Fostex T50RP

[tdogzthmn]

I picked up this inexpensive ($89) orthodynamic headphone this week and so far I've been very impressed with its performance.  I seems that many people enjoy modifying this headphone and are getting great results.  My brief impressions against my own HD600 were very favorable for the T50RP.  They look a little dated but their performance is very impressive.  I am looking forward to spending more listening time, and letting them burn in a bit.

 

[Armaegis]

Put on a better sealing pad (or lift the stock one with some gauze/felt), stuff some cotton into the cup, call it a day  ;D

 

[tdogzthmn]

I lined the back of both cups with some silver stone sound absorption padding and added some Shure 840 pads.  I havent noticed much improvement other than bettor comfort from the new pads.  The sound actually reminds me alot the Orca speakers sitting on my desk, both products use drivers made by Fostex so im not totally surprised by this.  Either way its really an amazingly affordable Orthodynamic and is very to power compared to other headphones with similar drivers. 

 

[Armaegis]

A better seal mostly aids in bass response from my experience, but if you already got a good seal from the stock pads then it shouldn't be a huge difference. I do find the comfort way better though.

 

[tdogzthmn]

I've concluded that I enjoy the T50RP more than my HD600. The sound is more lifelike, uncolored and detailed.  I've been comparing my modded T50RP to an H600 with cardas cable but ended up selling the Sennheisers. For $99 these headphones are a steal and I can't help but notice the sound is totally similar to my Orca speakers, which also use Fostex technology.

 

[Armaegis]

Curious, I've had numerous iterations of modded T50rp's. While I've enjoyed some of them quite a bit, there's an openness to the Senns which I haven't been able to replicate, which I think really just comes down to open vs closed. Then again... yeah for a $100 (or about $130 up here in Canada), the bang/buck ratio is significantly better.

I've done a few ortho transplants so far... I haven't tried an open backed one yet though. Hmm...

 

[tdogzthmn]

I've also been thinking about making them into an open back variation and working to balance out the sound a bit more.  The detail and presence is what  pushed me towards these headphones to begin with.  I think the midbass has more punch than needed which pushes the mids back more than I'd like.     

 

[Armaegis]

I've chatted with a couple modders over at headfi and the initial consensus is that open backed T50rp do not sound very good, although the caveat in all previous attempts is that they didn't try very many variations. Impressions seem somewhat varied, between muffled and bloated.

I have a transplanted driver in a V-Moda Crossfade shell at the moment. I'm thinking I can remove the metal shields and try drilling holes into the cup. If I can't get anything to sound decent, I'll just put the shields back on.

Also on the workbench is a transplant into a Beyer COP, which should prove interesting with the variable bass vents.