Fostex TH-X00 Measurements and Subjective Impressions

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

  1. MattRG

    MattRG Facebook Friend

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    Thank you for the impressions. Your opinions and experiences are valid and I am certainly interested to see what I think once I receive mine. I have a small'ish head and tall ears so if there's a comfort issue then that could be overcome with different pads (maybe) but sonic issues are all a matter of gear, music selection and preference. I am certainly curious about them at this point.
     
  2. Torq

    Torq MOT: Headphone.com

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    Yep, no noise with the iDSD BL into the TH-X00 (I have the Purpleheart version).

    If you put the iDSD BL on "Turbo" with iEMatch disabled (which it should be) and turn the volume all the way up you can hear a little hiss, but on Eco or Normal, both of which drive the TH-X00 far louder than I'd ever dare listen, it's dead silent.

    It's quite a fun pairing, with an "exciting" presentation, though it's not how I'd nominally spend $1000 for non-portable listening if it was going to be my only rig.
     
  3. TjH

    TjH New

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    SO i finally got back home and could test alternate headphones and sources etc. It's definitely the th-x00's that are making treble splash and noise. Tried with my AKG271-mkii and no noise whatsoever and no treble splash. the th-x00's are basically unbearable from any source. I bought these headphones because I was in the market for a new one. It sounded SO AWESOME out of the box for a few hours, then it got REALLY REALLY BAD, unbearable, from any source and any music, makes even my hotel california live version (my favorite song of all time) utterly unbearable to even think about listening to. My ears hurt after a few hours it's so bad.

    So disappointed with these headphones, and with nothing to do but attempt to sell them (something I cannot do in my current situation), and just use my k271... MAN these had so much potention, honestly, my first few hours music sounded SO AWESOME i was incredibly impressed, "this is how music is SUPPOSED to sound" i told myself. I gotta tell you as an audiophile this is going to be a sad few months until I can find a good pair of headphones to buy.
     
  4. cskippy

    cskippy Creamy warmpoo

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    I have no idea how a headphone goes from "OMG awesome!" to "f**k this sucks!" unless something is broken. Headphones do not change that much with burn in. Period.
     
  5. TjH

    TjH New

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    That's why my initial reaction was (and still is to some extent) that something is broken. Maybe something went loose during the inital few hours? no idea.
     
  6. cskippy

    cskippy Creamy warmpoo

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  7. TjH

    TjH New

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    Still burning in my new idsd bL but DAMN they are good. Back to loving my music again.

    Question to those of you with the BL & th-x00: what setting are you using it on? I saw someone say here they loved normal+IEM High sensetivity.. and i've just set it at that. Just curious though. Except for eco+ultra high and turbo everything else seems acceptable enough.

    Also, man it's impossible to search for "th-x00" on these forums, can we just agree to call these headphones something else? :p
     
  8. landroni

    landroni Friend

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  9. Gruss Gott

    Gruss Gott Almost "Made"

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    @Marvey any final "best" amp pairing recommendations from the schiit line? M3, jot, Val 2, vali 2?
     
  10. econaut

    econaut Almost "Made"

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    Several people on this forum stated that TH-X00 and Jot have good synergy.

    I am using TH-X00 Ebony with Bifrost Multibit + Saga + Jot and I am very pleased, but actually not until I switched the connector to XLR. EQ is 500Hz +1 and 8kHz -1 which I think is also important as well.
     
  11. Lyander

    Lyander Official SBAF Equitable Empathizer

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    How's the XLR fare against the SE out on the Jot? The amp's not on the to-buy list (yet) since I'm actually aiming for a Vali 2 at the moment (unless whatever was coming out this month that Marv et al was hinting at turns out to be something insanely good, even at the expense of... greater expense), but I was actually warned against pairing the X00EB (which I also have) with something that'd exacerbate the treble issues. Impressions without the Saga would be helpful :)

    Then again, I'm mostly just turned off by the ~11kHz spike, which your Saga settings might actually help tame. Hmm, might look into that.
     
  12. Mdkaler

    Mdkaler Friend

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    Jot balanced is much more powerful than the singled ended out, especially at the low end. The difference is very apparent, to me at least; something along the line with telling the difference in 2 seconds. To the point I would just buy the Magni 3 if SE is all I use. There is probably a difference, but definitely not worth $300.

    Regarding the 2 second thing, I am serious LOL. Marv don't kill me.

    Using Jot balanced out won't help with treble spike I am afraid. It might make spike(s) sharper, but at a more localized/small region. You do get a better sense of air and separation as a trade off.

    I think the Jot strengthens what the X00 do well. Making the good better, but the bad worse (relatively). So, if that's the kind of synergy you are looking for, then it is a good combo. If you want the opposite and make it more well rounded, then hybrids would be a better choice for a sustainable low end and a bit of sweetness.
     
  13. Lyander

    Lyander Official SBAF Equitable Empathizer

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    Thanks @Mdkaler! Yeah, that about aligns with what I'd heard tell of, so it sounds like a Saga (or any other EQ, really) is just about mandatory since the treble can get a bit excitable for me. As for Bal v SE, well, I've been meaning to make the transition for a while now but stay on SE for convenience's sake more than anything else, and because none of my equipment at the moment has balanced outs.

    I will say that my one gripe with the Fostex TH cans in general is that while they run well enough off weak sources like phones etc, you really need a good amp to tighten the bass up. IIRC Marv, Hands and a few others mentioned that the X00s play well with nice tube amps, which is a combo I'd like to try some time.

