Fostex TH-X00 Measurements and Subjective Impressions

Discussion in 'Headphone Measurements' started by purr1n, Nov 23, 2015.

  1. TMRaven

    TMRaven Friend

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    HD800 and HE-6 were both super clean down to -50db.
     
  2. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    Might be HD800, despite the peak getting in the way, the floor is super clean even at -54db.

    HD800sp stock.jpg
     
    Last edited: Nov 26, 2015
  3. Ash1412

    Ash1412 Friend

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    You can see Display range: 54db in the plot so it's definitely a typo
     
  4. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    Looks like you might be right. Left channel has small peaks at 3k,5k, 8k, 11k. Measurements for both channels posted in first post. There is some slight variance, nothing to be concerned about.
     
  5. Luckbad

    Luckbad Traded in a unicorn for a Corolla

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    The pads are super clutch here. I found just moving them around on my ear or rotating them changed where the peaks are a bit. They're not bad peaks--especially compared to a TH600.

    I ordered some bits to see if I can get roughly the stock frequency response out of bigger pads by copying the shape and thickness of the white piece in the stock pad.
    http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003VYAXRM
    http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004DZOZ6S
     
  6. Mshenay

    Mshenay Barred from loaner program. DON'T SEND ME GEAR.

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    sadly Purrin the chart for the X00 in the link you posted on the other site is not appearing :/ it just has an "img" stock icon

    Still that Audio Quest Night Hawk measures super clean
     
  7. Luckbad

    Luckbad Traded in a unicorn for a Corolla

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    Preliminary findings modding the Audeze pads to sound closer to stock.

    I picked up both of these:

    High Impact Polystyrene: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004DZOZ6S
    Poron Polyurethane: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003VYAXRM

    I shaped them identically to the stock dense foam and stacked them between the driver and earpad.

    Changes are pretty significant--that white dense foam piece you'll find behind the earpad is absolutely key to the smoother sound signature of the TH-X00.

    I found the high impact polystyrene to do the bulk of the work. The polyurethane dulls the sound a bit much if placed on the driver side.

    The polystyrene on the driver side and polyurethane on the cup/ear side, however, smooths things out really nicely under the Audeze pads. It might actually be even smoother than the stock pads, but it's hard to tell because it brings the volume down enough that the stock pad side is louder and inherently less smooth because it's louder. Measurements would be needed to verify any findings (I might pack the rings up and send them to @purrin to play and take measurements if he has non-stock pads to test with).

    If you pick this stuff up yourself, I think you could do well to get high impact polystyrene from somewhere other than my link. There were a lot of complaints about the handling of that seller, and it's true. The sheet I got is bent and kinda dirty. US Plastic and Zoro both seem to have good prices and are probably more reliable.

    To get as close to the stock sound signature, you might want to pick up 0.04" or 0.03" thick high impact polystyrene. The 0.02" is thinner than the stock pads' foam for sure.
     
  8. Ninja Pirate

    Ninja Pirate Friend

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    @Luckbad, any chance for some pics? I've got a few spare pads laying around and would be interested in testing out what you described above once my X00 comes in.
     
  9. Luckbad

    Luckbad Traded in a unicorn for a Corolla

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    [​IMG]
     
  10. proflitoto

    proflitoto New

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    Last edited: Dec 2, 2015
  11. M3NTAL

    M3NTAL Friend

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    @purrin ,

    Have you attempted swapping the front of driver foam + ear pads from the TH-X00 to the TH-900?
     
  12. Hands

    Hands Overzealous Auto Flusher - Measurbator

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    Here be my full thoughts and measurements!

    Fluffy Stuff Before Measurements

    Picture: Marv's, or whomever the OP picture belongs to, looks better than mine, which makes me super, ultra pissed. No use sharing a picture of my own. I'm so upset and don't want to feel inadequate showing it online. See post 1. (While his does look a little sexier than mine - really nice color and wood grain pattern - there's no denying that these are excellent looking headphones, even mine. Just how the natural wood variance goes. I am actually thrilled with how awesome this looks at $400.)

    Special Jacks and Connectors: None. Regular 1/4". Mine came with a Monoprice 1/4" -> 3.5mm adapter, albeit one that is rather fat and doesn't work well with the case I have on my phone. Comes with a carrying case. Nice additions to the whole package.

