2. misc-audio
  3. 150390-100071

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
13,192 posts
 
This fact about near listening that many audiophiles communicate all across thread are false...
They say and think that they are safe from the room obstructive influence the more they are near the direct sound of the speakers...

This is totally false...

We listen in a room, near the speakers or not, the influence of the room waves, direct or reflectives, are tremendously powerful on the S.Q in a positive or negative way...

My experience is we must USE the room to climb toward a great musical experience.... Erasing the influence of the room comes from a false opposition between the truth of the recordoing and the demonization of the room...

The brain/ears works with cues from all reflected sound in the room, in a positive and negative way, to recreate the "impression" from the sonic cues coming also from the recording through the room.... It is completely untrue to think that the brain dont need the cues of a room to recreate the live recording....Those who want an anechoic chamber to listen to music will die there in few days.... :)

 Echos, reverberations, and other indirect waves are like bacteria in the metabolism, they make the body able to assimiliate and accomodate itself through the agression of direct sound, and make it able to recreate the information encoded, the blind can even navigate with  these indirect sounds, they make the body able to  metabolize the sound  and inform itself about the sound message and origin in an improved way....


The impressions of the live recording event dont comes immaculate from the drivers speakers alone out of no room, they are recreated by the brain from all waves in the room coming from the speakers and the reaction of the room geometry and content to the speakers...

Why not using that fact instead of negating it?
mahgister's avatar
mahgister OP
13,192 posts
 
GENERAL UPDATE:

The acoustical space of my room especially with the creation of the "Golden Fingers" has modified completely the balance of the sound...

I eliminated 80% of my singing resonators, keeping only those that complement the absorption and diffusive effects of the Gold Fingers and the Twin Fans with resonators...

In the past my room was slightly too much reflective and now with this new balance the diffusive surfaces being more important, the sound is improved....

i has now 50 Golden fingers most of them 2 feet lava beads strings or tourmaline or 13 inches herkimer diamonds strings or chrysocolla beads....the materials composition if these stones dont play the prime role,  their working for diffusion of waves is the prime function....Except for Herkimer diamonds that are powerful resonators then act not only like diffusers but also resonators...

The S.Q, is so improved that i cannot say otherwise:

Acoustic is the portal of higher S.Q. generally and for most....Nearfield listening or regular position, in any small room...

My best....
mahgister's avatar
mahgister OP
13,192 posts
 
UPGRADE on the Vibrations/resonance embeddings:

I have already something not perfect but good...

"Sandwiches" quartz feet on my desk, on top of it a granite plate, in between sorbothane, another granite plate, a cork plate, ad on top a bamboo plate....

This was vey good because the varieties of materials act together and complement each other in damping...

But it is not perfect, the cost was around 50 dollars for the 2 speakers.... And i was happy...

But when you miss something you are not always aware of which is missing...

I bought 8 chinese aluminium adjustable box with 6 springs in their cells...

I install it on top of my "sandwiches"....

Guess what?

An improved controls and a better clarity all around the frequencies spectrum....An improvement on my "sandwiches" that was immediately audible.... (careful to adjust the compression with the load )

But caution:

I adjust the springs compression, in function to the load to support, with some concrete slabs on top of my speakers (but you can adjust by putting less springs than 6 in each box)...I keep my sandwiches for 2 reasons: the speakers are on my desk and the 21/2 inches of the sandwiches height posit my speakers tweeters at the right height, and keeping more isolation from the desk is not a bad thing at all.....

The adjusting of the compression springs is VERY important to reach a good frequencies equilibrium....around 30 % compression for the eyes....


The price is 40 dollars postal fees included, same cost than my homemade "sandwiches"....Under 1 dollars for each spring calibrated in his own cell....(48 springs in the 2 boxes)
My rule is low cost and maximal audible effect, this product gives me that:

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005001302651100.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.7f7f4c4dgrVxHm
sgordon1
440 posts
 
Thank you for this...

Are you using the skid pads?
Did you compare the sound, with and without?

I understand the "sandwiches" in your system;
did you evaluate the sound without them,
employing ONLY the foot pads, and possibly
varying the number of springs?
mahgister's avatar
mahgister OP
13,192 posts
 

sgordon1

I immediately use the springs box with the 6 springs but modifying the load on the speakers, to adjust them.... Like i said i keep my "sandwiches" for the 2 reasons i explained...

Immediate improvement in clarity...

But without adjusting the compression around 30% can gives a result with too much inclination toward higher frequencies...It takes me 2 takes to reach the best and the best was the original load that was already on my speakers.... :)

For most people no need of a load on top of speakers at  all, keep the adjusting with calculating the right amount of springs in each box, be it 2, 3, 4 or 5 or 6...... It was more easy for me to keep my load to compress my sandwiches and the speakers....And to keep my tweeters anyway at the right height relative to my ears....

The boxes scream quality each spring in his aluminium cell are tightly adjusted...Ridiculous price.....

I did not evaluate the sound without my "sandwiches" because i dont wanted to disconnect my speakers , it would had been complicated, because i had many other things connected here and all is tightly packed near a wall corner    ...   :)

It takes me time to free the speakers acoustically from their bad location but i succeed.... It is an another story tough...

And under the springs the "sandwiches" cannot do harm on the contrary they separated my desk from the Speakers/springs system....

The spring system is very great buying no doubt....
I even just bought  another set for my amplifier few minutes ago...

The price at the adress i gives is unbeattable....

My best to you....
More to discover