Fostex T-X0 review

Discussion in 'Headphones' started by Bill-P, Jun 13, 2017.

  1. Deep Funk

    Deep Funk Deep thoughts - Friend

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    If the ear pads have really improved these might be worth it.

    I once bought into the hype of the T50RP, purchased a pair and was appalled by the quality of the ear pads. That was one of the first things you could take off and throw away. I might be a late adopter for this headphone.

    I am first going to wait for your impressions and experience.
     
  2. TheIceman93

    TheIceman93 El pato-zorro

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    The TX-0 pads are a big step up from the stock T50 pads. As a former mk3 owner, the upgraded pads were the first thing I noticed. They sit comfortably around the ears and have good depth.
     
  3. Bill-P

    Bill-P Level 42 Mad Wizard

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    AEON is brighter and thinner sounding. You can think of me as slightly more tolerant of treble issues than @Hands. I don't think Hands will quite approve of the T-X0 at stock due to a certain treble peak that stands out (I think it's that 8-9KHz peak in the measurement), but overall, I think it's easier to stomach than AEON.

    But please do note that I listened to AEON at a meet, so my impressions of it could have been skewered by excess noise.

    This one sits around your ears. They are actually quite big in person. The opening of the pads is actually slightly bigger than the opening of the HD580/600/650. I'm curious to see if putting these pads on Stax SR-007 will do anything since Fostex seems to have done a very good job engineering these pads to give bass extension that's almost non-existent in the T50RP variants due to driver size versus housing size.

    And no worries. Haha. I'm still more into photography than I am into audio stuffs, so that says something. ;)
     
  4. Kattefjaes

    Kattefjaes Mostly Harmless

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    Thanks, that's useful to know.
     
  5. bilboda

    bilboda Florida boomer

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    They arrived today.A nice lil something to offset all the rain and the deluge of work. Acoustic guitar is right here in all it's plucked glory.
    HD650 takes these plucks and strum and portrays them clearly but not with that sense of immediacy. Better at plankton though and over all presentation.
    The T-X0 gets a little more resonant with close miked vocals.
    I've only compared one track thru my Ember. Cassandra Wilson's Harvest Moon which has a lot of extra summertime outdoor effects played by instruments and a bowed bass. The effects, a loon, crickets, frogs , are more present in the HD650. The bowed bass also has some lower tone present. The TX-0 presents the bow seemingly more clearly but with less of the lower register. It handles the effects pretty well but not as naturally as the HD650. Maybe some break in will change things and different tubes.

    They are clear winners in spoken dialog in film, never had to turn the dial.

    Comfy and non fatiguing. I can see them as go to for movies/tv, etc.

    On a side note, the Crack + speedball, is on sale 125$ off this week.. I could build one. So tempted. I swore I wouldn't let this hobby get to me. Once my nfb11 transformer over heated, I can't seem to settle down.....on my 3rd dac since and 3rd hp amp with one coming in Feb 2018
     
  6. Grattle

    Grattle Friend

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    Maybe I'm just weird - I think these sound great. Very smooth - nothing jumps out as being over-emphasized. A great balance of bass, mids and treble. I don't listen to much other than Rock and movie soundtracks. The only thing I think is lacking is instrument separation. This is my first planar however, and perhaps that's just a trait of the driver type.
     
  7. Mithrandir41

    Mithrandir41 Friend

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    It's not. My LCD-3s do layering extraordinary well. The t50rp driver is a decent good sounding driver, and that's about it. This version is a really good value if you want to hear what a planar magnetic sounds like
     
  8. M3NTAL

    M3NTAL Friend

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    I received my T-X0 on Saturday and gave them a brief listen. The upper midrange / lower treble dip is immediately apparent and it seems to bring a little bit of distortion with it. I get a little bit of edginess in the suckout. The bass has a little looseness and distortion, but is overall pleasant for the price. Comfort is perfect and is what I initially purchased them for and I feel they are a pretty solid at $149. They remind me of the Audioquest Nighthawk in a way, but I feel the AQ NH is much more competent from top to bottom.

