[mikey1964]

Now a member of the T50RP club! Though technically, I do have a 'T50RP' in my Alpha Dog. 

I don't find it unattractive at all, sorta like the bare utilitarian feel and look to it...

 

[SeEnCreaTive]

Heh I LOVE the stock retro, terrible look to the T50RP. People see them and think they are old, terrible ect, totally blow everyone's minds. Even if they are as uneven and poorly modded as mine are. My old coily cord added to it too

 

[G1Snd]

I have a question that I hope hasn't already been asked multiple times.
How important is it to seal the stiff felt down on the back of the T50RP driver? My double sided tape "holds the felt in place" as described in the mod instructions, but it is not sealing down tightly. I could glue it down, but I may want to make the inside treble reflector/disc smaller or remove it in a few weeks (once I've listened to a variety of music).

 

[SeEnCreaTive]

  I have a question that I hope hasn't already been asked multiple times.
How important is it to seal the stiff felt down on the back of the T50RP driver? My double sided tape "holds the felt in place" as described in the mod instructions, but it is not sealing down tightly. I could glue it down, but I may want to make the inside treble reflector/disc smaller or remove it in a few weeks (once I've listened to a variety of music).

The felt on the back of the driver is to reduce air compliance. Tightening and removing some bass. So it doesn't need to be perfectly tight, just enough to block or slow air to the back of the driver, making it move less freely
 
I think anyways

 

[G1Snd]

The felt on the back of the driver is to reduce air compliance. Tightening and removing some bass. So it doesn't need to be perfectly tight, just enough to block or slow air to the back of the driver, making it move less freely
 
I think anyways

 


Thanks SeEnCreaTive!

I had made a couple speculations and wasn't sure what was correct. I thought perhaps the stiff felt was restricting much of the driver's output from entering the cup and/or reflecting much of the range of frequencies. I also thought about driver damping and air restriction as you described, and now I know this is the reason. I'm afraid then that any adjustment to the size of the holes/bass ports in the stiff felt will not give me consistent results if I'm not sealing the felt down completely.

 

[nick n]

It also acts to slightly slow down the bass backwave and keep it from reflecting backwards again and cancelling out the wave going to your ears. Basically keeping the rearward wave slightly offset from the front so that when it reflects back it does not nullify and sych up/cancel the front ear facing waves. If they are slightly offset compared to each other it makes the bass less cancelled out.
damping does that plus can act to reflect a bit of the highs if they are low depending on what materials you use. For instance people used to use ( or still do use ) materials of less porous or non porous spots ( look up reflex dots ) to cause the trebles to reflect and add to the waves hitting your ears.
 
Of course the damping also adds pressure resistance to the driver throw to keep things faster responding and tighter.  You can overdamp easily and underdamp easily. Plus all the various materials  and material combinations and arrangements have their own specific sonic effects ( variable damping  with more on outer perimeter vs inner or the opposite, holes through the damping pads to allow for bass throw and treble increase and compromise between the two,  transmission line type damping with nothing/little on the driver and gradually increasing rear cup density treatments, etc ).
 
This is also why pad seal is important if you have a headphone that needs help in the low end. The first version pads on these new T50RP had seal issues and they were poor in the bass from what i recall, until they came out with the newer softer better sealing stock pads, hence bass was improved. Bass "blooms everywhere so fast"that it can counteract anything leaving the cups and reach around, sneak in to pad leaks and cancel out the earside bass.
 
Flamesuit ready and on bring on the discussion
 
Please add or bring up any issues you think i typed here, any discussion is good, maybe I even added a goof or two just to get you riled up

 

[fleasbaby]

Speaking of damoing, etc....@hemipowered007 how are the open-backs coming along? With my new lathe I am testing out new stuff, and the thought of an open-back wafted across the back of my mind. Never seen a successful one though (maybe @stratocaster has successfully done this at some point?).
 
A few commonalities I have seen in open-back planars:
 
1. heavy damping behind the driver
2. a preference for leather, not velour pads
 
Any other observations from other folks? @bluemonkeyflyer?

 

[hemipowered007]

Not at all, yet. Have family in town so no garage time.

 

[G1Snd]

That's a lot to think about and try, nick n.
I know what you mean that it's easy to underdamp or overdamp. I stuffed the cups with cotton and lost the bass almost completely. Now I'm using a layer of cotton that's only a few millimeters thick. The 840 pads I'm using seem to seal well.

