Paradox Audio modified T50RP by LFF

Disclaimer: This review is dedicated to Flysweep, who generously got this headphone on a loan tour for friends at Head-Fi.org. Such a great man.

The modder, LFF himself.

In September of 2011, a Head-Fi user, LFF, introduces his modified Fostex T50RP, Paradox, with a ground-breaking modification technique utilized. Once enough feedback has been gathered, he commercializes the model at his website, Paradox Audio.

In contrast to the stock version, Paradox comes with higher sound quality, which is comparable to that of more expensive headphones like Sennheiser HD650, HiFiMAN HE-500, and even LCD-2, according to Purrin. And on top of that, Paradox features an elastic headband for comfort, and a pair of sock-pads, which turns T50RP a semi-open earpad headphone. LFF hints that these pads are simply the upper part of female black socks with a pair of Fischer Audio FA-003 earpads sowed together. What a brilliant idea.

PRO: Once fitted properly, Paradox offers better clarity in the mid-range. With radiation impedance kicking in, thanks to the open-air sock-pads. The driver is better dampened, thus decreasing the distortion along slightly.

CON: Fitting is extremely tricky, as the sock-pads are moving around randomly whenever the headphone is touched or the head is tilted. A slight misfit may result in a substantial loss of bass, as the sock-pads are quite loose in acoustic resistance.

ON SECOND THOUGHT #1: There have been quite a few measurements on this Paradox modification by Purrin of Changstar, Tyll Hertsens of Innerfidelity, and others, but none of them actually tells you a damn about what the mod actually does. So here goes Paradox's head-to-head comparison against my stock T50RP, with the same stock pleather pads attached, at the exact same position on EURI.

Above comparison indicates that the air compliance in the rear cavity has been decreased with additional damping in the rear cabinet. This is not a rocket science, and anybody can easily DIY this by using a damping material themselves. (of which will be covered in the upcoming part 3 of my T50RP analysis) In other words, this little extra damping in the back, the sock-pads & elastic headband are worth $400.

ON SECOND THOUGHT #2: Since the modder seals frontal screws with resin, the rear portion of the headphone is not accessible, unless it is completely disintegrated by means of destroying the housing. It seems LFF is trying to hide his 'secret' behind the modification technique of Paradox, and his intention is quite understandable as some do not prefer open-source of information. However, sealing screws off like this not only makes additional modification impossible, but also leaves users completely stranded should the drivers fail; This is no more than an irresponsible practice done by the modder. If a customer is wiling to pay a modder $$$ for modification service, then his/her right to revert the mod shall be reserved as well, IMHO.

ON SECOND THOUGHT #2: Is this modified headphone worth the hype, on par with more expensive headphones such as HD650 or HE-500 as far as the sound quality goes? I doubt it is. Paradox is certainly better than what the stock configuration offers, but the inherent fitting issue virtually prevents users from achieving an interchannel match in the frequency spectrum, and consequently, its signature mid-rich sound.