Fostex T50RP MK3

Advantages: + price WITHOUT about sound quality + sound. He's just what I want. By the balance of frequencies, the openness of sound. + replaceable wires of different sizes included, the long one ends with a 6.3 (non-separable) jack, a short 3.5 jack + The amplifier is quite inexpensive. Contrary to fairy tales on the net. Over the past few days, we have listened to a lot of sound sources (in the sense of headphone outputs). The apogee was the head-to-head comparison between the Sennheiser HDV 820 and the Fiio K5. Realizing that I could not grasp any difference, it finally became clear: there is no point in paying more than for the Fiio K5. My external audio card has a headphone output of only 20mW per channel at a load of 47 ohms, and the difference in the ears is only in the volume: it is enough end-to-end, there is no margin, but there is also no distinctly noticeable difference in the QUALITY of the sound either. Fiio K5 claims as much as 1500mW per channel (plus or minus at close loads). And yes, it gives my headphones as much volume as I can’t carry. So is my speaker amp with its own headphone output. And their sound is again the same in quality. At least within the margin of error on my headphones. I also compared the sound with my DAC (amplifier for speakers and its own headphone output), and with the DAC of external sound (output from the card is fed to Fiio K5). The volume margin of my home amplifier is probably even greater, although the Fiio K5 has it in abundance, but the sound quality is similar. GOOD. Obviously, because the quality of the sound path of many devices has reached a level when it is enough just to choose headphones for your ear and music, and stick it anywhere, the main thing is not at random, otherwise you can run into some Musatoff HA-5, which costs 16 thousand, but does not give any gain (simultaneously with the indicated two I listened).

Disadvantages: - a controversial way of adjusting the headband - a controversial way of laying the wire between the sinks - artificial leather ear cushions - it's hot in them, it's better to replace them - a small stage in the sound (you don't have to want everything for 12 thousand) - those who like to listen very loudly should buy an additional normal amplifier for them. - open! people around you hear your music too, though not as loudly as in real open ones. The stage is a bit narrow, but the truth is, it is no less than that of many, many headphones, even for a lot more money. And then, this is an unobvious disadvantage if you are not yet a very experienced listener in this matter. And is it so important, even when you can recognize it, because "narrow" is not equal to "unacceptably narrow". Those. In principle, you won't even notice on most of the songs, but in the rest, forgive me, because for such ridiculous money they give you sound, the price of which is higher for competitors. Take the same Bayers dt770pro. They are with a gorgeous resolution, but the bottom is clearly not enough. That's where it is not enough! Not in Fostex !! In Fosteks it ranges from "right" to "overkill".Anyway, before buying sound, you MUST go and listen. If possible, on what you will listen to yourself, or on a similar quality / power. Never buy by words on the internet. Even according to mine. Because I have my own concept of good sound and my preferences in music. By the way, T50RP MK3 metal is PERFELY chopped, there is more than enough meat in them. Here is the case, you may be accustomed to "tazy knock down", so it seems to you that the sound is with insufficient bass. And he is normal, it's just that you did not hear a good sound. This is very common. I do not want to offend anyone, I just say that it will be difficult to rebuild, and if you do not want to change yourself, then you just need to choose for yourself. These Fosteks are for those who like normal, reasonable bass. Tazy will be dumped for you at the "Beats": white and red with the letter B on the bowls, all the cool pasans wear these and wear down jackets))

