Why must you tempt me so…
Those are gorgeous - I have two Lawton modded phones myself, just because…
Like @A_COC0NUT said — why do you tempt me? Don’t you know I am trying to save for a HE1000v2…
You should post it in the Buy and Sell thread. There maybe some people who don’t have one already that might be interested - this would be a super opportunity to join the “Lawton” gang (not to be confused with the notorious “Dalton” gang…)
I just sold 3 headphones Monday. They all went in one night, and I didn’t need to sell any of them, so I’m in no hurry. I have too much stuff. I thought I’d put the feelers out there if there was anyone interested in doing a Lawton mod. This one is complete and ready to go. If no one is interested, I’m happy to just keep it. It’ll sit on my shelf where I can enjoy looking at it.
Exactly.
That’s about where I am at too!
The portable rig…
iFi iDSD Signature
Note 20 ultra
iPad Mini v5
Brydge 7.9 Wireless keyboard
Shutter Remote BT Remote
Fostex TH610 w/ Lawton Chambers (or Campfire Audio Andromeda’s)
ALO Litz Pure Silver 4.4 pentacon cable (mmcx to 2pin adapters)
Aviator crumbled satchel
iFi iDSD portable rig by Hilton, on Flickr
iFi iDSD portable rig by Hilton, on Flickr
iFi iDSD portable rig by Hilton, on Flickr
Perfect Fit!!
Perfect fit by Hilton, on Flickr
I’ve downscaled the rig.
iPhone SE 256GB permanently mounted with double sided tape… sometimes you just have to go with the simple… but extravagant.
I tried getting used to carrying around an iPad Mini, using with my Galaxy S20 Ultra, and in the store I tried the iPod touch, smallest but no finger reader, iPhone 12, which was the perfect fit - but also no finger reader (and too expensive for a permanent DAP replacement) and the iPhone SE with 4G was perfect fit and the all important finger scanner so you can unlock on the desk without having to pick it up!
No mucking around with cables or straps and wifi tethering… It just works!
20210310_212152 by Hilton, on Flickr
iFi iDSD Signature - iPhone SE - Perfect! by Hilton, on Flickr
iFi iDSD Signature - iPhone SE - Perfect! by Hilton, on Flickr
iFi iDSD Signature - iPhone SE - Perfect! by Hilton, on Flickr
Curious if anybody uses extra pads to change the sound of the X00 for different flavor. I was looking in to get some extra pads to bring the bass down were it’s not as president and the treble down a tad. I currently use the Ori pads with the attunement ring. I prefer an open pad since I got big ears I do not like the stock pads or the Dekoni elite hybrids since I can’t fit my ear in the hole and I don’t like them sitting on my ear.
I did see @Hilton has some pad that might be the stock th900 pad? I am curious how that compares.
Your not likely to reduce the treble with a pad swap that will also reduce bass. For that your going to have to try foam/felt/TP/etc.
The pads I like for less bass are the Lawton pads. With attenuation rings they are about equal to the Ori pads WITHOUT rings and no rings with the Lawton pads sounds like the bass is almost completely flat, as in it has no boost but still extendes all the way down without roll off.
You could also try something like the ZMF Auteur pads since they have a larger ear hole than the Ori and are thinner (but I haven’t personally tried these).
My favorite pad so far has been the ZMF Verité Be2 Perforated Lambskin with modified Dekoni rings.
It’s the most neutral sounding combo I’ve heard. Still slightly elevated, but fully extended bass. The treble can be sharp, but only with certain tracks. These are my favorite for vocal rich and electronic music.
The Auteur Perforated Lambskin (also with modified Dekoni rings) are also pretty good. They add a larger soundstage, but also change the FR a bit. Vocals can become shouty with this combo.
I would stay away from ZMF Suede because I’ve found that it increases treble (upper-mids) and slows down transients. It kind of makes things sound a little ‘hasty’ if that makes sense.
