Just got a email from Drop for the Fostex Mahogany headphones but with removable cables. Drop said they were discontinuing these fostex headphones. maybe its cause they are coming out with a new line with removable cables?
I donât think so, it wouldnât really make sense. The thing they would be most likely to change would either be the headband or the pads imo if they did release some updated model
Theyâre probably looking to replace the TR-X00, I canât imagine sales are robust at this point.
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Thatâs what I am thinking, it will probably be something different sounding too
Unlike most manufacturers since Massdrop doesnât really design anything, or even own the designs, my expectation is they are just aging out old designs to reduce the number of things they have to keep in stock, or continue manufacturing.
I also suspect the contracts they have with partners probably have expiry dates.
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Just doesnt make sense to me that they would cancel a line of such excellent headphones
Depending on how the contract is negotiated it might. If the item had a high production cost with low selling rate it may not be worth the time for mass drop to build, store, and ship them, donât forget the owner of the original headphone design needs there cut too. mass drop also has to keep some backup parts and sets to hold up warranty so if the pair of cans was pron to failure theyâd want to halt sales to save headache. it could also be that a new superseding headphone will be launching sometime this year.
Hereâs the graph showing the sound variation between all three Drop offerings. The Ebony and the Mahogany are almost the same, with the Ebony edging out the Mahogany with slightly extended bass and less of a dip in the 3-4K region. The Purplehearts are considerably different with a boosted bass and slight dip in the 3-4K region that the Ebony does not have. The Purplehearts also have some boosted highs in comparison.
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So as #MON said the Purple hearts are the most v shaped all be it not full on but the most vâed of the bunch.
I own the Elegia as well and M0N said it well. The Elegia is a completely different headphone than the TR-X00. The TR-X00 timber is much more natural than the more metallic timber of the Elegia. The Elegiaâs frequency response is completely different. The Elegia doesnât compare to the dynamic slam or doesnât come anywhere close to the low end frequency response of the TR-X00. But it is faster and because of its tuning, sounds more detailed than the TR-X00. The Elegia is also one of the most open sounding closed backs Iâve heard. It all depends what youâre after. For the style of music I enjoy, the TR-X00 fit like a glove. I still love my Focal headphones though for what they are. The build on the Focals blow the TR-X00 away. The focals are like a truck and the TR-X00 are delicate museum pieces.
A few more of my headphonesâŚ
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The need to rename them the Focal Mac lol
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Absolutely. The Purplehearts are the most V shaped.
Remember though⌠Anyone wanting to get into a TR-X00 could always invest in some of the Lawton upgrades. You can essentially take whatâs arguably already one of the finest, most natural sounding headphones and continue to improve itâs frequency response, sound characteristics and comfort to your personal preferences.
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I found the Ebony to be able to keep its powder dry at high volumes much better than the Mahogany. Better imaging/soundstage, less grainy treble. Closer to being neutral.
Agreed, the Ebony is the most neutral, but personally, I didnât find the mahogany to be a great departure from the Ebony. Keep in mind that I have three TR-X00 and all were purchased at the end of their product life cycle. Itâs possible earlier versions had larger variations in sound.
All my headphones, Ebony and Mahogany have had the same drivers and components minus the cup woods. The two that have received the Lawton mods (both mahogany) now sound superior to the Ebony Fostex.
Thank you Mark Lawton!
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Did you also do the driver mods? How did the mahogany cups change the sound?
Yes, you can see the driver mod from the photos I posted previously.
Per my previous post, these are audible differences between the three wood cups. I personally donât find there is that much of a difference between the Ebony and MahoganyâŚ
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So Iâm still waiting for the dekoni pads to arrive but I got these in the meantime.
Iâve been using them for the past 2 days and I so far really like them. The real leather is less hot than the stock pleather and they are a soft memory foam so they are way more comfortable. Sound wise nothing has jumped out at me yet. They seem to keep the stock sound as far as I can tell so far. I am looking forward to comparing these with the dekoni pads when they show up.
Can you fit your ear in them?
No. But the softer memory foam makes it so my ears are no longer pushed into my glasses arm, causing a sore spot. Also the softness of the memory foam allows the pad to conform to the ear more, making it more comfortable for any part of the ear that touches the pad. I have slightly larger ears and only the very tip of my ear and some of my earlobe are pressed on by the pad.
hmm, cool, i think iâll give them a try
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