Comment: I simultaneously compared T50RP MK3 with T20RP MK3, T40RP MK3 and Fostex TH-900 MK2 on the same source. In addition, I am not by hearsay familiar with the sound of Fostex TH 600 and a number of others in the range of 20-60 tr. And the latter are the best I've heard of the closed type. But their top is raised too much, it is unpleasant for the ears. I only came to the store because I stumbled upon reviews about the T20RP MK3. I thought that it could not be that over 12 thousand ears are so much praised. Otherwise, I don't really need headphones, otherwise I would have taken something like Grado from the top. I can only say that earlier in every ears I found cons in the sound. With no exceptions. So I decided to listen to the T20RP MK3, and let them lie in the closet for better times, if you like it. Putting in the closet 50 thousand or more there is no desire. This is the background. When listening to the T20RP MK3, it immediately became clear that they were deaf. OK, carry, I say, T40RP MK3. Have brought. Even worse! Impossible to deaf, the lower classes press, there are many of them and they are sluggish. Everyone writes that the bass is not enough on weak sources. I don't know, maybe people have TOTAL something with their ears, a total perverted concept of the sufficiency of bass, it seems. Because there is more than enough bass on any source. And by the way, although the 40s are open, the sound is like in a sink, the most closed, the 20s are better, but also so-so in this regard. So, when the T50RP MK3 was brought in, I immediately knew that I would take them. Everything is so harmonious, so balanced! Neither shells (although "semi" closed, but sound like open), no hum of lows, enough resolution, mids and highs are bright, but not pressing on the brain, like the TH-900 MK2 (not needed for nothing!). It is impossible to listen to the 900s loudly: the brain is splitting, and their "conch" is obvious compared to the 50s. I will not say that the perfect sound in the 50s is direct, but the one that is better, I heard only in MUCH more expensive ones. But he was not much better. But still listen to yourself, otherwise the 20s and 40s are praised, but to my ears they are horror and horror-horror, respectively, when compared with something like TH 600.

Advantages: Very good, even, detailed and balanced sound! Huge volume headroom. Reliable construction. Quite comfortable, if you get used to their weight, you can listen to them for a long time. Two wires included - for mini and regular jacks.

Disadvantages: The headphones are quite heavy, the headband presses on the top of the head if you listen for a long time. High-resistance and insensitive, not every source can "swing" them. A poor-quality connector for connecting a wire, because of it, there may be a crackle in the right earpiece when the wire is moved (they write that this is a typical problem of this model). A very short and bright orange wire with a 3.5 mm jack.

Comment: Extremely detailed and smooth sounding, better than the vast majority of other comparable-price headphones I've listened to. After the acquisition, I heard many new nuances in my favorite, many times listened to compositions. On complex compositions, the sound does not turn into a mess. The non-sound imperfections of the headphones can be eliminated by modding them.

Advantages: Sound Detachable wire Detachable ear pads Build quality better than expected Sits comfortably Interesting retro design, I like it

Disadvantages: Ears sweat after prolonged listening. I ordered velor ear pads (from Shure), I'll see how the sound and comfort change.

Comment: There are no perfect headphones, but these are definitely worth listening to and drawing conclusions for yourself. Personally, I really like the sound, let everyone decide the rest. I will write down a few practical points: 1) I will repeat what everyone says and says - you need an amplifier. Without an amplifier, only the macbook pro was able to give an acceptable sound, I tried it on air and phones - I can't listen. 2) Many people complain about the comfort of wearing - it's convenient for me. Probably depends on the shape of the head. 3) After warming up, the sound changes very significantly to the good side. 4) Headphones of a semi-open type and I was a little doubtful about the fact that the sound could interfere with others. But at an average volume with headphones fully worn, people around you can hardly hear anything. But, if you want to listen to your favorite music at high volume at night, there may be inconveniences. I am writing a comment not so much to give some new information, but to add reviews with this earphone and draw attention to them. It seems to me that very few people know about Fostex, but in vain. They are very interesting for their money. And there is a lot of information on them on the Internet, mainly in foreign forums. ---- After some time of use, I decided to supplement the review. The Shure ear cushions fit perfectly, the panorama has become even wider, the bass has not suffered. Isodynamics do not choke even on difficult scenes, all frequencies are in place. The tops are not only detailed but also very natural. If they are not cut by noise reduction during recording, then there is a soft loop, which is usually lost on other headphones. The sound is very natural, slightly distant from the listener. But for some it may be a disadvantage. Sometimes you can hear recording flaws that are smoothed out in other ears. Honest sound is not always the juiciest and brightest, so it all depends on what you listen to. But this is exactly the sound I was looking for. Still, a classic dynamic emitter initially has many disadvantages that are difficult to fix. Now I really want to listen to electrostats.

