Massdrop x Fostex TR-X00 Purpleheart Headphones Reviews | Drop

Massdrop x Fostex TR-X00 Purpleheart Headphones

Showing 1 of 87 reviews about:

Oct 8, 2018

Verified Buyer

I want to write this review dedicated to those who are on the fence on buying these headphones, and already have the HD6XX or some high fidelity neutral pair of headphones. I'll hold off on reviewing the sound but focus more on the value proposition. I originally did not feel like I was missing anything, I had some darker headphones and some which were supposedly heavy on bass - so I was holding off on buying anything new, until I saw this. My immediate reaction was to brush it off and think "It can't be as good as the reviews" - but this is really a pair of headphones that continues to impress me. Since I received my pair two weeks ago, I haven't picked up my HD6XX because these are so much fun. When I consistently listened to the HX6XX - everything is there, it doesn't lack in anything. It's complete and accurate but for songs that I KNOW have heavier bass (EDM, Hip Hop / Rap) I don't find myself listening to it as much. After I purchased the HD6XX, my music profile shifted heavier into rock, metal, classic rock and some classical. In my mind, I didn't feel like I was in the mood for EDM / Hip Hop / Rap because subconsciously I had a feeling that something was missing. And I didn't want to feel this way about a headphone / amp / DAC combo that ran me 800$+. After finally pulling the trigger on this, I'm happily listening to EDM, Hip Hop, and Rap once more. In the end, EDM doesn't have fantastic recording quality anyways - so it really needed reproduction of bass / highs the way it sounds in a concert - which it does. The bass has higher fidelity than in a concert environment. If you feel like you've moved away from EDM / Rap / Hip Hop because you've been listening to neutral headphones, get these - it will fill the gap allowing you to listen to your entire sound profile. After longer listening, I noticed a few details:

The Purple Hearts have a very RESPONSIVE bass. It doesn't slap it everywhere and on everything.
This will make you want to turn t up past your normal listening volume because live music causes your bones to vibrate from loud bass - headphones will not cause the same sensation so be aware of the volume.
Stock pads are good enough for me.

If you happen to have the IEMs RHA T10i's, the Fostex TR-X00 Mahogany has a similar bass response to them (depth, resolution, and impact), but with higher resolution on the treble (although more fatiguing). The RHA T10i's tend to add its bass onto everything (with some reservation), where the TR-X00's tend to be more track dependent. EDIT: ~6 months after my purhcase This pair of headphones is my favorite of my entire collection, by far. These sound great on every genre I listen to at this point. Initially, I was not used to the extension of bass on certain genres. Now that I've grown into these, these have demonstrated their excellence in every single song I listen to. The only downfall is that the depth of imaging is not as good as the HD650's (its not even that much worse). It just sounds like you're standing closer to the stage, front up and center. The HD650's sound like you're further back, with a beer or a glass of wine, a bit relaxed. The sibilance does make it hard to listen to for a long period of time, by long I mean multiple hours. You do grow into them, and when moving back to a lower treble pair of cans, you'll notice and really appreciate the warmth. Because of this adjustment to more bass, more treble, when going back to something like the HD650's, you realize you're THEN back to baseline. It's kind of like - the purple hearts is a photo with photoshop color enhancements, and the HD650's are a Nikon shot - slightly dulled but accurate, refined, and smooth.

(Edited)

Was this helpful?

Nov 17, 2018

Ajs308This is exactly what I was looking for in these headphones. Your review sums up how I have been feeling. I love my 6XX but sometimes I want some thick heavy bass and although the mid bass on the 6xx is prety good its not enough sometimes. Thanks a lot for the review it really helped me decide to get these. Ill let you know what I think of them when they arrive.

Nov 18, 2018

Jeff-DI still stand by every word! I was at a concert recently (Seven Lions, EDM) and was actually blown away at how much of a music snob those headphones made me. I eventually wanted to leave the concert because the audio quality was crappy while it was too loud and likely damaging my ears. You'll probably have the same experience after listening to these, the bass at a concert location won't be impressive unless they have a really good set up! One thing I love about these headphones, it doesn't just slap bass on everything. It only puts the bass there if it's in the song. I really appreciate this as it allows me to use these to listen to other genres (some funk etc). P.S. If you're into the IEM gear (I recently got into it myself, so am no expert) the T10i by RHA has been what I've been rocking for the same bass thick music I think you're looking at. For precision, I recently got the BGVP DM6 which are absolutely stunning. More fidelity than the HD6XX.

GiantHeadphoneSquid

639

Nov 18, 2018

Ajs308For the best live music experience, treat yourself to some acoustically filtered ear plugs - they'll attenuate the sound such that you'll actually be able to resolve more detail from the performance, since they adjust for frequency based attenuation and hearing model. You will still feel the spine massaging sub bass of the venues' excessive sound system, but you'll simultaneously be able to capture the rich higher frequency details that are otherwise utterly BTFO'd in your poor eardrum. Massdrop regularly do drops of such things, there are a few brands that I am sure do well. I personally got a pair of Etymotic ER20XS after a particularly loud Megadeth concert a few years ago, and I have never looked back. Protect your ears, while being able to enjoy the live music at higher fidelity - total no brainer :)

Nov 22, 2018

Ajs308I just got them today and they exceeded my expectations. They are almost as good as the senns for the voices and I completely see what you mean about bass only when it should be there. Not only do these have better bass and sparkly sweet highs but the detail is better then the 6xx and 4xx. They are definitely more intimate headphones they have a smaller sound stage then the above mentioned but that's ok with me. These are the closest ive gotten to my ideal headphones so far. I'm really impressed by these. I thought they would just be my bass cans but I love them for everything. If they sounded wider had slightly better mids but maintained the detail and bass and treble these would be endgame cans for me. I am very happy with them. They are definitely worth it. Sorry if this was written sloppily I'm really tired rn. Also this is just my initial impression it will likely change with time.

audioinmyears

Dec 12, 2018

Ajs308Having the same headphones, I agree 100% with the above. Very well written!

