[crazyfrenchman27]

Quote:

Originally Posted by BRBJackson frenchman, I just looked at my vwaps. The hole diameter is ~1.4", and each of the 8 circumferential slits is .5" long. Hope this helps.

That's strange...the hole diameter for the flats is 1.7", and the 8 circumferential slits are .3" long.

I think I'll follow your measurements, though.

 

[JimmyDean]

Using ratchets on concrete does absolutely nothing to your ratchets, you dont pound with enough force to crack the concrete

 

[Kirosia]

Quote:

Originally Posted by crazyfrenchman27 That's strange...the hole diameter for the flats is 1.7", and the 8 circumferential slits are .3" long. I think I'll follow your measurements, though.

Be aware that the flats don't really stretch or move, and the 414 pads do (when placed on your ears_. This may explain the smaller hole in the 414. If it were too big your ears would hit the drivers, which is changes the sound and is quite annoying.

 

[cmanc]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kirosia The vwap mod is for the 414, in order to imitate flats.

The modded 414s don't sound anything like the flats though, not to me anyway. Mine is probably not 100% the same as how vwap makes them (actually i'm 100% sure they're not) but I bet they sound pretty close. If you're after the sound of the flats you're better of buying them instead of modding these as there's a pretty big difference between the two. Having said that I still prefer my 414s for different things.

 

[Kirosia]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cmanc The modded 414s don't sound anything like the flats though, not to me anyway. Mine is probably not 100% the same as how vwap makes them (actually i'm 100% sure they're not) but I bet they sound pretty close. If you're after the sound of the flats you're better of buying them instead of modding these as there's a pretty big difference between the two. Having said that I still prefer my 414s for different things.

Thing is, vwap/414 pads were introduced as an alternative to Flats, since at the time they were discontinued. They could only be found in used condition with the joe grado series phones. When Flats were re-introduced due to popular head-fi demand, vwap stopped modding the 414s and distributing them out of respect. So nowadays they are considered the poor man's flats. They may not sound the same, but they are more comfortable and cheap, which is important to many people.

 

[holeinmywallet]

Hammering + Socket modd sounds fun, but it's relatively impractical when simply using a sharpie + quarter can get a perfect hole in less than a minute(if you are used to).

The diameter of the hole is 38cm, or approxmately 1.5 inches. I found a metal washer lying around that has exactly 38cm diameter. However, in order to get rid of the outer part of the pad from unnaturally bending outward from the tight fitting, you need to cut a second hole(48cm) over the factory cut hole + expanding the inner space between the front and back of the pad with a shaving tool or something appropriate. Otherwise, you would have a bit unnatural fitting on the grado frame, too tight.

The two other modds beside the first hole don't matter if the only thing you feel the senn pads are lacking is the absence of a hole, but if you are trying to replicate flats as my school alumnus and mentor vwap had done, they are worth the extra effort.

I think the only thing that can really mess up your modd is cutting the hole not Right in the middle. If you aren't too careful, the hole you just cut out might be off from the center by some milimeters.

For the type of music I listen to, I find the flats to be too bassy at times, so I prefer senn pads, and the added comfort is a plus

Try my Tripple-Bam technique.

Locate the center on the front.

Flip it upside down.

Bam!

Place them so the back faces up like in picture 2.

Bam!

Expand the inner gap so they can be seated on the grado less tightly.

Bam! eight slits. (Those black dots appearing next to the slits are ink marks that will disappear after dyeing)

Done.

Oh, and I think the only intended reason for the eight slits in the original flats was to keep them from tearing/damaging the pads when you take them out or when you are placing them onto the grados, given the hard/dense material. As you can tell, with the slits they are more flexible when you squish them, preventing wrinkles or tears. For the senn pads which is of softer and less denser foam, slits are just for cosmetics or for the satisfaction of many people who subconsciously compare them to the flats. If I were to ask vwap for his pads, I would ask for a pair with no slits.

 

[acs236]

Fools! Only Vwap can make Vwap pads!!!

 

[Nak Man]

Quote:

Originally Posted by holeinmywallet Hammering + Socket modd sounds fun, but it's relatively impractical when simply using a sharpie + quarter can get a perfect hole in less than a minute(if you are used to).

BTW how exactly did you 'bam' them ? Those are real clean cut for xacto knife.

 

[mektarus]

I had some 1.25" galvanized steel pipe left over from building a gate for our fence and found that it works perfectly. It already has a semi-sharp edge so just line it up, press it down and twist. Perfect, clean hole.

 

[mattigol]

Does the quality of the foam (open-cell/closed-cell/overall porosity) effect sound quality or is it just the distance and angle of the drive from the ear?

Cheers M

 

[Nak Man]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mektarus Perfect, clean hole.

Thanks ! I'll find a sharp tube and hope my hand won't get similar round cut in the 'bam' process.

 

[Nak Man]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mattigol Does the quality of the foam (open-cell/closed-cell/overall porosity) effect sound quality or is it just the distance and angle of the drive from the ear?

Not particular to grado pads - ime foam or pads 'types' affect sound quality quite a bit, especially in bass area, provided foam is surrounding, not covering, transducer.

 

[holeinmywallet]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nak Man BTW how exactly did you 'bam' them ? Those are real clean cut for xacto knife.

Actually I didn't literally bamed them. It's just that I couldn't take the picture and the cut the hole at the same time. So assume that I placed a metal washer on the pad and kept pushing them down firmly while I made a circle around the metal washer with a xacto knife. From looking at the posted pictures of vwap's pads and observations I made from butchering through my first few pairs, I am almost 100% positive that those three modds are exactly what vwap originally have done on his. Otherwise I can't think of anything more or less he could have done to make them 'look' and 'fit' like the flats.

I agree that the difference in density of the foams does make the sound different, albeit very slightly.

 

[RageX]

lol JimmyDean sure knows how to use his tools well, and effectively