Advantages: A pleasant dark sound, with slightly soft bass, clear mids and not bright highs.

Disadvantages: They press on the ears, on the top of the head, it is hot in them.

Comment: There is an opinion that they do not play the very bottom and this parameter is very different from party to party, but after listening to several microns for several years, I did not notice the problem. Everything was equally good everywhere. Also, I did not catch a strong increase when connected to powerful stationary amplifiers. The difference when switching from a hi-fi portable, in my opinion, is at the level of nuances. You can listen perfectly with it.

Advantages: Driving, captivating sound with a powerful pleasant bass, good mids and neat highs - detail within the necessary framework. Removable cable, removable ear pads, reliable simple design, soft and high quality ear pads, affordable price. The disadvantages are potentially fixable.

Disadvantages: The ear cushions are thin - the ears will ache in warm weather, the complete cables are so-so - one is too long and hard, the second is too short.

Comment: I liked the sound out of the box - a gentle rise in the upper part of the bass gives a pleasant bass sound, but without hum, the middle is clean and even, the vocals sound great, the instruments are natural. The high frequencies are good - not a hint of sharpness, but they are not drowned out either.On a weak source - a smartphone, the sound is quiet even at maximum, the bass is too smeared, and the treble is not enough. The headphones sounded on the stationary Little Dot II tube and from the headphone output of the Emotiva A-100. And even on them, the volume control was twisted by me more than I was used to, in 12 hours on quiet tracks. The headphone output of this amplifier has a peculiarity - when two jumpers are installed, the full power of the amplifier is supplied to it, which gave a wild power reserve even for these fosteks and changed the sound a little - the bass became more concentrated, the tonal balance was slightly leveled, although the general character of the sound remained naturally. I also tried to connect the Fiio X3 II to the player - the sound through it is excellent, although the volume will have to be turned almost to maximum on high gain, but as an option, why not. The headphones sound warm, but without turbidity, no harshness, the sound is smoothed, while maintaining readability and detail. Metal sounds great, even in compressed phonograms, a symphony orchestra sounds very powerful and large-scale. In general, all genres sound pleasant, only sometimes the bass can be too much, but the sound is engaging and it is difficult to break away from listening. The sound is not audiophile, but rather music lover. Changing the ear pads according to reviews changes the sound, so there is room for experimentation, besides, the stock ones are made of leatherette and are rather thin, which is why the pressure to the ears is strong and in the warm season it will be hot (but they are soft and of high quality). The inconveniences, by and large, even in stock are not prohibitive and you can listen for a long time.

Advantages: Sound quality.

Disadvantages: Quite cumbersome, do not add up. The "resonator" effect in silence.

Comment: For many years I somehow sat in the subconscious that I should buy them, and now I decided. On the one hand, it's good, since the sound is so good that it has grown in quality (before that I was listening to sony mdr-7506). On the other hand, listen to the entire music library again! :) For listening to music, this is an excellent option! Of the shortcomings, I can only name that any flaws in the recording are audible very clearly! On the other hand, there is an extraordinary liveliness of sound. Recordings from the Aquarium of the 80s with all the roughs - it's great! And at first I listened with a card built into the laptop, everything was fine there. I also listened through e-mu0202, but its output is clearly unable to swing them, although the bass is heard well. It sounded as it should with the purchase of the m-audio m-track 2x2, just an amazing leap in quality. The sound is just addictive. And I listen to a variety of things: rock, ambient, jazz, even pop. Headphones win back everything for 5 s +! Now about the bad: in comparison, for example, with the mdr-7506, it is very inconvenient to carry them with you, they do not fold in any way, that is, they are typically stationary headphones. Next, an interesting feature turned out to be. When the headphones are on the head, but the sound is not turned on, the surrounding sounds are transformed in a rather cunning way and can be heard loudly. Immediately you shoot - yes, like there is some kind of quiet sound somewhere, put on headphones - here it is, loud and clear! But it's rather funny. In general, I strongly recommend to all lovers of excellent sound of any style, having a suitable amplifier.

