DIY mods for Fostex T50RP and T20 RP MKII headphones

BmWr75

BmWr75

AK Subscriber
Subscriber
The headphones can be bought new in stock form for $60-120 depending on availability. I paid ~$60 for the T20s and ~$80 for the T50s. They look identical to me in all ways except the metal rods connecting the earcups to the head band are silver on the T20 and gold on the T50. The T20 also does not have a hanger screw cover inside the cup. The drivers is both models appear to be the same. The T50 driver might sound marginally better, but that could be psycho-acoustic too since I know the T50s cost more.

After being modded, these cans sound great if you have a nice source and good amp to drive them with. Lacking either of those, you will most likely not be impressed. They are very revealing.

Here's the original Head-Fi.org mod link: http://www.head-fi.org/t/452404/just...0#post_7856037

I changed the BMF V6.3 mod as follows and am very pleased.

Silverstone on Amazon is basically the same as Paxmate. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0040JHMH6/ref=oh_o02_s00_i00_details
Plasticine is modeling clay that doesn't dry out. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001E679QW/ref=oh_o03_s00_i01_details
Dynamat is also available on Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00020CAUG/ref=oh_o03_s00_i00_details

1. Plasticine load the back side of the baffle.

2. not applicable

3. Paxmate in the interior cup floor, only.

3.5. Riteaid (drug store) Natural absorbent cotton batting, 1/2 thickness in cup on top of Paxmate. Split the batting in 1/2, it is too thick I think as is.

4. No Paxmate on the central chamber post for headband hanger screw.

5. Stock white driver felt on the cup side of the driver intact and in place. In other words, leave it alone.

6. Stock black bass port felt intact and in place. Bass ports 75% covered with electrical tape.

7. not applicable

8. One layer of Dynamat surrounding the ear side of the driver baffle.

9. One layer of self-adhesive felt over the Dynamat.

10. Shure 840 pads replacing stock pads. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002Z9JWZS/ref=oh_o00_s00_i00_details
 
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Thanks, I appreciate your time and effort, getting this all written out for us "headphone enthusiasts". I am about to embark on the modding adventure with the Fostex T50RP cans. These orthodynamic headphones hold great potential. :) I'm just waiting for another pair for comparison purposes (as the mods progress). Have a great day!
 
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"Shure 840 pads replacing stock pads" Thanks for the link on these pads. I have no need to mod. My pads have reached the flaking stage. I take it they fit as well as the stock pads. Should I come across another pair I might consider doing the mods. Always did like the T50's. :thmbsp:
 
The Shure 840 pads seal better and are more comfortable to my ears. Also very easy to install. Just roll the band that attachs the pads to the ear piece backwards onto the pad (inside out is another way to think about this). Hold the earpad on the cup and roll the band onto the earcup a little at a time, using your fingers on one hand to hold it in place as you completely roll the band onto the cup 360 degrees around the cup.

The bass on stock T50s is muddy to me. There is no damping material inside the cups at all. So, just putting some polyfill (like we use in speakers) or even cotton balls (teased out to be as uniform density as possible) inside the cups helps the bass tighten up. Blocking 75-80% of the four vents in the cup helps some too.
 
BmWr75 said:
The Shure 840 pads seal better and are more comfortable to my ears. Also very easy to install. Just roll the band that attachs the pads to the ear piece backwards onto the pad (inside out is another way to think about this). Hold the earpad on the cup and roll the band onto the earcup a little at a time, using your fingers on one hand to hold it in place as you completely roll the band onto the cup 360 degrees around the cup.

The bass on stock T50s is muddy to me. There is no damping material inside the cups at all. So, just putting some polyfill (like we use in speakers) or even cotton balls (teased out to be as uniform density as possible) inside the cups helps the bass tighten up. Blocking 75-80% of the four vents in the cup helps some too.
Click to expand...

Thanks! Good to know what worked for you! :thmbsp: ain't audio grand? :D
 
@hbrocks - I got your PM, but when I replied AK said your inbox is full.

So, here's my response.

I did not take pictures while modding mine. The Head-Fi.org post below has some pretty good pictures. Note, I didn't follow the instructions in the post exactly. Refer back to my post here on AK to see exactly which mods I did, which are a mixture of a few of the Head-Fi mods.

http://www.head-fi.org/t/452404/just-listened-to-some-fostex-t50rps-today-wow/4125#post_7837614
 
I recently bought a pr of T50RP from B & H in NYC. They're back in stock - $74 and free shipping. These babies can suck up some power. All my sources, with the exception of my PC are from amps with jacks or a DAC w/headphone amp. Still, they're slightly underpowered with the cheap DAC, but they sound good.

