[image] Hello, to preface, I've at one point owned Massdrop x Fostex TR-X00 Ebony, TH-X00 Mahogany, E-Mu Teak, and Denon AH-D2000. To be honest I actually have no issue with their stock pads in terms of comfort, but the reason why I dive into this pad swap journey is because my AH-D2000 is getting old the and old pads are flaking/dying. Denon AH-D2000 is also discontinued so now I'm out of luck finding OEM pads, so I've been trying different 3rd party pads and when I do I'd try them on the other headphones too. IN SHORT, STOCK PAD HAS THE BEST SOUND HANDS DOWN. So if you're too lazy to keep reading, basically just stick to stock pads. But if you're curious about what other possibilities you might have (or other failures), read on. Also keep in mind that I don't own EVERY pads out there so some are just from what I read during my research, so feel free to correct me/update me if you know anything I don't know, thanks...

In light of the recent release of the Fostex TR-X00 headphones with a factory detachable cable, an update many have requested ever since the first drop, I immediately began to feel buyer's remorse and jealousy. I decided to take it upon myself to update my TH-X00 with detachable cables and bring you along through the process with pictures so that you may be better informed to endeavour if you choose to do the same. Here's the completed assembly of what we'll be doing: [image] PREFACE: It goes without saying that doing this will void any form of warranty on your headphones. Also, you could permanently damage components of the headphones. Continue at your own risk. There are a few things I would like to cover before we go ahead with the step-by-step. Connectors: There are many types of connectors available for this mod. I decided to go with 3.5mm jacks and plugs since these are the most readily available and easy to find parts. Pre-made cables with 3.5mm connectors are also easy...

Want better sound quality and more volume from your iPhone/laptop/MP3 player? You need a DAC. What is a DAC? A DAC, or digital-to-analog converter, converts digitally-stored information into the analog sound that we can hear. A USB DAC is like an external sound card that can easily be plugged into your PC, laptop, tablet, phone or other music player. Why does a signal need to be converted at all? The original analog sound made by our favorite bands is recreated in a digital format, for storing convenience. While computers can understand these digital signals, we humans (I'm making an assumption here about our readership) cannot, nor can your speakers or headphones. So before we can listen to it, the digital signal needs to be returned to analog. A standard DAC is built into laptops and music players. However: the better the DAC, the higher quality the conversion, and therefore the better sound you’ll hear from your speakers or headphones. I’ve never used a DAC before, so why...

I cannot tell you the number of times I have heard a conversation about amplifier power go like this: “I hear that B&W speakers need at least 400W,” or, “I heard that Paradigm speakers are very power-hungry.” The fact is, there IS a way to figure out how much power your speakers will need and how to pair an amplifier with the speakers you already own or are looking to purchase. To determine the amplifier power, you will need the following items: Speaker sensitivity specification (typically dB SPL /1W /1m) Number of speakers you are using Distance from speaker(s) How loud do you want your music to sound, for general reference 70-80dB for speech only 80-95dB for light music 95-110dB for heavy music Rules to Remember Every time you double power or double the number of speakers, you increase the sound pressure level (SPL) by 3dB. Every time you double the distance from the speaker, you decrease SPL by 6dB. A speaker specification of 95 dB SPL/1W/1m means that at 1W of power, the...

Product specifications often list the signal-to-noise ratio, sometimes written as "SNR" or "S/N," but what does it mean? While the math behind SNR is technical, the concept is not, and this value can impact a system's overall sound quality. SNR compares the level of a signal to the level of noise. In other words, it compares the ratio between the relevant (wanted) and the irrelevant (unwanted) information. It is most often expressed as a measurement of decibels (dB). Higher numbers generally mean a better sound quality, since there is more useful information (the signal) than there is unwanted data (the noise). A decibel is a logarithmic ratio in which every 20 dB represents a factor of 10. For example, going from 80dB to 100dB means increasing by 10 times. This means that an audio component having an SNR of 100 dB will have 10 times less noise than one that has 80 dB. The chart below shows how different dB ratios actually compute. [image] For illustration, let's say that...

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