List Price: $139.99
Sale Price: $89.00
Today's Bonus: 36% Off
- Closed-style dynamic headphones with 15 Hz-30 kHz frequency response
- Max Input 2000 mW ; impedance 50 ohm
- Patented RP Technology
- Features single entry locking cord, padded ear cushions, and wide self-adjusting headband
- Compatible with all analog and digital formats
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If you're like me, and want to modify these bad-boy's to make them sound much better, then you're gonna have to do some purchasing, much of which can be done here on amazon. I'll list those products first, and then we can get to what you might need from elsewhere. I'm not going to list exactly what or how to modify these as that's part of the fun. But if you do a google search for "Fostex TRP50 Modifications" you'll find a wiki over at head-fi that lists every public modification listed there. I have tried a number of them and came up with my own concoction that I like the best.Alrighty, here's what you'll need:
DYNAMAT -
Dynamat 10415 10" x 10" x 0.067" Thick Self-Adhesive Sound Deadener with Xtreme Speaker Kit Pair
SILVERSTONE FOAM
SilverStone 21-Inch x 15-Inch 4mm Thick 2-Piece Sound Dampening Acoustic EP0M Silent Foam SF01 (Black)
MODELING CLAY
Chenille Kraft Modeling Clay Assortment
COTTON BALLS Used to go between the ear-cup and back of the driver when the sides are screwed back together. Try to experiment with how much you use, it's always helps the sound but using more = smoother mid-bass hump, less = more mid-bass hump.
Classic Cotton Balls (100 Jumbo Size)
MD PRODUCTS insulating tape: If you use this on the front of the driver you can provide a good "seal" around where the earpads go.
M-D Building Products 2733 High Density Foam Tape, 3/16-by-3/8-Inch-by-17 feet, Closed Cell, White
CRAFT FELT:
Kunin Foss Stiffened Friendly Felt 9"X12" Black K461-937; 12 Items/Order
TRANSPORE TAPE can be used under the craft felt that is placed on the back of the driver to provide more "sparkle."
3M Transpore Clear 1-Inch Wide First Aid Tape, 10-Yard Roll (2 Rolls)
ELECTRICAL TAPE Use to cover the vents on the bottom of each cup to shape the bass. You can do anything from a full cover to partial cover of the vents on either the inside or outside of the cup.
3M Scotch Super 33+ Vinyl Electrical Tape, .75-Inch by 66-Feet
HEADBAND CUSHION: These things are incredibly un-comfortable if you don't cushion the headband. This fits with a little elbow grease and if very comfortable.
NEW! Replacement Upgrade Headband Comfort Cushion Pad in Leatherette with snap locks. Universal fit most Headphone models; Grado SR SRi-series, Sennheiser HD-series, Beyerdynamic and more.
SHURE EARPADS: Nice and comfy
Shure HPAEC840 Replacement Ear Cushions For SRH840 Headphones
ALSO, you may want a shorter cord for your headphone. I recommend going to the v-moda site and buying one of their non-mic'd cables that are about three or 4 feet in length. They're nice and fit the trp-50 perfectly!
Please see my website for more info of modded headphones:
Happy modding!
PS Damping these by doing any mods will make these already hard to drive headphones even more persnickity. I use a schiit lyr headphone amp and these can be decently driven by some decent portable amps....just a word of caution!
Buy Fostex T40RPMK2 Closed Dynamic Studio Headphones for DJ and Sound Engineer Applications Now
If youre buying these for out of the box performance, youre most likely going to be disappointed if youre looking for a super accurate highly detailed pair of cans with great bass extension.Fortunately, a bit of modding can transform these things into everything they can possibly be.
Firstly, the earpads are not that comfortable. Theyre shallow enough so that people with larger dumbo ears like myself find it very uncomfortable to extended listening because the inner cup is pressing against your ear. BUY THE SHURE HPAEC840 PADS!!! Talk about comfort... roll up some tissue and shove it under the pad to increase comfort, sound staging, and a tad bit of bass due to a better seal around the ear.
