Massdrop x Fostex TH-X00 Ebony Review - Ultimate Listening Enjoyment 

What do you think of Massdrop? I just bought the HD6XX and they have an estimated ship date of Sept 17th! Eek. I think I'd rather spend $100 more and get them 3 months sooner. Are the headphones of less quality? Some people scoff at Massdrop but most people seem to like them.

6XX is exactly the same as a 650. You pay less because of the bulk buy nature and the long shipping times. Up to you if it's worth it over a real HD 650, but they're the same in sound. I've heard both already

Great, thanks for the reply. I think I'll get the 600's on Amazon for $286 and have them next week. From what I hear from you and others I might like those better. I need these for mixing mostly acoustic instruments and vocals with some hand drums/percussion and the occasional virtual instrument. What would you recommend as the best sounding, most isolated tracking headphone?

For the money I feel the AKG K553 is probably the best closed headphone for professionals

What's a good alternative to this if I can't find this around? I kinda want these for rap music, electronic, and doom.

sailcat9 have you heard the ebony? Are they close?

@@rhodey2952 ive heard the ebony are the worst of the 3 versions

Would you compare the cals sound to the thx 00 ebony

Graphs help but they don't tell you a thing about detail/resolution and soundstage, and sometimes the headphone doesn't always sound like the FR as measured for a variety of reasons

@@metal571 True, that is why I watch you. Lol!

+C Gouy apparently they are much brighter. Look at Tyll's Foster comparison video for another opinion on the series. He seems to have similar views to mine on sound

what pads did you use for the purplehearts?

+Richard Fu I have not. Those things seem to be hard to come by

+Matthew Cuarenta definitely these. The Z7 just sounds... uneven

I ended up retiring with the new JDS Atom DAC and amp stack, mainly because I know I can completely trust their amazing support. I heard the Teak, it's more forward in the upper mids where electric guitars sit but does have some of that same treble peak and shimmer, similar if not the same driver as these

@@metal571 Yeah I know I'm kind of gambling with the Topping setup. If it ever goes bad even if it's within warranty, it won't be worth it to get it fixed since the shipping alone will cost too much. But the L30 seemed like such a nice amp for my use case (IEMs/high sens cans). I wanted to go with the JDS Labs Element II but it seemed like it had slightly too much juice for IEM usage. I guess I could just lower the preamp gain in Peace. Is that you do that with your higher sensitivity cans? Schiit's customer service was less than stellar, they basically told me to fix the Modi 2 it would've costed $50 + my own shipping. At that point I might as well buy a Modi 3. Would you say JDS is better with their warranty service?

JDS was awesome, my Atom amp had a slight channel imbalance and they got back to me in 5 minutes by email and didn't even ask for my serial number to fix it, even though I bought it used. Crazy. Element II I've tried at home, it has plenty of fine tuning on low gain so IEMs will be fine, no preamp reduction needed on the EQ

Plenty custom cables now available for the TRs now. Periapt Cables are great and highly recommended.

Periapt will definitely help you out, those guys know what they're doing if you still have this thing

Have not but they basically all use the same driver with different wood and tunings

Was curious mainly about how they compare to the 610s, seeing as they're much closer price wise. I can tell you I love both of the Fostex cans I own. And I'm not surprised to hear the Massdrop models are excellent as well.

+RojasTKD7 nooo. Save your money and stick with the ebony, it's the best. If you want more bass goodness, look into an LCD2.

metal571 well, probably a good idea. I should save for something higher end like the Edition X or the new Focal Clear. I will try to retain myself, but no promises lol. Maybe I can take advantage of Audeze's holiday sales next year.

RojasTKD7 I would second what Metal states. The PH has a bit more bass but it bleeds into the mids and the highs can be bright. Mahogany and Ebony are very similar bass wise (they sound more alike than different) but the Ebony sounds cleaner and more defined IMO. The Ebony trumps all of them for mids and highs.......especially if you like Metal music. The Mahogany has a bit more “sparkle”up top but can get a bit fatiguing at times depending on what you’re listening too. The Ebony doesn’t exhibit that trait at all and has slightly more forward mids. Metal’s review here is what pushed me to give the Ebony a try and IMO he nails the sound signature spot on. I listen to a lot of Metal music and I absolutely love them.......they’re more favourite headphone in my collection (DT770 80ohm, HE-4XX)

Yes ebonies are literally the Th900mk2 little brother but without all that peaky treble bs and less soundstage. They are incredible.

I second to that.

EqualizerAPO, I have a video on it

+Micha Bar-Lev they're tough to find but if someone wants to send me one sure lol

Original, in this review

+RojasTKD7 man I heard the HE1000 V1 and it was incredible. Hopefully the edition X is somewhere close to that quality

I hope so. According to some it's pretty good. HE-X is pushing it cash wise, the Edition X would be really hard to justify especially if the X can get you in the ball park. Your tempting me though, lol! So far the HE-500 are my all around best. I'd love to see what a is above that.