Dec 12, 2018

Jeff-DReally glad you like them! I did find myself loving them more as I listened to them more.

Dec 12, 2018

audioinmyearsThank you!

Vote

Esclah

Dec 14, 2018

Ajs30850mm drivers really make a difference to the impact of bass. the 6xx doesn't have 50mm so should make sense that the TR-X00 has the bass.

Dec 15, 2018

EsclahI mean my 4xx has prety big drivers and it has the least bass of my 3 good headphones.

Esclah

Dec 15, 2018

Jeff-D4xx? I'm afraid I don't know those ones.

Vote

Esclahhttps://www.massdrop.com/buy/massdrop-x-hifiman-he4xx-planar-magnetic-headphones

Dec 15, 2018

Vote

Esclah

Dec 15, 2018

Jeff-DOh the HE4xx. Open back and as well a different type of driver technology.

Vote

Dec 19, 2018

EsclahI also have the Fidelio X2's which are 50mm drivers - their bass is OK, but I think most of it is because of the open back structure (even though it isn't truely open back).

Vonx1

Nov 12, 2019

Ajs308I purchased these second hand this can't directly review them here, but I just wanted to share my owner opinions and say that they a) are excellent for all the reasons people have explained and b) there are a lot of things worth knowing that may have not been shared, I'll list them: - sibilance decreases over time, and I don't think it's just brain-in. They are noticibly less treble heavy than when I received them after 200ish listening hours -you can very easily adjust the sound without extra money by adjusting the hole positioning of the dampening rings (foam rings under the pads). See whitigars th900 ez mod thread on headfi, they apply to all fostex models. -want more soundstage width? Pads with larger openings can achieve that, and custom attenuators (that mimic the internal attenuators stiched into the stock pads) can easily be inserted into any pad, and adjust the sound further. -cups with larger chamber depth (like lohb's wood cups, or emu teak cups) provide a cleaner and more open sound at the expense of a little midbass impact, and provide a nice tuning alternative that you can easily switch between. -partial Lawton mod (just the material attached to the driver and not the cup foam) cleans up and increases the quality of treble while taking the edge off, and also tightens up the bass without removing much bass quantity that makes them great. Easy to remove or partially remove if you find them overdampened

See More Reviews

PRODUCTS YOU MAY LIKE

Massdrop x Sennheiser HD 6XX Headphones

$199

Massdrop x Sennheiser HD 58X Jubilee Headphones

$149

Drop + HIFIMAN HE4XX Planar Magnetic Headphones

$189

Massdrop x Koss Porta Pro X Headphones

$39

Drop + EPOS PC38X Gaming Headset

$169

Drop Earpads for HD 6XX & 58X

$29

Massdrop x Koss KSC75X On-Ear Headphones

$20

Koss KPH30i Headphones

$19.99

Drop + EPOS PC38X Yellow Gaming Headset

$169

Massdrop x Meze 99 Noir Closed-Back Headphones

$199

Trending Posts in Audiophile

Ringo9th

Tax shipping to Denmark

Hi. Have never Bought from the US. I want hd 58x and 6xx in the same order. How much is the tax?thanks

Mar 17, 2025

General

Vote

ransam

The audio on my pc38x is not working

One day I just plugged in my Pc38x and they stopped working. I tested the mic and it works, I've tried changing the cord multiple times and have adjusted the volume disk, none of this has changed my situation. I've tested the headphones on my PC, switch, and PS5 and the audio doesn't work there either.

Mar 10, 2025

Questions

Vote

SPPofMN

Meze 99 Noir

Heard a lot about these in the past few years, and they sound as good as they look. Deep bass, crystal clear midrange, and solid treble, overall superior sound. Great for multiple genres, special...

Mar 2, 2025

Photos

VNTG-4U

DROP IS BROKEN ON MS EDGE MOBILE (ANDROID)

ISSUE : Support on Edge Browser for Android is 100% BROKEN. IMAGES will _NOT_ Display/render.

Feb 20, 2025

General

Vote

Bels

Hifiman x Dekoni Cobalt or Massdrop x Meze 99 Noir

Im looking to buy a set of closed back headphones under $200. So far the two main contenders are the Cobalt and Noir. Has anyone compared these two? which seems to be better? Both are around the same price. Ive heard the cobalt is lacking in bass, while thats not ideal im not too worried as I dont often listen to bassy music.

Feb 18, 2025

Questions

Vote

Island-Listener

Bmr 1 V2 Discount

Ive seen folkes saying that they got a discount on the V2 because they bought V1. i am a version 1 buying and would like to know how can I claim that offer if its still available.

Jan 28, 2025

General

Koalich

Xduoo Poke II repair

Hi friends, I recently had a mishap with my Xduoo Poke II, that is, it fell out of my hands and now it turns on but the command buttons now work sometimes and sometimes not. I have written several times to Xduoo directly because it was with them that I bought this Dac and to find out what I can do about it but after two months I have not received a response. I live in Mexico City but I would like to know if anyone knows of a technical service in the US that could repair my Poke II and know if it would be worth it for me taking into account the cost of repair and the issue of shipping, or if it is better to think about buying a new portable Dac. Thanks and Cheers everybody.

Jan 20, 2025