Fostex TH1100RP Premium Open Back Headphone (Indigo).
The TH1000RP and TH1100RP are flagship RP headphones that incorporate Fostex's proprietary state-of-the-art premium grade RP planar magnetic driver technology in a solid wood housing. Dyed with Aizome from Tokushima, known as Japan's reknowned indigo dyeing method, the headphones are carefully assembled in Japan. This one-of-a-kind texture brings out the beauty of the individually different wood grain that is unique to traditional Aizome. Fostex's 50 years of flat diaphragm RP technology come together beautifully in two models of flagship headphones, a closed type and an open type.
Premium RP planar magnetic driver
The RP technology planar diaphragm driver technology, developed in 1974 and continually refined ever since, has a newly developed planar diaphragm, much larger than the conventional RP driver used in T50RPmk3/mk4. In addition to increasing the number of magnets that sandwich the diaphragm, as well as a newly designed pattern and shape for the printed coil, the magnetic circuit components have been redesigned to optimize the magnetic flux distribution. All of these work together to suppress unwanted resonance in the diaphragm. This simultaneously achieves high sensitivity, smooth frequency response, and excellent transient characteristics, enabling accurate and delicate reproduction from heavy bass to high frequencies, and the ability to express a clear sound image in space with a clear sense of localization.
Hard maple solid wood housing finished with "Aizome,” a traditional Japanese dyeing method
The solid hard maple wood housing, known as a material for guitars, is dyed with Awa Aizome from Tokushima, which has long been valued for its high-quality dyeing. The wood is carefully dyed one by one by skilled crafts persons, resulting in a deep indigo color that beautifully reveals the unique grain of the hard maple wood. Dyeing with Aizome, made exclusively from the indigo plant, allows the hard maple's density and specific gravity to take advantage of its properties that do not add unnecessary color to the sound, allowing the player to user a firm, deep bass range and clear, extended treble range. The open-type TH1100RP reproduces a natural sound field with a high resolution and a low listening fatigue, which is appropriate for the premium open-type RP, using double aluminum etched parts in the housing aperture and careful fine-tuning of the aperture ratio and each internal part.
Genuine indigo, the dye used in Aizome, is a natural dye with a long history in Japan and was even used in ukiyoe prints of the Edo period. Among indigo dyes, Tokushima's Awa Aizome has long been known throughout Japan as an indispensable dye for high-end dyed goods because of its rich and luxurious appearance. The TH1000RP and TH1100RP housings are dyed with Aizome made exclusively from natural tade indigo, which does not damage wood, and are repeatedly applied by hand and over a period of days, with a period to cure in between. During this process, changes in temperature and humidity affect the drying of the dye, and the conditions under which the fine color particles penetrate the wood structure vary depending on the grain of each housing. The result is a one-of-a-kind housing with a deep blue hue unique to indigo, while the smooth grain of the maple wood beautifully emerges, and the texture of each housing is completely different, even from left to right.
* Genuine indigo used to dye the housing is also used as part of the blue in Hokusai Katsushika's " Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji "
Newly adopted lightweight magnesium alloy mechanical parts
A refreshed design using Magnesium alloy for mechanical parts, such as the housing base plate and hanger, help reduce overall weight by 20% compared to aluminum. Rubber packing is used for the rotation mechanism to eliminate excess vibration as much as possible. The design concept of taking every detail of each part into consideration has further improved the wearing comfort.
Newly shaped ear pads with new materials
The newly shaped ear pads, which are asymmetrical to optimize the wearing comfort, are made of low-resilience cushions and silk protein synthetic leather that is three times more durable than conventional ear pads, ensuring a comfortable fit even over long periods of listening.
Flexible fitting head pad and headband
The head pad and headband are made of natural sheepskin material, providing a supple and comfortable fit.
7N grade cable for internal wiring and highly reliable detachable connector port
The removable connector on the headphone body, as well as the detachable connector terminal, are both rhodium-plated terminals. Balanced connection is also supported with the optional XLR terminal cable (ET-H3.0N7BL), and a 4.4 mm balanced cable (ET-TH4.4BL) is also planned for release.
Includes high-purity OFC unbalanced cable
Includes 7N (99.999999%) grade high-purity OFC (Oxygen Free Copper) unbalanced cable, which eliminates impurities to the utmost limit to enhance transmission performance.
Specifications:
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Type: TH1000RP = Closed Dynamic, TH1100RP = Open-back Dynamic
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Driver: RP planar magnetic
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Impedance: 32 ohm
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Sensitivity: TH1000RP= 100 dB/ mW, TH1100RP=96 dB/ Mw *tentative
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Max Input: 3,000 mW
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Freq. response: 5 – 40,000 Hz
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Weight: Approx.420 g (excluding cable)
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Cable: 2 m Y-type 2-pin (detachable connector rhodium plated)
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Detachable terminal: 2-pin (rhodium-plated on the gold-plated base)
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Plug: Φ 6.3 mm gold-plated stereo standard plug
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Accessories: Leather pouch, Owner’s Manual