+RojasTKD7 the 500 is awesome, heard that for an extended period as well but never reviewed it

metal571 i expect the Edition X to be a more thrilling listen, it least I’d hope so.

I wouldn't. The difference is relatively small

lol that saved my wallet, thanks!

+Samuel definitely happening. It's my daily office headphone now

I generally find diy mods turning closed backs into open backs and vice versa to change the sound signature in a very negative way, so no I don't try those things

Hey. Thanks for the input. TH-X00 are semi-open already. Looks like I'm not the first one to do this mod. Someone on head-fi figured out that the grills from TH-500RP are interchangeable with the TH-X00 cups, and was similarly impressed: www.head-fi.org/threads/fostex-x-massdrop-th-x00-review.788776/page-464

+Mr2pint yeah these are the polar opposite of a beyer

Fostex TR-X00, voila! ;)

Limun Yeah RIGHT. Keep these things in the house 24/7. No doubt about that.

Yeah the ebony version specifically is less harsh in the upper mids and highs but is not as detailed sounding regardless of EQ

A900X

@@metal571 they have a low impedance or no?

Me too i am stuck between these 3 Argons Thx00 K712

Btw yes he prefer these over the argons

Yeah trust me it's such a shame I thought about the same thing, but that leak just makes it impossible sadly

+Kenny Reaume right now, the B&O H6 2nd gen

Nice, I'll have to look into those. Was thinking about trying the DT770s based on your review. Thanks for the response! You're reviews are awesome...keep up the great work!

I wouldn't - make sure you read the DT770 80 ohm review's pinned comment. I recently heard another new 80 ohm pair and it seems they have indeed changed the tuning.

Hey! Just found your channel, really helpful... I'm also looking for office headphones, mostly for metal. I've been going through your videos, but can't seem to find the perfect match so far :). Those B&O you mentioned, you haven't reviewed them yet, right? Will you at some point? Cheers!

+TopGunYesTopGun yeah I'm getting a lot of requests to review those and Tyll has already measured my pair. Need to do the new ZMFs first then B&O is on the list after that. They are still my office headphone of choice

+Arnel H. Ofren haven't heard them all side by side but this should technically be the most detailed from what I've read

I'm really not sure

Supposedly the ebony is a bit more detailed and less hot up top, see the graphs i posted

I just got my set today...wow. Metal's review is spot on. They sound great for rock, blues, jazz, hip hop...ect. These are my 8th pair of cans this year and they are already my favorite. Bass is amazing when present never forced. I love the bass of DT 770's but seems to always be present in all genres. These are so smooth. I stand behind Metal's review 100%. I love Zeos reviews but Metal's taste/reviews in headphones is spot on. Purchase these when they are available on Massdrop with no regrets.

I think these are a bit pricey, but man do they sound awesome. And sometimes sounding like a total blast is worth it.

metal571 They are pricey! Been my daily driver for a week now. I can't complain other than price. $500 is steep, $300 would be a better price. Only gripe is the cord. Hate the cord not being detachable for the price.

All of them are semi

+Jeff G ebony is always 499. Sorry X00 starts at 399 for the mahogany

metal571 ok no worries. Thanks for the reply. Ebony is the preferred choice, but are the other two worth looking at for $399?

+Jeff G yeah mahogany is very similar, but Purpleheart is not something I recommend

metal571 ok great thank you

LCD2 fazor is the one you want then. Big advantages there in stage and detail over the X00 due to the open nature. I'd still keep software EQ handy though. The Audezes EQ well but it's nicer to have a parametric on hand

@@metal571 As always super responsive thanks. There is a second hand pair of LCD 2 Fazors I have found and have the serial number so trying to find out what year they were made (or is this not so relevant with the fazor?) Emailed Audeze but not response sadly. Worried I might be getting a lemon. Hard call this.

@@bradd5961 the owner is supposed to know. The safe thing to do is find one with the suspension headband. As long as it came with the headphone it's a 2018+ so is guaranteed to have the 2016+ driver rev. But Audeze is also supposed to be able to tell you when a serial # has been manufactured.

