Fostex T50RPMK3 Professional Studio Headphones

If you take the time to read this wall of text, you will find it very informative, especially normal users like me. I am just a normal user too trying to help others who were stuck like me in deciding for a long time in which headphones to get. And I mean a very long time I love gaming first, but wanted a headphones that could play music beautifully as well. After literally years of research, I found in order to achieve that I had to go with the separate headphones and mic route. But what headphones? There were so many choices to sift through and so many positive/negative reviews to read, from experts to users, from forums to YouTube. I finally decided to pull the trigger on the T50RP MK3's based on two factors: Z Reviews (YouTube and Reddit) and price. I got mines on Amazon for about $160. Z man says these are hard to drive in his YouTube review. He is not kidding. Plug these in to your computer or phone and on full blast sound is pathetically weak. I was sad panda and didn't even bother using them until my amps arrived. My current setup at home is a Blue Yeti mic, JDS Labs Element Amp/DAC running on a home built Windows 7 PC. On the go I use a FiiO E12 Mont Blanc and an iPhone 6. I also did the mods recommended by the Z Reviews, Z-MODA extended cable (dark red) and Shure 1840 velour replacement ear pads, all of which I bought off Amazon. Unfortunately as of late there is no case that I could find that can hold both the phone and the amp. Sucks. On my head the phones don't look great to me, but the kids say it's a swagging set of headphones, whatever that means. They are very well built, light weight, and so far I have no problem wearing them for long periods of time. I can game, surf the web, listen to music for 8+ hours with no issues. I don't know what you would consider the size of ears (from the top tip of my ear to the bottom it is 2 and 1/2 inches) and it can cover my ears without either the top or bottom touching. You can take that for what it's worth.I'll start with music, the sweet, sweet music. There are two major factors in which govern how these headphones replicate sound: A) what power source you are using to power them B) source and type of the music you are listening to. You definitely hear the difference between plugging it in straight into your computer/phone (weak but clear) vs plugging it into and Amp/DAC or portable amp (powerful and defined). As far as the source of music, you can tell the difference between Pandora, YouTube, and digital audio file types, which I never did really appreciate until now. I owned all the Logitech and Astro headsets as well as a few surround type. Audio quality didn't matter so much because the computer volume coupled with the headphone/headset volume controller was enough to hear, what I thought, the quality of music, and the difference wasn't as noticeable. Now I find myself ripping my CD's and dumping my lesser quality digital files in favor of the higher quality types. Actually reading into HQ music and streaming. Why? Because these set of headphones will do that for you in spades, and that to me is the only downside. You get out what was put in. If the recording is blah that is what you'll hear. If recording is harsh, that is what you will hear. If the source of the power you're using is like they say: neutral, warm, high, low, syllabic, etc., THAT is what you'll hear. I can hear the difference between what I use at home and what I use on the go. And I have definitely become spoiled. For those that appreciate bass like me because I like bass in my music and gaming, explosions have bass, and so does music, I don't care what the audiophiles say, these phones can do bass too. But, bass also depends on the power and quality of the source. So if the file/stream and AMP can't provide that to you, then you won't get that. Want to tell the difference? Listen to a music video on YouTube. Now listen to that same music video in HQ. Now listen to in HQ bass boosted. You can tell the difference of bbbbbbbbass provided. And you will become spoiled even more. Goes from bloom-bloom, boom-boom, to BOOM-BOOM! You can tell if it's a bass drum, bass guitar, or synthesizer