Fostex T50RP-Mk3 Headphone

Great sound for a great price! These took away another layer from my music collection. They need a real amp though. Feeding them in high power mode from RME ADI2fs DAC. I can see why these are the modders headset, standard philips screws, 3.5mm jack in. The contact is locking type with a bayonette mount and it is a bit recessed(ca 2-3mm), but if the contact isn't too fat U could use any 3.5 - 1/8 terminated cable here. They could have somewhat better comfort. The pads are rather shallow and there's no headband. not like the selfadjusting kind of other models. Love the sound of these, very high reolution. A bit of in the lower end, as expected. U can eq some of that out, but they are not like dynamic phones. All in all I can only recomend these. Great sound, sturdy pro design, great value.

Great sounding headphones. I got these to replace my old AKG 271 studio headphones and they are a big improvement. I can hear detail that I just didn’t hear before but still offering a natural response.

I like their style which is understated with just a touch of flash from the orange cables.

Three things to note from my pre purchase research...

[1] There are several different Headphones in the T series, for extra bass, Hifi or studio.
[2] Comfort – I wear glasses and find the ‘phones comfortable even for extended periods during music sessions. Other people prefer to swap the pads, the T series phones are a “modders favourite”

[3] “ difficult to drive” – what this refers to is resistance/impedance and sensitivity.
Power = V^2/R, so with higher resistance ‘phones , the power(volume] will be less for the same drive level. The T50s are about the same 50ohm impedance as the AKG271s and other studio headphones but higher than, say, 8ohm type headphones.

The sensitivity is 12db down on my AKG271s which means having to turn up the volume knob on most equipment, e.g.
MotoG phone, HP Laptop, HiFi amp, Mixer, Soundcard, Yamaha THR10 guitar/USB amp.
Its only my old laptop that has to have the volume on max to achieve a just acceptable level.

I would happily recommend these headphones.

I bought these for use at home for normal listening.

My taste in music is very wide and varied and I do find these
to be very good with most genres.

I find these to have a slightly v shaped sound with the midrange
being slightly recessed (with the stock pads) but overall a very fast and clean response which you would expect from any planar type headphone.

Also I would recommend changing the pads asap, as the ones
that are supplied by fostex are very thin and do become uncomfortable quite quickly.

Be aware the to get the best out of these you will probably need
a headphone amplifier of some sort, as they do need a certain
amount of power to shine.

You can get them loud enough with a lot of sources, but they will sound rather thin and weedy if not powered properly.

If powered properly they reward you with a good amount of bass and sub-bass, a detailed but not harsh high end and a decent but not spectacular midrange.

Different pads on these can change the sound signature considerably.

I am currently swapping between Shure 1540 pads and ZMF Oval Protein Leather and have bought a few more pads, which are on the way to give them a try.

Sound is individual to everyone and I love seeing the differences a simple pad swap can make.

A headphone which can have multiple personalities, but the overall
quality is there waiting to be tapped into with the correct pads for you.

I bought them a year ago to replace or complement my previous monitor headphones Yamaha HPH-MT220, even though they are in a nearly same price category, which I didn't consider. And I think they sound more or less the same. I might be wrong, but I didn't notice anything new, which is good for me.
Always wanted to try Fostex product and I finally decided to try.
Well, first of all I understand that I need to change the stock ear pads as these are too soft and the drivers nearly rub your ears, which impacts the sound, I'm sure. Didn't try yet, but going to order a pair.
Second, you need a good amp to drive them to their fullest. I bought a USB-powered Fostex HPA4, thinking about a perfect match for them as they are from the same company, but even when setting it to "Hi Gain" mode it seems to struggle to drive them. But! I don't say it doestn't. It sounds way better. But not at fullest even on maximum volume. Mind that.
It's only when I plugged them into my old set of socket-powered DAC+AMP, they sound loud and there's a lot of room for more volume.
If I knew that before, I would have though about buying socket-powered Fostex DAC or had stayed with my old one. Or wouldn't bother with those planar and other hign-impedance headphones.
Other than that, when you drove them, they sound great! Have long seemingly quality cable and looking good quality of materials. Time will tell me that, I've only been using them for a year.