erik701 said:

  There's nothing better than morning with R10 on my head 

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Photos! (of that R10, not your head eheheh)

 

Nice What is you amp ?

Just saw there is an E.A.R Yoshino HP 4 for sale in the classified section, this is the best amp for the R10 the seller is right. Surprise it is still there where there are a lot of R10 owners here ! Mine is still working amazingly

Currently I'm using them with Moon 430HA. In the past I used Oppo HA-1, but I just sold it today. I'm very curious how R10s would sound straight from Chord DAVE. Hopefully I would be able to tell this experience, when I will purchase DAVE.

hey.
 
I am the seller of the Ear Yoshino.
 
I have the Dave too. I would say Dave has 90% of the Ear performance, but the combo Dave + Ear HP4 is 10% better, and it is something !
 
I would prefer keep both if I could.

As my request in an extra thread gave no answer, I try it here, where the R-10 Experts are..
_______

Dear all,

My trusted Sony MDR R-10 is suffering from some “age-related ailment”:

The headband, or rather the “main spring head bracket” (for lack of a better word), is becoming weak. Hence the cups are not pressing enough against the head. Combined with rather well-worn-in ear pads and the fact that my model is the bass-light Version, this all results in deterioration towards a “Bass-Less Sound”.

A replacement with new or spare parts, I consider as complicated or even impossible. BTW: what material is actually used for this spring head bracket ?

Now my actual question:
Is there a smart & cheap - but NON-DESTRUCTIVE !! - DIY way to fix this problem ?
Of course, such a fix may also be useful for other phones, and not only for an R-10.



Thanks for your help & assistance



Urs

urs said:

As my request in an extra thread gave no answer, I try it here, where the R-10 Experts are..
_______

Dear all,

My trusted Sony MDR R-10 is suffering from some “age-related ailment”:

The headband, or rather the “main spring head bracket” (for lack of a better word), is becoming weak. Hence the cups are not pressing enough against the head. Combined with rather well-worn-in ear pads and the fact that my model is the bass-light Version, this all results in deterioration towards a “Bass-Less Sound”.

A replacement with new or spare parts, I consider as complicated or even impossible. BTW: what material is actually used for this spring head bracket ?

Now my actual question:
Is there a smart & cheap - but NON-DESTRUCTIVE !! - DIY way to fix this problem ?
Of course, such a fix may also be useful for other phones, and not only for an R-10.



Thanks for your help & assistance



Urs

Click to expand...

So the stretchy material that holds the piece that meets with your head? Yea, not sure the material but you can probably find the MDR-CD3000 headbands as spare parts which used a very similar mechanism if I am not wrong. Those might still be hard to find but at least it is more likely and less expensive than finding another MDR-R10 to get parts for.

The modification itself should not be too invasive as the cables go to the cups and not through the headband. You can remove the metal brackets to the headband and replace the part easily. The leather material that meets your head comes off the stretchy material just like a watch to a watchband would, using springs. Get a cheap watchband removal tool (like $5-$7 on amazon) to help with the process as your fingers will thank me later for that suggestion.

Kenman,

Thanks for your suggestion.

Actually I think it’s more the metal “main” head-bracket that got a bit weak.
And probably also the ear pads are pretty well worn-in… well after 30 odd years, that’s no surprise.


Urs

Ok, i have important informations about R10 :

- I think bass light / Bass heavy is a legend, this is not true.

Why ?

The drivers of the R10 are solid as a rock and encapsulated into aluminium, it does not change of sound with time. But, the foam who seal the system around the driver, just behing the pads, becomes melted over the years and doesn't do the job anymore. The result : The R10 can sound really really bad. So bad and harsh that it will be less good than a basic AKG.

If you restore this part, the R10 will sound like a new one.

Why there is no bass light or bass heavy ?

As you know, sony never talk about bass light or heavy system for R10. Because it doesn't exist. Yes, there is 4 supposed version of the driver, they are all the same, made with the same technic. Nobody never prove they are in fact differently made or having different feature.

So why people started to say that ?

Simply because the bass heavy had been made lately in time, they have an brand new foam inside, or more recent over the years than the first.

So, after years, the first serie of R10 were losing the quality of the sealed foam inside, and losing first the bass, and becoming dry and dry to harsh for a R10 first serie today when the supposed bass heavy was more recent, it sounds really more bassy ! But it is not ! Maybe they have probably chosed a foam with more density or different.

I have a first serie R10 on my head when I writing this message. I compare the sound with a collector never used one (20 hours) stayed inside the case with silica gel and it sounds the same and it has been probably serviced and replace by sony from the precedent owner.


Believe or not but the bass are amazingly strong. Comparable to LCD 4, HE-6 with incredible impact and slam.


So my theory is Bass light / heavy is a legend. People are paying a lot more for bass heavy but it sounds bass heavy only because it is less old. The bass heavy will sound dry and harsh with the time like the supposed bass light R10.

My collector friend and me we are thinking to propose a service to restore the sealed foam system as new for all R10 with even better result in the bass slam and definition. As far as, the first foam version is extremely poor quality and could be even not good for the wood when it is melted.

Modwright01 said:

Ok, i have important informations about R10 :

- I think bass light / Bass heavy is a legend, this is not true.

Click to expand...

Interesting read. Reminds me of the MDR-CD3000 foam and how the sound got harsher/brighter with the years.

Have you tried the MDR-Z1R to compare with that R10?

