Fostex X Massdrop TH-X00

Discussion in 'Headphones' started by Rotijon, Nov 24, 2015.

  1. Taverius

    Taverius Smells like sausages

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    Yep.

    It's possible to only sand around the damage, but even if you do it super well it might look weird just because you'll likely not find the exact same finish they used.

    If you apply another layer to the whole thing it's more likely to look consistent.

    In any case don't apply the finish in an enclosed area, none of that stuff has healthy vapours.
     
  2. Lyander

    Lyander Official SBAF Equitable Empathizer

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    My only concern is that a bit of the logo got scraped off in the fall, so I'll probably have to fill it in with silver Sharpie or something first. Been trying to find out what they used for the logo, no luck .Ah well.

    And yup! I care about my lungs too much to even consider that :))
     
  3. rshuck

    rshuck Friend

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    In case anyone was looking to pick up a set of these, Massdrop has them again in all three finishes on Friday (June 1), and they now have removable cables.
     
  4. Torq

    Torq MOT: Headphone.com

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    For those of you that go for this, if these units use a similar connection to the TH900 Mk2, then while the HD6XX-type connectors will fit (with a little trimming to make them engage fully), bear in mind that they're wired with opposite polarity to the Sennheiser cables.

    Whether this matters or not is hard to say, but you can either invert polarity in your player if you're using a PC/computer source, or make a simple adapter to do it if not ... or you can live with it and not worry about it.
     
  5. Grattle

    Grattle Friend

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    I bought THX900 Mk II spare parts to mod my first gen THX-00 to use Fostex and Sennheiser removable cables.

    Required drilling 2 holes per side, some sennheiser connector springs, and the connectors themselves.

    You can get the connectors here: https://www.fullcompass.com/prod/524459-fostex-1412606562-right-outer-bushing-for-th-900-mkii

    You can call the sennheiser supoort number and order the springs. Total cost was under $30 including shipping.

    Involves some soldering, and a little effort to get the springs to stay in place. I'm pretty happy with it overall.

    1 cable to rule them all, and in the darkness bind them.

    EDIT: Forgot to mention, I wired them according to the Sennheiser wiring instead of the fostex. Ground line connects to the larger pin(s), signal to the smaller.

    [​IMG]
     
  6. Grattle

    Grattle Friend

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    Is there a good a comparison of the THX-00 to the TH-900 around? I am curious about what differences exist, and if the TH-900 is worth the difference in price. I read Tyl's Foster Variant article on innerfidelity, but his tastes and mine don't always line up.
     
  7. E_Schaaf

    E_Schaaf MOT: E.T.A Headphones

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    TH900 is more jagged and edgy in the treble, kinda sucked out midrange, more sub-bass and bass of a higher quality. Better resolving capability and generally faster sounding but at the expense of having substantially worse tone (unlistenable at least to me on many tracks).

    Not worth 2-3x TH-X00 IMO. You'd be better served with a ZMF dynamic or the HP-3 if you really want an "upgrade".
     
  8. Torq

    Torq MOT: Headphone.com

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    The TH-X00/TR-X00 in Ebony have much better tonality than the TH900 (Mk2). Sticking TH610 pads on the TH900 (Mk2) helps, but isn't a "complete" fix. The TH900 (Mk2) are quite biting in the treble and the bass bleeds into the midrange enough to be problematic. A LOT of fun to listen to, with the right music, but very much a speciality can in it's stock form.

    At similar prices, ZMF Eikon is a far more enjoyable listen for the vast majority of music I can think of. Not quite as incisive or resolving, but way better balanced and applicable to a much wider array of genres.

    If you're willing to swap pads AND do EQ, then the superior technicalities of the TH900 (Mk2) vs. the TH-X00 (Ebony) can be brought to bear with good advantage. But, as much as I enjoy my 900s ... with or without pad swaps and EQ, I will continue to regard them as a technically proficient, tonally screwed, "fun" can, but not something I could live with day-to-day as a closed-back if I could only have one.
     
  9. Thenewerguy009

    Thenewerguy009 Friend

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    When you say bass, do you mean this type of bass
    [​IMG]

    Or the musical kinda, like mid-bass type?
     
  10. Lyander

    Lyander Official SBAF Equitable Empathizer

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    The X00 (also ebony) is something I could comfortably use as my only pair of cans, barring the cuppy reverb, occasional muddiness in the subbass, and the somewhat laid-back tonality; these are nitpicks. The treble does bother me at times (more an icepick than a nitpick), but only rarely with some modern tracks. The TH900, on the other hand, is just about unusable for me for more than a couple minutes— I lasted about that long on Signe off Eric Clapton's Unplugged set.

    I dunno about calling the HP-3 an upgrade to the X00 since I find they're quite different, so I agree with the quotation marks, haha. This will be a contentious stance, but ultimate resolution and nuance aside, and taking the reverberations you're bound to get with a semi-open woodback like the Fostexes as matter-of-fact, I prefer the mids on the X00 to the HP-3. The Klipsch sounds more recessed, occasionally to the point where vocals get lost in instruments. Toning the bass down helps, but there's a bit too much energy in the 7-9kHz region all the same. It's nowhere near as bad as the TH900, but the Fostex flagship is much cleaner sounding.

    In all, I'd say that the TH900 outclasses the X00 in every area except tonality, but where it does screw up in FR it gets kinda scary.
     
  11. Taverius

    Taverius Smells like sausages

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    Dekoni pads drop for the TH/TR-X00 is active again of anyone needs.

    I made a present of my th-ph and pads so I grabbed pads for my Ebony TR.
     
  12. itayoron

    itayoron New

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    So what the conclusion of your investigation?
    I have just tried the ZMF Ori Lambskin (without attenuation rings) on my Mahogany X00 and to my ears it does sounds more sibilant and something is lost in the bass region, soundstage is a bit wider. I must say I am disappointed.
     
  13. E_Schaaf

    E_Schaaf MOT: E.T.A Headphones

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    Fostex headphones like a narrow ear hole and close proximity ear to driver. The best results I've had are with Audio Technica AP2000Ti pads, or these, with the hairscreens torn out - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08F9CJ3GQ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s02?ie=UTF8&psc=1

    Neither will reduce the 11khz peak. You can use a piece of micropore tape across the top of the foam ring to help with treble peakage without killing dynamics like TP does. You can also punch holes in the tape cover for more or less reduction. And for the lower midrange dip, nothing will necessarily fix it without causing other issues aside from complex cup stuffing or baffle/driver venting mods.

    It's not worth chasing soundstage with pad rolling on these headphones. Best to play to optimize their strengths as opposed to minimize their weaknesses.
     
  14. itayoron

    itayoron New

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    I have managed to achieve a much better result with the ZMF Ori Lambskin using the Dekoni attenuation rings, which brought the bass back to life, as well as with the red dampening cloth that comes with the Ollo HPS S4 (https://olloaudio.com/collections/spare-parts/products/earpads-s4), which helps smooth the treble.
    To my ears it now sounds better than with the Dekoni Elite Angled Sheepskin (with attenuation rings), which by themselves sound better than stock.
     

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