solderdude
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Post by solderdude on Jul 16, 2013 14:19:11 GMT
T50's with and without a filter is a rather big difference. The drivers themselves are great... they just need to be motivated a bit to shine.
Glad to hear you like it.
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juke
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Post by juke on Jul 16, 2013 14:40:37 GMT
T50's with and without a filter is a rather big difference. The drivers themselves are great... they just need to be motivated a bit to shine. You certainly gave mine a darn good motivating Frans I had originally decided to keep the T50s as a less detailed (compared to the HE6) but excellent sounding 'phone for my lesser tracks (being an oldie playing oldies). After Frans motivated them they are incredibly detailed, superb. I thought at first there was a fault but after a few hours playing many tracks I realised they were just giving me what was on the track. Syd
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Rabbit
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Post by Rabbit on Oct 4, 2013 20:24:07 GMT
The T50 is creeping up in price on the internet, so obviously, they've seen sales and the modding going on and raised the price.
I bought mine for £129 with vat, just over £100 without and tbh, in comparison to everything else I use at home, they are the best listen. When you take that price into consideration, nothing touches them.
The modded T40 shows recording deficiencies quite obviously, but they are there so the headphone is doing a great job in fact.
They are one of the most natural sounding headphones around imo.
It's just a pity that the company doesn't do what Superlux do, and actually take notice of what people say and do to them in order to basically improve them. If the T40 was sold even close to how Frans has got mine, they'd have a killer headphone!!
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solderdude
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Post by solderdude on Oct 5, 2013 7:30:08 GMT
It seems Dan (Mr.Speakers) seems to buying them by shitloads and acc to some Fostex had to ramp up production. As it turns out Fostex is not selling him drivers, only completed headphones. This is no problem for him as he only modifies them: www.mrspeakers.com/a mr.Speakers is basically a modified T50RP which sounds better than a stock one (my opinion) and still needs the filter PCB to become excellent sounding. Between 10Hz and 1kHz it behaves really well (almost, but not quite LCD2) As can be seen a 15dB drop around 6kHz followed by a peak around 10kHz and a quick drop-off after 10kHz. Once this is compensated it becomes amazing. Below a modified T50RP (the scales differ, so you need to observe them) and the same one with a filter. Everything that is missing (15dB is a LOT) has been compensated. Mr Speakers does offer his own lambskin pads ($75.- for the pads alone) as well and launched a more expensive version (Alpha Dog = $600.-) which has 3D printed earcups. The 'older' Mad Dog (which seems to have many different versions) costs around $300 (cheapest version) and if you have a T50RP and ship it to him he will mod it for only $240.- (labour, pads and comfort strap)
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Rabbit
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Post by Rabbit on Oct 5, 2013 8:06:04 GMT
It's quite strange to see a business running off the back of another. Fostex could easily employ a few 'padding tricks in their production and up the price by 100% themselves and so, put him out of work nearly overnight!!
They do sound 'right' to me and the filter puts more 'air' into their sound. Useful to turn off actually on poor recordings!!
My T50 also sounds good but has a slightly ramped bass so is useful to use as an 'eq' for some recordings. Only changes made were pads and vent blocking. Surprisingly entertaining with the filter.
The price of the Mad Dogs is a bit steep but I guess he puts a lot of time into it. Makes you wonder if it would be better to go for a Hifiman really, rather than pay all that for mods.
With regards to the scale of graphs, it would help enormously if makers and reviewers could get to an agreement as to what scale to use. On high resolution, peaks can look enormous whereas on less, it's all smoothed out. It can also be difficult to translate them to what you actually hear 'on head'.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 5, 2013 9:30:52 GMT
just missed out on a used t50rp (stock), went for £50. if i can get another,at similar pricepoint, i will have a go at the mods and of course get another filter.
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Rabbit
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Post by Rabbit on Oct 5, 2013 9:42:25 GMT
Would you need another filter? Since it fits in front of the amp? Or are you knitting up two amps, Simon.
