Grado modders go Magnum

He likes them.
The cable is from MS1 just shortened and a 3.5 plug. Will recable them with a Kimber cable with a mini Xlr so I can run them balanced from the Cavalli.
Very pleased with them from Mojo and Vorzuge.

Very nice!
 
 
 
That seemed to go better than expected......how about a review?

I shall in a few weeks when I have a mini meet going on. There will be Gs1000e available as well.
Must say I didn't expect to like them as much as I do.
They have been playing for 25 hours now.
The bass has calmed down and become more controlled.
It was a shock to have so much in the beginning.
There very detailed and airy sounding .

rocketron said:

Hi guys made my V6 up last night after having them nearly 5 months.
Lovely sounding drivers kept me up until 03.30 this morning.
Think my other Grados are in danger of being sold.

Click to expand...

 
Oh, oh.  That doesn't bode well for me this next weekend.  I've received the headband already and the drivers should be coming in this week.  I feel that I might be at such a loss of sleep too as I'll be a bit excited to put the drivers through their paces.  Or, I could just remain disciplined and set them aside to burn in for 20 hours before listening to them.  It seems the bass might mellow to a degree at that point in time.  I've done such action before, so I know I have the control.
 

rocketron said:

I shall in a few weeks when I have a mini meet going on. There will be Gs1000e available as well.
Must say I didn't expect to like them as much as I do.
They have been playing for 25 hours now.
The bass has calmed down and become more controlled.
It was a shock to have so much in the beginning.
There very detailed and airy sounding .

Click to expand...

 
That will be an interesting impression and comparison to hear.  I used to have the GS1000 (non-'i' and non-'e' model).  I remember how airy it sounded and how wide the sound stage was.  Just a bit lacking on bass though, but it did leave a lasting impression for me.  I've ordered an assortment of Grado pads, so I'll be able to see which pair suits my setup best.
 
Things are getting exciting!

Hi all,
 
Quick question: has anyone ever upped a 3D print replacement for the off-the-peg Grado rod blocks?
Did some searching and found a model to suit the Grado headband, but for a different set of gimbals.
 
(Or if anyone is looking to part with a set of Martin's blocks and gimbals I am happy to talk turkey ... does not look as though he is selling them now, I was met with radio-silence when I asked)
 
Tx
Alistair

i-am-iron-man said:

  Hi all,
 
Quick question: has anyone ever upped a 3D print replacement for the off-the-peg Grado rod blocks?
Did some searching and found a model to suit the Grado headband, but for a different set of gimbals.
 
(Or if anyone is looking to part with a set of Martin's blocks and gimbals I am happy to talk turkey ... does not look as though he is selling them now, I was met with radio-silence when I asked)
 
Tx
Alistair

Click to expand...

i have a gimbal i'm testing looks a bit ugly
working on a rodblock next
do you have any suggestions?

Sneak peak at my removable cable mod for my V6 C6 combo. For now I'm really liking the fact that if I want to transplant the driver, no more soldering is required!

therealmvt said:

 

Sneak peak at my removable cable mod for my V6 C6 combo. For now I'm really liking the fact that if I want to transplant the driver, no more soldering is required!

Click to expand...

nice, you can easily swap out drivers, i have a spacer for a sengrado  and one that uses hm5 pads, pm me if you're interested
how do you like the sound of the c6 cup?

arty mcghee said:

  nice, you can easily swap out drivers, i have a spacer for a sengrado  and one that uses hm5 pads, pm me if you're interested
how do you like the sound of the c6 cup?

Click to expand...

 
Thanks for the offer, I'm good for now. I know where to find you in the future. I appreciate the offer!
 
V6
I really enjoy the driver cup combo so far. The bass seems to be of a higher quality compared to the SR60e driver, and the mids and highs seems to be more balanced with the overall sound. The reason I liked my SR60e, was mainly for their great paring with (alternative) rock music. Compared to the SR60e sound, the V6 driver delivers the same and more. In short: a much cleaner sound, better quality bass and with a significantly larger soundstage.
 
I will have to try out this driver inside my mahogany wood cups I made with the hole saw method. Sadly none of my close friends are lathe experts, and I am lacking in time to invest and learn myself in the near future. 
 
V6 + C6
I think the C6 cups are a good looking alternative cup. Because of the radically open design the cup offers the exact sound the driver produces: they sound pretty great , in the sense that they don't color/influence the sound in any negative way. On the other hand the wood cups could offer a warmer sound compared to these cups, but since I haven't tried them out yet, I will postpone my judgement on that topic.

I finally found the time to put the measurement rig back in service and shoot some measurements on the V6.
The V6 are press fitted mounted in RS1 clone mahogany cups.
All measurements are power based, not SPL based, driving voltage is 178mVrms (ie, ~1mW)
Driving amplifier has <0.1ohm output impedance and diminishing low distortion at 1mW/32ohm
Measurement microphone was recently calibrated.
 
The measurement rig in the "high-tech" isolation chamber (ie, an old closet internally lined with some left over acoustic foam from the studio , works like a charm)
 

 
 
Our "heroes"
 
 

 
Measurement system (and sanity ) check.
This is how a perfect CSD (Cumulative Spectral Decay) looks like.....
 

 
 
....and this is what a perfect Impulse Response looks like..
 
 

 
 
The measurements:
Impedance and Phase...
Measured with 100ohm output impedance...

 
 
Impulse Response...
 
 

 
 
Since these are DIY drivers often used with different ear pads, there are three Frequency Response curves, with S-cush (flats, not quarter modded) L-cush and G-cush...
 
 

 
CSD...
 

 
THD%
 
 

 
...and since there are two "players" in the DIY driver category, Frequency Response with the Ypsilon, overlaid for better comparison,
cups, ear pads, cables and headband are identical...
The common "bump" at ~2kHz is a RS1 cup generated "thingy"...
 


 Complete Ypsilon measurements are here.

My V6 drivers arrived last evening.   I had time this morning to solder a test cable to the drivers and have them burning in for 10+ hours today.  
 
Edit: I've finished the build up this morning.  A great pair of cups from Phil received a slight transformation.  The color was more natural, but I revised them a bit by taking off the poly and applying a satin poly via PolyShades, which has some stain included in the mix.  I then sprayed the cups with 3 coats of satin poly to build up a good coat for protection.  The headband is the Sony 7506 ($30, including shipping).  I was able to come up with a semi-light and flexible braided cable option vs. using a straight cable for this build.
 
Sound impressions: I love the improved bass with the v.6 driver.  The upper frequencies are good, but took things up a notch when listening to Diana Krall.  Very detailed.  As far as blues, folk, bluegrass, etc., I listened to some Sonny Landreth and Bela Fleck.  Both of those artists had some good music to test out guitar, bass and percussion as well as the banjo with Mr. Fleck.  I burned the drivers in for 12+ hours prior to installing the drivers in the cups.  I'm personally pleased with what this v.6 version offers and how it performs in comparison to the Grados that I've owned in the past.  Realizing that sound memory isn't very good, I still think the v.6 drivers are an excellent D.I.Y. option to get a build completed for <$200 and have a sound that competes or beats out Grado headphones that run several hundred dollars more.  Bravo, Rhydon!
 

 
P.S. - I need to hear a pair of SennGrados again and compare them to the v.6 driver.  It would be an interesting test.

Finalised my removable cable mod. Woodies are for my stock SR60e drivers, while the C6 cups are for the Magnums.