Second, grab some crayola modeling clay. Take off the pads (if youre keeping the stock pads, be careful because theyre taped on with double sided tape. the tape is strong enough to rip the pleather) and pack the clay flush with the cavities on the back side of the driver baffle. One hole is a bass port that is open to the ear side of the baffle, dont fill that one. TALK ABOUT DETAIL. The baffle is no longer flexing due to the driver and everything is much more detailed. Extended bass, detailed mids, and clear highs. Cheap, easy, makes a real difference.
Third, shove 3-4 torn up cotton balls in the cups. Reflecting soundwaves from certain frequencies is eliminated even further. Helps a lot with female vocals they become much much more clear and balanced.
Fourth, pick up some fatmat/dynamat/damplifier pro, etc. and coat the inside of the cup with it. TALK ABOUT ACCURACY.
4 stars for out of the box performance for the price
5 stars for modded performance. They compete with $700-$800 cans when modded right.As a professional audio engineer who does both studio recording and live sound reinforcement as well as an audiophile, a great pair of headphones is one of my most important pieces of gear. They must be accurate, reasonably comfortable, have excellent high and low frequency response, block out a reasonable amount of outside noise, and must have the ability to play loud enough without distortion so I can hear what I'm listening to on them over the sound of a live band. They must also have the transparent, detailed sound I require for critical listening as an audiophile.
I've used and auditioned many pairs of cans over the years and have always come back to the Fostex T20RP mkII (and the original T20RP before these). There's a great reason these are one of the most commonly used pairs of headphones you'll find in almost any commercial recording studio. I've simply never found another set at any price that I liked more than these. I've even compared them to headphones costing $500 and up and saw no reason to pay that kind of money when these incredible cans can be had for this ridiculous price.
Some people may find them a bit on the warm side, but personally I find most headphones, including the very popular AKG k240 (which I also own), to be a bit too bright, edgy, and fatiguing for me. I've tweaked mixes on these then listened on my reference monitors and found them to be quite accurate. And, I've never managed to get them to distort at any volume. Though I don't usually listen loud unless I have to in a live mixing situation, these are always ready when I need to.
They are not perfect so I'll list the cons. First, they're big, as you can see in the picture, so don't buy them if you're looking for something you can stuff in a pocket. I also have to mention that while they're fine most of the time, they're not the most comfortable headphones I've ever tried, and if I wear them for an extended period of time (such as when recording vocals), they start to hurt because they do press on the ears a bit. The earpieces are padded but they do sit partially on the ears, unlike the AKGs which have a nice big round padded earpiece that sits around the ears and is very comfortable. Still, I'll put up with it to get this kind of quality.
They have another flaw, which is they're not built to withstand abuse. The biggest weakness is the part that holds the individual earpieces to the metal frame, which will break if you twist it, leaving the can to spin around on the frame and can lead to the wires getting pulled out. This has been a flaw with this design since they first came out some 25+ years ago (yes, they've been in use that long with very minimal changes) and I've had to replace those parts several times, but the latest design does seem to be a bit more robust than the older ones. This is why I never let anyone use my headphones unless I know I can trust them to be very gentle. Every pair I've ever seen in a recording studio had that part broken on both sides so you had to be careful with them.
If you need serious headphones and these problems don't bother you, don't even think about it, quit shopping and just buy these. The price is incredible and you truly will not believe how amazing they sound.Let me start off by saying I am no expert audiophile. But, I have been on the quest for the perfect headphones for about a year now. I am listening to a set of these right now, and am pretty confident that my search is over.
Stock, these headphones are not that great. But, $30 to $35 in materials and a few hours will turn them into audio bliss.
Check out this thread over at headfi.org:
It will tell you everything you need to know. The huge thread can be a little daunting, but I can assure you anyone can mod these headphones; it is not a complicated process. If you don't like amazon's price, head over to b & h photo and pick them up for $75; you won't be sorry.
Eventually, I would like to get a pair of Grado's to see how they compare but that day will be a while away thanks to the excellent sound and unbelievable low price of these.
