To celebrate its 50th anniversary, the Japanese headphone manufacturer has debuted the Fostex TH-616. As you can expect, this anniversary release will be available in limited quantities.
This release is so special that Fostex will assemble each pair of the TH-616 headphones individually. That kind of gives away how premium each unit’s build quality will be.
For context, the housing of the Fostex TH-616 is made of premium solid black walnut wood. Everything about this wood housing, from the aesthetics to the feel, echoes the artistry of classic Japanese woodworking.
Regarding the design, the Fostex TH-616 headset takes inspiration from a natural phenomenon. It aims to capture the moment when sunlight produces a radiant glow as it filters through nature amidst the trees.
This precision-machined build isn’t just about the looks, though. It also upholds structural rigidity and excels in terms of eliminating the generation of modal vibrations. Each of the openings that’s on the headphone is meticulously sized. This prevents resonances at different frequencies.
Under the aesthetic housing, the Fostex TH-616 features a BIODYNA diaphragm. It’s made of ultra-fine bio-cellulose fiber material. The skills and expertise of the Japanese audio expert truly shine in this regard.
Fostex has blended the bio-cellulose fibers skillfully with other materials under optimal conditions. This results in the headset achieving a low specific gravity and high internal Young’s modulus.
All these properties of the Fostex TH-616 make it deliver faithful reproduction of high-resolution audio. It can also reproduce delicate mid-high frequencies beautifully.
The open-back headset can accurately reproduce low mid-range frequencies alongside a substantial amplitude level thanks to including a free edge.
Besides, the magnetic circuitry of the Fostex TH-616 includes a 50 mm driver unit that features an impressive magnetic flux density of 1 Tesla. This ultra-strong nature of the magnetic circuit guarantees minimal distortion and a wide dynamic range.
Moreover, the headset utilizes aluminum for the mechanical components inside. This results in superior quality and keeps the unit light in weight.
Incorporating high-specific gravity resin for the baffle plate effectively addresses and minimizes resonance noise. This eventually ensures exceptional resolution, high-quality bass, and lush mid-range reproduction.
As for the detachable headphone connection terminals, they are rhodium-plated to improve hardness, corrosion resistance, and abrasion resistance. Such a construction of terminals makes the open-back headset extremely reliable.
The Fostex TH-616 comes with a pure copper headphone cable. Fostex enhanced the wire through a specialized process. It also ensures impeccable conductivity, precisely rendering the entire bandwidth spectrum.
For those who want to get their hands on the TH-616, it’s currently in the pre-order phase. The brand has yet to state when it will start shipping the headphones.
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