Given the high level of popularity of orthodynamic headphones among the local crowd, I’ve had multiple chances to audition Fostex’s orthodynamic headphones, including several different versions of the T50, as well as the different damping variation mods on them. But this is the first time I’ve had a chance to listen to the T50RP at the convenience of my home set up, as well as the T40RP Mk2, which I’ve never auditioned previously. Thanks to Hiroaki at Fostex Japan for sending me the headphones for this review.

GENERAL IMPRESSION ON THE SOUND

Despite the saying that vintage Fostexes are better than the newer versions, I have to disagree and say that the T50RP is in my opinion the best orthodynamic Fostex has made so far. Signature to this headphone is the grainless, smooth, and deep black background evident in its presentation. In brief comparison, I don’t think any of the older T50 versions have a sound as grainless and as smooth as the current T50RP model. The smooth and grainless sound is very similar to the way the LCD-2 sounds, except that obviously you’re not going to get the LCD-2′s bigger and more three dimensional soundstage and its powerful bass. The T50RP’s smooth and grainless sound is very electrostatic like, except that the T50RP feels far more closed though the overall sound is weightier than the Staxes, which tend to be light on the bottom (Lambda frames, mostly). In comparison to say the Hifiman orthos, the tone is noticeably different, as the Hifiman has a grainier sound, and more dynamic-like in that regard.

The T50RP is not the typical headphone that I would recommend to the average listener. First of all, it was meant to be a studio monitoring headphone, along the likes of Sony’s MDR-900ST, Shure SRH-840, and Audio Technica’s M-50. Though the tonality is somewhat similar to those three headphones (say compared to a Beyerdynamic DT880 or a Sennheiser HD650), the Fostex T50RP gives the most mid-centric sound as the treble and the lower bass sounds noticeably more laid back, especially when compared to the Audio Technica M-50. If the Shure SRH-840 and the Audio Technica M-50 remains to be fairly popular among us music listeners, the Fostex T50RP is like a niche headphone in an already niche segment of closed monitoring headphones. Though the T50RP Fostex has gained quite a reputation for somewhat being a "hardcore enthusiast" headphone in my local forum, I think that in reality, the sound signature of the T50RP still remains somewhat a niche in that it’s not going to get the popular following of the Audio Technica M-50, the Shure SRH-840, or the Sennheiser HD25-1.

The housing size is fairly big. Here are a size comparison with the Fostex TH-7B, Audio Technica M-50, and the Fostex T40RP Mk2. The T50RP is identical in housing size to the T40RP Mk2.

Now that you’ve gotten an idea of where the T50RP stands roughly in the big headphone landscape, I’m going to tell you why this headphone is worth owning, because somehow, within the limitations of the T50RP, it doesn’t prevent me from getting drawn to the sound of the headphone.

As I said earlier, the T50RP is about a smooth grainless sound, and a deep black background. You’re not going to find a sparkly treble, punchy tight bass, or a massive soundstage with this headphone. If you find it difficult to understand what a grainless sound or deep black background is, it’s because they are rarely mentioned in headphone reviews. Indeed these are minor things we’re talking about (compared to tight punchy bass or a deep soundstage), but the Fostex pulled it off so successfully that I can’t seem to get enough of the T50RP’s sound. To put things into perspectives, dynamic drivers are almost always grainier (even the Sennheiser HD800) than what you get with the T50RP. Some of the less grainy dynamics are the Audio Technica M-50 and the Ultrasones, but the average Beyerdynamics, AKG, Audio Technica, or Sennheiser headphones are always grainy sounding cans. I don’t know if this is a function of the T50RP driver simply being better hence less grain, or if it’s the case of the Dynamic driver resolving grain in the source and amplifier (I’ve listened to the HD800 out of a Lehmann Black Cube and a Blacknote 3000 CD Player and it was quite grain free. Likewise the HD800 out of the Manley Neo-Classic 300B amplifier is very grain free). Nevertheless, the grain free sound is something that I rarely experience out of a dynamic set up, but the Fostex manages to give it to me on any set up I use.

The same grain-free and black background sound can be found in most Stax models (though I find the original Stax Lambda to be slightly grainy, likewise the original Fostex T50v0). When comparing the T50RP to the Stax Lambda frame models, obviously the closed circumaural T50RP feels noticeably closed than the Lambdas, but on the other hand I find the T50RP’s sound to have a more proper weight on the low end as well as a more linear midrange-treble area than the Staxes. Although the Lambda frames ultimately would sound more luxurious and spacious (hence a typical Stax Lambda system sells for more than $500), the Fostex again remains quite unique in itself, and I can see how some people would prefer the Fostex to a Lambda system.