Fostex X Massdrop TH-X00

The ZMF Omni pads WILL work on them.
I intend to swap out my Omni pads to my purple-hearts (when they arrive) to see whether they are better than the stock pads.
If they are, and I like the purple-hearts, I will order another pair from Zach at ZMF.

 

Please share with us your impressions with the ZMF Omni pads! I really enjoyed the ZMF pads as they are pretty comfortable.

 

I'm getting used to the sound-sig right now with my D2000s. My pair arrives next, just paid 100€ of taxes... All in all, it was about 500€ total. I was expecting this. You should never order stuff from weird foreign countries like the US - our government will tax you to hell and back.

 

Are you suggesting that America needs to be Made Great Again?!
WHAT HAS <looks at your profile real quick> FINLAND DONE FOR THE WORLD EXCEPT MAKE SHARKS MORE NOTICEABLE? FINS! BAH!

#FeelTheTrumpet!



Back on topic, I'm seriously thinking about picking up a pair of these to be my only decent phones... I need to do some research about synergy with amps and such. If these + a decent amp turn out to be better than, say, HD 800 + Vali, it might be a better price / performance option.

 

I love to watch Trump go crazy, awesome entertainment. We cannot get how he could be a candidate for president - keep it coming!

HD800 is pretty much the opposite of the TH-X00 models - much more neutrality and treble-oriented. The Fostex's are fun and bassy, with slightly scooped mids - V-shaped sig done right. At least the original HD800 is not at all like that. "An audio microscope", a man in a hawaiian shirt once called it.

 

Yeah I've had several HD 800s and one HD 800 S. I haven't tried any Fostex models (or Denons), but I'm looking to try new things... for a little while anyway.

 

Just got my purplehearts and I've used the old THX00's a lot as well. For my money it's a much more listenable headphone then an HD800 is.

I've never gone crazy with amps like some people here have so I know my HD800 experience isn't as extensive as some but I'd take the Fostex over them any day of the week.

 

I will probably make myself very unpopular now and I'm OK with that.
This is how I would like to describe the Purpleheart edition:

Purpleheart are like Cerwin Vega, there are a lot of bass.
Quantity instead of quality and for some that's good enough.

 

Eww.

 

I've got Omni pads.
Don't work for me:
- lighter bass, less punchy (bad)
- sibilance appears (bad)
- better stage depth (good)
- more more more comfortable (very good)
But the biggest drawback is that the th-x00's magic is gone

 

The bass is really strong with this one, especially mid-bass. Just a hint of EQ drop (about 2 db) at 125hz seems to help lots. That extra boom and rumble just gets a bit too much on many a song, it takes over. Compared straight to my D2000's the Purplies have more mids, they are less V-shaped. Though not even close to flat in that sense. Denons have less mid-bass, the majority of their boost seems to be lower. D2000 has more treble-presence with less neutral highs overall. With the mentioned cut in 125hz and a 1-2db boost from 4K up makes these quite a treat for this fan of fun sound-sigs. After the EQ's I'm liking these lots.

BTW, what's up with the huge mid-bass on so many models? It does nothing but make things sound all mushy and boring. Or maybe I just like a slight dip there to get the subs & mids clearer. Throw that extra warmth OUT, if you ask me.



Denons have better comfort because of the softer pads with larger openings (amount of use might help here too, though). My pair had some faint bubble-wrap marks that I can only see in very bright light. Doesn't matter squat.

 

My only issue with these ever has been the small pads. If I position them perfectly on my ears it's fine but it's my one thing with these. Otherwise I think they're about perfect for my tastes. Love the bass and surprising the mid-range on the purples to my ears anyway is better then on my old pair. I can't tell much if any difference in the highs but I'm sure someone can describe the differences better then I can.

 

So, just got the Purpleheart in.

First thought? The pads fit my ears flawlessly. I mean, like a goddamn glove! It's a little unnerving, given the issues that many seem to have had with them. My head must be unusually close to their target fit profile or something.

A few other preliminary impressions, from out of the Mojo.

• It's gushing that's been echoed ad nauseum, but, man, these cups are gorgeous in the flesh. Few of the photos I've seen actually managed to capture the vividness of the color. If you like purple, you're in for a treat.
• The midrange is significantly recessed, but this can work quite well on some music. Rather tastefully done. Might be a little dull, though.
• Bass. So much delicious bass. Certainly a bit bloomy, but the mid bass isn't as overwrought as one might expect. Clarity seems decent, if not remarkable. That is to say, there isn't gobs of bleed into the midrange from the lows.
• The top octave can sound a little hot, but the treble overall seems quite well behaved. I was expecting considerably more sibilance than I'm hearing. Rather pleasantly surprised, here.

More to follow.

 

Could be brain burn-in, but I think the bass on mine calmed down a bit over the course of the first week.

 

@philipmorgan: The quantity isn't even that dramatic out of the box, honestly. I've heard way more overbearing bass presentations than this. Those wacky HF graphs aren't worth a bucket of warm spit. Shocking, I know.

The biggest issue I'm having is with the midrange. Resolution is there, but presence isn't. If that makes sense? But switching to my pico Power, which is a more forward amp, has improved the situation. When I get home, the M3 might be able to really wake this beast up. We'll see.

I still can't get over how comfortable these are. Either I have a freak head, or some of you guys do.

 

My measurement rig concurs:


HD-650 modded, ZMF Blackwood in "wild style" configuration with no bass buttplugs, Alpha Dog, and Purpleheart TH-X00s

 

Can you point me to the head mods thread? Trying to tweak until I have golden ears.

For what its worth I thought the Th-X00's had weird seal, clamp force was too light for my monster head.

 

I find these to be quite comfortable. I lent them to a coworker for an afternoon and he was very impressed with the comfort. He also thought these sounded noticeably better than his $200 Bose.

I would love to add some leather pads to these if for no other reason than the cool factor, but I don't want to go there if its just going to mess with the sound.

 

I've been going back and forth on the midrange. Some days I'm loving the bass so much that I don't miss anything, others I can't hear anything except the midrange dip. Same music, different results. My brain can't seem to settle on what it wants.

None of the pad swapping reports I've read have had anything positive to say about the subsequent change in sound, it would appear that a lot of the magic is in the pads. I don't find them super comfortable, but certainly comfortable enough not to want to mess with something that's working. However, for someone like me with a weak neck, I've found that the weight distribution plays a larger role in long term (>3 hours) comfort than the pads. I'd put these right up there with my old Oppo PM-3 despite the 70 g weight difference.

 

Agreed it's strange. It's a lighter clamp than my HD-650 which prevents the X00's small pad openings from being uncomfortable, and possibly keeps the bass from being too fuerte.