I like the perforated with modded rings combinations because I find that they produces the appropriate bass response I’m looking for. Slightly elevated, but not boomy.
I hope this helped.
I’ll have to look into a couple of these. I may email Zach I know he’s pretty knowledgeable about the Fostex and his pads.
I’m also curious what amps people are recommending with the Fostex headphones. I currently have the Element 2 and was thinking of getting a Modius and Asgard 3 since it supposed to warm the treble a little, but I’m not sure if it’s worth it or a big enough difference. I imagine one day I’ll upgrade to a ZMF headphone.
The Asgard 3 is great. As for a dac, I don’t have enough experience to recommend anything specific.
Hello,
The Fostex is mostly easy to drive.
It is not as bitchy as some other headphones.
I’ve had it on a few.
Magni 3,Vali 2,Beresford capella,Singxer Sda2,Fostex Hp A3 and A4 BL,Feliks Euforia,Smsl thx,Matrix Audio Ipro mini 2S.
I liked it least on the Fostex Hp A4BL,Smsl thx and Matirx Audio.
But it’s a matter of taste when it comes to sound.
I found that it was not musical and joyful enough there.
On the Rme Adi 2Fs it was too precise and analytical.
Otherwise, all the others were a joy.
On the Singxer Sda2 and Felki’s Euforia the most so far.
It really opens up on a tube or hybrid amp in my opinion.
Also very good to hear on the Little Dot Mk1+.
With the Asgard I think it plays just as joyfully.
With the pads it’s always a matter of taste, one person likes the set better, the other less, in my opinion.
The RNHP has been my favorite pairing so far. I also liked the Schiit Vali 2+, and Schiit Lyr 3 tube hybrid amps.
The RNHP really controls the Foster drivers well, imo.
My Pads are stock TH610 pads which many people, including Tyll, have said fix a number of problems with TH900s and other Fostex phones with regard to brightness and tone.
I’ve been thinking about this for a while but I really do feel like the Focal Elex with how dynamic it is and the slam character really makes this the open back alternative to the Fostex X00.
I have a bummer of an update on my Teaks.
The cable that they came with quickly developed a problem at the base near the connector and would cut out unless positioned at a specific angle. Annoying but not a huge deal because I was going to get aftermarket cables anyway. Not long after the cable situation really deteriorated, nearing the point of being unusable regardless of how it was positioned, I noticed a volume dip in the left channel. None of my cables fit the Teaks so I couldn’t determine if this was a driver or a cable problem. I got in touch with their support and they had me ship them back. I gave them the tracking info and they told me they would be in touch once they got the headphones.
They signed for the package two weeks ago. Since then I have sent multiple emails requesting a basic update on the situation and received absolutely nothing in return, not a word. I tried to be patient for as long as it seemed reasonable, but an email is not too much to ask for, especially given this amount of time. So my last email contained a warning that I would be opening a complaint with paypal if I did not hear from them. Still nothing. So now it’s turning into a paypal case. Wonderful.
I haven’t seen anyone else having issues with EM-U so this is very unfortunate. I don’t know what the deal is, but they will be going on a list of companies to avoid for me. At this point I’m just trying to get my money back.
Which of course also means that the Lawton mod will not be happening.
EDIT 4/17: They’re shipping them back and they should be here in the next few days. They don’t do refunds. They’re claiming that there was nothing wrong with my cable, which is a complete load of shit and two seconds of use would prove it was busted, but whatever. They have replaced both the cable and the drivers just to be safe so I’m essentially getting a brand new unit. I would have rather gotten my money back at this point and I will probably sell these but at least I didn’t have to wage war with them on paypal.
I bought mine used and the 1/4” adapter that came with mine was giving me issues. Switched to a different one and have been good so far.
I’ve decided to try the E-mu Teak as my next HP, with the removable cable.
I emailed them to ask about availability last Wednesday, but haven’t gotten a response yet.
Any idea how quickly they ship these days?
I’m in CA.