Miracles in Audio, by luck, by good choices,by design or by tweaking...


I owned a low cost headphone for many years, the Fostex TH7B, first version( a new one close version exist Fostex TH7BK), semi-open headphone...I was never completely satisfied by any headphones I ever owned: Hifiman 400, Stax basic lamda, Stax 5 gold,Akg 340,Akg 701, beyerdynamic 990, and T150... Because in each of them with all their qualities I never listen to at the same times, a confortable headphone with natural timbre and voicing, with a good imaging and a realistic soundstage(not too close to my ears)...


For the last days I tweaked this Fostex, to damp his internal resonance I used sorbothane, I put some shungite stones at the exterior part of the cups and I use some Herkimer diamond in the interior pads( 3 at 120 degree) … Now this low cost headphones crush all my others if I sum all his qualities... For example his mids and voicing cannot beat the AKG 340 but among all my other headphones it is the best that is near that mids and it is more confortable, and with longer cable than the 340...His imaging is better and more realistic than the 340 etc etc...It is the same if I compare with the others...


His most important qualities is natural timbre and clear imaging,very precise pinned point accuracy and natural, so clear it crush for that ALL the others to dust...In the French audio circle the reviews were more than very positive few years ago...Diapason d’or and choc Classica...I am not the only one impressed buy the ratio quality/price... But remember that thesae reviewers dont tweak their headphone...The difference between before and after the tweaks are staggering...


Yes Miracles happens in Audio: cost is under 100 American dollars... Few years ago they cost me 50 bucks new... I never dreamed that I will go back to headphones...


I will enjoy your miracles stories of any kind ….My best to all...
128x128mahgister
UPDATE: The grids of bells (Alaskan cones)

I added 2 new group of 5 bells on walls parallell and perpendicular to the speakers, one group horizontally disposed at the level of my ears the other group vertically...

They work like some beacons on the flowing waves resulting from the interaction of the direct sound from the speakers and the refracted sound coming from the walls, and give to the ears some fixed points to make easier his Fourier analysis of the sound ….


Better imaging at near listening position and at the regular one....


Music go toward the top S.Q. for peanuts.... :)

And people everywhere discuss secondary questions, giving no thoughts to the fundamental one : the 3 embeddings, especially the acoustical one.....

That is life!
UPDATE: 6 new "golden plates" on the computer side.


What can I say?

I added 6 new "golden plates" (shungite+copper tape) 5mm stick, 10centimeters square, I glued them on a cardboard plate and I put the shungite side against the computer...


The clarity increase again an another notch then the imaging also....


If I was a business man I would sell that like an audiophile product....But It is free idea coming from a fool, cheap cost... :)


I will not say more, I only talk to myself, but it is not so bad if I think about that....


:)
second UPDATE about the 6 " golden plates" near my computer:


The silky smooth velvety impressions around the timbre is addictive...In my 2 positions, nearfield or regular, all is so different and so marvellous I dont know where to seat... :)

I order the last 12 shungite plates from my Russian provider....It was the last set for 50 Us dollars..... Peanuts for the results....And I had some other locations to treat more drastically....

My best to all those " ears" here....
second UPDATE about the "grids of bells" (Alaskan line cones)

I added my last 5 cones to the horizontal line of cones near the ceiling front wall(relative to my sitting position) and I added another 5 to the vertical line on the wall near one of my speakers...


Amazing increase in details...

I will repeat myself for how they worked:

«They work like some beacons on the flowing waves resulting from the interaction of the direct sound from the speakers and the refracted sound coming from the walls, and give to the ears some fixed points to make easier his Fourier analysis of the sound ….»


Nothing more needed to be said.... 

I wait for my last 30 cones from China now slightly bigger....  


Viva Hi-Fi for the poor audiophile..... :)




Another UPDATE about the "grids of bells"


When your room treatment and other embeddings are rightfully controlled, the reactivity and feed back of any change is very great indeed...


After 2 days of listening after all my last modifications, I was not totally satisfied, I add to 2 of the 10 new bells 2 tiny Herkimer diamonds,3 mm wide, guess what?


The effect was incredible and the sound quality , timbre and imaging, was now perfect to my ears....


Think about that mystery: 2 tiny pieces of H.D. of 3 millimeters inserted in 5 millimeters cones bells, and it was like I upgrade my amplifier or if I bought another dac….The reason is because my room is almost near optimal sound rendition and any little modification can degrade or improve  the sound greatly....


In a regular room 2 cones on a wall with or without H.D. will not be perceived at all or very little....Dont forget that if you want to emulate my controls methods.... This is a journey not a "one action solve all " methods.... The 3 embeddings controls are interlinked totally.... Any small change in one, at the end gives a spectacular effect….