Grado Modders Go Ypsilon (Elleven Acoustica drivers and builds thread)
Jan 1, 2016 at 10:41 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 722

fleasbaby

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Hi All,
 
Thought I would start a new thread on this...a little while back, I am not sure how long ago, I came across a website for a company called Elleven Acoustica. It was stocked with several goodies for modding Grados (wooden cups, and some aluminium ones, as well as wooden sleeves). A little thereafter the site appeared to be under construction again for some time.
 
Recently a good friend pointed out that they were back up. I had a look through and their selection had changed. They now stock wooden cups only, a nice cable, gimbals, "project boxes" and drivers. The gimbals are interesting in that they come with a spring-steel arch. Up until now modders have had to hunt out their own alternatives or stick with the Grado headband. The cups look very well made, but the real thing that caught my eye was the drivers.
 
I emailed the general contact email on the site and started discussing them with one of the staff members there. They sounded rather intriguing: tuned for a neutral sound signature, designed specifically to be flush-fit (not foam fit) in a Grado-style cup, made in Germany, aluminium casing. Long story short...a pair arrived on my doorstep yesterday.
 
I am not affilliated with Elleven Acoustica in any way. I don't know the folks who run it, or work for thm at all.
 
Here are some unboxing pictures:
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Of particular interest to me is the backs of the drivers and the aluminium casings. I have never seen a Grado-mod-style driver with four holes in the magnet back, a metal casing or the paper damping under, not over the ring of holes around the driver magnet. If you look carefully these have one hole punched in the paper damping just next to the positive terminal (I am assuming this means like other Grado-type drivers more holes can be punched for more bass).
 
I'll be making some cups for these in the coming days, and after making a build with them, writing a review...more thoughts to come.
 
Jan 1, 2016 at 10:58 AM Post #3 of 722
  They arrived then!
... I'll be giving mine their first listen later tonight,

 
They did indeed....last night just as I was leaving for some light festivities...
 
Jan 1, 2016 at 11:15 AM Post #4 of 722
These are right around the price of Magnums, it will be interesting to see how they do.
 
Hope you guys write a little review on these.
 
Fleasbaby.....you forgot to thread-crap the StratoKosster thread.  
 
Jan 1, 2016 at 11:29 AM Post #5 of 722
  These are right around the price of Magnums, it will be interesting to see how they do.
 
Hope you guys write a little review on these.
 
Fleasbaby.....you forgot to thread-crap the StratoKosster thread.  

LOL...I know. By the time I got to that last one I was starting to feel a little bad, so I held back.
 
Yes, a review will happen once they are in a build. Probably going to use those Black Limba/Rosewood ones I started yesterday.
 
Jan 3, 2016 at 11:28 AM Post #10 of 722
...finished the cups I will be using this morning. They'll be mounted in an MDR7502 headband, and are another pair in Black Limba and Rosewood:
 

 
Per Elleven Acoustica's specs, the drivers will be flush-mounted and press-fit.
 
Just waiting on a cable now.
 
Jan 3, 2016 at 2:16 PM Post #12 of 722
Assembled mine some time ago, they have something like 30-40 hours so far, here are my initial impressions. I like them best with L-Cushions.
Overall these are very neutral.
Bass is very well controlled and goes very low, no midbass hump whatsoever, treble is on the smooth side but not dark, their real highlight IMHO is the midrange, voices sound very lifelike so is solo piano, acoustic guitar and violin, soundstage is average but layering is superb. Dynamics are frightening fast when listening to a solo drums set.
They can take an awful lot of power without "farts and burbs", it takes an act of will to keep the volume knob at "hearing safe" levels just because they can go extremely loud without audible distortion. These are "mature' drivers, I like them 
biggrin.gif

 

 
Jan 3, 2016 at 2:55 PM Post #13 of 722
  Assembled mine some time ago, they have something like 30-40 hours so far, here are my initial impressions. I like them best with L-Cushions.
Overall these are very neutral.
Bass is very well controlled and goes very low, no midbass hump whatsoever, treble is on the smooth side but not dark, their real highlight IMHO is the midrange, voices sound very lifelike so is solo piano, acoustic guitar and violin, soundstage is average but layering is superb. Dynamics are frightening fast when listening to a solo drums set.
They can take an awful lot of power without "farts and burbs", it takes an act of will to keep the volume knob at "hearing safe" levels just because they can go extremely loud without audible distortion. These are "mature' drivers, I like them 
biggrin.gif

 

 
Nice! Are those Ear-Zonk pads or Grados?
 
You just need a leather headband to cap them off!
 
Jan 3, 2016 at 3:15 PM Post #14 of 722
   
Nice! Are those Ear-Zonk pads or Grados?
 
You just need a leather headband to cap them off!


Ear-Zonk with 3-4 light layers of Plasti-Dip on the inside, not much to do with frequency response but helps with dimension stability, they seem to last longer with it.
I do have a leather headband which I have to agree that looks awesome but my shaved head is happier with the Sennheiser foam headband.
 
Jan 3, 2016 at 3:22 PM Post #15 of 722
 
Ear-Zonk with 3-4 light layers of Plasti-Dip on the inside, not much to do with frequency response but helps with dimension stability, they seem to last longer with it.
I do have a leather headband which I have to agree that looks awesome but my shaved head is happier with the Sennheiser foam headband.

 
LOL...as I hit submit I wondered "...maybe he has no hair?"
 

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