Modhouse T60rp Argon

I’ve asked the same thing in head-fi and they said it will make them sound a bit more darker. Also, I’ve been told that the treble won’t get screwed up with any pads at all, so I believe it means that they will just sound more darker with unchanged treble detail using cowhide pads.

Does anyone here use a hard carrying case for their T60RP Argons? Which case would you recommend?

i use the one from modhouse. i also use the cowhide pads and love them.

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edit: they are also world class gaming headphones :slightly_smiling_face:

Can’t wait till these are back in stock. I’ve been going back and forth between MK3 Argons and these. I just wanted something that was the complete opposite of the Sundara, but I’ll always want treble detail.

just wanted to know if the t60rp argon with Cowhide pads would have the same bass impact or more and the same or more vocal presents as the mk3 argon because I plan to play games with them and I love dynamic and and bass impact in games but if it’s the same then I’ll just get the t50rp mk3 argon with the cowhides

I know your pain, my idea is experimenting planar next year and these two are strong contenders. But FYI, the conversion is available again at Modhouse. So if you are comfortable buying one and after shipping it to Ryan, that’s an option. But it will probably take like months before you get them back.

Edit: @MR_FUTURE_TECHNOLOGY had you tried e-mail/shooting a DM to Ryan and ask his opinion? I mean, the guy tryout all the pads and other stuff before making them available.

Amazon hasn’t had it in stock for months, that’s why Modhouse stopped orders in the first place. There are a few places that have them but they’re all still at RRP and I don’t think they’re really worth that, they are still essentially just the T50 driver.

Swear to you I’ve saw them on Amazon at Retail price. Guess the stock is still fluctuate, even more when Ryan is also buying them.

Anyway, if you don’t want to pay full price, look for a used pair. I saw one in HiFi shark for 250, and maybe if you look in AV Exchange or Head-fi you can find them even cheaper.
Link: https://m.ebay.com/itm/Fostex-T60RP-Premium-Mahogany-Semi-Open-Stereo-Monitoring-Headphones-Refurbish/324144844049

I did but I never got a response I think there worth it and I think if it makes me happy in the end that’s what’s important I think we can all agree on that right?? Plus I want a headphone that warm and strong mids and dark highs with a good build that’s under 500$ because I am unhappy with my Lafayette f990s

I like these cans. I think they are a good fun headphone at sub-$500. Boy, would that have been awkward if I had waited 27 weeks and ended up not liking them…

Now as with any T50 mod, you should consider pad rolling to tailor the sound to what you like to hear. Here are a few pads I rolled and my thoughts on them.

For reference I prefer a slight V shape to my sound. My current signal chain is Pi2AES -> Geshelli Labs JNOG -> Topping A90.

ZMF Oval Suedes - These are apparently the recommended pads for the T60 Argon. I found these kind of neutral… besides the treble. The treble had this beyerdynamic-like peak in it and it was kind of distracting. On certain songs the treble would just kind of… hiss? Cymbals and such just sounded weird. Otherwise it had this warmth to the bass and mids. It had decently wide soundstage and good imaging. I think these pads had the best sub-bass extension, which surprised me. It’s an good pad and good for reference.

ZMF Oval Cowhides - Dang these pads smell good :drooling_face:… Oh right the sound. They sound… okay. This is a mixed bag for me. They have a more forward presentation than the suedes. They are midbass elevated, but not subbass elevated. Treble overall took a massive hit. Imaging/sound separation was notably worse. And tracks just sounded slightly muffled a bit. Especially EDM and the like. If only they sounded as good as they smelled.

Cascadia Audio Impact Pads - If someone ever doubts that a pad can make a headphone sound that different, then these pads will shut them up real quick. I tried these on a recommendation from a fellow friend. But no… I can’t recommend them, at least not on this headphone. These are some WEIRD pads man. They took most things the T60 Argon does well and make it sound like the opposite. They separate sound well, but some things sound too forward and in your face while others are recessed really badly. They make the Argon airy on the top end, which is just about the least-Argonic thing I can think of. And the bass is kind of punchy, but they also make the bass muddier and cause a different treble peak? What in the world is happening? These pads make me wish I had a measuring rig because describing what’s going on here is legitimately outside of my capabilities. I’m sure I can use these pads to change a bad headphone to a good one, but these are not what you want on the Argon.

Dan Clark Audio Alpha Pads - …yes. Yes YES YES. If there was a pad perfectly tailored to how I wanted to hear these headphones, these were it. These are my favorite by a long shot. The soundstage was about the same as Suedes or maybe slightly wider. The sound separation was MUCH better. It shocked me how much better the dynamic range and timbre were. The mids were pronounced, the highs were perfectly tamed down to my liking. And then the bass. Ohhhhh yes the bass. It’s just beautifully done punch and slam while minimizing distortion. I found myself dancing at my desk like an idiot with these pads, which is something that the other pads definitely could not make me do.
Quick downside: These pads are by far the hardest to put on and off the headphone and I accidentally scratched a cup. :frowning:

So yeah. For me Alpha Pads > ZMF Suede > ZMF Cowhide > Impact Pads*.
*God Impact pads are weird

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Damn, is it that much better? I needed exactly that! Treble taming pads. Any chance I could buy those pads in EU somewhere?

