Head-Fi.org › Forums › Misc.-Category Forums › DIY (Do-It-Yourself) Discussions › Grado SR80i double reverse quarter mod
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Grado SR80i double reverse quarter mod

post #1 of 12
3/19/10 at 3:54pm
Thread Starter 
I want to share with you all my version of the reverse quarter mod. It involves the following:

Sennheiser HD414 pads
Koss KSC75 pads
(hence the double part...)

I performed a quarter mod on both sets, reversely attached the ksc75 pads first,


and then reversely attached the HD414 pads over the koss ones.


The end result:


SQ: I had the stock comfies the whole time I have owned these phones, and let me tell ya, doing this mod really opened up the treble and highs. Without the ksc75 pads installed, the highs were too bright, almost ear piercing. Lows were also sacrificed and became insignificant. With the combination of both pads, the bass came back and was very prevalent yet not overwhelming, mids stayed lush and warm, and the highs sparkled. detail retrieval was also improved, as well as the soundstage. It almost seems like a different set a cans to me...and I absolutely love them. I highly recommend owners of the new SR lineup to try this mod, especially those who have the SR80i or SR60i. Please let me know that I'm not going crazy haha....at least I don't think I am
Reply
post #2 of 12
3/19/10 at 6:21pm
Nice and interesting results.

I have a new SR80i that I quarter modded the stock comfies. How do you think your new setup would compare to that since mine has a hole in the pads now?
Reply
post #3 of 12
3/19/10 at 7:29pm
Thread Starter 
Funny thing is, I also did a quarter mod on my stock comfies. However I didn't reversely install them. To my ears, stock comfies with the quarter mod was a bit less detailed than the double reverse mod. This is probably due to the fact that the opening hole on the modded stock comfies is just the size of a quarter, whereas the double reverse mod has a much larger hole, allowing higher frequencies to come out.

Oh I also want to add that this mod behaves even better when paired with my BSG cmoy amp.
Reply
post #4 of 12
3/20/10 at 10:28pm
Thanks for the help.

I actually just got the HD414 and PX100 pads in earlier today and spent a few hours A/B ing between all the different setups.

This is all in comparision to my original setup of just quarter modded flats/pancake pads that came on the SR80i through an Iphone 3GS and Pandora Radio (great quality sound btw).

With PX100 + the stock quarter modded flats/pancakes, it sounded a little muffled in the highs/mids as predicted.

With quarter modded HD414...low end not as punchy, midrange increase.

With PX100 + quarter modded HD414...still muffled and less bass. Very slight increase in SF.

PX100 + reverse quarter modded HD414...muffled, even less deep bass and low end kick. Wider SF.

Ultimately, I tried to convince myself that the new mods would make a great setup even better for my taste but I couldn't and not the case.

I'm now back to the quarter modded flats as I really like my music with low end impact and I'm not losing much of the highs/mids with a hole cut in the stock pads. Yes, the soundstage is very narrow but it's ok with me. I want to enjoy and have fun and energy with whatever I'm listening and "feel" more of the kick drum, bass guitar or a purposely inputted deep rumble within the music. If I wanted a wider expansive sound, I would have gone with a completely different brand of headphones all together. In the end, I love my new SR80i and the enjoyment it provides. As always, your opinions will differ as I listen to mostly progressive trance, classic rock, Adult Top 40, alternative and metal. But I didn't waste too much $$ with these new pads to try out and experiment with. If anyone wants them both, they are $20 paypaled and shipped within continental USA.

-Don
don@healthbydon.com
Reply
post #5 of 12
3/21/10 at 2:57am
Interesting
Reply
post #6 of 12
3/21/10 at 4:06am
Thread Starter 
@ outlawdon:
yeah I mostly listen to Jazz and Buddha Bar, and some pop/rock/dance here and there. I love these for Jazz and Buddha Bar. You didn't quarter mod the PX100 pads did you? Because if you did, it would most likely alleviate the muffling and let the high/mid freqs sparkle. All in all this is purely based on my own preference, and I'm glad you are enjoying your SR80i. I admit I haven't tried other higher-end headphones, but I think my ears are trained to the point where I can distinguish between Grado sound and non-Grado sound, whats flat and whats not. With this double reverse quarter mod, I think it really opens up the Grado sound thats been missing with the stock unmodded comfies. I love these phones.
Reply
post #7 of 12
3/21/10 at 4:31am
Quote:
Originally Posted by supersong115 View Post
@ outlawdon:
yeah I mostly listen to Jazz and Buddha Bar, and some pop/rock/dance here and there. I love these for Jazz and Buddha Bar. You didn't quarter mod the PX100 pads did you? Because if you did, it would most likely alleviate the muffling and let the high/mid freqs sparkle. All in all this is purely based on my own preference, and I'm glad you are enjoying your SR80i. I admit I haven't tried other higher-end headphones, but I think my ears are trained to the point where I can distinguish between Grado sound and non-Grado sound, whats flat and whats not. With this double reverse quarter mod, I think it really opens up the Grado sound thats been missing with the stock unmodded comfies. I love these phones.
No, I didn't quarter mod the PX100's. To me, it's not the highs/mids I'm concerned with as much as the decrease in the low end going to the HD414's. I'll have to do more listening and testing with them and see if my brain and ears will train to like them more. Also, just wanted to make sure... the comfies are the same as the S-cush/flats/pancake pads right? I know there are comfies that are wider and completely different than the S-cush pads that I'm talking about. Ultimately, in the first place, I got the HD414's because I felt the S-cush's weren't as comfortable so I wanted to try something else. But the lost in music impact is not something I want to sacrifice and I'm actually getting used to the stock pads' comfort level anyway. I'm sure if I was running an amp like you are, my take would be different with better power drive but I'm trying to find a simple and enjoyable setup with just my iphone for now. But as I said, I'll have to do more listening and testing as the mind and brain can play tricks on us and perceive new and different stimuli as negative.
Reply
post #8 of 12
3/21/10 at 1:14pm
Thread Starter 
Yes, the comfies are the same as the S-cushions/pancakes. Yes I agree, I don't like the idea of sacrificing the impact of low end freqs for more detail. To my ears, the double reverse quarter mod still retains the low end impact, even when I plug em in my AV40 monitors (driven my by SB Audigy 2 soundcard).

My theory is that the PX100 pads and the KSC75 pads are different in density? The koss pads are indeed denser than the HD414 pads, which may explain how this combination of denser foam + less denser foam is producing the sound I'm hearing.
Reply
post #9 of 12
3/21/10 at 5:41pm
Thread Starter 
So i went ahead and tried the reverse quarter mod on my flats and swapping them with HD414 pads and lower freqs do have more impact. However, I still feel like my amp paired with the HD414 pads yield the better sound. Quarter modded flats are the way to go if you don't have an amp.
Reply
post #10 of 12
3/24/10 at 9:38pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by supersong115 View Post
Quarter modded flats are the way to go if you don't have an amp.
Agreed. That's what I'm going to just stick with as I'm running it straight out of my Iphone 3GS.

With an amp, I'm sure you are able to regain some of that lost low end running the HD414's yet have a nice soundstage. Best of all worlds.
Reply
post #11 of 12
11/17/10 at 2:01pm

how do I do the quarter mod please?

Reply
post #12 of 12
11/17/10 at 3:26pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fickle-Friend View Post

how do I do the quarter mod please?



Thanks for reviving an ancient thread. tongue_smile.gif     

 

This looks like it has potential

Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
Head-Fi.org › Forums › Misc.-Category Forums › DIY (Do-It-Yourself) Discussions › Grado SR80i double reverse quarter mod