as well as the tone (frequency?) of that bass. I guess you can say that for every entire range, from highs to mids to lows. I owned a pair of Beats Studio wireless and it was great because it was wireless, had bass and music was decent at best. No joke, that is how I felt about them Then I got these and now sounds are much clearer, highs are noticeable, and bass has power, but doesn't overwhelm. The Cranberries get's me inspired, Taylor swift makes me sing along, 60's tracks are amazingly well preserved, Yellow Claw makes me want to go clubbing with the kids half my age (I won't), while Pachelbel Canon will make me day dream and feel cultured (Se7en library scene reference). By the way, Kanye can spit rhymes in one take, you can hear him take a breath between line, while Jay-Z cuts it after ever line. Now about that burn in period. I listened to them when I first got them and then after I had them playing 40+ hours of that burn in sounds, but I couldn't tell a difference. My theory on what happens is after a while of listening to headphones (or any type of sound providing equipment) is that your ears get used to it and it starts to sound pleasant to to you, like naturally with everything. The only way to know for sure which headphones, or sound equipment is better, is to have them all side by side, playing from the same power source, listening to the track. And most music shops don't have that, most normal users can't afford that, and most high end reviews can do that without bias and personal preference involved. So take that for what it's worth.Now to gaming. YEAH BUDDY! Gaming is awesome, hands down. You won't find it an issue running any genre of game you play. FPS games, where footsteps and positioning matter, sound come out precise, front to back, and left to right. But it still doesn't sacrifice positioning for sound effects, ambiance, or the boom boom. Water laps upon the shore, the dirt sifts under your feet as you walk or run, gear shifts as you move, shells clank off the floor as you empty your clip, and explosions are loud and boom boom. Of course games have to be coded that way for you to appreciate these sounds, but for those who know, we know. You can estimate the distance and direction the enemy tank is coming, and still can hear the sound and direction enemy players that are flanking your position, all the while artillery is being dropped nearby. Fantasy games where music and ambiance matter, these phones really help set the mood and for you. Shoot, even League of Legends sound amazing, you can hear an enemy teleport incoming and from what bush. No joke. It still depends on the power that drives it (see the first paragraph so see my setup), so take the time and do your research on picking your Amp/DAC or even portable amp.So the final part of this review, comparisons. Compared with all the other headphones and headsets I used for gaming and music, this is, by far the best yet. Not only because of the sound it will give you, but the price you pay. It performs way better than what you pay for. You may ask why charge so little when you get so much? I think it's because they feel they will sell them and make a profit and because they want to help you out because you will spend way on a good Amp/DAC. Thanks Fostex, good looking out! How do they compare to similar offerings or even to higher end gear? I couldn't tell you. What I can tell you is that I chose this because most phones I researched could offer you either good music or good gaming, not both. And these do both very, very, well. Amazingly well. Would I recommend these to gamers? Hell yes! Would I recommend these music lovers? Again, hell yes! Would I recommend these to movie lovers? Hell ye, wait I didn't even cover movies... I feel that movies is like music like gaming. You get out what you put in. You will, and can, tell the difference in recordings and between Blu-ray and DVD, from MKV to .mp4. That's how good these phones are. I would highly recommend them to anyone looking for a step from their current headphones. A taste of the high end audio life without the high end price. But you will pay the price for the power source. Oh yes, you will pay. But these are wurf. GG no RE.

