Solution: Build a Stacker II

I do have a transformer on the way that would work for that amp... The ES-1 will probably be next though after I finish the Egmont but who knows what I'll do after that.

You could build that amp that Dr Gilmore came up with for the TakeT and send it to me. Thats a good idea.

1) Marc is a fickle bastard, and he's always moving on to new things. So if he sells the T50 V1 without giving me first dibs, I'm sending -= Germania =- to wreck his marriage.

Steve FTW.

You could build that amp that Dr Gilmore came up with for the TakeT and send it to me. Thats a good idea.

I missed that, any link?

I missed that, any link?

Head-Fi: Covering Headphones, Earphones and Portable Audio - View Single Post - Driving the TakeT H2

Wow! Thanks.

I'm really excited right now, I received a Fostex T30 in the mail today. Damn it's an awesome driver. The phones were in pretty ratty condition and not working on one side but a few hours downstairs fixed all that.

You could build that amp that Dr Gilmore came up with for the TakeT and send it to me. Thats a good idea.

With 56W of Class A per side I'd just build a BH with dual power supplies and an upgraded +/-15v unit. It could be built on a budget since there are cheaper substitutes for the SA1968's and the SK389 isn't really an issue any more. If the BHSE turns out to be different enough from my old BH then I'm going to build a stock one since I just loved that thing.

I'm really excited right now, I received a Fostex T30 in the mail today. Damn it's an awesome driver. The phones were in pretty ratty condition and not working on one side but a few hours downstairs fixed all that.

Didn't the T-30 use a slightly less extreme version of the T-50 driver, more like the SS-100? Very nice indeed then...

Didn't the T-30 use a slightly less extreme version of the T-50 driver, more like the SS-100? Very nice indeed then...

Yep, looks like the same design but shrunken and it sounds extremely nice. I'm very happy with them, they sound as good or better than my highly modded RP18, maybe different would be more apt than better, both sound exceptionally nice to me. The RP18 is very smooth and the T30 has more bite. Both are better than the T40 though I'm still working on those. I never thought I'd ever end up with a 30, 40 and 50v2. Lucky guy indeed! I don't hold out much hope of ever getting a 50v1 but I think what I have is pretty awesome anyway

Smeggy, Could I get you to post some pics of your modded RP18 here? I'd love to see it!

Smeggy, Could I get you to post some pics of your modded RP18 here? I'd love to see it!

I don't have any internal pics but here's the outsides.

The drivers are backwards in the housings, a reflex dot is on the front face and the damping is the thick greyish-browny Italian felt. I made a wedge of epoxy modeling clay to angle the housing, covered that in leather and used K240 pads to make them circumaural.

The T30:

Realistic pro30 headband and pads. Mineral wool puck and thin craft felt damping. The original T30 mount is painful due to lack of swivel.

Yep, looks.. pretty ratty.. ..not working on one side... like the same design but shrunken..

Awrk? not working on one side? They used to work on both sides. What turned out to be the problem?

Shrunken? They're the same diameter as the NAD/T50/Maior. Not that any of this is important.

Sweet Smeggy!

Hey wualta, good to see you over here.

Awrk? not working on one side? They used to work on both sides. What turned out to be the problem?

Shrunken? They're the same diameter as the NAD/T50/Maior. Not that any of this is important.

The Left channel + wire had disconnected in the cup. The wires were clamped inside but not outside and it may have been flexing inside the cup because there's nothing to stop it slipping inside.

Is that driver really the same size? It looks smaller to me. Either way, I love it to bits.

The headphones look great Gary.

Along with Steve's Yamaha HP-1 I also have a Fostex T20v2 headed my way :-0

Nice!

Some of these old phones are pretty damn nice, the only dynamics I have left are the K1000 (hardly normal) and the KSC 75. Everything else is ortho, electret and electrostatic. I guess I'm a planar head at heart.

Those look nice Smeggy. I'd like to hear some orthos sometime.

I got the Yamaha orthos from Steve this afternoon. I'm very impressed by these headphones, even in stock form

comfort- better than Grados. Not as much clamping and the pads feel better on the ears. Still fatiguing after several hours with glasses on.

sound- nothing to complain about. The bass has great impact. Extends down to about 30-40 Hz which is respectable. Exceptional midrange, that is approaching electrostat quality, but doesn't quite get there.

I was expecting the treble to be a bit muted from what I've read, especially the upper treble. This hasn't been the case and there is a sense of "air" in the upper registers in live recordings.

Two things that really impressed me- the way it handled the tone of piano. So far only the SR-007 Mk1 has been able to do it completely right. Even the K1000 on the various setups I've heard sounds slightly off. Secondly the speed- attack and decay is impressive. On thrash metal with the double bass beats the orthos are able to keep up (and they are able to differentiate the two beats), whereas my Senn HD580 and MS2i have a harder time. Better microdetail than both dynamics as well.

Slightly disappointing- the drivers sit so close to the ear (I'm guessing even closer than Grados with flat pads) the sound stage is about on par with a mid/upper end Grado. Lacks the spacial imaging and depth and width of soundstage of the SR-007 mk1.

And in their unmodded form they sound closer to dynamic headphones than electrostats. I can accept that modding will improve that, but I don't want to give up the bass quantity I'm getting from them right now dampening the drivers more.

Edited December 9, 200817 yr by deepak

Nice writeup. YH/HP-1 are very nice and properly modded sound very close to some stats but with more bass impact. The drivers are capable of great transient response and are very fast across the board, but the kicker is that these things capable of bass impact at time even greater than best dynamic cans. This combination of stat speed and great bass make them killer rock and metal headphones. YH-100 is even better, but Fostex T20 and T50RP are a surprise as they are cheap and plentiful and sound as good as Yamahas with better soundstage.

#1 someone actually bulding KG's TakeT amp design (the solid state one) would be the coolest thing evar.

#2 say I wanted to try out the Ortho sound? Where would I begin? I have exactly one headphone amp (GLite) which I believe can push 1 watt of power. Is that sufficient? Most of the orthos I see mentioned in this thread are DIY homebrew options of some sort. I should not be trusted with any tool more complicated than a rake, so that's not an option.

#1 someone actually bulding KG's TakeT amp design (the solid state one) would be the coolest thing evar.

#2 say I wanted to try out the Ortho sound? Where would I begin? I have exactly one headphone amp (GLite) which I believe can push 1 watt of power. Is that sufficient? Most of the orthos I see mentioned in this thread are DIY homebrew options of some sort. I should not be trusted with any tool more complicated than a rake, so that's not an option.

how much can you get a set of TakeT for?

They were $1500 a year ago. I dunno what they go for now.

I prefer the Fostexes to the Yamahas myself. The Yamas do sound good but there's something about the old Fostex drivers that is very appealing to these old ears. I haven't heard the newest versions yet but no doubt will one day. They do have bass thump to die for and can be tuned to go toe to toe with most stats for speed and attack.

Good stats and the K1000 still win at the top end, I haven't been able to match them with ortho mods yet.

Cool I am reading up on T20v2 modding. I don't expect SR-007 killers, just something that sounds good.

I got a T40s which is in bits at the moment awaiting time to play. Should be fun