[Florimer]

   It's not like Fostex just took T50RP drivers and put them in another shell. That was nothing more than a premature guess by too many.
 

Still that was what i actually heard when they first hit the market. I was kind of excited to know that fostex step up their ortho game, so naturally i was disappointed when many people stated otherwise. To hear that this is just an overpriced t50rp... after that i stopped considering any fostex headphones anything but overpriced mediocrity.

 

[deafdoorknob]

Still that was what i actually heard when they first hit the market. I was kind of excited to know that fostex step up their ortho game, so naturally i was disappointed when many people stated otherwise. To hear that this is just an overpriced t50rp... after that i stopped considering any fostex headphones anything but overpriced mediocrity.

just curious, which models have you auditioned to come to the conclusion that fostex headphones are "overpriced mediocrity"?

 

[Audioholic123]

  Still that was what i actually heard when they first hit the market. I was kind of excited to know that fostex step up their ortho game, so naturally i was disappointed when many people stated otherwise. To hear that this is just an overpriced t50rp... after that i stopped considering any fostex headphones anything but overpriced mediocrity.

I'm not one to get involved in heated debates, waste of time IMO...but the TH500RP's are not overpriced T50RP's. As I just tried to point out to you in my last post - they are an original model with their own, slightly different drivers. They have their own identity.
Mr Speakers however???...all he does is take a stock T50RP and mods it, then sells it for what...$600 or something. That's a $450 - $500 increase on msrp.  Now THAT'S being cheated with...
 
I do think the TH900 is overpriced though...no headphone should cost 4 figures. But then if you where the owner of Fostex and your engineers came up with what is generally agreed to be the best closed-back headphones in the world - you wouldn't sell them in the same ballpark as Sennheiser HD558's and the like. think of the chaos that would cause given how highly regarded the TH900's are.

 

[thefitz]

Well, I've spent like $1200 on headphones this month....

 

[zombywoof]

 
I'm not one to get involved in heated debates, waste of time IMO...but the TH500RP's are not overpriced T50RP's. As I just tried to point out to you in my last post - they are an original model with their own, slightly different drivers. They have their own identity.
Mr Speakers however???...all he does is take a stock T50RP and mods it, then sells it for what...$600 or something. That's a $450 - $500 increase on msrp.  Now THAT'S being cheated with...
 
I do think the TH900 is overpriced though...no headphone should cost 4 figures. But then if you where the owner of Fostex and your engineers came up with what is generally agreed to be the best closed-back headphones in the world - you wouldn't sell them in the same ballpark as Sennheiser HD558's and the like. think of the chaos that would cause given how highly regarded the TH900's are.

Price is rarely a good indication of actual manufacturing cost or actual value.  This is true for all consumer products, including headphones.  Likewise, MSRP is not a valid metric for judging the quality of a product.  Price is frequently set for a product based on the perceived value to the consumer, or to place a given product in a target market.  All manufacturers of all products price their goods according to the market.  Headphone makers are no exception.  The TH500RP and T50RP (actually T20RP would be a more valid comparison since it is an open headphone like the TH500RP) are a good examples.  The T50RP and its siblings are clearly priced to sell in volume, and to be an entry level purchase for the Fostex line.  Even those dedicated to their T50RP's will not argue that these are the best headphones available at any price.  But, for the money spent they are a good value to most.  Fostex purposely put the TH500RP in the upper middle of the market, and substantiated this placement with improved sonic qualities, high end design and materials, superior comfort, and superior build quality when compared to the T20/40/50RP.  I believe that the original $699 MSRP put it in the same league as the TH600, but below the TH900.  I would argue that this price was appropriate for the market they were trying to enter and the pricing of the competition...
 
...but it was too high for me.
 
With the recent reduced price for the TH500RP, I now see it as a viable alternative, and an all too rare opportunity for me (and others) to obtain a headphone that normally resides n a part of the market where I do not live.  Clearly, for someone able to afford TOTL Audeze, etc. this price is irrelevant.  To me it is relevant and matches the perceived vaue.  I do not know if this is a good headphone for $699...I have nothing in my collection to compare it to.  But I can say for certain that I am enjoying the hell out of them.
 
@Florimer, I am also curious to know which Fostex headphones you have actually heard.

 

[Audioholic123]

 
Price is rarely a good indication of actual manufacturing cost or actual value.  This is true for all consumer products, including headphones.  Likewise, MSRP is not a valid metric for judging the quality of a product.  Price is frequently set for a product based on the perceived value to the consumer, or to place a given product in a target market.  All manufacturers of all products price their goods according to the market.  Headphone makers are no exception.  The TH500RP and T50RP (actually T20RP would be a more valid comparison since it is an open headphone like the TH500RP) are a good examples.  The T50RP and its siblings are clearly priced to sell in volume, and to be an entry level purchase for the Fostex line.  Even those dedicated to their T50RP's will not argue that these are the best headphones available at any price.  But, for the money spent they are a good value to most.  Fostex purposely put the TH500RP in the upper middle of the market, and substantiated this placement with improved sonic qualities, high end design and materials, superior comfort, and superior build quality when compared to the T20/40/50RP.  I believe that the original $699 MSRP put it in the same league as the TH600, but below the TH900.  I would argue that this price was appropriate for the market they were trying to enter and the pricing of the competition...
 
