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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
insearchofprat
189 posts
 
Would not call them miracles - A) excellent buys, B) great value or C) ground-breaking technological (new or modified) applications.
Example: JOB SYSTEM PRODUCTS: preamp, power amp and integrated. In conjunction with Goldmund (a highly respected manufacturer of audiophile stereo equipment), JOB manufactured products very well received by reviewers and end users, at what appeared to be rock bottom prices. So much so - that they drove themselves out of business ( their direct business model obviously could not produce the volume needed to stay afloat).
I have a JOB INT - an integrated amp of amazing power (195w/c/8ohms), warmth, pace and detailed presentation for $1695 (incl direct shipping from Goldmund in Switzerland). Unfortunately, this and any other JOB products are no longer available. I will begin to watch the used market - but I do hot expect to see many items come available; I would buy another JOB INT in a hearbeat...

mahgister's avatar
mahgister OP
13,206 posts
 
insearchofprat

Thanks very much for your interesting review and observation...And yes! miracles in audio are sometimes (a) (b) or (c)… I am interested personaly by your post information then thanks very much...
glupson
7,842 posts
 

mahgister,


"My experiments comes only from my desesperation because I cannot afford Hi-fi sound..."


What exactly would mean "affording Hi-fi sound" in this case? Is it a number/price attached to components you would buy if you had means? Is there a certain number/price that you think you could invest? Some highest limit?


I have an impression you enjoy this hobby of crystals and other unorthodox tweaks and that the road is actually the purpose. However, if you are really focused on final product, sound in this case, you may have better return of your investment and reach your perceived goal sooner, by building the system first. Starting with basic items (source, amplification, transducer) rather than collecting rocks. That is not to say that playing with whatever tweak you desire is not fun, but that achieving desired result is, to say it politely, somewhat dubious.


There are many contributors on this forum who bounce around names of their equipment with prices way into the category of "just because I could". Many people have extra pieces stashed somewhere in their basements, closets, and under the beds. Some of those items may, objectively, be closer to "Hi-fi sound" you mentioned. Sometimes, just asking may be enough. There are people who feel bad throwing perfectly functional equipment away, do not have any interest in extracting the last penny out of it by selling, and have no more need for it in the first place. They may be happy to give it to a good home.

mahgister's avatar
mahgister OP
13,206 posts
 
Dear Glupson thanks for your question...

By Hi-Fi sound some 7 years ago I was of the opinion that good Hi-FI is possible only with very high price gear...And that my vintage gear was not sufficient to gives me musicality...(subjective experience)

I had not much money then I bought vintage and used, speakers, headphone, amplifier ,dac… At the end even with very good product I was not satisfied...Frustrated at this times by the lack of the necessary amount of money that I was thinking at this times was absolutely necessary to produce high quality sound, I distract myself reading about tweaks...


Then first addressing vibrations controls by homemade methods, after that addressing room treatment by homemade methods, and finally noise level in my electro magnetic house grid and audio grid, playing with few crystals in the beginning, I go on and on and at the end, MIRACLES happen...The same devices that I found unsatisfactory at this times, even if they were TOTL vintage, now gives me musical pleasure because of this adventure with tweaks I installed for the embedding of my audio gear...


For sure now I can finally listen music without frustration and enjoy the hobby of tweaking my system more... My goal is at last in my own hand now and I can enjoy my discoveries with the dear music that this same system gives me playing at last at his optimal level because of all these tweaks ... My best to you...


A final remark:


I does not want to suggest that my system is now TOTL HI-FI by any means, only that NOW I enjoy his musicality without desesperation about his sound and for me that is enough...This is possible because the same system is now more in the state of his optimal playing because of all these tweaks I had used...Somes are evident and very well known, for example any audiophile know that to listen to speakers it is necessary to treat the room first,because speakers’s sound is linked to the room... Other tweaks are less evident for most , for example the electro-magnetic grid of the house affect greatly the potential sound of an audio system at a great extant...

I know now for sure that only an upgrade of materials would have not satisfy my needs without first addressing the room treatment, the vibrations-resonance problems, and the electro-magnetic grid of the house and room with his  high level noise... I enjoy music now but I like to go on with the ride of homemade tweaks also because it is the pleasure of discovery...
glupson
7,842 posts
 

mahgister,


Thanks for the reply. In the end, "not able to afford Hi-fi sound" seems not to be the case, or at least your focus, these days. That sentence implied that money for more expensive equipment was the issue and tweaking was an attempt to improvise and improve the sound at much lower cost. If I understand it correctly now, you are actually not interested in obtaining those "unaffordable pieces" regardless of you personal funds situation which makes my previous suggestion completely miss the target.

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