Yes.

This is day and night. The Z1R is not even 10% close from the R10.

Everybody is talking about the drivers of the R10 made in Bio cellulose as the most important thing but it is not. As far as I know, there are plenty of bio cell drivers on the market, very close from the R10, like the TH900 but it sounds absolutely not similar.

Why ?

Because the most important thing is the R10 is NOT the drivers. The drivers are really outstanding, but I am sure they could made something close today if sony wanted. So why they didn't do it if they can ? Why they don't make the R10 again ?

Because the most important parts of the R10 concept is far really harder to make today.

1) The R10 has been made as a 95% closed hifi speaker and the most important think are the woodcup. The wood cup ? We can make woodcup today. yeap. But not in 200 years old zelkova. The combination of the shape, the complexe structure inside with 2 chambers separated by a wood circle with holes and sealed by a foam circle in the external part, and full of glassfiber foam in the rear part. Everything is perfectly sealed on the head side and lightly open on the back to sound like an very high end hifi speaker for the head. the woodwork is truly astonishing. Zelkova wood is among the lightest and most rigid of woods, impervious to resonance. Moreover, it is cut and shaped into complex curvilinear contours to optimize the internal sound dispersion within the earphone cavity...

2) The magnesium suspension headband system who absorbs every enventual harmfull effects from the sound AND it is also distributed the weight absolutely perfectly around the head, the 400 gr are transformed into nothing.

3) The 40ohm for 100db is an amazing specs combination for an heaphone. Why this is special ? This combination has been usually used for headphones used to calibrate/check audio gears. (audiometric HP)...

The MDR-Z1R is a million kilometers away from the R10 in every single aspect.
It sounds not not close, even not better, and for me, this is a bad HP for the price.

I mean... how can you even thin something like this made in plastic :



Can just even be closed than something like this :



Sony talked about the R10 because they know lot of people was waiting for something like this from sony.

infortunately all they made is a marketing HP poorly build (most platic, nothing noble here).

You cannot even imagine ! The Z1R looks like a toy in your hand when compared with the R10....

Cheers !

Agreed especially the part on hosing using a 200 years old Zellkova tree. I think that the R10 has that excellent timbre from the combination of the shape and material of the cups and that excellent drivers. To think that part of your beloved headphones are made out of something that valuable is really insane. You can always get a wood headphoens these days but not one with an R10's wood cup.

I am hoping that Sony will wake up soon and just offers parts for this legendary headphoens again.

The Z1r soundstage isn't even as big or resolving as my modified CD3000 so let's alone comparing it to the R10. My CD3000 has dual inputs with really good copper cable. Also, the R10 does sound really good out of the WM1Z. The golden Walkman warmer tonal balanced and nice bass output really compliment my R10. I do enjoy my Z1R but they more or less compete with my recable SA5000 but not the CD3000 let alone the R10.


The inner foam rings does affect the bass output but I my old bass light pair with the retrofitted foam and it still sound bass light compared to my bass heavier pair.

Purk, check your mp

Still sure about all the R10s have the same driver

Having not owned or heard the R-10 I can’t comment on it’s sound, however I think it’s an exaggeration to say Z1R is less then 10% what an R10 is.

I’m sure you mean the sound signature is not similar?

The Z1R is still quite a decent headphone, I have the HD800 and I find each headphone is excellent with certain genres. The HD800 is not as enjoyable on some music, typically compressed or EDM. HD800 excels with other types of music such as jazz fusion etc.

I agree however Sony need to revise the R10 or a very similar equivalent, or the Qualia 010 for that matter. Nanotech drivers would be nice - considering Diatone use them in their car stereo speakers. I installed a Diatone 2.1 system in my car, they sound sublime for a car stereo with all the limitations involved. So hopefully Diatone & Sony might collaborate on some nanotech drivers for headphones in the near future.

mrtim6 said:

Having not owned or heard the R-10 I can’t comment on it’s sound, however I think it’s an exaggeration to say Z1R is less then 10% what an R10 is.

I’m sure you mean the sound signature is not similar?

The Z1R is still quite a decent headphone, I have the HD800 and I find each headphone is excellent with certain genres. The HD800 is not as enjoyable on some music, typically compressed or EDM. HD800 excels with other types of music such as jazz fusion etc.

I agree however Sony need to revise the R10 or a very similar equivalent, or the Qualia 010 for that matter. Nanotech drivers would be nice - considering Diatone use them in their car stereo speakers. I installed a Diatone 2.1 system in my car, they sound sublime for a car stereo with all the limitations involved. So hopefully Diatone & Sony might collaborate on some nanotech drivers for headphones in the near future.

Click to expand...

It is 'not' an exaggeration ! Sorry bud. The Z1R has no chance against the mighty R10.

The Legendary R10 is top-notch ! The competition are other legendary headphones versus each other.

The poem will go like this.

R10 is better than the HE90. The He90 is better than the R10. The Omega is better than the R10 and the L3000 is better than the Omega. The Omega is better than the Qualia and the Qualia is better than the R10. The HP1000 is better than the HE90 and the He90 is king over all, while the R10 laughs in the corner. Meanwhile, K1000 and HE60 running up behind knocking everyone down. And He Audio JADE is picking up its falling parts thinking its cool. Thats the story of legends.

Headphones like HD800, HE1000 and Flow and Audeze and whatever pair you think is decent has no place for legendary headphones comparing.

cheers