    I think some modding is needed to get the T-X0 to a point where I'd appreciate them enough to give them some headtime, but as they are now - they will have to sit on the sideline.
     
  9. Mithrandir41

    Mithrandir41 Friend

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    This is my first time listening to a t50-rp variant, and while the sound is very good for the price, it sounds a bit muffled, and the ear cups are VERY resonant. I hear a low mid range suck out, but there's a good amount of upper midrange (presence) that gives a bit of sweetness to vocals and accentuates pick attack on guitars. And no sibilence to speak of.
     
  10. Outerspace Wasabi

    Outerspace Wasabi Friend

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    I sold mine for the exact reasons you've described. Switching from an HD650 to the T-X0, the change was dramatic... too dramatic..

    If I had kept it, though, I would've it modded to an Argon by Modhouse but that's an additional $135. I'd rather save up and get something else.
     
  11. M3NTAL

    M3NTAL Friend

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    If you check the AR-H1 impressions page on this forum, you can find measurements of the Argon and the T-X0. The Argon does improve the dip, but it is still a little bit off from where I'd like them to be personally. I thought the final revision of the Mad Dogs were a little more my taste.
     
    Last edited: Oct 26, 2017
  12. Outerspace Wasabi

    Outerspace Wasabi Friend

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    I'm sure that many people like this particular sound signature (the X2 might be similar if I recall), it's just not my cup of tea. Going from Audio-Technicas and Sennheisers house-sounds to this was too jarring.
     
  13. Jerry

    Jerry Friend

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    I am a Alpha Dog (not Prime) fan. Appreciate if someone has any impression on T-X0 vs AD.
     
  14. Decomo

    Decomo Almost "Made"

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    Applied Mayflower Mod Kit with clay, felt and dampening foam but without cotton onto T-X0. It is very close to my preference in terms of sound. Only issue is that treble has a bit of sibilance. Is there any way to tame the treble a bit so easier to listen for long hour listening? Any suggestion would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
     
  15. Decomo

    Decomo Almost "Made"

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    Discard this. Paper Towel inside earpad did wonder...
     
  16. rendyG

    rendyG Acquaintance

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    Comparisons to Argon anyone? :)
     
  17. Philimon

    Philimon Friend

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    Seal the baffle port - it corrects that 5-6k peak and you get more deeeeep bass. See the T50rp incremental mod thread on HF.

    Edit: and sealing vents helps a lot with treble but thats a balancing act because a complete seal may kill too much midbass for you as well as make prominent 2k area which is fatiguing too. So good n bad. Definitely a partial seal. I think BMF settled on a tiny hole port. Mines at 3/4 vent covered. I didnt try the small hole but probably should.
     
    Last edited: Jul 26, 2018
  18. spoony

    spoony Spooky

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    Try covering the driver on the ear side with 1-2 plys of kleenex tissue (standard kleenex are 3-ply per tissue).
     
  19. Decomo

    Decomo Almost "Made"

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    Thank both of you. I actually let the headphone go a couple of months ago so cannot test those mod options any longer. ;)
     
  20. Syzygy

    Syzygy Friend

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    After reading the comments here and looking at the measurement thread*, I decided to try some parametric EQ with them using Audirvana's AudioUnits plugin capability. Thanks to everyone that commented and measured, I now have them setup to what I think sounds very nice.

    AUParametricEQ 1: 600Hz, 0.4dB, Q=3.0 restores the midrange dip.

    AUParametricEQ 2: 3000Hz, 0.22dB, Q=3.1 provides the air I crave without making electric guitars sound shrill.

    AUParametricEQ 3: 160Hz, 0.02dB, Q=4.0=1 provides a nice little bump to the bass curve.

    I've noticed that the decay harmonics of many instruments sound more natural now, which also helps with positional cues in the recordings.

    I can also get away with this since I only use this computer while listening at work, so I'm not constantly having to change settings.


    [Edit: tweaked 3k boost & added 160Hz bump]

    * https://superbestaudiofriends.org/index.php?threads/massdrop-x-fostex-t-x0-measurements.4542/
     
    Last edited: Sep 26, 2018

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