FostexAMS-T60RP Premium Planar Magnetic Headphones

I've owned ATH-m50x, ATH-m40x, and HE350 on a Schiit stack. I've bought and returned HE560s because they weren't worth the price and the sound signature was too thin. I've never heard another Fostex pair of headphones, so I cannot compare to the T50RPs with or without mods.All I can say is that these cans are the best cans I've ever heard, except for maybe the HE1000 that I demoed at a trade show. They are so damn thick, rich, and precise! Bass is really present, smooth, and detailed. Vocals aren't as forward as something like a m40x, but are extremely filled out and pleasant to listen to. Soundstage isn't very wide, but the placement is very precise. Gaming in these is really immersive.They are also very comfortable out of the box. I tend to replace my Audio Technica gear with Brainwavz hybrid or velour just for comfort. But the pleather pads are very nice and I haven't felt the need to experiment. Build quality is beautiful and feels robust. The 3.5mm jack is super convenient. The cable that comes with it is high quality and sleeved. If I had a balanced system I'd spring for the four pole balanced cable.I hear something in the Schiit Magni range is the lowest power gear you should use, because they're pretty power hungry. Word on the street is that if you try running it off say an iphone or even a Dragon Fly Red, you won't get the full sound signature, even if they are driven to loud volumes. These are not portable headphones.If you're in the price range and have an amp that can power them, it's a no-brainer.Update 1/19/2019: Unfortunately I have to take off two stars because the left ear cup’s hinge has developed a persistent creaking any time I move my head or jaw. That’s a pretty serious flaw for a headphone of this price tier, and completely ruins the user experience.

Well i will start this review by saying...this is the best sounding headphone i have ever heard. And i have tried a lot of headphones. Remember that audio is a very personal thing and that what i find awesome it might be just good to you. In any case, there are two things about this headphone that to me they do better than any other headphone i have tried and those two things are the imaging and highs. The imaging on this headphone is super amazingly precise. There's so much clarity and resolution. There's a song that before using this headphone, in certain parts of the music i thought that only one singer was singing. With this headphone i can clearly heard other singers behind the usual one and i can clearly heard woman voices and men voices singing behind. For me that was a nice revelation. In gaming the super precise imaging has helped me a lot with footsteps and enemy's coming from different places. The highs are sweet, ok maybe thats not a good description but to me they are sweet to my ears. The highs are sweet, clear, detailed. The mids are awesome too. The voice clarity of this headphone is amazing. There's so much texture and resolution and clarity in the mids that...ufff i have no words to describe it. The low end is, to me, perfect. If you like crazy amount of bass look for another headphone because this one is very very detailed and controlled with the low end. The bass is perfect to me, very tight and impactful. Everything about the sound is just awesome.The build quality is spectacular too. They are BEAUTIFUL. That wood is so nice. The headphone is very sturdy and well made. Detachable cable! Yeiii! Awesome! But fostex didn't stop there! fostex did the wiring inside to support balance connections too! Awesome! The cable that comes with the headphone is very good, kinda short if you dont have your amp next to you on your desk but...you can buy any extension you want. The pads are super comfortable. They are of very very good quality. Man this is the best headphone i have ever tried.

I bought this headphone new on 10/1/21 and the one I received has zero creaking problems that many have complained about. Seems that Fostex has fixed this problem. I also own the Fostex T50RP, which I have modded myself and used for several years. I love my modded T50RP's but I recently damaged it beyond repair. After reading the glowing reviews of the T60RP I decided to upgrade. The sound is more refined with better bass, but I was not happy with the supplied leather ear pads. In my opinion they seriously harm the soundstage these cans are capable of. I replaced them with the Shure Alcantara pads from my damaged T50's and now the sound is glorious in all respects. The Shure pads are more comfortable too, and look great and fit perfectly on the T60's.