[Br777]

 

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FIRST AND FOREMOST - A LINK TO SMEGGY'S OFFICIAL THUNDERPANTS SITE: HERE​

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This Post will be periodically updated ​

with info and links that we feel are useful to the cause... feel free to PM me with any type of suggestions you wish​

- last update 8.10.11 - see the big red all caps message at the top of this post​

 
I invite you all to post your Thunderpants glamour shots! One request...
PLEASE ONLY POST SHOTS OF THUNDERPANTS THAT YOU OWN. 
 

 a little background on the origin of Thunderpants...​

 
These beautiful headphones start off as an ~$80 pair of Fostex T50RP orthos.. as seen here... then the fostex mod god a.k.a.  "smeggy" waves his magic lathe, and Vaaayola!   Thunderpants!!!  and suddenly the mediocre already bangin' for their buck stock fostex turn into the rootenest tootenest most thunderenest, best soundenest closed cans in the north south east aaaaannd west!...Its just that simple.

 
(yeah, i know, none of you youngsters got that Yosemite Sam reference, but its ok....his legend lives on in my heart)
 
 

Useful links for Thunderpants and fostex modding enthusiasts : ​

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Fostex/thunderpants related DIY/Mod links :​

 
Fostex T50RP wiki with internal driver photos
 
The lord of ortho damping - dbel84 - droppin the science and kickin' the ka-knowlege -  with photos
 
Another ortho and DIY god - Sachu - with more TP damping advice and photos   "NEWEST/BEST"
 
This thread now contains several pages of DIYer tips, damping schemes, cup and baffle measurments, plans etc... happy hunting
 
 

Thunderpants Impressions:​

 
Loaner Program : Smeggy made Fostex T50RP woodies aka "Thunderpants"
 
The Mighty Thunderpants - initial impressions.. LOTS of them
 
 

Amps that are known to put the Thunder in Thunderpants​

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(make them sound especially good) along with usernames of people who have experience with these TP/AMP combos and confidently make that claim.
 
Cavalli CTH - DIY amp from Cavalli Audio  - Roughly $250 if purchased froma DIYer.  dont know how much the kit costs.
br777
smeggy
sachu
and others i've lost track of as this thread has grown.
 
HIFIMAN EF5 - available from head-direct for $400
br777
 

Tips For Builders and owners​

 
just some general comments and tips for thunderpants builders that i have learned from interacting with smeggy and from my experience wearing my own glorious thunderpants
 
IF YOU HAVE TIPS FOR T50RP modders, I WILL AD THEM TO THIS LIST - JUST PM ME
 
seal, seal, seal:  if you get them sounding good, and you make them in a way that they are sealed, you have to take extra extra extra care to make sure the seal on your head is impeccable and tight. this does not mean uncomfortable. I dont know how much i toiled thinking my TP's sounded like  crap before i realized that I had the ever so slightes air gap around my jaw line that was inhibiting the perfect seal.  once i figured this out and bent the arms and band around to get the fit right,  the sound went from hollow, bass light, empty, and cavernous to ... well none of those
 
ports: smeggy ports his cups.. meaning he drills holes in the underside of the cup to allow the bass to have a air flow hole... all it takes is covering those holes with your fingers to see just how profoundly they add and improve on the quality and quantity of bass.  this is a no brainer IMO because if you dont like the sound they produce, you can just fill them in or plug them.. but i can say simply -  if my TP's werent ported, i would not enjoy them NEARLY as much
 
pads:  many people have evangelized the importance of the right pads for your tp's and how much they will contribute to a great sound.  its true.  tried and true by many people.  if youre balking at spending the extra on 02 pads for example, remind yourself that they will actually significantly contribute to the sound quality, and proper seal.. not to mention they are extremely comfy, well made,  real leather, and look pretty snappy too.
 