Do you also think it will be the same result with the ZMF Lambskin Oval/Ori pads? They seem to have almost the same shape, same material and angled thickness. I’m asking, because in the website Ryan explains that the ZMF Oval Lambskin pads are his last choice, no idea why though.

I will try to get the ZMF protein and lambskin pads to compare. Not sure about the alpha pad availability outside the US, but I simply bought mine off dan clark’s website.

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Thanks! I really hope I can achieve this result with ZMF lambskin angled pads, because their hole is bigger than the Alpha pads and my ears are big as well.

So we know the BassX will power them, because it powers anything, and we know “lesser” amps will give them adequate volume but not maximize the potential because of inadequate power. I remember hearing Zeos and DMS saying to get the most out of the “t50 MKIII” series of headphones, that between 6-8W/Channel @ 50Ohms is ideal, but is that the same for these? What do we believe the minimum power required is where power is no longer the limiting factor in increasing sound quality?

Pad Rolling Revisited

I bought this headphone to be an overall “fun” for me personally to listen to.
What I like:
-Well separated sound
-V-shape (or W-shape?)
-Quality over quantity
-Punchy bass
-Sparkly, but non-harsh treble

I’m swapping pads with the above in mind so if you are looking for linear, neutral, accurate, etc, then IGNORE my ranking. Heck, you probably shouldn’t get this headphone to begin with. Buy a Sundara or something.

So here is a quote from Modhouse’s website:

For T60 based units we recommend the ZMF oval Suede pads. Because the treble is elevated relative to the T50 based units as a whole, and the suede smooths out all the treble, it provides a better experience than the protein and lambskin pads.

Let’s revisit this now that I have all 4 ZMF Ovals on me.

ZMF Oval Suede - After many days of pad rolling and careful consideration, I do think these have the tamest treble of the ZMF pads, with the caveat that it’s not the most flat/controlled treble. It also has the most well extended bass. But I still stand by my initial impressions. It’s frequency response is flat in the bass/mids with a treble peak or two that keeps some songs hissing near the top end.

ZMF Oval Cowhide - sniff Yep still smells good. Okay amount of bass. Slight sibilance but treble is very low otherwise. Correction to my previous comment: The mids seem pretty forward but everything else is kind of shadowed. Decently punchy but still a bit muffled. It’s not flat like the Suedes so at least it keeps things interesting.

ZMF Oval Protein - Warm overall with a bit of shouty treble. Bass sounds a little muddier than I’d like and not very punchy imo. Separates sound well, but I prefer the other ZMF pads as I think there are too many compromises being made here.

ZMF Oval Lambskin - I think the treble is more controlled, albeit higher than the treble on the Suedes. The bass is punchy but a bit bloated. Personally I think this is second to the Suedes, but I can definitely see someone liking these pads.

Dan Clark Alpha Pads - Once again, it separates sound amazingly well. Punchiest bass. The treble is not quite as tame as I initially thought, but I still think it’s the most well controlled with little hiss/sibilance/peaks. Heck I think that’s the part about these pads that I like the most. Music just sounds well controlled with these pads. I also severely underestimated how present the mids were so I actually think these pads are a tad W-shaped than V-shaped. That being said I still think the Suedes have the flatter overall response and better subbass rumble.

Cascadia Audio Impact Pads - Bruh wtf

My final order of preference is
Alpha Pads > ZMF Suede > ZMF Lambskin > ZMF Cowhide > ZMF Protein > Impact Pads

Also, @PavelCoelho here’s some side-by-side views of ZMF Lambskin (left) and the Alpha pads (right). The foam on the Alphas are also WAY stiffer:

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Thanks for the pad swapping and for letting us know. I ordered the Alpha pads and will try them in a month or two. I hope the treble is still relaxing with them.

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I mean if treble is your main concern, the Alpha pads might not be the thing you’re looking for. I’m not very treble sensitive but if you are, I could see how the Alphas may not be what you want. Let me know your thoughts though.

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@ShaneD So I really like the T60RP Argon. The African Mahogany really makes these look sharp. They are probably the best looking headphone in my collection at the moment.

As far as sound goes they are amazing. Bass extension is very good as is soundstage and detail. I got them as recommended with the ZMF Suede pads and let me tell you I would be hard pressed to find a more comfortable headphone let alone set of pads. I hear the Alpha pads are something to behold and I have a pair of those on the way.

Did you buy them modded or get it done afterward?
My T60RP’s will be landing next week. I am thinking about trying them out for a week or two and then sending them off to Modhouse.