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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
12,987 posts
 
Update

"Twin fans combing sound room enhancer"


In audio listening experiments are the ONLY way....

I made a mistake replacing the 2 little herkimer diamonds stick on the 2 fans in front of the speakers by some nano one...

The little one seems to gives more details but the sound is less well textured in de mid frequencies...There is no more details with them, it is an illusion... Then i replace by the 2 H.D. sticks... Immediate relief the sound very well textured in the mids frequencies the most... No lost anywhere...Evident comparison with the same files with bass piano and xylophone...(Renee Rosnes trio "beloved of the sky")

That was the good initial formula....

Question to all :
Why the replacement of 2 nano H.D. by 2 sticks 3/4 inch makes a so great audible impact in a room?

Dont work too hard to answer....

The professional passive negative one will have already their unique answer ready: placebo...

The more serious one probably dont have any answer, even the acoustical engineer.... If not, i want to hear one answer about that....


ovinewar's avatar
ovinewar
172 posts
 
mahgister,

i just read through most of this thread. Quite  the Journey. I am a fan of maximizing what you have. I have replaced many of the internal components within my audio gear with better quality and found the results to be worthwhile. I may try some of these tweaks as well. 
Mostly I just wanted to say one of my goals in life is to be a consummate gentleman- a goal you have clearly already reached. Thanks for being a benchmark for the rest of us. 
mahgister's avatar
mahgister OP
12,987 posts
 
Thanks for your toughtful kindness and words...

I only try with very low cost means if it is possible to experience a more than only good S.Q.

It is possible, and i want to communicate this possibility...

but everyone will develop it for himself with his own imagination...

Only one law will stay:

Dont upgrade anyything before embedding everything rightfully...

Audio S.Q.  is not only caused by good improved electronic design, it is easy to buy some good electronic design; Audio S.Q. comes from a rightful methodical experiments in the 3 embeddings of any audio system...

My best to you.....
mahgister's avatar
mahgister OP
12,987 posts
 
Update :

The " Bell of bells"...


It is in the center of my room ,dangling stable from the ceiling at the center of the room...

It is a bell, 2 inches diameter , around it 2 layers of cones bell (fishing alaskan cones) in which i have glued some herkimer diamonds... But i put only half of them with H.D. i was lacking diamonds at the times and it is working well like that....

Now i put H.D. in all of the cones bells...

Audible effect in near listening and regular position, good on all counts...Better imaging mainly and better dynamic....

Wow...

i was just thinking that there is no more i could do....

But my last order of herkimer diamonds just arrived, perhaps300 .... :) At peanuts costs....I must keep it a secret but shungite and herkimer diamond are very powerful tools for me , the others rocks, minerals or crystals, were useful, but these 2 break the bank when you know how to use them....

My best to all....

mahgister's avatar
mahgister OP
12,987 posts
 
The readers of this thread must be conscious that  the S.Q. increase i speak about in these posts of mine, were win one inch at a time, and  despite my hyperboles and exclamations, it was really one inch at a times...

Then it is the sum of all my  controls experiments, in the electrical grid and in the acoustical embeddings, that gives to me the results of the last day....

There is no ready made tweak someone can buy adressing all problems in the 3 embeddings and solving them all...

There is none of my device or ideas that cando the same miraculous feat and solve all problem...

But boy! it was fun and it is fun to listen, create, and increase the S.Q.

I will repeatmyself, a great audiophile experience does not need to cost big money at all, it is a myth, and a reluctant, inadvertant, accidental lie by some.... Thats all....
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