Fostex FE206E socket phase plug

[Hrappur]

Well it says on his page that it´s a steal rod under the phase plug
These are the exact words on decwares page about the modified fe206

In the illustration above, you can see a cross sectional view of the main components involved with the application of this device. They are as follows:

A) Stock steel pole piece that it attaches to.

B) The voice coil bobbin that it sets inside.

C) Shown in red - the phase guide itself.

G) The speaker cone.

[johninCR]

Originally posted by Hrappur
Well it says on his page that it´s a steal rod under the phase plug
These are the exact words on decwares page about the modified fe206

In the illustration above, you can see a cross sectional view of the main components involved with the application of this device. They are as follows:

A) Stock steel pole piece that it attaches to.

B) The voice coil bobbin that it sets inside.

C) Shown in red - the phase guide itself.

G) The speaker cone.

The "stock pole piece" is just part of your driver. All you do is cut a hole the right size in the dust cap and stick the socket on, which is held very firmly by the magnetic pole piece. It's really that simple.

I see from the actual picture of one that mine is upside down compared to the one pictured, but his drawing shows a tapered type of socket with a different orientation. I have a feeling that exact shape, size, and orientation of the socket doesn't make a big difference. With and without makes an audible difference in the higher range. I'll try mine the other way too and report back only if I hear a difference between the two orientations.

[Hrappur]

Cool keep us posted. Im intrested to try this mod my self, but im still building the HDT towers

Ps. thnxs for setting me strait about the rod thing, theres no knowing what i would have done to my drivers

[sirmistermatt]

Awww cripes!!

I just typed out a HUGE review of this FE206E upgrade, and lost it.

Oh well...

Bottom line is, this upgrade is VERY BIG.

Sound relaxes greatly - but you get much more detail

Midrange shout all but disappears.

Cymbals shimmer and have life - and a life cycle with a clear leading edge, sounding and decay, not just a generic shhh and that's it. The difference could be described as "hey I am listening live on a studio monitor" versus "hey that's a really good sounding cymbal sample on my digital keyboard!" Not quite that drastic, but that does paint the picture pretty well.

You don't realize it so much if you've only heard the "stock" driver, but it has a telephone-y quality and a honkiness, as described by prior reviewer. I thought this was BS or not applicable to me, but I made sure to only do one dustcapectomy at first so I could compare modded versus stock. Clearly a telephony quality on the stock driver.

Bass ripples and is alive.

You hear fingers plucking strings on guitars, etc.

Backs-of-tongues click on throats, such as the Chesky Sampler Disc (1992) announcer. Good stuff.

Other reviewers have been more reserved. For me, though it is SHOCKING how much of a change this made

I build these using David Dicks' "1.3" design.

The pre-mod speakers did really well with hi-fi, well-recorded stuff and sounded like crap on pop and the like. Now they sound far better, and with both styles of music.

EXTREMELY pleased with the upgrade, THANK YOU for reporting on it.

My procedure was:

Dustcapectomy
Shave off any leftover bits
Sand with 400 grit nice and smooth

Bought the new Craftsman "easy read" sockets 15/16, 1/2", 12 point. Turned the "easy read" engraving facing down upon installation.

They are "pure" cylinder shaped outside, no ridges or grooves. They sound FANTASTIC. The upgrade is NOT subtle.

Sigh...wish I had my full review, but oh well.

For references sake, I am 26 years old and my system is:

T-amp pasted to "roof" of Dantimax Remote-3 passive remote controlled preamp. Directly wired inside.

HD-14 speaker cable, directly soldered to solder pads of Fostex FE206E drivers. Only one solder joint between amp and drivers, no speaker wire connection posts on back of speakers.

Great synergy on this system.

[DaveCan]

The newest phase plug that Decware uses in the 206 is a non-magnetic cast resin version called the PG2 and costs $35.00 a pair.

You can find it in the master catalog and it's talked about in the white paper link.. Dave

[kaan]

Well today I read this thread and decided that I had waited long enough. I crafted a pair of plugs in wood and sat down and cut a hole in my 206's. Just the sound of the knife going through the paper was enought to make me jump. Well ... I did complete the dustcap removal without any problems other than my beating heart.

The above description of the resulting soundimprovements is my experience as well.

Next I'll be ordering proper plugs from Planet10

[sirmistermatt]

Really man, I have not heard the plugs, but unless you are super-prissy, this sound upgrade was so huge that I doubt the other plugs will improve it much.

Seriously, I have no real desire to be on the boards anymore, no upgraditis or anything. Just stunned silence. I am finally happy after years of agonized acquisition and eager divestment to fund the next acquisition!

However I do want to write up my "exit strategy" rig as I do believe it is a fantastic bargain and has confirmed synergy with room-filling soundstaging and realism in a big way, at a very low price.