Grado modders go Magnum - Page 158

Quote:

Originally Posted by orangecr 

Quote:

Originally Posted by chrislangley4253 

you will likely not see any improvement from that amp.. Especially with magnums/grados.

I now it will not improve my headphones performance, but there is a noticeable difference between my laptop's sound card and the Fiio. Unfortunately it is all I have for now, and can't afford anything else for the moment . It will have to do the job until I save some extra money.

 

When the time comes, I will post back to ask for ideas.

I think you misunderstood Chris. I don't want to speak for him, but I am pretty sure I know what he means. The E07, despite it's fairly low cost and all that, is pretty damn awesome. You might get a touch more headroom elsewhere, a tiny bit more current, and maybe a better DAC, but you won't find THAT big of an improvement going to a better amp. Fiio makes pretty great stuff, especially for the cost. About the best you can do for Grados is a good DAC, a tiny bit of gain, and a unity-gain buffer. That's exactly what the E07 is. Could you find something warm and tubey, or with a bit more headroom, or with a bit more current? Probably. Will you notice any real difference? Probably not.

Chris swears by the O2, and nwavguy (the designer of the O2) has pretty much demonstrated that it's only marginally better than the E07.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Twinster 

 99%   really ????  maybe people from this thread but I think this is a very bold estimate. I guest I'm one of them. Who's the other person?

I think it was this guy in the Grado Fan Club! http://www.head-fi.org/t/530965/grado-fan-club/3975#post_8588177, you replied to him right after me.

He and his friend clearly preferred the RS-1, but also some aspects of the SR325 over the Magnum V4.

I'm accounting thelostMIDrange in that percentage, he doesn't like Magnum V5 at all and now prefers a few pair of vintage SR60 drivers to even the best V4 he found in the 10+ pairs he tried (as each one sounded significantly different). He also said that he remembered some HF-2 or I don't remember exactly which Grado model he sold back a while ago, that if he had liberated their drivers he felt like he would have had better results in his mods than from using any Magnum drivers.

I mean, I think his opinion about the Magnums (and about the Grados too, to a lesser extent and in the other direction), changed, not for the better, when he discovered the vintage SR60s.

And finally I'm including myself in the "99 %": I'm not clear whether or not I prefer full metal V4.5 Magnums to all my John Grados (SR325s and RS-1s) even though they're surely better matched and look cleaner on CSD (which is good in my book). I'm comparing this pair of Magnum to my RS-1 because my Full Alu Magnum costed a hundred more than my used RS-1, and its the Grado model the Magnum are meant to compete and be compared with, not so much the SR325 and under as they're supposed to be definitely outclassed from the start.

With yourself it's probably getting closer to a more realistic 99% now :P

Quote:

Originally Posted by fleasbaby 


Oh, I am a dumbarse...I got the cups and drivers back, withe cable soldered on. All I needed to do was wrap tape around the drivers, pop them in the cups and be done, but I let them move around too much and the cable came off the drivers.

So now they are back at Headphone Lounge. This time, they will be mounted already when they come back to me ...no chance of screwing it up.

So wait, I can't just plop the drivers in the Turbulent Labs cups?

Quote:

Originally Posted by orangecr 

I now it will not improve my headphones performance, but there is a noticeable difference between my laptop's sound card and the Fiio. Unfortunately it is all I have for now, and can't afford anything else for the moment . It will have to do the job until I save some extra money.

 

When the time comes, I will post back to ask for ideas.

By all means, upgrade for the sake of it if you want. There are a few products that are likely objectively better than the Fiio, just don't expect to hear any difference :) Definitely don't eat ramen for the next few weeks for an upgrade, I've been there and done that and I was really disappointed.

Quote:

Originally Posted by fleasbaby 


Oh, I am a dumbarse...I got the cups and drivers back, withe cable soldered on. All I needed to do was wrap tape around the drivers, pop them in the cups and be done, but I let them move around too much and the cable came off the drivers.

So now they are back at Headphone Lounge. This time, they will be mounted already when they come back to me ...no chance of screwing it up.

Either they weren't soldered terribly well, or you really moved them around a lot.. The cable really shouldn't come off very easily. I'd expect the guys at Headphone Lounge to solder them right, but maybe there was a cold joint. $#1T happens, as they say.

Quote:

Originally Posted by fleasbaby 


Nope, the cups will have a slightly wider seat for the drivers...there was much debate a few pages back on what to use to make them fit, tape, foam, etc...consensus was use tape if possible, if you want the cups to be a factor in the resulting sound signature. Ideally you shouldn't have to use anything.

Call it blasphemy, but mine will be mounted with foam. I actually want the cups to not color the drivers...

Thanks fleas, what kind of tape? Electrical tape?

Quote:

Originally Posted by orangecr 

I think vibro cups come with the tape for two drivers, don't they?
I am counting on that!

Yea I ordered my cups from vibro, lets hope so!

Quote:

Originally Posted by devouringone3 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Twinster 

 99%   really ????  maybe people from this thread but I think this is a very bold estimate. I guest I'm one of them. Who's the other person?

I think it was this guy in the Grado Fan Club! http://www.head-fi.org/t/530965/grado-fan-club/3975#post_8588177, you replied to him right after me.

 

He and his friend clearly preferred the RS-1, but also some aspects of the SR325 over the Magnum V4.

 

I'm accounting thelostMIDrange in that percentage, he doesn't like Magnum V5 at all and now prefers a few pair of vintage SR60 drivers to even the best V4 he found in the 10+ pairs he tried (as each one sounded significantly different). He also said that he remembered some HF-2 or I don't remember exactly which Grado model he sold back a while ago, that if he had liberated their drivers he felt like he would have had better results in his mods than from using any Magnum drivers.

 

I mean, his opinion about the Magnums in general (and about the Grados too, to a lesser extent and in the other direction), progressively changed for the worst.

 

And finally I'm including myself in the "99 %": I'm not clear whether or not I prefer full metal V4.5 Magnums to all my John Grados (SR325s and RS-1s) even though they're surely better matched and look cleaner on CSD (which is good in my book). I'm comparing this pair of Magnum to my RS-1 because my Full Alu Magnum costed a hundred more than my used RS-1, and its the Grado model the Magnum are meant to compete and be compared with, not so much the SR325 and under as they're supposed to be definitely outclassed from the start.

 

With yourself it's probably getting closer to 99% :P

I was talking to thelostMIDrange via PM about his ideal headphones and that ideal is very specific and involves instruments sounding real. It would be interesting to try a pair of headphones that he thinks is perfect (for him anyway).

Quote:

Originally Posted by chrislangley4253 

Either they weren't soldered terribly well, or you really moved them around a lot.. The cable really shouldn't come off very easily. I'd expect the guys at Headphone Lounge to solder them right, but maybe there was a cold joint. $#1T happens, as they say.

Cold joints don't "just happen" but are the result of bad soldering. If the cable is secured in the cups properly (I leave some slack inside then put a cable tie around the cable so it can't slide out and put strain on the solder joints) then unless yanks the cable very hard, it should be fine. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Currawong 

Cold joints don't "just happen" but are the result of bad soldering. If the cable is secured in the cups properly (I leave some slack inside then put a cable tie around the cable so it can't slide out and put strain on the solder joints) then unless yanks the cable very hard, it should be fine. 

I know cold joints don't "just happen".. but, sometimes other things happen to cause you to be distracted enough to make and overlook a cold joint.. if that makes sense :) I use the same cable tie method.