We ever underestimated the negative impact of resonance and negative mechanical vibrations on the gear...Even those like us that are conscious of the fact... I added sorbothane (compressed with tapes because sorb must be compressed to works better) to separate more the 2 cups linked by the headband... After adding band of sorb along the plastic arms that pivot on the cups by 2 points, the results are more 3-d holographically organic imaging...I was amazed already by these cheap Fostex TH 7 , I am more amazed...This low cost Fostex are the best headphone ever relatively to the ratio quality/price...i will not upgrade this... The akg 701 dont have an organic 3-d imaging... Only an incoherent big soundstage, and mids frequencies more artificial than the Fostex… The Akg 340 is better for the mids frequencies, almost king there among most of the headphone, but his good imaging are more artificial than the Fostex, his soundstage smaller on all count...And this AKG is too unconfortable for long use...The Hifiman 400 is no match nor the Stax i owns for naturalness of the timbre musical or voice except the Stax SR5 very good on this count but less amazing in the imaging and soundstage...Fostex TH7, semi-open; the last version is completely closed, improved, but is the fantastic imaging the same? I will buy one for sure this year...
For me except the imperative necessity of the natural voicing of the timbre, the most important feature of an headphone is his capacity to mimic speakers, for that the sound must not be only around the brain, but must seems to come from at least outside the head with an atmospheric distance between instruments (imaging)...Almost all headphones lacks these 2, and those that posess the first quality 9like the AKG 340 or the Stax SR5) lack the second (many headphone like the AKG 701 are a compromise between these 2 qualities but they excel at none)...It is the reason that i try many headphones, and after all these trials conclude that headphones are not from me...I decide then to try at last the cheaper one, with many modifications, and the results is there : they sound better now, on par, but differently than my speakers...I enjoy headphones now very much... Is there better headphone than this Fostex ? Hell yes ! But probably over 500 bucks is my guess, perhaps more, because natural mids frequencies coupled with perfect organic imaging is probably linked to the TOTL line of headphone...Dont forget that new they sell them now 100 bucks at most...
For me except the imperative necessity of the natural voicing of the timbre, the most important feature of an headphone is his capacity to mimic speakers, for that the sound must not be only around the brain, but must seems to come from at least outside the head with an atmospheric distance between instruments (imaging)...Almost all headphones lacks these 2, and those that posess the first quality 9like the AKG 340 or the Stax SR5) lack the second (many headphone like the AKG 701 are a compromise between these 2 qualities but they excel at none)...It is the reason that i try many headphones, and after all these trials conclude that headphones are not from me...I decide then to try at last the cheaper one, with many modifications, and the results is there : they sound better now, on par, but differently than my speakers...I enjoy headphones now very much... Is there better headphone than this Fostex ? Hell yes ! But probably over 500 bucks is my guess, perhaps more, because natural mids frequencies coupled with perfect organic imaging is probably linked to the TOTL line of headphone...Dont forget that new they sell them now 100 bucks at most...