    Also, lol at 2 seconds. That might end up becoming a local meme, but I hope to God it doesn't XD
     
  14. econaut

    econaut Almost "Made"

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    I searched the forum again and find a lot of recommendations for TH-X00 and SS amps, and especially Jot. There are also users who didn't like (certain) tube amps for TH-X00, read for example the discussion on these pages and following:

    http://www.superbestaudiofriends.org/index.php?threads/fostex-x-massdrop-th-x00.628/page-36
    https://www.superbestaudiofriends.org/index.php?threads/schiit-jotunheim-impressions.2700/page-34

    Concerning my own experiences I am a little hesitant to answer, because I am not an experienced listener. Taking this into consideration I can say the following:

    • going balanced made a bigger improvement to my ears with TH-X00 EB than adding Saga to Jot (TH-X00 was still unbalanced when I got Saga)
      • biggest improvement is less boomy bass
      • I also think the sound is more "airy"
      • sound went from "I don't know if I keep these" to "this is a keeper"
    • actually I expected greater differences with Saga and not that much with going balanced
      • this is the third headphone that I had reterminated after some time and while it's not a night and day difference you can definitely hear it and I highly recommend it. Otherwise you are just not getting the full potential out of your cans
    • even with Saga I have to use EQ in order to prevent fatigue. On my DAP's 10-band-EQ I can only decrease 8kHz, but that's fine.

    Right now I am listening to the TH-X00 at home with Gungnir Multibit + MJ2. I think I prefer my other setup at work with them, but I find it hard to compare, because the two rigs are at different places and my auditory memory just doesn't last that long.

    Mind that the TH-X00 is my headphone for electronic music.
     
  15. Richter Di

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    Okay. But why?
     
  16. Lyander

    Lyander Official SBAF Equitable Empathizer

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    Because the stock headphone cups (and pads and everything else in it) has already been carefully tuned, and worked to death basically? You'd be tossing that out the window with a mod, though frankly if it brings you closer to a sound you like then I don't see why people who own these cans couldn't do whatever the heck they wanted with them.

    As an aside, I've always been curious to see how those aftermarket Lawton cups measure up against the stock Denon/Fostex/E-Mu/whatever ones. Given they have a large array of very not-cheap cups I'm sure most would be turned off buying them in bulk and figuring out how the hell to make use of them after, but I wonder at how big a change they are from stock.
     
  17. LVF1

    LVF1 New

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    I'm thinking of these, but not sure which version. Purpleheart, Ebony, or Mahogany?
     
    Last edited: Aug 11, 2018
  18. Lyander

    Lyander Official SBAF Equitable Empathizer

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    The differences between all three are supposed to be minimal, but the Purpleheart is reputed to have the most interesting sonic character, the Ebony is supposed to be the closest to neutral with the best treble balance relative to everything else, while the Mahogany's somewhere in between, maybe sharper than the EB by a hair? Never gotten ears on either the PH or the MH, basing this on anecdotal reports.

    FWIW, I rock the ebony X00 and haven't sold it even after getting the Klipsch HP-3. It has better tonality (as per my preferences) in that the mids aren't as recessed as on the Klipsch and the treble is much less fatiguing on extended listens or higher volumes. Imaging, resolution, and headspace goes to the HP-3, it's no contest, but the X00 doesn't do poorly here at all. Whether you feel the cleaner treble and less pronounced dips on either side of the middle midrange (relative to the PH and MH) of the EB is worth a $100 premium is up to you.

    Fair warning though, the EBs aren't cans for someone who listens at high volumes if you're any sort of treble sensitive (won't say anything definitive re: the other two variants)— they sizzle. I'm not the biggest believer of headphone burn-in, but I do feel that these cans do settle in after a while, though not enough to tame the brightness appreciably.
     
    Last edited: Aug 11, 2018
  19. Maxx134

    Maxx134 Dunning–Kruger effect poster boy

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    I agree.
    Thats why I moded and changed mine.

    Check out my PurpleHeart version:
    THX00 right side.jpg
    I made it as linear as possible, with bass extension as well.

    Also made it as clean as possible:
    THX right CSD.jpg
    This is up for consideration as the most resolving thx-00 in existence.
    I am considering using it for a loaner, but I would also sell it, as right now I have my HD580 up as a loaner, using similar tech to elevate its performance as well.

    Here is an internal pic of my upgrade:
    IMG_20191209_141907.jpg
    For this design, I custom ordered (made to order, not existing before) both the damping matrials, and the driver parts, so this is not a normal mod.
    It is a permanent mod.
    :)
     
    Last edited: Dec 19, 2019
  20. Lyander

    Lyander Official SBAF Equitable Empathizer

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    @Maxx134 woah, extensive mods indeed. Just going off what the materials look like and how you used em, I can see you're effectively killing off any resonance play with the unlacquered insides of the cups and are dampening the rear side of the driver system hard. Open-cell foam with micropore tape holding the blocks in place in the cups and behind the driver? I actually don't have my X00s anymore because I'm getting a friend to ship em off to a new home (cough) so I can't inspect them just now, but seems the baffle mesh is stock (probably a good idea given the effect messing with that'd have on airflow and bass response).

    Felt disc that I assume goes into the cups might be overkill— what's the difference with and without? That metallic medallion right behind the driver I guess is to regulate diaphragm excursion too?

    Pretty sure that'll all make for a drier sound, which would be great for people who listen to loads of different genres, but might come across as a tad restrictive. I like that you kept the sub-bass emphasis though, since that was my fave part of the X00s. Also cool that you've pushed down the middle-mids a bit; besides the 10~11kHz blip it wasn't until I tried other headphones that I realised the X00 was actually a tad shouty per my preferences.

    Do you have any measurements of the Purplehearts from before you applied the mods? Would be great to see how they compare to current squiggles :)
     

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