The Fostex TH500RP ranks #381 out of 417 total Over-Ear Headphones for sound quality. See all Headphones rankings for every top pick.
Brand: Fostex
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#381 Fostex TH500RP Discontinued eBay
Pros: Lower mids sit within about 0.5 dB of target, keeping voices and guitars natural.
Cons: Discontinued, so it is mainly found used. Presence sits about 7.5 dB low with a 10.3 dB dip near 3.8 kHz, so vocals and instruments lose some bite. Sub-bass is 22.7 dB short at 30 Hz, so deep bass lacks rumble. A Harman score of 45 places it in the lower part of the over-ear rankings.
| Released | Aug 2014 (12 years ago) |
|---|---|
| Back | Open |
| Connection | Wired |
| Deviation From Target | 4.61 dB standard deviation |
| Driver Type | Planar magnetic |
| Form Factor | Over-ear |
| Frequency Response | 20Hz - 30kHz |
| Harman Preference Score | 45 (measured by oratory1990, via AutoEQ) |
| Impedance | 48 ohms |
| Sensitivity | 93 dB/mW |
| Sub-bass Extension | Falls 6 dB below target at 80 Hz (-22.7 dB at 30 Hz) |
| Tonal Tilt | -0.72 (negative is warmer, positive brighter) |
| Weight | 0.8 lbs (380 g) |
EQ preset to match the Harman target
Set a preamp of -6.5 dB, then add these filters in any parametric equalizer (Wavelet, Equalizer APO, Peace, or a player with parametric EQ). Calculated by AutoEQ from its measured frequency response.
| Filter | Frequency | Gain | Q |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low shelf | 105 Hz | +7.1 dB | 0.70 |
| Peak | 160 Hz | -6.2 dB | 0.35 |
| Peak | 3,208 Hz | +5.6 dB | 1.17 |
| Peak | 7,399 Hz | +4.4 dB | 1.65 |
| Peak | 69 Hz | +4.3 dB | 1.52 |
| High shelf | 10,000 Hz | +1.2 dB | 0.70 |
| Peak | 1,075 Hz | -2.8 dB | 2.23 |
| Peak | 1,584 Hz | +2.6 dB | 3.81 |
| Peak | 378 Hz | +1.3 dB | 2.21 |
| Peak | 154 Hz | -0.5 dB | 1.97 |
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