    Comfort and mouth feel: Quite comfortable. The headband could use a bit more padding to it for long listening sessions, and the pads can get a bit hot and stuffy. Still, I can listen for quite a while on these due to their generally ergonomic, lightweight design. Sounds best after you give them 10 minutes or so for the pads to warm up and conform to your head. Some might find the ear pad openings to be too small. Works fine for me, though does take some wiggling to get my ears in.

    The Cable: Same sort of cable on the TH-500RP. This cable looks and feels nice at first glance, but it's horribly annoying. The two separate strands leading to each cup constantly get all twisted and bunched up, and it doesn't take long at all before the separated,Y-split cables lose their smooth, consistent nature and start showing kinks and the twisted cable within. Seriously, one of the most annoying cables I've ever dealt with.

    Sound (Subjective): Very bassy, but in the best possible way. At worst, there might, MIGHT be a hint of a slight overdone thickness or roundness to the bass (lacks that tiny, tiny last bit of incisiveness you might get on some other headphones). My guess is it's not so much the bass is actually rounded or overly thick but more just the fact there's so much of it that makes it seem that way. This is basshead done right. Low distortion, relatively fast, extended, very minimal bleed, slides right into midrange in a cohesive manner, powerful and hard hitting. Just awesome, really. HD650 sounds puny when you switch to it.

    The midrange is great too. I hear it as nicely balanced, even, clean, with good tone and timbre. Honestly, the midrange might be competitive with the HD6X0 headphones, to the point where I'm not really sure I need to say much more about it.

    The upper-mids and treble is where the TH-X00 starts to exhibit some flaws. The overall balance isn't bad. Similar treble balance as the HD650 if you compare it to the TH-X00's midrange, or darker if you compare it to the bass + mids. That said, there are definitely some peaks and ragged areas that stand out, which can at times give the impression it's brighter than the HD650 or, as I hear it, more fatiguing (not so much brighter, that is). The rough, peaky, slightly hard or glaring nature throws off the timbre relative to the HD650. It's just not as smooth and pleasing sounding up top.

    That said, this is nowhere near as bright as the TH-900, and even I can listen to the TH-X00 without issue, loudly, and for long periods of time. It's a minor issue that is mostly mitigated by the extra bass and nice midrange. I would also like to point out it is very amp dependent. From my phone, a usually brighter source, the TH-X00 sounds darker than it does from my Super 7. Normally, that would be the opposite, but it just goes to show the amp matters with these. The music selection matters too. Oh, and the fact you can run this from your phone, unlike the HD650, is always a plus. You can take this headphone on the go, impress whichever gender strikes your fancy, and not look like a total dweeb carrying around a three-part portable setup. This is a headphone for the sophisticated-looking individual. Wait...yeah, sound quality. Right. Back to that.

    Staging and air is quite good for a closed headphone. The stage wraps around the head nicely and extends out to the left and right a decent amount. The stage might actually be wider than the HD650's and less in-your-head, though that's not the HD650's forte to begin with. It does not sound constricted for a closed headphone, but something like the ZMF Omni might have a greater sense of air. The TH-X00 strikes a very nice balance here. I'm guessing this is due to it being less purely closed than some other headphones. Don't expect the best isolation. The TH-X00 also seems to add a nice, tasteful sense of reverb and resonance relative to the HD650.

    The TH-X00 is also surprisingly fast and resolving in general. I don't think it's quite as clean, clear, or pure sounding as the HD650 in the mids and treble, but resolving abilities might be similar. The TH-X00, being closed and offering more isolation than the HD650, might actually have the advantage when your wife is playing an MMO in the same room, has a mechnical keyboard (Cherry Blue, so quite loud), is talking to friends over chat, and you have a loud heater going on in the background. My guess is with the best of the best DACs and amps, the HD650 is better, but the TH-X00 can be very competitive, especially in an area that isn't perfectly quiet.

    To Buy or Not Buy: If you're a basshead, yes, buy it. If you like to collect headphones with shiny wood cups, buy it. If you used to have the D2000/5000/7000 and want to recapture those fond memories with less brightness, the TH-X00 is perfect. Having had the D2000 a while back, the TH-X00 brings back lots of feels and less pain from treble. If you have something like the HD650 and want a bassy complement to go with it, this is a good choice. If the HD650 is as bassy as you're willing to go, don't buy these. If you're perfectly happy with the HD650, it's hard to say. You might find it worth it for the fun sound and beautiful cups alone. You might also find that $400 better spent on DACs, amps, or tubes. If your ideal sound is a stock HD800 and you prefer it over the HD650, maybe just stick with the HD800. If you don't find the TH-X00 bassy enough, I don't know what to tell you other than you need some serious re-calibration. Consider this a way to wean yourself off a gross, abomination level of bassheadedness.

