JVC FX33 Mod.

[Keithpgdrb]

Originally Posted by SayNoToPistons

I did this mod just now with some THIN IEM foam that came with my phone's earbud. My Marshmallows have about 35 hours worth of burn in time that I have produced over the past two weeks or so. So I cut strips of thin foam, roll them up in order to fit the hole in the Marshmallow and tested it out. They seem less harsh and the bass is very very slightly decreased. I was hoping that they would be clearer but at the same time be less harsh when modded. They're don't seem very clear and slightly muddy.

I just opened a BRAND NEW Marshmallow to compare (0 hours on them). The modded Mallows are less harsh and a bit more neutral but it seems to be lacking clarity. Is it because of the foam used? It is fairly dense and thin so I had to cut a rectangle out and rolled them into order to fit the hole. I would like more clarity and keep the harshness down!

yeah, I would try some different foam. It cant be too dense, or it will just block high frequencies. you want to tame them, not block them. you also want to free up the bass so its not so bloated. I used some disintegrating earpads off an old junk pair of portable cans. no loss there. results are just fine.

[SayNoToPistons]

Originally Posted by Keithpgdrb

yeah, I would try some different foam. It cant be too dense, or it will just block high frequencies. you want to tame them, not block them. you also want to free up the bass so its not so bloated. I used some disintegrating earpads off an old junk pair of portable cans. no loss there. results are just fine.

I just dug up some earbud foam that was meant for my ipod earbuds. I took out the old foam and compared the pores under the light and the ipod foam is less dense. I cut up ~3x3 mm pieces of the new foam, laid it flat on the hole and used a pencil to push it in with the edge slightly out so i can swap it out if anything. Clarity is very much improved compared to the 1st mod attempt and the brand spanking new Mallows. The bass is also noticeably more controlled and balanced.

[shaolin95]

I did the mod yesterday and its a revelation for my FX34.l The key is on balancing the sound by adding whatever material you use...thats the the tricky part.

[askareem24]

i couldnt find any foam so i used SPONGE. this mod truly made a huge difference.. less harsh on the highs, the bass seems more precise, vocals dont hurt my ears anymore. imma be picking up another pair soon

[JuliusL]

I got mine after reading about them here on head-fi.. they cost me 29euros. I am using the mod with foams.. without mod the sound is drab. After modding them I have found that basses are clearer and mids are little brighter but highs are somewhat boring. And overall sound is somewhat flat in the middles but what should I expect from low prices buds right? Ill burn them in for some time to see if it will get any better. Well I have got these because after 2 months my akg k319 left earbud stopped playing any sound at all, got another k319 as replacement yesterday. However I had notices that right earbud is cracking at low frequencies a bit so I tryed to open it and see if there isnt hair or something that rezonates but I did not even opened it just pushed the metal clip without moving it 1 milimeter and it stopped playing any sounds as the one before :O
I dont want to blame akg but these are meaned to be high end earbuds and if they are getting dead this easy I wont bother with them anymore maybe they were from bad series or something but I must say that they are very fragile earbuds
So the situation looks like I will keep this jvc´s untill I will get my PK1 or OK1

[RallyMaster]

I just removed that paper filter today and went out for a run. There's a noticeable increase in highs and mids and things definitely opened up a lot more. I didn't bother with the foam because I'm used to having sparkling highs. Now I just have to figure out how to get my Westone-provided Comply tips to fit on the Marshmallows and it'll have the isolation I want while not sounding muffled and boring like an unEQed UM1.

EDIT: Got the short Comply tips on there.


I removed the little rubber core from the inside of the short Comply tips and then I put them on the JVC HA-FX33. The result is a slightly better seal with much better lows than before. I would even say that it makes my FX33 sound like my HA-DX3 but without the large sound stage.

[bobo_1314]

I got my FX33 today; removed the paper filter right away with a toothpick and put in some foam cut up from a sponge. After some fine-tuning, the sound is definitely better than stock, but due to the characteristic of the phones, they still sound flat to my liking. Awesome mod though, I can't believe a $7 earphone can sound so good (compared to the $10 Sony earbuds)!!

[RichieLitt]

How are you supposed to get the gray tube off smoothly? I totally destroyed it trying to pull it off, because it was stuck on so tight. Now i need to get new ones This was the fx34 btw

[RichieLitt]

Nevermind..I thought by gray tube you meant the plastic argh.