Fostex X Massdrop TH-X00

There's several of these on the Head-fi classified today, if anyone feels like they missed out and wants a pair before whenever the next drop is

 

390, 380, taking advantage of the fact that a lot of people eagerly want these and there might not be another drop for a while. People have no shame.

 

Maybe. But at the same time, supply and demand. Since supply is essentially non-existent, and since Head-fi rules don't allow you to flip for a profit (and it would be obvious since everyone knows they cost exactly 400) it's not surprising to see them at 390 or so

I wouldn't be surprised to see them go for more than 400 on eBay right now

 

Those prices do not seem outrageous. What do you think should be a fair price?

 

300-350used would be the usual price (and even that's high compared to what most vendors would sell a demo unit or like new open boxed unit for). But since of these special Massdrop conditions, people are cashing in-- or rather-- very much minimizing their losses on the headphone. When I first joined the drop I was thinking of selling them for 340 shipped if I didn't like them, but now I guess I don't have to go so low if everybody else can get away with such high prices (to be determined if they do.)

 

Discounted from what, their imaginary 1000 dollar msrp?

 

So someone's get-rich scheme is to sell these for less than they paid for them? This is probably a group of people who bought them and decided they didn't want them. I think this is a non-issue. Who's getting screwed here? If anything, it's the seller.

 

Never did I say anybody is trying to make money on this, and never did I say it was an issue. I just think it's lame. I already view most classified on Head-Fi as greedy to begin with, asking 80-90% of the retail price of a product, and considering the product 'mint' condition after 50-100 hours of usage. At the end of the day, it's up to the buyers to decide rather they want to buy used for 10 dollars off or not, but we all know that under normal circumstances, if the TH-X00 was still available right now on Mass-Drop, that these used TH-X00s wouldn't have their current asking prices.

Anyways, that's all I have to say on that. Will wait for my unit to arrive so I can post comparisons.

 

Hmm...I think any discount off the Massdrop price for these used models is perfectly acceptable. IMO>

 

Isn't minimizing your loss what you would hope to do when you are buying audio equipment you have never heard before? I mean, I never bough something that I was thinking of selling if I didn't like it and thought, 'hey, now this is a product I can lose a ton of money on -- I'm definitely doing this because I have too much money in the bank".

 

Is there any word when they'll reopen the massdrop for the TH-XOO?

 

I think 375-380 shipped (with insurance and signature confirmation) would be perfectly fine for an in demand product no longer available new that you won't be able to buy for months used for a day or less in mint condition that cost 400. I mean the buyer saves 40-50 bucks and gets his headphone in a few days rather than after the week long Chinese New Year holiday.

50-100 hours is not mint condition for a headphone. Maybe for a solid state amp/DAC but not a headphone whose pads degrade that can get the original buyer's hair in the driver. That burn should make it 300 bucks. Again the only problem is nobody will be able to buy a new pair until after Chinese new year.

 

Folks who got in on the drop will have theirs soon-ish. Folks who didn't can wait for the next drop or pay what the used market demands. As much as I love headphones, they are not a necessity. It's not like selling bottled water for $20 a gallon in an area that a hurricane just went through. Very few folks "need" a pair of $400 headphones. I imagine that the limit per buyer rules at massdrop will prevent it from being too big of a deal (I know that there are simple ways around that). Even if it isn't, there's only so many rules that can be made to protect folks with no self control.

 

I had a brief listen to these today after my package arrived from Massdrop. Comfort, build and aesthetics are as good as I expected. The sound: wow. I am loving these. Best way I can describe them so far is incredibly resolving and super smooth. Not sure how they managed to pull it off, but the effect is addictive. And the bass seriously delivers. Great presence with lots of texture and detail. Listened to "No One Knows" by Queens of the Stone Age, which has a lot of intricate, really deep bass. I'm used to hearing it as an amorphous undertone to the song, but I could easily pick out the individual notes. All in all very happy so far. And the kicker: I'm listening to these plugged directly into my Mac Pro while I'm waiting for my Liquid Carbon to arrive. Can't wait to hear them properly driven.

 

Just got mine in today and I've been listening to them through my UHA-6 at work for an hour or so. I'm interested to see how they scale with my other amps, but my impressions are very positive so far & mirror Purrin's closely. Powerful bass with great extension that doesn't overwhelm, smooth detailed treble, great clarity, stellar comfort & build quality. I'm shocked at how competent these are across the entire FR, really enjoyable overall and a great buy at $400 in my opinion.

Once I get home I'll have to compare them with my ZMF x Vibro (v1) as they're both vying for the non-portable, closed back category.

 

Been listening to THX00 for a few hours now.

Bass seems decent and not full of mud like the D5000. Decent transition into the mid range without any mid bass bloat. Mids seem good enough, not super sucked out, and no upper mid range glare which is nice. Treble doesn't seem too bad, apart from some noticeable sibilance. Still, it's a fun sounding headphone and I'm certainly finding it more enjoyable than my EL-8C (which isn't saying much...) and MDR-Z7.

Comfort is so so. Headband padding is poor and there are two noticeable ridges that contact your head. Stock pads are ok, a little stiff and cramped, but not shit.

Side note: I would not recommend using the Audeze Vegans on these as they reduce the mid bass too much and causes the sibilance to be even more noticeable.

 

I've been using mine this evening. Bass was really powerful compared to what I was expecting, but it's done in a tasteful manner. Treble wasn't nearly as grating to me as the TH-900, and the mids are much better. The pads I've found to be perfectly comfy, but I'll be experimenting.

 

Enjoying jealousy reading your guys' inital impressions!

Edit: snagged an unopened pair this morning. Can't wait to hear them!

 

Anyone listen to these out a Geek Out V2? Any thoughts?

 

X00 fucks the shit out of bass. Treble is a little forward on some of my electronic music, I can definitely hear the weird 14 Khz overtones that some of the synths have. Upper midrange is forward more than the HE-500. Bass has lots of rumble, I'm not used to it yet.
So far I like em, and when I get the HD-650 I'll do a little comparison between all my cans.