T50MKIII

Yes, in the sense that there are more parameters to play with. Since the baffles leak you can add different amounts of resistance to the ports to tune the bass response of a given pad. The new assembly also doesn't stress certain pads as much, so there is higher compatibility. The driver appears to have less damping, so there is a also more leeway there. That said, I don't think it can be made to sound better than the Mk2 revisions.

 

Uh-oh...

 

I don't see the point of these if they can't get the bass extension right. The mk2 mods generally had flat bass down to subsonic. Isn't the deep bass extension the main advantage of planars? If you still have to mod these, why not just buy the cheaper old version?

 

Easier to mod these, better pads, better headband, shorter cable.

 

Gave the ZMF cowhide pads a quick go the other day, and took some measurements... The cowhide is a lot stiffer than lambskin.

Tried the stock pads with the pivot in the ear cup open and closed (taped over). The T50RP's have the pivot covered from the factory where as my T20RP's had it open. Leaving it open produced a 2-4dB gain from 50Hz to almost 200Hz. I'm enjoying the slight bump in the bass with the pivots open, and I think Im leaving the stock pads on for the time being.

 

That looks pretty good!, I have my mk2 very flat and don't enjoy the sound as much as I thought, the bass hump and slight dip in the upper midrange can only help.

 

For those who haven't seen it yet, Tyll's write up which has a detailed comparison of Mk2 vs. Mk3.
http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/diyers-delight-fostex-t50rp-mk3

 

Inspired by playing around with my new HD650s (using what's on hand while waiting for Dynamat to arrive), I finally put some "blu-tack" on the back of the baffle. Bass is much tighter and controlled now. I was getting a bit of "echo/tunnel" effect in the upper-bass/low-mids before and that seems to have reduced as well.

Mod summary: ZMF Cowhide pads (mounted over side baffles), 3 plies of TP over driver, 2 of 4 baffle ports taped off, cotton balls, blu-tack, outer ports taped off except 3mm of one slot.

 

Just received a new T50 mk3 + ZMF cowhide pads (installed by Zach)

I seriously considered the ZMF lambskin pads, but Zach said these were darker and smoother treble and more soundstage and decay due to greater distance between ear & driver than his lambskin pads.

can I get more detail on the mod? - like where do you get blu tack?

I am interested in bass extension and perhaps a slight boost in bass, especially sub bass.

 

Blu Tack is just reusable adhesive you should be able to find at any stationary or office supply store.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blu-Tack
http://www.amazon.com/Blu-Tack-060968-Reusable-Adhesive-75g/dp/B001FGLX72

I actually swapped the blu tack out for Dynamat, which I got for my HD650s. They now weigh quite a bit less and are better dampened.

You'll get more bass leaving more of the bass port slits open, but I found the sound to be too boomy and loose. I couldn't be bothered to search for more bass extension by modding, so I'm EQing using the standard graphic equalizer in foobar2000. I can send you the preset file of you want.

Edit: here's a pic of the blu tack and cotton ball placement.

 

my audiophile side kind of makes me anti-equalizer to a religious fervor - lol - so I need to find a natural option such as modding for the deep bass

have you ever compared the ZMF cowhide pads to the ZMF lambskin pads on this headphone?

also - could you compare the T50 mk3 with ZMF cowhide pads and your mods to the Senn HD600?

 

I never tried the lambskin pads as the cowhides don't work for me with my Blackwoods and I wanted to find a use for them. Stock with ZMF pads was pretty much unlistenable for me. They sounded really hollow and the highs were boosted (see my earlier post quoted below).

Mass loading with blu-tack tightened the bass. I'm now running the bass port slots taped off except 1cm of 1slot. More slots open give more mid-bass (not so much sub-bass extension) but with increased boominess comensurate with the bass boost.

This is the EQ I'm using to get the FR to where I like it.



