Audio-Technica ES7 Headband Mod *lots of pics*

[GCTonyHawk7]

Hey guys. Like many of you, I own the ES7 headphones by Audio Technica. When you get them, you will find that the headband is bent in a weird way that makes the headphones look weird on you as well as making them more uncomfortable. There was another thread on this, but I figured I would start my own rather than bumping that one. I did the mod and got many pictures of the process, figured I would post here.

To start, here are a couple pictures showing what the headphones look like before the mod.

You will notice that there is a headband and then conntecting that to the headphones are two parallel metal rods. These have grooves and click to adjust to your head size. At the end of these, there is a strong angle; purpose of this is to use leverage to clamp the headphones to your head creating good isolation. In reality, it works; but it looks weird and makes the clamp too tight which can hurt after a while.

The idea of this mod is to lessen that angle so to reduce this pressure and making it look better. The idea is not to straighten it, as that would ruin the concept of clamping that Audio-Technica was trying to create. The idea is just to lessen the angle.

To do this, you need to move the metal rods inward until all you can see is the angled piece. You can see that in this picture:

You then want to grip the plastic parts of the headphones. I put my thumb on the textured area and the word right/left. I then pinch the plastic pieces with my other fingers. You can see this grip here:

You then want to bend the headphone can away from the other making this angled piece of metal lessen. You do not want to straighten it, as that makes the headphones really weird and ruins isolation. You just want to lessen the angle. I did this and you can see the lesser angle here:

As soon as you do this to both sides, you will notice the headphones are much different already. When you pick them up, the cups ill dangle freely rather than clamping tightly together. They will feel looser and less tight than they were before. You will not need to have them extended as far as you did before, and they will look more normal. Here is a picture of the metal part extended after doing the mod:

Here you can see the cans of the headphones to not clamp together like they did before:

In the end, they will look better, feel better, and sound just the same; amazing. Hopefully this helps everyone. They are a big investment, so do not do this until you know what you are doing. Feel free to ask questions.

For more pictures of the headphones including the box, you can check out my gallery here: Picasa Web Albums - GCTonyHawk7 - Audio-Technic...

[lkraie]

Omg wow it really works, and i never even thought of it, I thuoght of getting new head bands. THis is so totally free, fast and improved the looks and comfort by 200% so . thanks a . LOT. you're the cool shat man.

[GCTonyHawk7]

No problem. Heh, it is great to actually get a reply though.

Glad I could help.

[rmazzuca]

This mod was so easy to do, and it made a world of difference.

Im so glad i did this mod, i was a little hesitant at first, but it was so easy and it totally made them look normal as well as feel great

Anyone reading this thread and is contemplating whether to do this or not, dont think twice, go for it, its so easy and so effective.

thanks!!

[mobbaddict]

Looking forward to try this mod when i get my brand new ES7

[DeTrun]

I've read the other thread about this mod. I didn't need the mod anyway, because when i got my ES7, I put them on and they were comfortable! I guess I didn't have to extend the headband, because I have a small head When not extending the headband, the ES7 doesn't look really distracting to me, but it does look weird on big heads. I did try the mod once, when i was bored, but it became too loose. So, if you have a small head, don't do it If earpads are uncomfortable, you could try to stuff them with cotton: Audio Technica Earpad Mod

[Spor]

I have a pretty small head and the mod made my ES7s considerably more comfortable. (5'7" with a proportional head )

I agree with leaving a little angle on the bend, I tried it with the bend basically removed and they didn't fit quite right.

[DeTrun]

Originally Posted by Spor

I have a pretty small head and the mod made my ES7s considerably more comfortable. (5'7" with a proportional head )

I agree with leaving a little angle on the bend, I tried it with the bend basically removed and they didn't fit quite right.

Hmm, the mod reduces the clamping force. I like the clamping force of the ES7

[mobbaddict]

I tried the mod, the result is great i wouldn't be ashamed to walk around with my ES7 now
It feels so comfortable and i don't think isolation suffers from the mod.

[yukihiro]

I agree that this mod is essential for about 90% of the people out there. The clamping force didn't bother me, but the weird shape that the headband makes while on the head was extremely awkward for a small set of headphones. The sides stuck out way too much before the mod. I don't even know if I would consider this a mod. It's more of an adjustment since the rods bend so easily.

As for putting something inside the earpads to make them more comfortable. I tried it and thought it made a positive difference at first, but realized that it was a lot more comfortable without anything done to it.

All of these "mods" are pretty much reversible so trying them doesn't do any permanent damage.

[Squirsier]

Another thanks for this mod. They should ship like this already! Great work, always appreciate the efforts of the modding community

[sputnikmoments]

I can't seem to see the pictures in the first post. Anyway, would this mod help if the ES7 seems to be causing pain to the top of my head?

[fishie316]

can i see the pics plz

thx

[Morph]

Originally Posted by sputnikmoments

I can't seem to see the pictures in the first post. Anyway, would this mod help if the ES7 seems to be causing pain to the top of my head?

IMO yes, it distributes the tension more evenly, which results in better comfort.

[fishie316]

how did u do that, is a very tough job though