Fostex TH-X00 Purpleheart Measurements and Quick Impressions

Discussion in 'Headphone Measurements' started by purr1n, Mar 24, 2016.

  1. keanex

    keanex Martian Bounty Hunter - Friend

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    Whoa.
     
  2. zerodeefex

    zerodeefex SBAF's Imelda Marcos

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    By the time the marketing email hit at 6:05, 1/4 of the units were spoken for.
     
  3. Gezzaman

    Gezzaman New

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    Just joined the drop!

    now the long wait....
     
  4. Mystic

    Mystic Mystique's Spiritual Advisor

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    ...and the long wait till August begins.

    Ha, I can certainly see someone doing that. I wouldn't want them to not offer based on a few people who can't use a screwdriver properly though.
     
  5. Prydz

    Prydz Friend

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    I can buy a used pair of the originals.
    But are these an improvement when in comes to sound?
    Or is mostly the beatiful looks :D
     
  6. JWahl

    JWahl Acquaintance

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    I was already on the most recent TH-X00 drop, but I switched my order to the Purpleheart. Waiting until August is going to suck, but my birthday is in August it'll be a nice 30th birthday gift to myself. Got in right at 9:00am, so hoping for a low s/n.

    And a side note to @zerodeefex

    I'll actually be attending the upcoming Ann Arbor HF meet tomorrow, so I'll have keep a subtle ear out for any trash talking. It's a shame there isn't just a mutual respect among headphone enthusiast sites. Competition and diversity is a good thing.
     
  7. cardigan

    cardigan Facebook Friend

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    Lawton says that their upgrades, including custom wood cups, work just fine for the TH-X00.
     
  8. exime

    exime New

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    Honestly that's what I thought they were when I received the e-mail and got all excited! Then I saw the $450 price tag and was like "oh crap".
     
  9. ButtUglyJeff

    ButtUglyJeff Stunningly beautiful IRL

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    Boy let me tell you purpleheart is a biotch to apply a nice finish to, and Fostex absolutely nailed it. What a beauty. I wouldn't worry about fade of this species' color unless you left it in a window sill all the time, or listened with it by the pool. And I doubt any of us sun avoiders will have that issue.

    I really want an Omni so I'm trying to resist this group buy. But this is tough...
     
  10. Andre Y

    Andre Y Friend

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    @purrin Do the headphones wear heavier on the head? If purpleheart is heavier, it seems like it might be a bit heavier? Thanks for the measurements, BTW.
     
  11. Gray

    Gray Friend

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    In the first two hours, Massdrop sold 518 of its stated production run of 1,000 Fostex TH-X00 Purpleheart headphones. It would not surprise me if Massdrop doubles this drop to 2,000.
     
  12. Dr. Higgs

    Dr. Higgs Boson - Member

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    I couldn't resist. I think I might dedicate by mahogany TH-X00's to an office setup with a little schiit stack or GOv2 after the purple hearts come in.
     
  13. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    Similar weight from what I could tell. Purpleheart is a denser wood, but the wood is a small part of the weight of the overall headphone.

    I would hesitate to say improvement, but different is more apt. There was smoother treble from the 4kHz to 10kHz range and that is huge to me.
     
  14. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    FWIW, a couple people here and on Massdrop have remarked about the increased bass and lower midrange dip compared to the mahogany version. I cannot say for sure because I didn't have the purplehearts long enough to do a comprehensive comparison, but I would say don't worry about it.

    Measurements can always "lie". The pads on this purpleheart could have been much more well worn than that of the mahogany (which were brand new when I measured them). This could explain the increased bass and dip. (Many closed headphones have a dip in the upper bass or lower midrange region). Also keep in mind that the dip is similar to the TH900's dip. The effect of this aids clarity, but at the expense of body and lower fundamentals of male vocals or cell. If there is any audible difference, it wasn't significant. It sure wasn't to me. If this area is important to you, I don't think you even have to worry about it. Lionel Ritchie's voice was as deep baritone as ever. And again, this could all be explained by wear on the pads with the older pads being more compressed.

    In the end, it probably doesn't matter. I just woke up this morning to find that more than half of them are gone.
     
  15. Bitter

    Bitter Acquaintance

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    I've done that too, I don't want to regret buying the other version and ending up buying both of them !
     
    Last edited: Mar 25, 2016
  16. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    Ann Arbor is a great town and I have fond memories of it. I lived there for almost ten years, got married there and owned a house. Keith at Overture Audio ran one of the best audiophile brick and mortar stores I've ever had the pleasure of dealing with. I was a kid in my twenties who didn't look all that rich (and wasn't all that rich either), and he and his staff always treated me with respect.

    Thinking about Ann Arbor almost makes me want to sell the house here in California and retire to Ann Arbor - NOW.
     
  17. Bitter

    Bitter Acquaintance

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    We've got a French author (Proust) whose famous quote is probabaly revelant to you "les vrais paradis sont les paradis qu'on a perdus" which translates more or less in " true paradise are the one we've lost". Memory is a tricky thing...
     
  18. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    Not really, I've been back to Ann Arbor several times. Have lots of friends and in-laws there.
     
  19. Bitter

    Bitter Acquaintance

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    That's one of those time I'm glad to be wrong then.
     
  20. Will

    Will Massdrop

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    While it may look that way in the pictures, the logo is not foil, it's simply printed in silver.
     

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