The HD650s kill the modded Mk3 in clarity, resolution, lack of grain, presentation of texture across the full FR, and engagement. Where the T50RPs win is in bass slam/punch. It seems the dynamic driver of the HD650s can reproduce more accurate bass texture and differentiation between kick and bass guitar for example, but the initial attack of the planar driver is just that much sharper.

The modded Mk3s work for me at work as they provide some isolation and I can just chuck them around my desk.

Edit: If/when you blu-tack, make sure not to fill in the space where the back of the 3.5mm socket almost touches the baffle on the left cup. You won't be able to put it back together if you do and you'll be sitting there wondering "... WTF?"

 

I guess the things I am looking for are full satisfying bass, but not unnecessarily exaggerated bass - but the number one thing I am looking for of all is a non-fatiguing sound (you know, when listening at some volume just starts to give you a headache after a while) - which I suspect is higher mid range or lower treble frequencies? - it certainly isn't the cymbals and extreme high frequencies that is hurting my head with some headphones, and it's not the bass either.

I listen to a lot of classic rock, but not death metal etc. - more like Fleetwood Mac, Yes, Led Zeppelin, older AC/DC, Santana, stuff like the song "Hotel California" would be a good gauge.

I notice that a surprising number of folks slightly prefer the sound of the HD600, and even the HD580, to the HD650, which I find curious.

Is the Dynamat superior to the blu tack for the modding I need? - I can spend the time modding for a great sound for the music listed above - with no bosses nor children, I have more time than money - lol

also, is the blu tack or other stuff removable if I want to play around with it's placement?

also, should I replace or even hard-wire the cable? - I have good soldering skills (I repair Japanese car engine computers for a livin, such as Lexus and Toyota Supra and Nissan GT-R)

 

I won't venture any comments on sound sig preferences. But the blu tack is easy to apply and remove. Dynamat dampens/controls better with less mass but is more hassle to apply and I'm pretty sure to remove though I haven't tried the latter. Recabling is up to you. I'm not a believer personally.

To get the bass extension your looking for, I think you'll need to do more than apply mass damping. Search for "blue flyer monkey" on HF. Or maybe hit up Zach for some tips ;-)

 

Zach has yet to do any testing with the mk3, so is not in the most authoritative position to give tips on this new design. - he is still using up his stock of mk2's just to fulfill orders and cannot switch to mk3's until he revamps his mods to take into consideration the fact that the mk3 sounds a fair amount different, so some of his mk2 mods may have negative effects with mk3, he is planning to do testing and develop mods utilizing mk3 this spring.

I am particularly interested in the mods you have made, because you are the only person I have ever run across who owns my identical combination of mk3's + ZMF cowhide pads.

 

I had the ZMF cowhide pads on my modded T20RP mkIII. Fully sealed ear cups, open ear cup pivot and cotton balls in each cup. I didn't care for the sound and sold the ZMF pads. I'm sure further tuning could help, but the stock pads work fine for me.

Both measurements were done back to back, with thge pads being the only difference.

 

I received my T50RP MK3 and they sound good! I thought they would be over-ear, but they are actually on-ear. Are all of the replacement pads on-ear as well?

I wish the vocals were a little louder in the mix and more intimate.

Would pads help with this? If so, which pads are best with the T50RP MK3? Alpha, ZMF, SRH840, HM5?

 

maybe the wrong thread for this, but i didnt want to start a new thread as i have nothing to contribute to it. has anyone heard zach's new ZMF Classic? if so, any impressions? how do they compare to his other offerings?

thanks!

 

You should start a new thread for that question. But I would venture that Zach would be able to tune the Mk3 to match his pads and make them sound better than stock. I'm running his cowhide pads on my Mk3s and with my limited modding skills I still need EQ to get them to sound "ok". Having paid almost $200 for mine (delivered to Taiwan from Japan), $299 is worth the price if he's nailed the tuning. There's the trial period and 1 free retune (I assume that's included with the Classic) if you don't like them out of the box.

 

Is there any consensus at this point of mods that are good for the mk3s? I want to extend the bass and trim the treble peak.