Fostex X Massdrop TH-X00

A little light trolling goes a long way...I'm expecting to keep them as I do most of my 'phones.

 

This just isn't a community that endorses any form of flipping as you will soon gather from the freebies and various serious markoffs on used stuff that regularly show up in the for sale forums.

It is a shame that massdrop couldn't offer supply that met the demand for these. Particularly given the long wait for the second wave, it isn't surprising to see some selling at a premium. That said, members here are generally going to be opposed to that trend.

I get it though and certainly appreciate why a reasonable person might pay more to end the hunt for an available pair. I didn't learn about the first drop in time and bought mine used. This entailed a week spent checking for sale forums the moment I rolled out bed each day, and even with various pm's going out at 5:30am, it took several tries to find a seller who had not already found a committed buyer within a short time of posting.

They aren't perfect headphones by any means but they are beautifully made and super enjoyable with many types of music and media where elevated deep bass makes for a good time. A great counterpoint to hd800s imo, and frankly my thxoo's have been getting more headtime these days than my hd800's, due to a combination of closed design, ease to drive and novelty. You shouldn't have had to pay $500 for them, but I think there is easily $500 of enjoyment to be found in listening to them.

 

I won't be hurting because I bought them. I've heard great things about them and decided to try them out. I found out about the drop too late. They'll be a complement to my LCD-2's played through the new Gungnir Multibit and my trusty HA-1 as amp.

 

I find them more pleasing than LCD-2s in many ways, but I think mostly due to comfort and not as much treble glare
you will enjoy them for sure, though.

 

I've never found my Lcd 2/f to be glaring in the treble. Nothing close to a beyerdynamic. I've always considered the LCD range to be mid centric. So I'm looking for something less so, with a bit more sparkle on top

 

Is there a place to buy genuine pads ? I tend to destroy those quickly and they seem to play an important role...

 

Can anyone with a big head / big ears comment on the comfort? Ive read a few places that they don't fit over the ears well if you are a larger human. Being in Australia I'd be buying sight unseen. Also @Will any chance of a detachable cable in a later drop? Im sure this has been asked in the thread but its just so long.

 

Hey guys I'm new here, I'm waiting for my pair this may, I currently have a Schiit Fulla as my source. Do you think the Schiit Fulla is good enough for the TH-x00 or should I get some desk dac/amp unit. I would actually prefer a portable unit that does not require wall socket power and can match with my other sensitive IEMs, any suggestions? Tks in advance

 

I don't know about schiit Fulla but some members are very happy with LH GOV2, specially using the balanced output after reending their cable.

 

New to the club. Got a good deal on a used pair. Spent last night with them and I was very surprised. Gus's I should have gotten them sooner considering they got the golden schlong award. Running them with mb bifrost/ liquid carbon. Definitely keepers.

 

Power output on the Fulla is pretty underwhelming IMO. Looking at the specs, it would drive the TH-X00s with ~200mw per channel. That'll get the job done, better than your laptop or phone anyway.

When I was working with Fostex on the TH-X00, I was also working with CEntrance to design the DACport Slim. It's the same type of product as the fulla (so if you're looking at the fulla because of it's mobility, this still fills the need) but with close to twice the power output. It's $20 more expensive than the fulla, but it will power a wider range of headphones than the fulla will.

If you can spring for the extra cash, and mobility isn't actually important, I'd encourage you to look at the Vali 2. I don't own one personally, and I haven't spent much time with them, but I've read a lot of positive opinions, mostly saying how it's price to performance ratio is great (something I admire, it's my first priority when we hit the design stage for a custom product).

Finally, when I read "I'm new here", the first thing I thought was "I should warn this person, leave while you can, years of your life and thousands of your dollars hang in the balance". Leave while you can, or not.

 

I actually am downgrading so to speak.
I did sell my HD800, just to get the money to order the TH-X00's. (And some new Fiio X5ii, to replace my 11(!) year old Iriver H320)
I recently got the Hybrids LZ-A2's IEM and liked that fun sound so much, that I got bored with the Sennheisers, even with the Anax mod.
Guess I am a bit of a basshead after all...
Hope I did the right thing.
Amp and Dac are the Yulong A18 and D18, so hopefully they hit it of well together.
Anyone has this combo paired together with the Fostex?

 

Th-X00 Purpleheart announced! https://www.massdrop.com/buy/fostex-x-massdrop-th-x00-purpleheart-headphones

So curious... Maybe more V-shaped?

 

I got a pair of TH-X00's from the head-fi classifieds last week and thought i'd throw in my two cents. I like the D2000 and thought I'd briefly compare them.
The cans look nice - the finish on the mahogany is a bit rough where it meets the metal frame but it all holds together well enough. The ear-pads are a problem for me - the hole for your ear is too small for my, slightly under average size, ears. This is a real shame and puts it in the same category for me as most portable closed cans (Oppo PM3, Nad Viso etc.) - just too small.
I'm running them through a Vali 2. How's the sound? - Fatiguing! There's a graininess to the top end which combines with the emphasised bass to just tire my ears out. That bass is pretty good mind. A fair amount of articulation and the mids are certainly more present than in their Denon forebears. Unfortunately though it reminds me of the Philips X2 : U-shaped - exhausting.
After a fair amount of listening I tried some pad swapping - really wish I had a measurement rig for this... I put on some Lawton angle pads - better comfort and not much change in the sound - the treble is a touch more present but not anymore fatiguing - The bass has dropped slightly. Then regular Denon D2000 pads - more treble again but not bad at all - soundstage has opened out - still too much bass. Oof.
I have a pair of lightly modded Denon D2000's (open cell foam between the driver and ear-pads) to hand. Swapping between the two headphones reveals how much better the TH-X00 is doing most things. Maybe it's doing the bass too well? It's really kicking me in the head. For all it's doing right it's just too aggressive for my tastes. Swapping over to the D2000 and a similar amount of bass is de-emphasised by a softer attack - the soundstage on the D2000 is considerably wider and both imaging and separation (apart from the bass) are perhaps clearer. Tonally it's a bit off though - it's too bright up the top - the TH-X00 sounds more natural. Gah it's just better in so many ways - it's a real focused attack of a headphone. The D2000 is relatively ethereal, loose and diffuse in comparison. I think though, I'm gonna stick with the D2000 -It's an easier listen even if it is, ultimately, that way for the wrong reasons.

 

@Will any chance for a Sennheiser HD8XX in the immediate future?

 

Not exactly the best move for Sennheiser right after the S release.

An HD6XX would be awesome though, maybe some sound sig between the 600 and 650, black finish. Mmm..

 

Yea, they'd move bucket loads of those, if they happen to also "fix" what the modding community seems to take issue with on them. I do wonder what collab the MD guys are cooking up next. Always so hush-hush, at least until NDAs are busted.

 

HD6XX carbon fiber finish with silver grills, better bass extension and less midbass, with mids of HD650s and higs of HD600s at 299$. They would sell too fast.

 

I think that the HD6X0 series is already pretty much tweaked to perfection. There are ways to reduce the midbass (stuffing shit behind the driver) but I always feel that you sacrifice some clarity and transient response for this. I also doubt that you could get much better bass extension out of these drivers (in a similar, open enclosure).
Who knows, maybe I'm wrong.