Advantages: Sound detail. Ease of use. They sit comfortably on the head.

Comment: I liked it very much. High frequencies are quite bright, it can get warm. They are very comfortable on the head and the sound is at a height. I did not even expect to hear such detail and acuity of sound. The bass is enough. They swing only from the amplifier (I have a Xenyx mixer). They will play softer with a good path. Perhaps over time I will add something else to the review. P.S.- Some conclusions - A month has passed, actively warmed up with special tracks and music - the headphones have changed beyond recognition - the high frequencies have fallen into place, the dynamics have leveled off, the sensitivity has increased, a remarkable bass has cut through (in those tracks where it really is). We began to swing well (with bass) with the Presonus USB card (Maximum Output 60 mW / Ch @ 60Ω Load), oddly enough with a margin. Sharpness with warming up went away, detail did not suffer, it became much more comfortable to listen for a long time. Headphones are of high class, but serious warming up is needed (development of the membrane), otherwise at first they sound crooked in frequency response towards HF and dynamics. IMHO. I advise those who are looking for high-quality, uncompromising headphones. Well, something like this. Happy shopping everyone.

Advantages: When I bought it I listened to the dx200 line in through an amplifier. The sound seemed very natural, natural with excellent resolution, excellent non-cutting highs, awesome mids and slightly weakened bass, but at the same time the nature of the bass is soft and not too pressing like in closed bass-head headphones. The bass also has a resolution and it is not bad enough. Sound does not turn into mush at high volume

Disadvantages: They need to be pumped with such a decent amount of power resistance of 92 at 50 Ohms! Maybe bassheads will miss the bass. Mp3 and other curves, oblique recordings, especially high-frequency ones, are revealed instantly in the presence of a high-quality audio path. We'll have to download everything in flac and with good recording quality

Comment: And for everyone else, these are excellent non-genre headphones! It's awesome to listen to vocals of all stripes on them! Any instruments sound very cool. The fact that they are half-open creates a volume and an average scene. It is even larger for open models. Electronic music is also pleasant to listen to and the bass, again, is not enough for bassheads. I miss him by about 10% and then only sometimes. And sometimes everything is very, very good, the semi-open design affects. But for such a natural middle and not sharp high, I am ready to forgive it. Very nice model, very comfortable sound! I advise everyone to listen to them! And only from the amp! For this cost in terms of sound, they essentially have no competitors.

Advantages: Very honest, without any embellishment, and at the same time a light, maybe a little bright sound. The sound is most similar to the legendary Soviet isodynamics TDS-5.

Disadvantages: My "metal" past sometimes asks for more drive.

Comment: I have the entire TxxRP MK3 line of Fostex headphones, of which, in my opinion, the T50RP MK3 is the most impartial, which is probably the most consistent with the concept of high fidelity of sound reproduction, the T20RP MK3 will delight you with deep bass when you want to drive, the T40RP MK3 - due to the closed design have the best soundproofing, exit, if you want to listen to music without disturbing anyone, must have for night listening.

Advantages: Detail and sound processing.

Disadvantages: Didn't notice.

Comment: I spend 8 hours a day wearing headphones. I listened for a month on the built-in sound system - quite tolerably, but 4 times quieter than ordinary dynamic headphones. After 80%, the volume began to wheeze due to lack of power. After updating the realtek drivers, the volume returned, the wheezing disappeared. Then I bought a Fostex HP A4 amplifier for 26 thousand, it is also an external sound card. For a long time I compared the difference between the built-in sound amplifier and the amplifier. I did not notice an abyss in the sound, I did not hear any enchanting sound. There is a difference, but it is vanishingly small. With the amplifier, the music sounds a little more pleasant. A little better. But there was a monstrous volume reserve. Fostex t50RP + Fostex HP A4 compared with Audeze LCD2 Closed-Back (75 thousand rubles) with an amplifier Luxman P-750u (328 thousand rubles), I did not hear the difference. Generally zero. For half an hour I listened with bated breath. I'm happy with fosteks. I do not regret that I bought it. Recommend.