@@metal571 Just wanted to let you know and anyone else reading the comment that Audeze came through and confirmed the revision. Good job Audeze. FYI these are the revision dates from what they have quoted: The designations known as Rev1, Rev2 and Rev2f correspond to the following characteristics: -Rev1 (aka LCD-2.1): Original driver version -Rev2 (aka LCD-2.2): Thinner metal for traces with less mass for better sound resolution and high frequency response -Rev2f (aka LCD-2.2f): Thinner diaphragm film for additional mass reduction, better sound resolution and more bass definition; with Fazors for improved phase response, better high frequency extension and better imaging. To identify the Rev version of a given pair of LCD-2s, we use the serial number to determine two things: 1) their production date, with anything produced on or after June 16, 2011 being Rev2 2) serial numbers with the first two digits of 54 are Rev2f (meaning they have Fazors). BTW, I was surprised you suggested the LCD2 Fazor. Your review seemed more critical generally than the TH-X00 Ebony. Sounds like they are just another class up. I pulled the plug, so fingers crossed. Audeze also sell the comfort headband that can be swapped in which is nice. Thanks again.

@@bradd5961 there's an additional revision to the drivers of almost every LCD model in 2016 as well, not sure why they didn't mention that. That's the current and ideal model. www.head-fi.org/threads/audezes-2016-revamp-re-voiced-and-re-engineered-headphones-the-entire-line-except-sine-and-el8-ti-these-have-updates-as-standard.804186/

I own both and find that they are different enough to keep both around for different purposes. Both great headphones.

@@StrawMan3 ah well I ended up with elex haha. So good!

+Brad D have not heard it

+Taylan Özberk I mean they'll improve if you have absolutely no dedicated DAC or amp but they're still easy to drive so it should work fine

+Bloodsilver01 yeah these have a ton more bass so there's that, plus the fit isn't as awkward

+Steven Yoon if people send stuff maybe. Purple heart just has a ton of bass and is also brighter at the same time

metal571 Listen to a few purple heart snare drums here on RU-vid. You can clearly hear the influence purple heart has on the sound compared to a more balanced sounding Maple drum.

+RojasTKD7 yeah the ebony is a rare one. The mahogany I heard does indeed sound similar.

metal571 nice new logo BTW :)

metal571 kills amazona's forest. and every-thing living there. animals and humans. and nobody cares. criminal companies and ignorant buyers

innok benz Brasil banned mahogny export in 2001.

I think the PH is just too extreme in the treble and bass for an already V shaped mastered genre like that. I'd just get the ebony and add a bass shelf boost of a few dB if you want more

@@metal571 Wow thank you for replying! You're am awesome reviewer and I appreciate it. Over the last day I was thinking the same thing about just buying the Ebonys and adding more bass to get that boomy effect. You really think that would be perfect and not ever getting purplehearts just for bass? I always worry that I could possibly be missing out on purplehearts somehow lol.

I can't help with feeling like missing out, but I've heard them before and just cannot recommend the ph at all

@@metal571 That's totally fine! I think if I just add the bass to the Ebonys it pretty much becomes the purples but without any of the issues? Like that peaky treble for example on the purples. That's what I've been assuming for the bass anyway and it seem like the right step.

Pretty much

difference between TH-X00 and TR-X00 is the detachable cable

+Алексей Недзвецкий I'm still using the B&O H6 2nd gen

That's the next review

the purple hearts are meant to be a lot more v-shaped

Still wouldn't bring these to an office

Darn, thank you so much for the reply, guess I am sticking to my V-Moda M-100 for now. Do you possibly have any suggestion for me then for closed back headphones, that would be similar to these in terms of sound?

You could check Z reviews sound demo. At the end he demonstrates the isolation.

E-Mu Teak, but really the X00 is still a great can

@@metal571 ...and I was just about to buy the X00 thanks to your review, and now I'm reading this! :) Is there a review coming for the E-Mus? Or some other advice? Thanks a lot!

@@metal571 like, are the E-Mus strictly an upgrade? Especially for metal, and say without eq?

+Ze Bubba yeah these sound quite a bit like a D2000

D2000 had much better comfort than TH-X00's because of the fatter pads and their wider openings. I believe the new pads are shaped that way for sound-purposes mostly.

this is a very odd comparison

@@nickpelayo3172 odd would be comparing the th-x00 to a cow or 🕷️...comparing this headphone to 2 other headphones is not odd. But thanks

@@PalavraVivaUSA well considering this pair isn't a wireless bt headphone and portability plays a huge factor with this comparison I assume, this is just an odd comparison. We can still compare these three but what do you want to know the most about these three headphones? I have all three

@@nickpelayo3172 I have the Bose and believe it or not I just discovered the world of high end headphones..currently trying to get a th900 mk2, focal clear or the audeze lcd-xc... But can't decide!! :'(

@@nickpelayo3172 Oh god....Just purchased a th900 mkii

+Ege Akbaba yeah one of the major downsides. There is am Emu Teak that has a removable cable. Same driver

Wow i wasn't expecting a answer :P Keep up the amazing work man !

+Daniel McDavid hahaha thanks

Very different