The NEW JVC HA-S400. Affordable Carbon Nanotube cans for the masses. - Page 56

Yup, but cheap money finances got tied up elsewhere :P getting them Monday!

Here is my take on the latest mod,
Which clears up sound and gets treble back:
Used electrical cloth tape for weight and sound absorption properties.

Place in center rolled up a number of times.
Dont put too much or anywhere else or you will loose bass..

Use one slice of material, too much will loose bass the tigher it gets.
Audio Technica uses fiberglass but I used piece of some cloth polyester from a headband..

Finally apply enough tape to weight down the surface so no resonance from plastic surface as well as cover bass ports.

Finally don't forget the "Q-Tip" mod.
I use 4, two on top of two..
All Done!
Edited by Maxx134 - 1/10/13 at 1:14pm

 

I like the idea of using that black cloth electrical tape. I just bought some white duct tape to mod my Mrs. S400's but am now thinking the other tape might work better. It was gonna look so tight with the white tape on her white cans.   Did you apply a layer of tape over the exposed plastic surfaces? I thought the current mod of the day was to cover those surfaces with tape (kind of like a mini dynamat treatment) so they won't resonate?

White tape would be great for the driver surface as I used painters paper tape..
I could have covered more inner cup surface but was difficult.
Also covering the rear of driver is a nono because you loose bass and dynamic range & it gets too bright.
The only difference U will see is my drivers are exposed from another mod so disregard that.

Just performed some of the mods on my newly received 400's. Removed the back of the driver and added a small piece of old pajama bottoms (thin cotton), and used some green painters tape on the top surface. Also did the Q tip mod!

 

All is well. Not a HUGE difference, but then again, I only listened to them for 10 minutes before I decided to mod it. If I had to discern the difference before and after the mods, it would be that after the mods they seem more well rounded. Not as boomy in the bass, more accurate, but doesn't lack the impact that it had before. Treble is more noticeable, which is good. Honestly can't discern a difference before/after with the mids because I didn't analyze them too heavily before.

 

It was definitely worth doing the mods though. I honestly prefer these over my Audio Technica M50's already. When I bought the M50's I was looking for a 'fun' set of cans. I was a little disappointed in their sound signature, I expected a lot more bass, but they were still comfortable and built very well and easy to listen to. These have more bass than the M50's, and an even sweeter sound signature in my opinion. I only wish these were over ear, but still, they're more comfortable than I was expecting for on-ear.

 

They're definitely worth the $30 I spent on them, and I'll be using these as my fun/disposable headphones from now on. 

Did a little playing around. I tried a thicker felt pad between the back and the speaker. (Light brown 3/16" thick - upper left.)

 

 

I found the bass deeper and the mid-range more prominent. However, I don't actually like part of the mid-range on this (somewhere around 700-1300 Hz upper piano/high voice.) It's too harsh. So I tried a less thick piece of cloth (the white one,) still too harsh for me but better. So I went back to my cotton (old sock) cloth. There is less bass and the mid-range is less prominent/forward - but I enjoy it more.

Edited by charmerci - 1/10/13 at 10:26pm

Just ordered the HM5 pads. What else can I do to open up the soundstage? TIA

I think U forgot that the rear cup needed to be weighted down with duct tape or tape I used to deaden it from vibrations, not just the driver surface.
Then you nock on the back hoising to test & should sound from hollow to solid .
Edited by Maxx134 - 1/12/13 at 4:49am

 

In the photo, that is duct tape on the inside. (Though I probably should put another piece on top of that.)

How is the isolation on these? For school and bus etc..

Fair. A little leakage in both directions. HM5 pads take care of that.

cant hear much of a difference myself. maybe the HM5 pads are the only way to go, get some comfort going.

Would anybody be able to compile a list of all the mods and part replacements that people have mentioned for the S400s, or would it be advised to just rummage through the thread to find them instead?
In the latter case, what mods or part replacements are suggested for beginning audiophiles who have the S400s?

Well, the best/ easiest mods for both of JVC's S400/ S500s are simple pad changes. The best sounding on-ear pads besides the stock ones are the AKG DJ pads. Here is the link for it: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Original-New-Replacement-earpad-AKG-K518DJ-Leather-ear-pad-/261110634277?pt=US_Replacement_Parts_Tools&hash=item3ccb681725

 

Use some paper towels to stuff those AKG pads and you'll get even better mids/ highs and bigger bass on these S400s.

Or you can just simply use the stuffed paper towel mod on the stock pads and it really makes a difference, along with taping the bass ports on the plastic driver plates. 

 

Some of the most easy and best mods for these S400s for me.