Grado wood cups

The guys on this thread are experienced modders w grado custom cups, 

http://www.head-fi.org/t/119314/post-your-grado-mods/2385

Ask your question there. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Klaatu 

Call me whacky, but I wasn't of the mood to sift through 160 pages of posts.

Search function. 

Here are two places. Martin does really nice custom work (check out his amboyna burl cups), while Chris_Himself has started mass-producing them, which brings the price down.

http://www.martincustomaudio.com/

http://headphonelounge.com/products/mahogany-grado-cups/

Quote:

Originally Posted by Klaatu 

Call me whacky, but I wasn't of the mood to sift through 160 pages of posts.

Actually, then, it's your loss.  In the modification threads, there are a lot of great posts as the modification process progressed for many of us Grado enthusiasts at the time.  In those threads is information on some small but essential tweaks that we've utilized to make the headphones better.  However, a Cliffs Notes guide for such a thread doesn't exist.  I would not recommend forcing your way into the upgrade by just ordering the cups and think things will be easy.  The thread on the Grados has some excellent user pointers.

Edit: If you don't have the patience to read through the thread, then buy a pair in the For Sale section with the wooden cups already in place.

OK - personal opinion only - and I don't have the experience with modding that Wayne (wje) and some of the others have - but here goes .....

I started off with Alessandro MS1is.  I originally performed a few basic mods - including venting the drivers (just a couple of holes), damping etc.  From there I purchased a set of Aluminium cups from another head-fier & tried them for a while.  Had to damp the inside of the cups - interesting experience, but not what I was looking for.

From there I moved to a set of full wooden cups from Cabillas (thanks to wje's) help.  From there I replaced the headband, recabled, transplanted a set of 325i drivers.  Oh  - and during all this I also played around with various pads.

From my experience you'll get the biggest sonic changes with (in order):

1. Driver transplant / changes
2. Pad changes (I personally prefer bowls - nice mix of sound stage & comfort).  For bass, look at TTVJ flats.  For lower end Grados IMO don't consider the jumbos.
3. Cup changes AND/OR venting drivers
4. Other tweaks

As far as the wooden cups go - mine are Iroko - to my ears it has taken a little edge/sparkle off the upper end (which is nice on the 325i) - and the mid-range seems to have a little more 'presence'.  This of course could be placebo on my part - but it's what I hear.  What it also provides is a very light weight headphone, which IMO simply looks stunning as well.

Not sure if that helps at all.  Here's my 325is - I love the signature, the look ..... they're one of my keepers for sure.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Klaatu 

I was actually looking at the cups from Vibro Labs. This was mean to be a simple query as to whether or not I'd get an improvement in sound as opposed to a response of "U R a n00b, u no use search! Non n00b SMASH!", but that seems to be the case here. Can someone direct me to  a friendly forum?

I apologize if you perceived my post as aggressive. I didn't mean for it to sound that way.

From my experience with aluminum cups, the difference is noticeable, but only up to a certain point. For example, I would rather opt for a Grado SR325 than a SR80 with aluminum cups. For the rates wood cups are going for, you can almost get a magnum driver, which would be a much more significant upgrade.

Quote:

Originally Posted by tzjin 

 

Search function. 

 

Here are two places. Martin does really nice custom work (check out his amboyna burl cups), while Chris_Himself has started mass-producing them, which brings the price down.

 

http://www.martincustomaudio.com/

http://headphonelounge.com/products/mahogany-grado-cups/

Hey tzjin, I just wanted to make sure this was clear. I am the man behind the curtain at Vibro Labs and the one responsible for making all the cups. Headphone Lounge was kind enough to host me while I got Vibro Labs' site up. I would say that I am not mass producing these, as each one gets finished by me and me alone in my humble wood shop. I have just decided to only do two styles of cups for now to keep things straight forward on my end.

I have noticed that a lot of people think that these are outsourced cups, and it is discouraging seeing as I personally spend 8-12 hours a day making sure everything is perfect. They are entirely USA made and finished by hand. The only reason I use the CNC is so that every cup has identical chamber dimensions. The faces are all totally done on a lathe by hand.

Anyway, I didn't mean to derail the thread or anything, I just wanted to make sure this was clear.

Quote:

Originally Posted by taiden 

Hey tzjin, I just wanted to make sure this was clear. I am the man behind the curtain at Vibro Labs and the one responsible for making all the cups. Headphone Lounge was kind enough to host me while I got Vibro Labs' site up. I would say that I am not mass producing these, as each one gets finished by me and me alone in my humble wood shop. I have just decided to only do two styles of cups for now to keep things straight forward on my end.

 

I have noticed that a lot of people think that these are outsourced cups, and it is discouraging seeing as I personally spend 8-12 hours a day making sure everything is perfect. They are entirely USA made and finished by hand. The only reason I use the CNC is so that every cup has identical chamber dimensions. The faces are all totally done on a lathe by hand.

 

Anyway, I didn't mean to derail the thread or anything, I just wanted to make sure this was clear.

I'm glad to hear! I didn't mean to imply outsourcing, just that you have made the process more efficient, which allows you to produce more cups at cheaper prices. Your cups are beautiful. If I ever got back into the Grado sound and didn't want to make my own, I'd probably look into purchasing them.

Quote:

Originally Posted by tzjin 

 

I'm glad to hear! I didn't mean to imply outsourcing, just that you have made the process more efficient, which allows you to produce more cups at cheaper prices. Your cups are beautiful. If I ever got back into the Grado sound and didn't want to make my own, I'd probably look into purchasing them.

Thanks tzjin, I wasn't meaning to come down on you, I just figured your post was as good as any to reply to clear this up.

As far as wooden cup makers go, every one has their strengths and weaknesses, but there should be enough variety between each of them for someone to find what they are looking for.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Klaatu 

Thanks for your replies, they're quite helpful. 

The general consensus seems to be that the wooden cups do improve things, but not necessarily on the lower end Grados.

I do see that someone has asked the same question on the mod thread, but has yet to get any replies.

I used MartinCustomAudio to change out my 325i to wood.  I can't really say I notice a difference in sound.  For that, it seems to me you would have to do a quick A/B test to make sure.  Like you, I did it mostly for aesthetic reasons and I'm glad I did.  Martin does really excellent work but be aware that you're really spending the money on the looks, not the sound, IMHO.  And, incidentally, I use the G-Cush.  Barada Nikto.