Fostex TH-X00 Purpleheart Measurements and Quick Impressions

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

  1. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    Looks like @imackler found the secret link on the Massdrop site ... moving this from the staging area since the cat's out of the bag. Seriously, WTH do you guys do? Run a cron job to look for this stuff?

    Massdrop Fostex TH-X00 Purpleheart Measurements and Quick Impressions

    Looks like Will @ Massdrop is at it again. Not content to sit on their laurels, Massdrop has found a new way for us to part with our money. Must resist! Must resist, I say. BUT FFFF THESE SURE ARE PURTY. Must have! Must have! Damn you Will! I knew I should have negotiated a kick-back for this. See the photos below. I did what I could to best represent how the purpleheart looked under different lighting conditions. Chocolate brown, purple, sweet. Note that this is a preview and not a production manufacturing unit.


    X00 PH.jpg
    Photo retouching courtesy of @zerodeefex

    DSC_2211 - Copy.JPG
    Under indoor lighting (halogen / incandescent)

    DSC_2216 - Copy.JPG
    Under more natural lighting (mixed indoor / outdoor)

    There are no changes to the X00 other than to the wood cups. The purpleheart wood actually does introduce its own sonic properties. (It's rather coincidental that I happen to be considering the purchase of a phono cartridge with a purpleheart body.) Purpleheart is a rather dense and tough wood known for gumming up and dulling blades and machinery. Cut it against the grain, and we will end up tearing chunks from it.

    It does sound a bit different from the mahogany cups from the earlier runs. Hard to describe, but there was more of an obvious resonance play with the mahogany. The purpleheart seems tighter, yet at the same time smoother. Gone is the slight bit of treble sharpness the prior variant exhibited. However the tiny spotlit emphasis in the tape-hiss region is still present.

    I can't be sure whether the changes are the result of the cups or normal variation in the drivers; however CSD plots do indicate an absence of any ringing in the lower treble region. @Will thinks it's a combination of long burn-in (these drivers have been around a long time, just the cups were replaced) and the wood. Anyway, what do I know? I'm just a false authority. But see measurements below.


    Fostex TH-X00 Purpleheart Measurements

    The frequency measurement is indicative of a less than perfect seal (assuming some leakage at the nape of the neck). The X00 can measure like bass monsters with a super tight seal, but that is not what I did there.

    Click here for a comparison to the prior mahogany variant: http://www.superbestaudiofriends.or...ements-and-quick-impressions.1681/#post-42237


    Notes on these measurements:
    http://www.superbestaudiofriends.or...-and-quick-impressions.1681/page-2#post-42361


    Notes on the midrange dip in the measurements:
    http://www.superbestaudiofriends.or...-and-quick-impressions.1681/page-3#post-42471

    Frequency Response and Distortions L 0dB = 100 dbSPL
    FR L.png

    Frequency Response and Distortions R 0dB = 100 dbSPL
    FR R.png

    I don't know what's up with the distortion spike in the upper mids. It could be slight driver damage from a well traveled headphone or a measurement artifact. I was in a rush to get the measurements done so I could return them.

    CSD L
    CSD L.jpg

    CSD R
    CSD R.jpg


    Buy it here on Friday:
    https://www.massdrop.com/buy/fostex-x-massdrop-th-x00-purpleheart-headphones
     
    Last edited: Mar 25, 2016
  2. OJneg

    OJneg The Most Insufferable

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    OMG SO COOL
     
    Last edited: Mar 24, 2016
  3. Hands

    Hands Overzealous Auto Flusher - Measurbator

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    Looks good! Same tuning?

    Edit: Question answered. Cool.
     
    Last edited: Mar 24, 2016
  4. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    Yes
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 24, 2016
  5. velvetx

    velvetx Gear Master West/Vendor Spotlight Moderator

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    Great job Will. Once again Massdrop taking their partnerships to the next level (many cases outdoing the original vendors) and focusing on budget minded audiophiles.
     
