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
UPDATE on my ionizers grid....





I replaced the costly moskitoefree french device (i will spare it for waiting rooms in pandemic zones) by a low cost very efficient car ionizer , a second one, because my room is like the space volume of at least 3 cars...

Complete audible success... Even if the french device did not ionize with the same internal mechanism than the more regular 20 bucks chinese device, the chinese device is very good, sturdy, in solid aluminum,low noise, but what it give in S.Q. increase indeed  compensate easily the slight borderline audible DB noise of his internal mechanism....

The one i bought are USB powered... It is more practical than battery powered because they work 12 hours a day in my listening room....I listen music a lot indeed....Even reading.... 😊


Here is the exact one i bought and the dealer was very efficient....


https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4001278990095.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.4b524c4dlOeQmk


For 40 bucks these 2 are very good and i cannot listen music with them "off"....

But if you suffer asthma or respiratory problems, beware, these are ionizer.... Inform yourself before buying...

Another acoustical simple controls for me , and one i could use without modifying it.... But i have a crazy  idea about some addition to it....To be continued later... 😁😊😎😉
Do you prefer listening to music with the ionizers
"on" or "off?"  The tradeoff is the enhanced effect
versus the slight internal noise they generate.

Do you notice a difference in SQ when
you leave them running all the time EXCEPT for
the times you are listening attentively?
Do you prefer listening to music with the ionizers
"on" or "off?" The tradeoff is the enhanced effect
versus the slight internal noise they generate.
The noise is very low and i forget it easily and the improving effect exceed it for me...

Do you notice a difference in SQ when
you leave them running all the time EXCEPT for
the times you are listening attentively?
Yes the difference is at the same times subtle and different from anything else and unmistakable...It is like the music in my near listening position were more definite and the atmosphere of the recording event is better reproduced...Same effect in my regular position but more spectacular in near listening...The effect is like the polish on a copper cup, this is the same cup but more clean now because polished well....

I open them "on" when i listen music and put them "off" if i dont listen...

For 40 bucks for the 2 it is very great addition....
The problem with the ionizer is not for me the sound level which is very low ...

It is some harmful possible effect in the respiratory tract, the sinuses, by long expesition... Especially for sensible person...

For now instead of some little slight sinuses blockage this night i go on with them because i love them.... I will try to use them more sparsely only in deep lmusic listening... i like the audio effect too much.... 😊

 It was a word of caution about them.....