My DIY Orthodynamic Headphones

Over the past year I've discovered the world of high end headphones and since then I have developed an audio fetish. I started my journey trying to find the best headphones for me, but I always seemed to be disappointed. I tried countless of different headphones, everything from Sennheiser, Grado, Hifiman and many other brands. After months of research, I started getting tired of the headphone hunt and I was about to settle with a decent pair of Hifiman HE-300. But then, as I was searching through the Head-Fi forums I discovered a thread on orthodynamic headphones. I was inspired by all the awesome DIY creations, especially with all the custom Fostex T50-RP headphones. At that point I decided that I was going to build my ultimate pair of headphones.
 
For my first creation I decided to customize a pair of Fostex T50-RP. I gained a lot of my inspiration form the Thunderpants models and Hifiman headphones. I made the wooden cups to hold the drivers and I ripped the head band off a pair of vintage Stanton headphones. I wanted my creation to look like a pair of closed Hifiman headphones. I call these babies Los Matadors
 
The photo insert tool was not working when i made this post, so i added a link to where you can view the headphones. 
 
http://s1289.beta.photobucket.com/user/deathrum/library/Headphones%20Los%20Matadors
 
For my next creation I combined a pair of Pioneer SE-L40 and Yamaha hp-1 Mario Bellini headphones. I gutted the inside of the Pioneer cups so that I could fit the drivers from the HP-1 headphones. I also made the ear cushions. I call these bad boys the Conquistadors. 
 
http://s1289.beta.photobucket.com/user/deathrum/library/Headphones%20Conquistadors
 
I hope you guys like my creations and please give me some critiques and feedback on them. Also I will post the pics onto the thread as soon as the insert pic tool is working.

you will be able to post as your post count number increases to a certain level, not far off i would guess
 
I will post them up for you here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
I linked this in the Orthodynamic Roundup thread also
 
 
WELCOME to head-fi.
I think that it's excellent you jumped right in and decided to go DIY for this right off the bat. That's great.
they even have a name too : Los Matadors   I think you HAVE to name them, sort of like sending a finished ship out to sea. Bad luck without a name I swear it is.  Oh just noticed a second build also the  Conquistadors
 
These are stunningly good aesthetically . Especially the Pioneer build. I never would have thought you could cram the HP-1 driver in to something that small.
And the choices of metal and the overall styles on both are awesome to just sit and look at. Works of functional art In my mind. 
 
 
What's the material used for the pads on the Pioneer build and also what pads are on the T50?
What type of wood did you use and what method for the T50 build? Router?
How much thickness did you leave at the rear of the wood?
What sort of bass porting have you got for the T50? ( i assume the baffles are sealed tight against the cups and that is a stock baffle directly transplanted on. Tiny baffle holes close or open? )
Any particular cabling? 
 
and so on... a million questions sorry about that.
 
 
There's a great metal polish that i use for stuff that will really bring out he shine and bump up the awesome level a small notch. Removes any corrosion or built up stuff also and helps protect stuff.
Cheapish.
 
Autosol Metal Polish
should be under $10 for a toothpaste-sized tube.

Besides the looks, i'm more interested on the Sound quality of your creations. What did you make to achieve the desired sound signature? 
 
Looking forward to that. 
 
Gr8 Job. 

It's posts like this that make me want to go out and figure out how to actually create things with my hands. It makes me feel woefully inadequate. Absolutely gorgeous creations, eager to hear some more on the sound.

Quote:

nick n said:

1) What's the material used for the pads on the Pioneer build and also what pads are on the T50?
 
2) What type of wood did you use and what method for the T50 build? Router?
 
3) How much thickness did you leave at the rear of the wood?
 
4) What sort of bass porting have you got for the T50? ( i assume the baffles are sealed tight against the cups and that is a stock baffle directly transplanted on. Tiny baffle holes close or open? )
 
5) Any particular cabling? 
 

Click to expand...

1) For the Pioneer build I made the pads out of leather and for the T50 I used the stock vinyl pads off a vintage pair of Stanton headphones.
 
2) I built the T50 cups out of red oak. As far as what method I used for the T50, I didn't really follow anyone method to close. I took some ideas for different builds, but mainly i wanted to figure out mostly everything myself.
 
3) the thickness of the wood at the rear is 1/8 of an inch. 
 
4) I wanted the T50s to have no sound leaks and great isolation, so I didn't add any bass ports. the T50s have almost no sound leaks at high volume levels and the isolation is really good. The bass does lack a little because there are no bass ports, but it doesn't bother me to much because I don't really listen to all that much bass heavy music.
 
5) I am probably going to get some **** for this, but for my cables I just used the speaker wires from some RCA cables that I had around the house. At first I used some more expensive speaker wires but I didn't like how the wires would get these nasty bends. I used the RCA cables because they  were more flexible and they didn't get any nasty bends in the cable.  

Quote:

fabio-fi said:

Besides the looks, i'm more interested on the Sound quality of your creations. What did you make to achieve the desired sound signature? 
 
Looking forward to that. 
 
Gr8 Job. 

Click to expand...

I'm still new to the audiophile world so I may not be the best person at describing sound signatures. The best I can do is compare my headphones to other headphones that I have owned or have tried. I use to own a pair of Hifiman HE-300 and my T50s can compete and beat them in almost any category. I also own have some Brainwavz HM5 and the T50s beat them in every category except bass. They have amazing clarity, the mids and highs really shine without being to bright. Also the very nice sound stage.  My T50s are probably the best headphones I have every tried even if they do lack some bass, but my ears may be bias. I am eager to compare the T50s to some more high end headphones.
 
As for my Pioneer build, they remind me of a pair of Grado SR325is that I use to own. The highs and mids are really good without being as bright as the SR325is and the sound stage is decent. But the Pioneers have the same problem as the SR325is, they really lack when it comes to bass. 
 
But even with their flaws, I am still happy with the overall results of both builds. The thing that I love about both headphones is the amazing clarity that they have.   

very nice bro. keep it up! /me jelly