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
UPDATE:

The 9 copper bowls resonators plate...



I devise a wooden box with 9 cellular enclosure where i put 9 copper bowls+one herkimer diamond in the center of each for balance in the sound....

I put that between the speakers behind my listening position, on the wall, 2 feet from the ceiling...

Increase on all audible count: better dynamic, better timbre.....

I listen to my favorite brass ensemble, very good recording and very difficult for any audio system with non only trumpets but horn and tuba....(Empire Brass ensemble: music from  Gabrieli )

And from my 16 feet square wall come a wall of sound like i was used to but with more timbre details and more living sound....

Samething with the piano that was in my room like usual but with way more dynamic all across frequencies and a better timbre....


I was surprized but only half surprized.... :)

Surprized because i already had a more than good S.Q. but not completely surprized because these resonating copper bowls +herkimer diamond are magical.... I already had 5 separate one on my ceiling connected by cables to my Shumann generator grid with great success...

Cost: peanuts....

Results: audibly astounding.....

Any audible positive result is astounding especially at low cost...

DONT UPGRADE, if not absolutely necessary, EMBED IT ALL BEFORE ANY MOVE.....

My best to all....
A remark:

My last addition, the 9 copper bowls plate, even if located on the wall in front of the speakers behind my listening regular position( 9 feet from the speakers)AFFECT the S.Q. even in nearfield position(3 feet from the speakers)...

Then the widely held opinion that nearfield listening make unnecessary any acoustical treatment nor any active acoustical control is only that : a myth or a deceptive opinion....In a small room the acoustical embedding controls and treatment is more than important....

My best to all....
The copper bowls resonator plate is astounding after few hours of listening in the TWO positions, nearfield and regular...

Better high frequencies and imaging definitively and not only better timbre rendering....

I am in a new heaven for another time, is there an end?

Probably, but i don’t dare say it’s over now....

The only thing i can do next is to connect it to the Schumann generators grid tomorrow probably.... We will see....

Acoustical embeddings devices control are very powerful....

My 500 dollars system will now kick ass of much more costly one.....Even if the system i compare mine to is way more costlier, even if this system is better in some S.Q. aspects, it will not be so much better in relation to my ridiculously low price to impress me at all.... My ratio quality/price / S.Q. is over the roof.....

The diminishing return point is not where you think it is at all when your system is rightfully embedded....

The main problem in audio is not purchasing an electronic component, it is the way to embed it.....

:)
UPDATE:
The 9 copper bowls resonators plate is connected now...

I connected it with a thin copper phone cable to the Schumann generators grid.... I use a tiny "golden plate" with tourmaline and a micro Herkimer diamond which was already on top of the S.G. and connected it with copper tape to glue the cable to the 9 copper bowls plate.... "Et voilà ! "

Remember that most of my devices controls for the acoustic embedding are really all connected like a SINGULAR grid.... That increase very much the power to transform the sound for the best on ALL counts....This new connection is no exception and increase the positive effects of this last plate addition to my grid....

I feel pity for many of you who will throw their money to costly electronic new supposedly superior components.... They are superior sometimes indeed because of the progress of engineering.... But for most of us with system under 25 thousand dollars, the embedding process and controls is way more powerful for the S.Q. than the upgrading of one or even 2 components barring the fact that the past components we owned would give only a not so good performance already, but anyway waiting before upgrading is the golden rule...

The reason is simple, good speakers are good speakers whatever the price, good amplifier are good amplifier whatever the price.... Embed them rightfully and their S.Q. will skyrocket on another level....And most upgrading will appear side-grade only....

I hope to be helpful to a few souls here ....I am perfectly conscious that most people dont have a clue about the 3 embeddings even pro reviewers.... Those which are in audio to sell are not here to educate people about how to keep their money, but mostly they are of good faith with good reasons also like new engineering great products.... But my experience is contrary to most of them about this upgrade myth.....

Audiophile experience dont need big money first and last at all, but ears connected to a brain.... i called that listenings experiments....

:)

My best to all.....

« My 2 ears are biased  and like my 2 imperfect dogs they are trustworthy  » _ Groucho Marx

Mahgister, please post a photo of your latest iteration when you have time. It seems you are integrating your past findings into a Moab product that is a culmination of all your past individual experiments. Lucky us.