 
Fit: dont be afraid to bend both the headband and the metal arms to get the fit and seal you want.  they both lend themselves to being bent more than you may realize.. though of course i am always probably overcareful with mine, i have bent them quite a bit and reaped major benefits in sound quality due to getting a tighter fit, which brought my ears closer to the drivers..  when i first got my TP's they just didnt fit right.. they felt awkward and of course i mentioned the seal didnt work... after bending them around a bit they now fit and feel awesome.  they grip my head without feeling clampy.  i keep them on for over an hour with NO discomfort.

 

[Br777]

                            THUNDERCLEESE!!!
 

 

[Mr Joboto]

*drool*

 

[Br777]

^ *wipe* - there there,  thundercleese's bulging forearms can be a bit overwhelming at first...with the missles and all...

greetings again fellow T-pants owners.

I'm wondering if i could get some feedback on your experiences with evening out the frequency response in the thunderpants.
I dont know how many of you have similar imbalances in your TP's as me, but im interested to know if any of you have taken steps to improve any of them, and if so, how you did it.

personally, my pants have a few peaks and valleys.  I am basing this on running a sine wave and observing what i hear.  I know everyone hears differently, but i also have a theory that for the most part people's hearing is a lot more similar than we may think it is.  that said...

mine have a valley from about 100-200hz - not so noticable
a large sloping peak from about 330-1000hz - creates the signature "hands cupped over ears" sound
and a large spike from about 5300-7300hz - sibilance

so aside from eq-ing them out, which I do, have any of you experienced these imbalances, and found a way to erradicate them?
 
thanks all

 

 

[BoilermakerFan]

I'll post up more later, along with pics. 
 
I'm planning to try a little pad rolling first.  AT W11 suede pads first with a slight tweak to Smeggy's stock dampening of just changing out the red felt for my thin Oz felt.  Oh, and the pending cable upgrade to the hybrid silver cable from Soloz Audio. 
 
I have no major complaints with the TPs at all.  I just have to get used to the isolation.  Not used to such isolating cans. 

 

[Br777]

^ do yours currently have the o2 pads?
changing pads really makes a difference huh?
 
I think i've finally built the courage to open up my TP's and start poking around, but I'm waiting on smeggy to tell me exactly what to do/not to do.
I'm really nervous about screwing them up.
 
UPDATE: looks like im definitely gonna have to wait on smeggy.. all i see is what looks like nails.. and glue.. not sure how to open, or if they come open at all. 
 
I certainly dont have any complaints, as they do sound awesome, but i would like to try to get them to sound better! 

 

[BoilermakerFan]

Yes, I have the O2 pads on them currently.  Pads make a HUGE difference. 

 

[Br777]

any idea what it takes to fix any of the frequency imbalances i mentioned?  thats what i would REALLY love to do.
also mine have almost constant L and R volume differences at various stages in the frequency curve.  what would one do about fixing those?
 

 

[BaudlyDamage]

Hey guys, can anyone tell me how much thicker the O2 pads are than the stock pads? My ears stick out some so im trying to keep the drivers off of them xD

 

[Br777]

^ i dont know.  my ears touch the inside of the o2 pad a bit but it doesnt cause an issue of any kind
 

 

 

[BaudlyDamage]

Well, ive got a stock T50RP and my ears currently touch the driver housing. do not want. thinking about adding padding to avoid that if it doesnt kill the sound 

 

[joelpearce]

Quote:

Well, ive got a stock T50RP and my ears currently touch the driver housing. do not want. thinking about adding padding to avoid that if it doesnt kill the sound 

It will.  These cans are really sensitive to padding.  I find the clamping force to be so light it's not really a problem.  Maybe I have flat ears, though.

 

[BaudlyDamage]

Oh, the clamping isn't the issue. there is no clamp involved. its just the way they sit with my ears inside the cup. my ears are touching the black fabric over the driver. 
 
Perhaps this makes sense though. they obviously were not intended to sit like that on your ears. the target would be just far enough away not to touch your ears. So, theoretically, by adding padding i put them back to the position they were designed for. 
 
make sense? i hope it does xD

 

[joelpearce]

My ears are definitely touching the cloth as well.  Looking at them, I think you'd have to be a lizard to wear these as true over-ears.

 

[Anaxilus]

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