    TL;DR: Bassy headphone done right. Lots of fun to listen to. Excellent midrange. Treble could be a bit smoother, but nothing too worrisome. Might be a bit fatiguing or bright for some depending on tastes, amps, and music selection. Surprisingly strong technical abilities across the board. Beautiful looking headphone. Excellent deal at $400. Did I say lots of fun to listen to yet?

    Measurements

    Frequency response measurements show plenty of bass that is centered somewhere around 30-40Hz and extends rather nicely to 20Hz. You do start to see some roll-off around the 20-30Hz area, but still at levels way above the midrange. The bass emphasis slides very nicely into the midrange. No sudden shifts or dips. Midrange is great up to about 1-3KHz, depending on the channel. The ragged response starts to come into play around 5-6KHz with the main culprit being a 10KHz peak. Thankfully, this is less of an issue due to the bass response, or so my ears and music selection tells me. Personally, while I do hear a tiny bit of channel imbalance, subjectively it sounds less severe than measurements indicate. Could always be a measurement fluke. This is a pretty good U-shaped response. Tastefully done. This sounds way better than that ADL H128, BTW.

    Fostex TH-X00 Frequency Response Measurement.png

    Distortion measurements here look good for my setup. Low levels, smooth, nothing out of the ordinary. Starts to push the limits of my measurement rig. Bass distortion creeps up a tiny bit at the low end, but still quite good, really.

    Fostex TH-X00 Left FR THD.png Fostex TH-X00 Right FR THD.png

    CSDs show minimal ringing or lingering decay. Maybe not the absolute best I've seen, but still really damn good. Very clean.

    Fostex TH-X00 Left CSD.PNG Fostex TH-X00 Right CSD.PNG

    Overall: Excellent headphone. One of the best products in terms of fun sound, looks, and price I've seen come around in a long while.
     
  13. Hands

    Hands Overzealous Auto Flusher - Measurbator

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  14. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    linky added to Hands measurements in first post
     
  15. zerodeefex

    zerodeefex SBAF's Imelda Marcos

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    I missed when these went on sale. I am slightly regretting it for hip hop listening.
     
  16. rott

    rott Secretly hates other millenials - Friend

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    Buzzed with Ketel One Citroen + Sprite and watching the Packers/Cowboys game, reading impressions of the TH-X00, really regretting not being able to jump on these. Hopefully will come up again next year.
     
  17. Ninja Pirate

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    Some measurements from my shitty rig:

    Stock pads:
    [​IMG]


    MrSpeakers Alpha Pads:
    [​IMG]


    Audeze Vegan Pads:
    [​IMG]


    ZMF Lambskin Pads:
    [​IMG]


    HiFiMan Focus Pads (not really properly mounted...):
    [​IMG]


    HiFiMan Pleather Pads:
    [​IMG]


    So all in all, most of the pads didn't really have a positive affect on the sound...

    ZMF Lambskins were rather disappointing, bass sounded significantly 'softer' and more bloated. Mid range depression wasn't as noticeable as the measurements suggest.

    Audeze Vegans are a no go, sounded brighter/harsher and bass lacked impact.

    Alpha Pads were probably the best of the bunch (excluding stock pads). good punchy bass and treble seemed smoother though the measurements suggest no change.

    HiFiMan Pleather pads were kinda meh, sounded too dark, mushy bass.

    HiFiMan Focus pads were not mounted properly (just kinda clamped them on to take a measurement) so no comment.

    All the measurements seem to show a significant dip in the lower mid range (to me it's not as noticeable as the measurements suggest). I guess the hard insert inside the stock pads must actually play an important role. May have to experiment with cobbling something together (tried using a carboard/creatology foam insert that didn't really do f**k all).



    HD 800 pads for shits and giggles:

    [​IMG]
     
  18. Questhate

    Questhate Friend

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    Dude, your extensive Kris Kross collection would sound amazing in these.

    Glad to see good feedback. I got a pair coming, but UPS is slacking this time of year. I always liked the TH900 but could never justify the high price for such flawed phones. Less treble peak for like 1/4 of the price is a no brainer.
     
  19. zerodeefex

    zerodeefex SBAF's Imelda Marcos

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    You show up after like 10 years nbd? Wtf!
     
  20. zerodeefex

    zerodeefex SBAF's Imelda Marcos

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    And I own all three kriss kross albums thankyouverymuch
     

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