...but it was too high for me.
 
With the recent reduced price for the TH500RP, I now see it as a viable alternative, and an all too rare opportunity for me (and others) to obtain a headphone that normally resides n a part of the market where I do not live.  Clearly, for someone able to afford TOTL Audeze, etc. this price is irrelevant.  To me it is relevant and matches the perceived vaue.  I do not know if this is a good headphone for $699...I have nothing in my collection to compare it to.  But I can say for certain that I am enjoying the hell out of them.
 
@Florimer, I am also curious to know which Fostex headphones you have actually heard.

I agree with your assesment. But experienced veterans of this hobby in particular, know that price is a very good indication of the levels of performance/quality ( 95% of the time). I have heard most of the worlds flagship headphones and have amassed a shed load of them over the years,  but I still conclude that no headphone is worth 4 figures...even that's pushing the boat too far. I've owned the T50/40 and T20RP and can tell you that they are the best value for money headphones in the sub $200 market. That's the reason why I dislike Mr Speakers.
 
I will be getting my TH500RP's soon, there's no doubt that they are the next evolution in sound quality from the T50/40/20RP and at the price they are selling for now, they are a steal!!

 

[zombywoof]

I just received an e-mail notice from Sonic Electronix...the TH500RP are now $429.  Still a good value in my opinion.

 

[oxbld]

They seem to still be at $329 on their eBay listing.

 

[zombywoof]

They seem to still be at $329 on their eBay listing.

Yep, I missed that...$429 on their site, $329 on eBay.

 

[Mr.Tom]

They seem to still be at $329 on their eBay listing.

Yep, I just bought an other pair. When something sounds this good, I need two of them.
 

 

[Robert777]

I do not think this thread needs to be merged with the other TH500RP thread. This one seems to be more active with people who own these headphones.
I for one love my TH500RP's They do need quite a lot of power in my opinion and I have had a lot of fun trying different earpads and internal damping.
 
Cheers.

 

[Mr.Tom]

  I do not think this thread needs to be merged with the other TH500RP thread. This one seems to be more active with people who own these headphones.
I for one love my TH500RP's They do need quite a lot of power in my opinion and I have had a lot of fun trying different earpads and internal damping.
 
Cheers.

Do the 900 pads fit? If yes, and you've tried them, how do the sound?

 

[zombywoof]

  I do not think this thread needs to be merged with the other TH500RP thread. This one seems to be more active with people who own these headphones.
I for one love my TH500RP's They do need quite a lot of power in my opinion and I have had a lot of fun trying different earpads and internal damping.
 
Cheers.

I am really enjoying the TH500RP.  I find them very comfortable with the stock pads.  Can you elaborate on the pads you have tried, and the damping.  Call me curious.

 

[Robert777]

  I am really enjoying the TH500RP.  I find them very comfortable with the stock pads.  Can you elaborate on the pads you have tried, and the damping.  Call me curious.

Of course. I really am not much of a modder but have tried a few things.
 
For damping first I completely removed the foam ring which you can see when you twist of the earpads. This made the headphones brighter but lost a little focus. Then I tried using some toilet tissue made into a ring. This did not lead to a good sound but was fun to try. Then I tried the same thing with kitchen towel and I quite enjoyed the sound.
 
With the pad swapping I have tried the following: TH900, HM5 pleather, Hifiman pleather, Hifiman velour and the pads from my JVC SZ2000.
 
What I have found was with the stock pads I like completely removing the foam. I am sure most people would think this makes the phones too bass lite and bright but I do not listen to bassy music and enjoy hearing the cymbal crashes very pronounced in my rock music.
 
The TH900 pads were too open for me. All the other pads opened up the sound so it was better with the foam back in, but the comfort with them was not great.
 
The SZ2000 pads were the winners for me. Not comfortable on the headphones they came with but excellent on these. Now I get just a little more sparkle.
 
Cheers.

 

[Robert777]

 
Do the 900 pads fit? If yes, and you've tried them, how do the sound?

The TH900 pads fit. Just like Hifiman, you take the mounting rings out of TH500RP pads and slot them in the TH900 pads. Unless, like me, you take the TH900 pads off the TH900 and then they already have the mounting pads inside. I found the headphones to sound more open and I could hear the cymbal crashes and the crunchy guitars much better but some of the bass was sacrificed. I did not listen for too long because I wanted the pads back on my TH900's and I ultimately preferred the sound of other pads.
 
Cheers.