I'm not yet finished modding and I'm taking a different approach. The top ports are blocked from the inside and the bottom ones have a damper covering them. I removed the damper and used artists modeling clay on the outside to cover all but the bottom port. Then I used the clay to fill in the space on the outside to turn it into a slot loaded port. I also removed the driver from the inner cup and cut away the paper/cloth covering between the driver and your ear. The 840 pads have a similar cloth/paper cover on the inside, that I'll probably remove. I haven't gotten that far. Inside the cup the only thing I'm using is a little bit of Acousta-Stuf. This is dacron stuffing made for speakers, that I have left over. I don't want to reduce the volume of the cup which is a bass reflex enclosure. The all-out mods with wood cups are acoustic suspension or infinite baffle and a different set of mods apply.

After initial break-in, covering the ports revealed the bottom octave which was MIA. Much to my surprise it also helped bring in the top end. I settled on one open port as being the best. These phones have a ton of potential. I checked out my initial mods with Crystal Method among others, and the bottom seemed all there. If you're keeping the stock cups, I'm not sure if all the felt, wool, and stuffing is necessary. I have approx 2g of Acousta-Stuf in there and I think I need slightly less. The plastic enclosure seems pretty rigid and sturdy. The clay on the outside probably damps the cup vibrations.
 
Just a little update on my T50 mod. The 840 pads made a significant difference in the depth of the stage and seemed to also emphasize the bass somewhat. They're a little thicker than stock pads and the phones fit a little different- better for me. I also tried a thinner damper on the inside of the ports. In my case it was better with the damper removed. I also cut away all the grill cloth on the stock baffle and the 840 pads but the treble is still somewhat recessed, maybe more so with improvements in the bass. I'm going to check out the reflex dot mod on the back of the driver to bring up the top. I'm not sure how this works but I guess I'll find out.

BTW, mine are newer phones and they came with no cloth or felt behind the driver. Also there's a little hole on the driver mounting plate near the top, they call the fart hole. I plugged it and all the spaces around the driver, with the clay. I think I'll get the outside clay looking near perfect and paint it with acrylic artist paint to hold it in place.
 

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If anyone would like to look at all the popular mods out there, here's a good little reference page:
http://www.head-fi.org/a/fostex-t50rp-modification-summary-links-wiki

The 840 pads are a must in my eyes. The gains in comfort, sound, and isolation are well worth the $17 or so. Hell, I'd pay far more than that for the gains I get with these pads.

Oh, and if anyone has been experiencing problems with the stock cable (static noises, cutting in and out), replacing the stock cable with the V-moda audio-only cable is a popular option.
 
Are the 840 pads leather or pleather? Are there any velour pads that work equally well for this mod?

cubdog
 
I modded a pair of these a few months back, and love 'em! :thmbsp:

I splurged for the earpads from the L'Audeze LCD-3, which need to have part of the outside "rim" folded-in to fit right, but then fit almost perfectly. Cost me nearly as much as the headphones themselves (which is why most people go for the 840 pads), but I read on the big Head-Fi thread that these actually sounded the best, so I went for it.

I spent a number of evenings playing with variations on clay, acoustic felt, pulled-apart cotton pad covers, electrician's tape, etc... until they sound great. Anyone attempting to mod these should be aware that different pads really do require different mods, and each change in one aspect of the mods will interact with the other parts, so getting them to sound right for your ears is an iterative process. Be prepared to make a change, test, make another change, re-test, etc... over and over, if you want the maximum/best results. This can be quite time-consuming, but if you are into GREAT sound with very modest expenditure other than your time, it's well worth the effort. You'd spend hundreds more (probably a thousand dollars or even more) to get anything sonically close to equaling a well-tweaked T50RP.

