Grado modders go Magnum - Page 154

Wrap layers of electrical tape around the driver.

To make sure that you hear the cups and not the electrical tape, I would use a "rigid tape" that would transmit mechanical vibration from the drivers to the cups instead of dampening them.

I would aim for a material that is about as stiff as the wood used for your cups, like a thin ring of the same wood, ideally. If you have nothing else, electrical tape would be better than foam (for example), yes, but I would try to do better myself.

Actually I edited out the steel ring idea, I realize it's doing the contrary of what I would aim for and would probably choke the driver.

The best would be to have cups the right size but I understand it's not always possible.

 ("press" as in perfect fit, no tape or stuffing material used in between)

Another solution would be to extract bigger ~40 mm diaphragm drivers of another headphone and try to make a better match with your cups ;); it's not like any wooden cups made on or for Head-Fi were crafted for optimal sound with the Grado drivers in the first place anyway.

Quote:

Originally Posted by devouringone3 

To make sure that you hear the cups and not the electrical tape, I would use a "rigid tape" that would transmit mechanical vibration from the drivers to the cups instead of dampening them.

 

I would aim for a material that is about as stiff as the wood used for your cups, like a thin ring of the same wood, ideally. If you have nothing else, electrical tape would be better than foam (for example), yes, but I would try to do better myself.

In that regard, scotch tape is more rigid and less elastic than electrical. Thelostmidrange has tons of experience in this area, I'd see if he has an opinion, if I were you.

Yes he has one stand (against electrical tape, even more foam):

His answers:

"Just don't use electrical/rubber type tape."

And the "LostMojo" image I posted is from him.

We had a private message discussion on the matter; I'm in the same boat as you fleasbaby right now as I have ~46 mm wide opening wooden cup for a ~45 mm Grado driver.

Quote:

Originally Posted by fleasbaby 

So close, yet so far! I think the electrical tape idea is the most realistic, but it kind of hurts to think about gunking up the drivers with layers of tape...

I might reverse the sticky side and put it against the cup instead of the driver, which would at least make it possible to remove them at a later date when an accurately cut pair of cups becomes a reality...we'll see.

Depending on the cups, that could do some damage to the wood. Whereas the aluminum of the driver is unlikely to be harmed.

I don't what all of this stuff about "energy transfer" is about but...you could try self adhering medical tape from the drug store. It's light brown and sticks to itself but it there is no glue or anything gunking it up.

I see the driver as a vibrating whole (it's diaphragm, sound producing membrane; and its plastic body). The cups are there to hold it tightly so that most of that mechanical vibration (including break up modes and erratic behaviors) is either, A) in the case of heavy/inert aluminum cups forced on the diaphragm to unload all by itself B) transferred to the (lighter, often wooden) cups for them to diffuse/transfer parts of the mechanical vibration in the ambient air (expanding the "vibrating whole" group to include the cups).

Basically if you hold your drivers in foam you will hear the sound of foam, and not the sound of wood or metal of your cups, as the same driver in foam would plainly sound the same in any material of cups of the same geometry, if held in the same foam. That is how I conceive it at least in theory; though in practice it can't see it being 100% true. The way you "fit" the driver in the cup is really important according to thelostMIDrange, which again (like scootsit said), is experienced in the field. Not too tight, not too loose, according to him.

And I think the same personally and because of my reasoning of how I think those things work, that the way the driver mates with the cups is crucial.

I am strongly in camp B, along with more than a few others.. Don't single out midrange, a lot of people are very happy applying his methodologies to their grado headphones.

I have no beef, just wanted to speak up.

Also, I think you meant to say experience instead of experimented in the field.