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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...
mahgister
geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 
As everybody and his brother knows I am using lithium battery powered SONY Walkman 🚶🏻‍♂️CD player with SONY MDR-v700 headphones as my primary system. In case I haven’t mentioned it more than 20 times already, allow your friend and humble scribe to fill you in on all the gory details why lithium battery powered portable CD player + headphones is the only way to fly.

Aside from the obvious advantage of completely eliminating issues with house AC power, my system also eliminates issues with AC GROUND, power cords, interconnects, digital cables, big transformers, fuses, big capacitors, big long speaker cables - and the oft astronomical costs of them. Plus, it’s easier to isolate the lightweight player. And you have enough money now to go hog wild on tweaks. If dynamics, low noise and distortion, tonality, realism and air are you’re bag, this system has it all.
mahgister's avatar
mahgister OP
13,751 posts
 
My dear, but not so humble, friend, i think that you are right and your advice seems sound to me... But I want to listen to music also with speakers... Then yes a lithium generator is the way to go for me also...That I know because of all the tweaks in my electrical house grid that gives to me a minimal quality of sound for the first time in my life...But I will not go just with headphone and a walkman...I dont doubt the quality of sound you gained by eliminating all electronic intermediaries, I know that first hand... It is useful to know for youngster that dont bother with big speakers and audio room...Thanks for your advice and support....
geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 
As I’ve oft counseled crystals for the most part don’t affect RF. They affect vibration. even when you swear up and down it must be RF it’s not. Crystals do not attract RF, they aren’t RF magnets. They don’t block RF. RF is everywhere in the room simultaneously, traveling as it does at the velocity of light. The entire room is filled with RF.

But crystals are excellent at absorbing vibration - e.g., vibration at the wall outlet, vibration at the circuit breaker box, vibration on glass windows. Crystals on cables or cable connectors. Crystals have vibration numbers, remember? They don’t have RF numbers. Electrifying crystals makes them vibrate/resonate. You will go much further in your experiments if you address vibration rather than RF. But I’m not saying RF isn’t a problem.

For RF I have one word - Flying Saucers. 🛸 🛸 🛸 Flying Saucers for Windows. Flying Saucers for Unused Wall Outlets. That’s how you get rid of RF, not crystals.

PS - I just got my packages of fo.Q CD stabilizer rings and thin damping tape yesterday. So guess what I will be doing today.
mahgister's avatar
mahgister OP
13,751 posts
 
Thanks Geoff for you kind observations... I think you are right because you are the scientist and me not.... If I think about what you said it makes sense to me... Flying saucers are copper made isn’t it ?
mahgister's avatar
mahgister OP
13,751 posts
 
Me I wait also for the Fo.Q tape and some sorbothane ( I know you hate sorb :) ) to damp the cups of the Fostex T10 that I love but that are behind the imaging of the Fostex TH 7.... Orthodynamic versus dynamic battle in my heart now....

For the moment the Fostex TH7 trump and kills my other headphone because of his imaging and  timbre rendering ... They are heavily damped by sorb. and a bit of Fo.Q tape 32...
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