla and myself managed it in about an hour.  My TP1s were actually the prototype for the foam ribbon/strip Gary now uses by default underneath the Fostex pads when someone doesn't request a different pad up-front, or so he tells me.  This was his idea to make it easier for someone to change pads down the road when they start with Fostex.
 
Most of the time spent doing this is process is actually scratching off all the foam residue from the strip which has to be removed in order for the O2 pads to attach properly.  Then it's simply a matter of stretching the O2 pad's lip around the cup and fitting it. 
 
Edit-I should also mention, the wood on my TP1s in Wenge, which is really heavy compared to a lot of the other woods commonly used.  This made it particularly important to me to find pads that would better balance and mitigate the cups, which is why I went to O2s.  My needs were about 85% comfort-oriented/15% seal/soundstage.  If comfort hadn't been an issue for me, I might have kept the Fostex pads.  Just FYI.
 
Also Mullet, I just noticed you use the CTH like myself.  What tubes do you like with your TP1s?  I'm currently using an Amperex Holland BB 6DJ8, which is the best I've had so far with TP1s, but I'm always interested in what tubes others use when they make this awesome pairing between Fostex T50RPs and the CTH.   

 

Cool. Yeah my birdseye maple cups don't feel too heavy at this point in time. If I ever feel the itch it doesn't seem too hard. So its a matter of removing a foam strip. Did you use googone or anything like that?
 
With regard to the CTH and tube rolling. I'm first and foremost into Siemens and German tubes in general like Telefunken or German made Valvo. I prefer the 6v 6DJ8 variants with the CTH ie ECC88, E88CC and love the the Siemens CCa. I love the detail and air and nice balance they bring to the CTH in general. The 6V tubes have more gain and bring a certain punch to the TP1s. 12AU7 type tubes don't do it as much for me in conjunction with the TP1s. It's another story with other phones though. Another hard to find tube that is great is the squat bottle Stuttgart Lorenz PCC88. I'm not going to lie I roll in the BB 6DJ8 from time to time. It has a nice punch to it as does another tube from Amperex, the 8416, a 12v 6DJ8. There are so many options with the CTH. Too many. I've burnt a hole in my wallet trying out tubes.
 

 

[TIMITS]

I'm just wondering if anyone from the group buy is still waiting for their Thunderpants yet.  I recently wrote to Gary on the 24th March asking what was happening and soon after replied that they would be sent within a week.  I emailed again two days ago but no reply so far.  I'd be interested to see if anyone else is having the same problem.  I paid in October last year so another week and it will be 7 months.

 

[bobeau]

Quote:

I'm just wondering if anyone from the group buy is still waiting for their Thunderpants yet.  I recently wrote to Gary on the 24th March asking what was happening and soon after replied that they would be sent within a week.  I emailed again two days ago but no reply so far.  I'd be interested to see if anyone else is having the same problem.  I paid in October last year so another week and it will be 7 months.

 
I sent mine back over a month ago to fix several issues.
 
Inquired a couple weeks back, got a note about how it was just about ready to go but he was undergoing foreclosure.  Sent a couple emails over the past few days and no response.
 
Hate to jump to conclusions, but I'm worried that's $650 down the drain.