Fostex TH610 Review

The release of the TH610 is coming fresh off the re-release of Fostex’s flagship closed-back reference headphone, the TH900-mkII. While the design and ware of the TH610 is similar to the rest of the TH series. They employ Fostex’s bio-dynamic diaphragm, which is designed to reduce low end acoustic energy which helps negate the physical limitations of closed back headphones ability to work around low end gain.

Fostex TH610 Headphone Review

Out of the Box

Fostex has always had a more laid back approach with the packaging and casing of their top of the line models. The headphones come in a loose fitting foam case with the headphone, one set of 2-pin cables, tech specs, and booklet.

Design

The TH610 follows the design and fit of the TH series to a tee. The headphone shell is made of black walnut, and because of the grain of the wood every pair of headphones is going to look different. The connectors used are two pin removable cables. The fit of headphone is pretty lightweight and comfortable. The clamping force is balanced for comfort and stability.

Specs

Driver:    50mm Neodymium magnet / Bio-dyna diaphragm
Impedance:    25 ohm
Sensitivity:    98dB / mW
Frequency Response:    5Hz – 45kHz
Connector:    2-pin  (gold-plated with rhodium over-coated)

Sound Quality

Low End

For a closed back headphone the low end is much more tame than you would expect, this is because of the bio-dynamic diaphragms. The TH610’s offer a very detailed and analytic low end for a closed back headphone. The bass isn’t too extended into the lower frequency range, but it offers a good representation for the information present.

Mid Range

There is a lot of clarity in the mid range that really gains in the upper-mid frequency range of the headphone. This can cause some sounds to come off too bright and start to become a little harsh. There is a slight boost in sibilance because of the coloration in the high-mids. Other than that the mid range offers good definition to material present. There is good definition when the frequency range gets cluttered with information.

High End

The high end benefits from the coloration in the upper mid range because the boost carries over harmonic content to the higher end. This adds a good amount of brightness to the higher end of the frequency range. Really helps higher end strings and cymbals by adding brilliance and airiness.

Soundstage

Due to the physical limitations of the closed back headphone design the sound-stage isn’t that great. While it can offer space for reverb to decay and build a sizable room, the positioning of instruments is narrow.

Overall Impressions

This pair of headphones is a great follow up and addition to Fostex’s TH series. Fostex does something different by bringing unusually bright sound characteristics to a closed back headphone. The headphones are going after a flat response, while they’re close the mid range is overpowering the frequency spectrum. What is strange is that Fostex doesn’t seem to be building a shared sound quality in this new TH series. One thing that was a little bothersome was that I kept having to adjust my playback volume from song to song. This is probably because of the heightened mid range being more present in some mixes than others.

Recommendations

If you are hunting for a hifi closed back headphone then the Fostex TH610 is a good option to keep in mind. There are only a handful of decent quality closed back headphones that perform at this level and price point. Since it only runs at 25 ohms it’s a great portable headphone that can run without an amp.

You can find these headphones for the best price at:

Audio 46 (Use our promo code, “majorhifi” to get 10% off)