  6. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    @Will is shredding our wallets.

    Can someone move this over to the Headphones Measurements section around 5:30pm PST or when they get the Massdrop e-mail on it or is somehow someone finds the link to it? That is if I don't get to it. Also, add a link here from the Massdrop discussion section.
     
    Last edited: Mar 24, 2016
  7. zerodeefex

    zerodeefex SBAF's Imelda Marcos

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    You mean like breaking press embargoes, erasing any mention of SuperBAF on Head-Fi, making people bow down and kneel before him like General Zod, getting people fired from their jobs, telling people how SuperBAF is a false authority at CanJam Singapore/Ann Arbor meets and telling manufacturers and meet goers that we hate manufacturers and will say their products are crap (like the HD800S that many on the forum own and many, myself included, recommend)?

    If anything, I hope we become a place for manufacturers to engage the community and get feedback in an honest way without disallowing users to be honest or dog piling on manufacturers.

    I hope folks like Alex and Fang and Dan and others make their way over here. I'd really love to have them around. It also helps humanize the people making these products. I am 10x more excited about the MicroZotl2 now that we have a rep here willing to engage!
     
  8. TMRaven

    TMRaven Friend

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    Purple Heart wood loses its purple luster over time due to exposure to sunlight if I remember. Is the same true here?
     
  9. chakku

    chakku Friend

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    Going by measurements and appearance I think I'd still lean toward the original X00, that's just my taste though. Hopefully it's not discontinued, I like the orange/red and black look.
     
  10. Ringingears

    Ringingears Honorary BFF

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    Yeah. We hate manufacturers. Must be why we keep buying their stuff. And continue to listen to it all the time just hating and hating and saying "this sucks, and this is crap", I want more! :mad: Also why we welcome them at meets. So we can corner them and make them cry. :confused:
     
  11. HitmanFluffy

    HitmanFluffy Hoping to see real genitals someday!

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    I dig the stealth Jude reference in the OP. Did he really parrot the same line at Ann Arbor?
     
  12. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    I believe it is the other way around. Turns from chocolate to purple if not protected from UV. The clear coat will offer some protection from UV and I doubt owners will leave them out in the sun.
     
  13. Griffon

    Griffon 2nd biggest asshole on SBAF

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    f**k. This is even more beautiful than TH900.
     
  14. Eric_C

    Eric_C Friend

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    Time to keep an eye on out for the old TH-X00 on sale...
     
  15. imackler

    imackler Key Lime Pie Infected Aberdeen Wings Spy

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    @purrin Can you overlay the two TH-X00's measurements on one graph? Don't worry about it if its a lot of work...
     
  16. velvetx

    velvetx Gear Master West/Vendor Spotlight Moderator

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  17. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    Frequency Response Comparison with TH-X00 Mahogany

    TH-X00 Mahogany= YELLOW
    TH-X00 Purpleheart = PURPLE

    I am not sure about there being more bass wit the purpleheart. Getting the seal just right is a bit tricky with these pads. Notes on these measurements:
    http://www.superbestaudiofriends.or...-and-quick-impressions.1681/page-2#post-42361


    comparison.png

    The most significant difference is with the CSDs. The mahogany CSDs are here for handy reference. Still, hard to say for sure without more measurement samples. I will tell you that subjectively, the purpleheart does sound a bit different and smoother in the treble compared to the mahogany sample.
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Mar 25, 2016
  18. zerodeefex

    zerodeefex SBAF's Imelda Marcos

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    I am going to be buying a pair. I have successfully resisted the X00 until now but I'll be damned if I can resist the X00 in a more beautiful finish.
     
  19. Donald North

    Donald North Friend

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    I've been told by a custom furniture carpentry friend that purpleheart will gradually turn brown color over time. Nevertheless, I think I will order a set to compare to the mahogany version.
     
  20. fraggler

    fraggler A Happy & Busy Life

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    Holy monkeys these are beautiful. Gah!
     

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