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Miracles in Audio, by luck, by good choices,by design or by tweaking...

I owned a low cost headphone for many years, the Fostex TH7B, first version( a new one close version exist Fostex TH7BK), semi-open headphone...I was never completely satisfied by any headphones I ever owned: Hifiman 400, Stax basic lamda, Stax 5 gold,Akg 340,Akg 701, beyerdynamic 990, and T150... Because in each of them with all their qualities I never listen to at the same times, a confortable headphone with natural timbre and voicing, with a good imaging and a realistic soundstage(not too close to my ears)...


For the last days I tweaked this Fostex, to damp his internal resonance I used sorbothane, I put some shungite stones at the exterior part of the cups and I use some Herkimer diamond in the interior pads( 3 at 120 degree) … Now this low cost headphones crush all my others if I sum all his qualities... For example his mids and voicing cannot beat the AKG 340 but among all my other headphones it is the best that is near that mids and it is more confortable, and with longer cable than the 340...His imaging is better and more realistic than the 340 etc etc...It is the same if I compare with the others...


His most important qualities is natural timbre and clear imaging,very precise pinned point accuracy and natural, so clear it crush for that ALL the others to dust...In the French audio circle the reviews were more than very positive few years ago...Diapason d’or and choc Classica...I am not the only one impressed buy the ratio quality/price... But remember that thesae reviewers dont tweak their headphone...The difference between before and after the tweaks are staggering...


Yes Miracles happens in Audio: cost is under 100 American dollars... Few years ago they cost me 50 bucks new... I never dreamed that I will go back to headphones...


I will enjoy your miracles stories of any kind ….My best to all...
128x128mahgister
mahgister's avatar
mahgister OP
13,133 posts
 
One thing that surprize me was the cost of the synthetic stones,higher than the natural one same quantity, for example tourmaline in this list:


http://https//www.gemsngems.com/product-category/rough-stones/lab-created-rough/

I am very curious to compare the difference between natural and synthetic, the problem is the cost; and how can the synthetic be better or even equal to the natural? And be it on the same level as the natural kind, if the synthetic are costlier than it is less interesting, except if they are better of course? Perhaps the crystalline purest structure without impurities is the key? What do you think?
geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 
I never met a crystal I didn’t like. But crystals don’t act like people think they do. That can be a problem. Consequently, people tend to get carried away before it’s too late. It’s a common audiophile phenomenon; they get all revved up. There is a name for it in psychology. Self-fulfilling prophecy, or something like that. 

geoff kait
machina dynamica
We Do Artificial Atoms ⚛️ Right! 🤗
mahgister's avatar
mahgister OP
13,133 posts
 
I have tried many many kind of crystals and stones,way beyond the point of beginners self fulfilling prophecy because the effects always were unexpected and very powerful in many cases in the positive or negative directions...And NO crystals act the same in an audio grid, except if you pack them together....I dont pack them together mixed...But it is sometimes very interesting to apply one with another because they mutually paired well and compensate each other...For example ataxite on top of the shungite for my electrical central panel...


And for example Turquoise does not act very well in an audio grid compared to tourmaline, amethyst,agathe, pink quartz for example, turquoise affect negatively most of the time except perhaps far from the gear and on top of the central electrical panel like aquarium peebles, because this is for audio more subtle application very near the gear not so good stones at all... We can use it like I used them (aquarium cheap peebles) in quantity for my exterior electrical line at cheap cost...
whostolethebatmobile
290 posts
 
In general I find crystals need to be activated and augmented by other substances. And vice-versa. Artificial crystals can be superior to natural crystals because in a given quantity, there are no impurities. And they can be much, much cheaper.
mahgister's avatar
mahgister OP
13,133 posts
 
What other substances are you using to enhance the artificial crystals?


Yes if I think a bit lack of impurities must play the role for a better effect on sound....
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