Question About Woodies . . . - Head-Fi: Covering Headphones, Earphones and Portable Audio

pataburd · 05-22-2008, 12:57 AM

Do woodies bring about discernible sonic change/improvement to the modded headphones? And if so, what are these changes/improvements in particular? Lastly, are these changes/improvements accidental or intentional?

I ask because I am seriously considering getting a pair of K340 Headphiled/woodied.

Zorander · 05-22-2008, 02:23 AM

I believe the woodies on the K340s are just stick-on jobs on existing plastic parts, so no, there won't be a sonic difference.

greenhorn · 05-22-2008, 10:25 PM

Originally Posted by pataburd

Do woodies bring about discernible sonic change/improvement to the modded headphones?

The question is not complete, it should be about sonic "change / improvement / negative effect".

I personally am far from being convinced that each and every time a headphone is "woodied", it automatically improves (sound-wise). But I may be wrong, of course.

HighLife · 05-23-2008, 06:06 PM

i had woodies on the 580s you sold me pata...they were nice, brought the sound alittle more up front...mids sounded a tad more resposive....bass lost that airy impact and was replaced with a light thump. I enjoyed the difference in sound. However for the money, the woody were just not worth keeping.

If they were to seriously drop in price for the sennheiser, then it would be worth it for the change in sound alone.

Most other headphones like the 340, the wood is mainly cosmetic.

Uncle Erik · 05-23-2008, 06:11 PM

I looked at a website offering woodies. It repeatedly described everything available as "art."

I take that at face value.

utilisateur · 05-23-2008, 08:58 PM

I have no experience with woodied headphones but as already said the K340 "woodies" are just cosmetic woodplates.
I dont even think one could perceive any change due to a different reaction to vibrations as it's only the outer part holding the actual housing/earpiece , but who knows

All in all, if you're only considering it because of potential sonic benefits, i'd stay away!

Covenant · 05-24-2008, 02:38 AM

Wood *can* have superior acoustic properties than, say, plastic or metal, but that's highly dependant on implementation. It could be a good thing, or a bad thing, or totally irrelevant, depending on the design of the driver, the shape and depth of the earcup, and so forth.

The only real way to tell if a given wood-mod to an existing headphone would improve it is to test it personally.

pataburd · 05-24-2008, 03:04 AM

Thank you all--and it was nice to hear from you, HighLife (I see you've crossed the Headphoneus Superemus line before I did/will). : )

I've resolutely decided against the K340 "woodies".

Jussei · 05-24-2008, 03:17 AM

I woodied a pair of HD650's while back.
They were the deep cocobolo cups from Headphile. The sound was, without a doubt, different. I never really could decide if they were 'better' than before. I'm not good at throwing around audiophile terms, but they did sound brighter (I thought that the HD650's sounded dark prior - but I didn't have a well matched amp with them at the time either).
I suppose that it seemed to increase 'headstage,' due to the extra air in the chambers.
It also changed the overall dynamic of the HD650's by converting them into (a sort of) closed headphone.
For around $250-$300, it was a questionable 'upgrade' and I'm guessing I could have reaped more benefits investing the money elsewhere in the chain... but man oh man did they look COOL!