Fostex X Massdrop TH-X00

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

  1. kittenuwu

    kittenuwu Acquaintance

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    I wasn't sure if I'd like these or the PH better based on reviews here, so I decided to just nab a pair of the mahoganys and trade up later if I really wanted to. They just came in today

    definitely agree with everyone that they look better IRL than in pictures

    Been listening to shit I've only ever really enjoyed thru terrible club speakers at 120dB ever since I've gotten home, and I'll probably keep them just for this regardless of what other conclusions I come to. HD650 rolloff sucks the soul straight outta EDM for me, and these definitely don't suffer from that

    hopefully I don't find something else that's a dealbreaker with more listening, but I was really just looking for an inoffensive HD650 alternative with a bit more isolation and these are looking to fit pretty nicely.
     
  2. MattRG

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    Yeah EDM is definitely a strength for the 00's. I enjoy quite a bit of EDM and they are an easy win for this HP. That being said, since last night I've tried just about every genre that I listen to and a couple of surprises for me have been Opera (ok, it was Phantom of the Opera, but still enjoyable in the more powerful moments) and Jazz (which compliments the inherent smoothness of the 00 rather nicely I think).

    I do think they are rather amp dependent though. Case in point, my Fostex HP-A4BL makes them sound powerful and smooth even on low gain but switching over to a Lyr 2 for amping duties makes everything sound dark and veiled and sucks a bit of the fun out of the bass. In other words, stick to something clean and solid state when choosing an amp for best results.
     
  3. kittenuwu

    kittenuwu Acquaintance

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    Yeah, I shoulda mentioned that another reason I got these was that they sounded like they'd work well out of my existing system (the sbaf schlong stack) and not force any changes
     
  4. Vanheim

    Vanheim Acquaintance

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    So, the basshead inside me finally took over and now I've bought a pair of PH from the hf classifieds. Will be receiving them by the end of February. Can't wait to hear these!
     
  5. MattRG

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    Congratulations and I hope you like them as much as I like my Mahagony's. Hopefully you have a good, fast SS amp because that is definitely what they will pair best with. I love mine on my Fostex DAC/amp but didn't like them at all on Lyr 2 with tubes (although I've heard that Lyr 2 with LISST is very good with them).
     
  6. Vanheim

    Vanheim Acquaintance

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    I have a magni 2 and a Modi Multibit. Might be a bit too treble happy pairing for my tastes but hoping not that much.
     
  7. imackler

    imackler Key Lime Pie Infected Aberdeen Wings Spy

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    Id worry about it being a little bright too :(
     
  8. Vanheim

    Vanheim Acquaintance

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    I tamed the he-400i with eq. I'm not afraid of the brightness anymore. My vampire days of hiding in the warm shadows are over!
     
  9. msommers

    msommers High on Epipens

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    A new version out? The ebony...Or am I late to the party

    Whoops, yep just super late hahaha....
     
  10. ibzrg1570

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    Yep, this is round 2 or 3 of these, Fostex is only supposed to be making about 1000 units total with the ebony cups.
     
  11. msommers

    msommers High on Epipens

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    I'm honestly quite tempted. But the sound leakage for usage at the office is really concerning.

    I have the 598 closed now and for that purpose... It's OK but not as loud as I would like. Sound quality obviously would be a nice step-up using the Fulla 2.

    Definitely different than the 800S I have at home anyways.
     
  12. MattRG

    MattRG Facebook Friend

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    How close are your office workers and how quiet is the environment? At moderate listening levels with the Mahagony's there is certainly sound leakage but it is somewhat muffled by the cups and my significant other in no way finds it offensive when she is in the same room with me hanging out.
     
  13. Vanheim

    Vanheim Acquaintance

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  14. MattRG

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    Initially I felt like the pads on the TH-X00 were uncomfortable stiff but now that I have had them a couple of weeks and have put some wear on them they have softened up considerably. I wish the ear opening was a little bit larger (I have tall ears) but I wouldn't want to sacrifice sound quality to improve the comfort. Once I get my ZMF Eikon I am going to experiment with the Ori pads (they ship with both Ori pads and Eikon pads) on the TH-X00 because I have heard some folks say they really liked the Ori pads on the TH-X00.
     
  15. Vanheim

    Vanheim Acquaintance

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    You have? I remember someone saying on this thread that the ori pads made them more sibilant and lost the fostex magic bass. Soundstage was reported to be wider tho.
     
  16. MattRG

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    Yes, I've seen that report also. In other words, results have been mixed and I would like to do some investigation myself.
     
  17. MattRG

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    Ok, I may have to eat my own words about the TH-X00 and the Lyr 2. In preparation for my just ordered ZMF Eikon I have picked up some gently used tubes from a seller at Head-fi and am testing them out today. (HG 6N23P 1975 SWGP) I was initially going to wait for some better RCA cables to do some testing but my curiosity has gotten the better of me and I am now doing some A/B testing between the amp section in the Fostex HP-A4BL and the Lyr 2 with the just received tubes. (And before someone mentions buying expensive/rare tubes for an inexpensive amp I will say that I got great deals on both and have a total of $440 in the amp and the tubes and I got another pair of tubes with the tube purchase so maybe less than $400 for the Lyr 2 and this set of tubes!)

    One of the cool things about the Fostex unit is the "output select" button on the front. You can, with that little button, switch between the TRS jack and the RCA outs so A/B testing is really quick and easy. And wow if this Lyr 2 isn't really impressing me right now with it's response to these tubes. I don't have a good vocabulary to describe why I am finding the Lyr 2 so pleasing right now except to say everything sounds more musical and cohesive in delivery than with the amp section in the Fostex. I'm not going to go in to great detail with this because this is a thread about the TH-X00 and not amplification. But it does show me that the TH-X00 and Lyr 2 (or other tube or hybrid amp) can still sound great together with the right tubes. And wow does this sound good!
     
  18. Dino

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  19. Vanheim

    Vanheim Acquaintance

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    Just got my PH's in. Bigger box than I imagined. Lighter than my Omni's. Very comfortable. The earpads fit me like a glove. The purple isn't really appreciable under low lighting. Cable not as heavy as I thought. Very nice looking cans for sure.
     
  20. Blixy

    Blixy New

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    I replaced the stock earpads with the lambskin leather dekoni pads that were offered on massdrop. To me they're much more comfortable.
     

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