I must admit, the T40 and 50 are the ones I always return to. It used to be the HD600S.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 5, 2013 9:46:09 GMT
Would you need another filter? Since it fits in front of the amp? Or are you knitting up two amps, Simon. I must admit, the T40 and 50 are the ones I always return to. It used to be the HD600S. not too sure on that Ian. i thought the filter components were specific for the headphone!? unless i have the wrong end of the stick. (again)
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Rabbit
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Post by Rabbit on Oct 5, 2013 10:03:46 GMT
Ah. That's what I wondered. The T40/t50 filter is an active one, not passive. T40 and 50 are pretty similar, I seem to remember. Possibly better matching on t50 but even that is questionable after Mick' s t50. I remember Frans saying the two sides weren't too well matched.
So the input goes into the filter box and the box feeds the amp. It's powered but boy, does it wake the t50 up.
I know purists would say this isn't a good idea, but in the real world, it saves you a lot of money not buying very expensive headphones and any noise is kind of theoretical. If you had the headphone loud enough to hear noise, you would never hear again.
Again, it's people who don't try things but spout from theory. In the real world, it works brilliantly.
Basically, the filter smoothed out those lumps that Frans has shown on his FR graphs. It also flattens a mild bass hump. The result is the flattest headphone that I have. It goes down to 10 Hz and mine is going to around 21/22 khz pretty flat most of the way. I had some guys at work test it after Frans had worked on it. They were pretty amazed.
Filter is no problem. You just switch it off for other headphones.
I'd like one with a big lion battery in it so I could use the filter more easily away from home actually. It's a brilliant solution.
Great idea to sell Jeremy, with the Ember. Brilliant match. Even with Stock t50 and different pads. Would actually improve the Mad Dogs too.
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solderdude
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Post by solderdude on Oct 5, 2013 11:21:47 GMT
I am thinking of designing a small PCB with filter that can drive headphones directly (C'Moy)
Using one this way for my DT1350 and love it. The only problem is the amp will ONLY fit one type of headphone.
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Rabbit
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Post by Rabbit on Oct 5, 2013 12:33:47 GMT
It would need quite a bit of punch for Fostex headphones Frans. Ideal for moving around but put a big battery in!!
Actually, the little cmoy I tried with k601 was surprising. (The Zigis) That worked well but being able to cart the t40 and 50 around would be seriously good if it put the top end in as well.
It's actually a pretty good match with the Embers. Sent from my HTC Wildfire S A510e using proboards
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Post by deireleire on Oct 11, 2013 13:48:39 GMT
I was also thinking on using the T50RP's as my travel HP's (4hours every day) but wasn't thrilled by the prospect of dragging a O2 and a filter around. When you're done with you little project, can you post the results
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Post by deireleire on Nov 25, 2013 14:58:31 GMT
I've been travelling with the T50RP's for a month now. Un-amped attached to my rockboxed sansa clip +. People look a me funny when I walk by, at work some now call me Princess Leia. Since I know very little of electronics I was wondering if Frans's filter with poweroption 3 (PCB also doubles as a headphone amplifier (using TS912 op-amps)) would be able to drive the hp to a decent level (could'nt be worse than un-amped I presume?). Sound isolation is nice though (in the train), even better after the modding. Definitely not going back to my IE's.
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Rabbit
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Post by Rabbit on Nov 25, 2013 17:26:07 GMT
I use the modded T40 all of the time now and if I want more bass, a T50. (Just pad difference) I connect mine to the O2 as well or the Fiio Mont Blanc. I'd still like a filter going though since it extends it and introduces more 'air' into its sound and the CMoy idea that Frans had was brilliant. I think it'll need a nice battery though.
I often buy amps with a headphone in mind and try to match them to some extent and the T40/50 is one that needs a special match.
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solderdude
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Post by solderdude on Nov 25, 2013 19:11:15 GMT
I really need to step on the plate with that..
a portable amp suited for just one headphone with on-board correction for that specific headphone. Need to work out some ideas and build a proto one of these days. Don't wait for it though as time for experimenting is limited and days are short.
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