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:

The 9 copper bowls boxes plate is now not simply but triply connected to 3 Schumann generators....



Is there better than better? Yes! a little more better.... :)

The audible end result with no negative trade-off on a any aspects of the S.Q. is a more dynamical, living, holographic sound, completely detached from the speakers and waving in all my room when listening in regular position...In nearfield an increase also particularly of the best natural imaging possible and a better timbre perception...


The reader of my post must realize that my main active acoustic device control is a connected grid consisting of 3 integrated different grids: a grid of stones, mainly composed of mini "golden plates" (shungite +copper tape on a side with herkimer diamond and sometimes tourmaline) and a grid of 12 Schumann generators connected also to a grid of copper resonators of different size....Then 3 grids intergrated in ONE around all the walls and ceiling of my audio room...

Then my main active acoustical device, except for reflective, absorbent materials and diffusive devices which are the usual passive acoustical treatment, is ONE grid encompassing all the other 3 grids with cables....

After my 2 years of intensive listening experiments i can affirm that almost NO UPGRADE of an electronic component can rival the transformative effect of just the rightful acoustical embeddings....Nevermind the other 2 rightful embeddings....If we add the 3 embeddings any audio system reach a new level, then no more need to upgrade at all most of the times....

Conclusion: Dont upgrade before embedding them all... Or pay the costly price of ignorance born from the marketting hype contagious disease.... :)

Simple: when the pianist seems to be in the room why upgrading? When piano notes are there with a clear distict timbre and tone why upgrading?

Understand me right tough: a good upgrade is always an interesting experience , and for me also, if we can invest the necessary money, but when you have it right already like i have it now, you dont think about upgrading like i was thinking 7 years ago about a lifeline in the sea of my unsatisfaction....  :)

My best to all....
UPDATE:

The 9 copper bowls boxes plate is now not simply but now connected to 5 Schumann generators ...

I added 2 cabled new connections to the last 3 one to the S.G. grid...

The result is a more refine audible effect encompassing all S.Q. aspects...

I proove for myself now that passive materials acoustic treatment take charge of the acoustical CONTENT of a room and secondarily of the geometric aspect of the room....
But active acoustical control take charge more of the GEOMETRY of the room and only secondarily of the acoustical content...

( acoustical content is the acoustical properties of the different elements in the room and the materials constituting the room itself, and the geometry of the room is the constraints linked to his particular dimensions and topology)

The passive treatment and the active control work one with another complementarily....

Remember what i call active control is not an electronical device control or a computerized one but an integrated grid of 3 sub-grids connected by cables: a grid of stones, a grid of resonators and a grid of S.G.

You dont need money to upgrade if your basic system is well choosen and good, you neeed to EMBED it in his mechanical, electrical and acoustical working dimensions......


My best to all...
For the last 2 days i made no change, no addition apparently; except however yesterday a small one, very small indeed, i changed the transparent regular scotch tape which was gluing one cable connection from my " bell of bells" to the main Schumann generator of my grid, i changed it for a copper tape, like on all my other S.G. and i changed that because i added 2 days ago a new cable connection from the " 9 copper bowls plate" to this main S.G. and the copper tape is better for keeping in place the 2 cables ends together....


My God! this small minor change was astounding with an increased clarity....


Why?


Because when your audio system is so refined already and rightfully embedded a small change may produce an incredible improvement.... Really i was amazed.... Scotch regular tape versus a few centimer of copper tape..... Even me i was waiting for no audible strong improvement at all.... Imagine my surprize.....


Dear invisible ghosts, friends, and others unknown readers; notice and remember that, ANY modification may begin to be audible in a rightfully embed system and in fact a minor one it seems can reveal an increase of S.Q. out of the world to your ears.... I say that because the improvement was on par with my last devices creation....

I wrote that for the benefit of some of you..... I did not believe it myself at first but it is like it is....Believe it or not....


My road will reach soon his end journey, and i will never probably upgrade any component because what i had now is too good to change it and i will need a LOT of money to do so.....But i dont give a dam for even my dreamed Berning amplifier to beat my Sansui, or the Harbeth speakers to beat my Mission Cyrus, or to the Denafrips top dac to beat my French battery Nos dac :)

I dont give a dam not because i would not do it if i could, but it is only a dream now, no more an urgent necessity at all, and i am afraid, if i did it,  to be disappointed by the diminishing return law.....

The piano dont comes from my speakers now, the piano is in my room, then..... :)

Dont upgrade anything before embedding it rightfully.....

My best to all.....
UPDATE: Your speakers dont like to live with 4 empty ceiling corners....



My thread was sleeping for the last month, but my imagination was not completelt in sleep mode....

I add some rectangular and triangle piece of cardboard covered with aluminium paper to 2 corners of my ceiling room in diagonal opposition, one of my speakers near one of this corner....


Cost: one peanuts or 2...

Acoustic material treatment improvement: very audible increase if the refinement of the higher frequencies in particular...the imaging is increasingly stellar one change after the other.... This addition is no exception....

If your room is too bright adding thick pieces of old rug to the cardbord will do better....


Trust me speakers hate the 4 empty corners of any room....Treating 2 for me was enough to be in heaven one times more....

Am i the only one who play with the waves and do miracles for peanuts?

Merry Christmas to all souls....



I have been using silver 3M tape, 2" wide.
I bought a roll to join some ductwork, to vent a clothes dryer.

I find it is probably thinner and lighter than the copper
tape I was using in audio applications.  I like the way it
"smoothes" sound when applied to different surfaces...