Rarely will I write a review for a product on amazon, but these definitely deserve the praise. For some background, I have a decent collection of audio gear and have been a music lover for over 20 years (since age 10).It was'nt until about 5 years ago that my interest in audiophilia elevated to where spending more than the average dollar for better sounding music was no big deal for me. My real journey started with the Panasonic RP-HTX-7 back in 2012, even being cheap, were real eye openers when it comes to sound.Since then, other phones came and went: audio technica M50x, sony MDR-V6, sennheiser HD598. Every one of them did'nt quite gel one way or the other. The M50x was too unbalanced in the bass/midrange and only semi-comfy, V6 was too sharp in the treble for me and also has terrible pads. The 598 has a huge bass deficit, but otherwise beats the other 2.Being not quite satisfied with those phones, I branched out to upgrade to a DAC (Schiit Modi 2 uber) and amps (fiio E11K, Schiit Magni 2 uber, Schiit Lyr 2). Around that time, I purchased Sennheiser HD600's, Mrspeakers Alpha Dog, NAD Viso HP50, and recently, these Fostex MK3's.Which do I prefer?Well, each headphone does different things, and can serve different purposes and become preferable for certain music genres. The HD600 you can listen to for hours and have unbeatable comfort and midrange, but lack any real wow factor (remember they are non-fatiguing in any way). The Alpha Dog is super isolating and super detailed but lacks a bit of punch. The HP50 is great for mobile and has wonderful impact and bass/mid response, but has slight congestion not only in fit but also in sound.Now the Fostex is a very different animal, and the cheapest of the four (by far). Its not very pretty and it needs a lot of power to get the desired sound it can produce. All of my mentioned amps can power it just fine, however.The biggest issue of these fostex is the stock pads are terrible (not sound, just uncomfortable). I had to change them to Shure 1540 alcantara pads (at the suggestion of a very helpful fellow audiophile). They rival my HD600 in comfort, and the sound appears unchanged from the stock pads.All these cons and required pad changing are quite discouraging, are'nt they? Well if they did'nt sound as good as they do, it would'nt have been worth it. They rank higher than the other headphones I own in sound quality.For comparison:-HD600: Best midrange. Has similar, but leaner bass presence, very small to no soundstage and is not as clear.-Alpha Dog: Best sub-bass, but lacks punch as well as slightly less clarity. This lessened clarity is made up for with a wider soundstage.It is less focused in sound imaging and is also heavier than the fostex.-Nad HP50: As good as it is at being portable, it costs twice as much and it is bested in all convievable areas by the T50RP MK3. I would'nt call the fostex a good portable headphone, however.The fostex mk3's signature is one of fun, clarity, and precision. The bass is my favorite part of these headphones. It is very present and mid-bass focused, sub-bass takes a backseat, but is not completely missing. For clarification; sub-bass is the deepest/lowest notes you will hear (think thumping rap and rumbling beats) and Mid-bass represents bass guitar, the low end crunch of electric and acoustic guitars. Mid-bass usually represents the meat of most instrumental music and drums..the MK3 handles it so, so well.The midrange I do not find to be lacking in any way, it just sounds natural. The treble is exciting and can be a tad bit sharp, but ultimately is clean and never dull or annoying. There is nothing offensive about the sound signature these produce, even if the soundstage is not very big.The only con sound-wise I can think of is the soundstage itself lacks a bit of seperation. Yes, you can hear everything and all the detail shows up. It just does'nt have a lot of 'space' around the instruments like the alpha dogs do. The fostex is so engaging, clear and fun that you really don't focus on that, however.I spent a month running these MK3's through my usual torture tests and found them to pass with flying colors. They are forgiving enough to be on your head for hours, exciting enough to make music pleasurable, and speedy/clear enough to retain lots of detail. Best of all is they nail the bass response perfect with no sign of muddiness. I happen to prefer metal music (and lots of rock), but I really listen to lots of diverse genres as well, and nothing sounds bad through these MK3's at all.Just incredible headphones for the money, the fact they outshine my alpha prime at 1/3 the cost is quite a feat!Recommended-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Update 02/26/2017: These headphones have certainly proven their worth. In the past 6 months, I have done the following:-Sold my Alpha Prime, the fostex are roughly equal.-Tried new headphones, including the Audioquest Nighthawk and Audeze LCD-X. Even for what they gave me in soundstage and resolution improvements, they still lost out in immediacy, engagement and fun factor. Fostex is still king!-Upgraded my amp to the Ifi iCan SE; the fostex needs the power and it is worth every watt you can feed them.-Recently upgraded these stock T50RP MK3 to the Mayflower V1 edition and they are EVEN better than before. Clearer mids and calmer treble.-Performed a simple mod on them to bring up the bass.-I like them so much now that I added some Carbon Fiber Vinyl wrap to customize their appearance(picture included). Also added a MrSpeakers comfort head strap. Now they are just perfect, perfect!