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
Update: Springs boxes for speakers

8 springs boxes (nobsound like but chinese cheap version) 4 under the speakers, and 4 on top of the speakers under around 70 pounds of load.... Then a difference around 10 pounds of the compressing load between the the 2 four sets of springs, because of the speaker enclosure load itself ...

This difference in compressing load is important and decrease the negative power of the standing waves of internal resonance of the speaker.... Anyway i am not a scientist but my ears are able to discern a more natural timbre and this change is impressive...


Second update: The last touch to my room treatment...

I add 2 large sheet of aluminum paper glued to the solid isolation foam that i was using at left and at right of my speakers on the wall....This reflective material addition was one great idea, cost peanuts and effectively increase all for the better the S.Q.


You dont NEED COSTLY MATERIALS to work the room treatment, you need only 2 ears...

For those who dont know it, nobody own the same ears than an other person, the structural dynamical hability to hears is different in all of us.... Then no ordinary computer formula can replace your ears....

You live with these biased ears like with your biased wife, use them like you use her, with the utmost respect and trust...


I am so pleased with my audio system now, then i cannot imagine that i can improve it much.... It is possible for sure but for the time being i cannot....


EMBED it all before UPGRADE, or pay the price....

I smile to any future upgrade... I dont need it at all....

Conclusion: Hi-FI cost peanuts if you believe in yourself and trust your 2 ears....
All contrary opinion is bullshit in my book, even coming from audio specialists....They all want you to throw money out of the window, or at least they has something to sell ... I am lucky to had no money to use for audio then i was in the obligation to trust only my creativity.... :)

If you dont have money and dream about audiophile experience, trust me it is possible and very fun to create it yourself.... No money need only trust in yourself....

My best to all....



Update: the double set springs boxes under load
(8 boxes for each speaker+load)


I know now that only 4 springs boxes (nobsound or chinese one) under speakers would not do the complete job to improve the S.Q.

We must add to that 4 others springs boxes on top of the speaker under a compressive and damping load (for me concrete slabs 75 pounds) The difference between the compressing forces are equal to the load of the speaker on the first set, the second set being compressed only by the concrete load... This dynamical difference  decrease the power of the stationary waves associated with the internal resonance of the speaker by producing a damping asymmetry of the compressing forces... ( i am no scientist i only try to convey my experience)

The precise tuning of the mass load must be around 1/2 pounds, to reach optimal S.Q. with a better timbre expression and a 3-d imaging....

This new mechanical embedding controls, the double set springs boxes under load, is totally amazing....
After my last experiment with springs, i realize that i made a wrong statement in this thread about the relative importance of the three embeddings ...

NO EMBEDDING is less impactful than any other one....
The contrary impression comes to the mind because when we haven’t reach yet an optimal controls of one or the 2 others embeddings...

Contrary to what i said in the past here, mechanical, electrical, and acoustical embeddings, all three contribute equally in a specific irreplaceable manner to the final S.Q.

Then their contribution is 33-1/3 % for each....No embedding is less impactful AT THE END...

The reason is simple, never mind the impactful power of acoustical controls and treatment for example, the contribution of a better mechanical control under the speaker for example add something that NO acoustical embeddings controls can do by itself alone.... This is true for any embeddings....

These remarks are very important....

My best to all....