 

[nick n]

 BMF mentioned before in the big post there , Michael's Craft Store carries some rolls of fabric tape.
I was there and saw the Aileen's (?) version, but in a different section a few aisles over I found this stuff ( in the wool-sort-of section ) it is the same stuff, seems to be the manufacturer for Aileen's I bet, and it is cheaper ( about half price here ).
 
http://canada.michaels.com/on/demandware.store/Sites-MichaelsCanada-Site/default/Product-Show?pid=C_gc3000

 
 
looks like it comes in sheets also
 
 I would HIGHLY recommend this, even if only at the 4 corner points of the pad edges. No more awkward precarious feeling of the pads falling off, these are ON.
That feeling bothered me all the time. When wearing them I just always knew in my mind they were looser than they should have been.
 I personally seal up the baffle to cup seam so don't worry about sealing with the tape pieces themselves.  The stuff is tremendously sticky and will stick to your fingers and scissors, so don't use good scissors.
It's so durable it is machine washable even, but unlike other double sided tape sheets I have used in the past from art supply places this doesn't seem like heat will affect is as much. It even says on the back: "Tumble Dry Low Heat"
 
Also recommend small pieces of this for securing internal mod bits down so nothing shifts when reseating the cups. One less variable to worry about, and as I mentioned it will not get sloppy with heat and weep into any stuff like driver backing materials etc.
 
Thanks for making me go look for the stuff BMF

 

 

[bluemonkeyflyer]

   BMF mentioned before in the big post there , Michael's Craft Store carries some rolls of fabric tape.
I was there and saw the Aileen's (?) version, but in a different section a few aisles over I found this stuff ( in the wool-sort-of section ) it is the same stuff, seems to be the manufacturer for Aileen's I bet, and it is cheaper ( about half price here ).
 
http://canada.michaels.com/on/demandware.store/Sites-MichaelsCanada-Site/default/Product-Show?pid=C_gc3000

 
 
looks like it comes in sheets also
 
 I would HIGHLY recommend this, even if only at the 4 corner points of the pad edges. No more awkward precarious feeling of the pads falling off, these are ON.
That feeling bothered me all the time. When wearing them I just always knew in my mind they were looser than they should have been.
 I personally seal up the baffle to cup seam so don't worry about sealing with the tape pieces themselves.  The stuff is tremendously sticky and will stick to your fingers and scissors, so don't use good scissors.
It's so durable it is machine washable even, but unlike other double sided tape sheets I have used in the past from art supply places this doesn't seem like heat will affect is as much. It even says on the back: "Tumble Dry Low Heat"
 
Also recommend small pieces of this for securing internal mod bits down so nothing shifts when reseating the cups. One less variable to worry about, and as I mentioned it will not get sloppy with heat and weep into any stuff like driver backing materials etc.
 
Thanks for making me go look for the stuff BMF

 

 
 
Good find, nick n. Thanks for posting...adding to my Buy It list, now.

 

[Armaegis]

What's the advantage of this stuff over generic office store/3M double sided tape?

 

[SeEnCreaTive]

What's the advantage of this stuff over generic office store/3M double sided tape?

Not sure, more permanent? But more likely becuase it's more suited to fabrics.

Heh my mom is a seamstress by trade, and scrapbook for a hobby.

I could see acid being a problem too. Many tapes and glues have acid in them, great for sticking, but in a long term application it breaks down materials. Hence all the "acid-free" selling points you see on scrapbooking things. That being said, not sure if that applies to fabric tape.

If anyone needs any of that tape, I have some somewhere.And my mom's favorite store is Michaels heh...

 

[bluemonkeyflyer]

  What's the advantage of this stuff over generic office store/3M double sided tape?

Significantly better "Grab." It bonds permanently and won't pull loose like 3M and other double sided tape. 
 
It's similar to the stock stuff that holds the T50RP pads to the baffles.
 
Set it and forget it.

 

[nick n]

  Significantly better "Grab." It bonds permanently and won't pull loose like 3M and other double sided tape. 
 
It's similar to the stock stuff that holds the T50RP pads to the baffles.
 
Set it and forget it.

If you read the packages carefully, the Aileen's one says in fine print: " manufactured for "
and the one there I linked says " manufactured by " 
since the stuff seems identical looking in the packages I would say the PeelNstick is the OEM.  Cheaper price for the same thing is always good right.
 
ohhh ...."set it and forget it".
  That darned info-mercial phrase.
 LOL  BTW as Vince ( the Slapchop guy ) used to say" how do you like my nu.... "      nevermind