One thing I like about these cans is that you can run them straight out of speaker outputs if you are careful with the volume knob; the cans are actually rated at a max of something like 126 decibels, at listening distance. Pretty ridiculous, but true! I've run them from the outputs of my over-the-top (200 watts per channel power supplies) Magnum Opus One preamp, and the result is jaw-dropping. They like power to really open up, even though they are rather efficient and don't NEED the power to make sound, as some vintage cans do. They'll work best with a robust amp, but you'll only need a modest/low volume setting. I'd love to try the actual L'Audeze LCD-3s run this way from the big preamp or from speaker outputs, but at around US$2000, they're just too expensive for me, at least for now. Honestly, though, I enjoy the Fostex enough that I don't mind what I don't have.

A peculiarity of them is that --presumably because their driver is "orthodynamic" and not the usual cone type-- it takes the ears/brain a few minutes to fully "adapt to" their sound, even after you've been listening to them regularly for months. After the short initial listening period, during which they just aren't spectacular, you'll suddenly realize that they sound incredibly good and "involving". It's almost like gear that needs to warm up, but it's you, the listener, that does the warming up. I've never experienced another headphone that works like this, but it does work so well that I say, "Who cares?!" and just let it happen that way.

cubdog said:
Are the 840 pads leather or pleather? Are there any velour pads that work equally well for this mod?

cubdog
Click to expand...

Velour Beyerdynamic pads are discussed in the big thread on Head-Fi. Can't remember exactly what was said about them, but they don't seem to be used much. If I remember right, they required more serious modifications to fit, and most people didn't want to bother(?).

Probably the most popular pads used are the 840s already mentioned, which offer great bang-for-buck value; the Stax 02 pads, which are expensive, but widely used (especially on the "Thunderpants" mods) because of their sound and luxurious real-leather comfort; and the L'Audeze I chose, which are supposedly the best-sounding and also offer excellent isolation, but are not so popular due to the cost. They are a little larger than the others, which I like because they leave my ear completely free, plus they maximize the low bass extension. Even the stock pads are actually quite good, in terms of sonics and isolation, but they're not so comfortable for extended listening, as they can get sweaty.
 
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cubdog said:
Are the 840 pads leather or pleather? Are there any velour pads that work equally well for this mod?

cubdog
Click to expand...

Looking at the price, my guess would be pleather, though it could fool me. Very impressive stuff.

There were a set of foam beyers that were discussed, though they had a "gel" end that caused them to seal very well against the head. Other than that I've seen leather/pleather mostly because with velour, the sonic qualities can be very different.
 
The 840 pads are memory foam and I think it's pleather. The only other pads I read about is Stax 02 pads for $150. They look a lot thicker and I believe they're leather. Apparently they have to be sown on. I suppose any velour pad the same size as the 840 could be used if it will slip over the outside edge like the T50 or 840 pads. Those two are almost identical. The 840 pads have a grill cloth in the middle and the T50 don't. I cut that away too - I want the sound to be direct as possible.

The newer T50 pads aren't too bad - apparently they have been improved. The Shure pads are 1/8" thicker and seem to seal better. The original pads didn't have the baffle touching my ears, but some people say it does. I like the bass and depth with the 840 pads. You could put something between the baffle and the stock pads to beef it up, though it might fit the enclosure really tight and be hard to get on and off. Maybe it could be slipped in there with it already on.

One of the posters there sells kits for $200 (unfinished) or $250 (finished) that has everything you need for a pair with those wood baffles and what looks like 02 pads. It might be worth it, considering the phones they compare it to. I'm really shocked at how good these are with just a bit of modding. With the stock enclosure you can tune it like crazy. So far my approach is different than any of the HeadFi modders. I might try a little compressed R-19 fiberglass along with the Acousta stuff and some more damping and sealing on the inside of the baffle. But the bass now seems near perfect, I just need a bit more sizzle. Before I try a reflex dot I think I might try angling the driver by building up one side of the pads. Some of them wound up sealing the enclosure and making it acoustic suspension. I'm pretty sure the wood ones are sealed.

I'm really enjoying playing around with these. For $74 + $18 pads you get cans that could be your all time favorites, or at least a set you might really like. I often use them for movies late at night and they sound great. A rumble or explosion sounds almost like a sub and the rest is natural sounding. I want to get another more efficient pair. I'm thinking of Denon 2000 or Ultrasone 580 but I haven't decided. The T50 is a hard act to follow. Maybe an amp and a pr of 990 Pro - open would be nice.
 
$2000 headphones must be pretty rare. I've never investigated any at that price point but I can't imagine there are that many. I would like to herar these.

cubdog
 
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