Turning Fostex TH-500RP into closeback

Posted by eduardoo (A) on December 18, 2019 at 22:35:54

I got a Fostex TH-500RP as a gift from a friend a few years ago, but I could never quite warm up to its sound. It's actually nice in an audiophile way, relatively neutral with good detail. On the other hand, I don't like its relatively thin mid range and a lack of body overall. I bought a Sony MDR-Z7 and liked it more than several more expensive headphones I tried, so I think you can guess my kind of preference (full with good density and punch).

I have experimented with modding the Fostex with reversible tweaks such as felt filter at the ear pad, "sealing" the open back with a cork and leather cover piece, partially covering the driver with a piece of foam, etc. They all give me a little of what I wanted, but never enough so. Also, I'm not too fond of open back headphones, as they leak sound in and out. So, I've always been looking to turn my TH500 into a close back, as supposedly the various Fostex headphones use roughly the same driver.

However, after market shells are pretty expensive (>US$100). Luckily, I recently bumped into a couple of wooden plates at a kitchenware store in Japan at only about US$1.2 each, which seem to be perfectly sized.

I'm now attaching those plates to the ear cups of the Fostex with outdoor double sided tape. They look quite alright. For stuffing/damping, I'm using some air conditioner filter that I torn loose slightly.

Initial impression is very promising. The midrange is much fuller and I get more musicality out of these cans. It sounds very detailed (perhaps even more so than before). The only thing not so great is perhaps the bass is not so extended (upper bass is fine). I'm able to enjoy its sound much much more now (previously it was more of a hifi tool for me).

Perhaps I'll try with more/different stuffing later

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Topic - Turning Fostex TH-500RP into closeback - eduardoo 22:35:54 12/18/19 (2)

RE: Turning Fostex TH-500RP into closeback - Dawnrazor 12:35:08 12/21/19 (1)

RE: Turning Fostex TH-500RP into closeback - eduardoo 19:02:24 12/21/19 (0)

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