[wolfen68]

I recently received a modded HF-1 from Headphile (Blacksilver cable and Paduak woodies). After some extensive listening, I have the following side by side comparisons with an unmodified HF-1:

For starters, working with Larry:

He was very easy to work with and accomodating. The one or two emails I sent to him were answered immediately.

Out of the box:

I was surprised how small the modified cups actually are. After seeing tons of close-up pictures of woodied Grados...they always seemed blockier. These are still surprisingly slim and could be worn portably....if you dare (at least as much as any other Grado). The wood shape and finish is fantastic, very impressive. The cable is also a joy. Very meticulously assembled and much easier to manage than the stock cable...I love it.

I had some initial misgivings in three minor areas:

1. The leather headband is a little "floppy" and unsupported. It seems that it needs a thicker internal backing or support. I have an RS-1 headband, and that band is comfortable and seems it will never lose its shape. This band will get bent and krinkled easily, and the sewing job on one side is mediocre (probably the side sewn after installation). I only partially noticed this, but my curious wife (who is a seamstress) started telling me why it looked that way and how a serging machine would dress it up nicely. The band is comfy...so no issues there.

2. I remember reading that Larry had to cut a portion of the headphones to make it work or cosmetically look better. I thought it was the metal rod, but it is actually the plastic brackets that hold the cup. I do not like the look of the cut brackets as much as original. Is this necessary so that the deeper cups can rotate without contacting the bracket? I'm curious to try my RS-1 assembly and see if it works or not with standard length brackets.

3. Larry added stealth cloth inside the mesh even though (I thought) I did not select that option. If this does not affect sound one way or the other...then this wouldn't bother me.

Listening:

I threw them on for a few minutes and was disappointed in that they seemed to sound just like they did before modification. I had to run at the time, so for the next couple of hours I was wondering if I was going to put a thread in the buy/sell forum soon...

Later, I sat down again with my other HF-1 and the real comparison started. Two aspects of the sound have REALLY changed. My best description is that the midrange had really "bloomed" after the modification.

The modded set sounded so much more "full" than the stock set, that I wondered if someone had snuck an SR-60 into my collection. I feel the difference in this area is definitely greater than the difference between an SR-60 and a 225. My stock HF-1's, that formally could do no wrong, now sounded thin!

With the fullness has come the bass. The bass is far more present and articulated. I have not decided yet if it is much deeper or not, but it is improved from what it was. There's enough bass that the use of senns or flats would be overkill to my tastes. After some pad changings, I've decided that stock bowls still rule HF-1's, before or after modification.

I'm still working on what I think about the highs. They are fine, no question, but seemingly tamed from what they were. I use Neko Case's "Furnace Room Lullabies" to test highs on my rigs and everything sounded right. The details I associate with this song were all there. The lush midrange is actually disconcerting at times as notes really pop out at you at times in "Uber-Grado" fashion...WOW.

The bassline and guitar work in AC/DC's "Stiff Upper Lip" holds far more energy with the modded version than the originals.

During this experience, I kept wondering, "Is an RS-1 better than this?".

All in all, I've found this fascinating that two "smaller than I thought" blocks of wood behind the driver can make such a difference.

I can't compare to an RS-1, but from this experience, I must say that anyone thinking of woodifying an HF-1 is going to get back a very different animal.

Thanks Larry.

 

[Jahn]

I think this is the first in depth comparo I've read that really points out the differences tween stock and mod in detail - thanks for that, and it's very encouraging!

 

[en480c4]

While my mods weren't by Larry, my experience with woodied HF-1's seem to match your comments on the change in sound. I had a chance to sit down with stock a stock HF-1 and my modded pair and would summarize the changes as follows:

Bass - improved extension and increased detail
Mids - fuller and warmer
Highs - a little loss of treble "sparkle" but increase smoothness without a loss of detail

I'm glad to hear you found the mods were worthwhile.

 

[matt8268]

I listened to a stock vs headphile HF-1 at the recent so cal meet, and my reaction was basically the same as yours. At first listen it was "this sounds pretty much the same", and then after a little more time it was, "no, actually, this sounds much better!".

FYI, the majority of the differences you describe are due to the cable upgrade, not the extra wood added.

 

[wolfen68]

Quote:

Originally Posted by matt8268 FYI, the majority of the differences you describe are due to the cable upgrade, not the extra wood added.

You think so?

I was wondering why my modded pair is louder at the same volume settings than my stock ones. The drivers seem to be placed to the ears similarly...I suspected this may be cable related...or Grado experiences some differences in the drivers they use (which is obviously corrected as they are matched per set).

EDIT: I'm skeptical. I always thought cables improved nuances...this difference is very significant.

 

[kontai69]

Nice comparative review, wolfen68.
Some comments...
Quote:

Originally Posted by wolfen68 The leather headband is a little "floppy" and unsupported. It seems that it needs a thicker internal backing or support. I have an RS-1 headband, and that band is comfortable and seems it will never lose its shape.

The RS-1 headband has some sort of cardboard inside which is glued down at the ends. This maintains its shape and also prevents the floppiness you observe with the Headphile headband. Maybe Larry could add one into his design.

Quote:

Originally Posted by wolfen68 I'm curious to try my RS-1 assembly and see if it works or not with standard length brackets.

I think that would be difficult to do. The RS-1 earcups are held in place on the "brackets" by pivot pins whose heads don't have any sides, slots or wrench holes. I'm not sure whether they are press fitted or use a special tool to (un)screw in.

 

[Gorthon]

Wolfen68 gave me the opportunity to listen and compare his Headphile HF-1's to mine. Here is my story.

I received my HF-1 and immediately gave them a 50 hour burn in. I then began my journey of HF-1's. In the beginning I felt like there was something missing. When a song I was very familiar with came along, I realized what it was. There was no depth, richness, or impact in bass and lower midranges. The highs sounded perfect. I had been reading a lot about different pads and mods. The one that came to mind immediately was the reverse bowl mod. So I applied a little pressure to bring the drivers closer to my ears, taking care not to obstruct the open screen. This gave me what I was looking for. I tried the reverse bowl mod and was pretty happy with the sound, but not the comfort factor. I still wished I could get just a little more depth and richness. For Christmas I received a gift of Grado flat pads. With these the depth, richness, and impact I was looking for was there. I also find them much more comfortable then the bowls. I was very happy with these. I then had and opportunity to compare a stock set of HF-1’s with my friend’s woody HF-1 from Headphile. The test bed was an iRiver iHP-140, Headsave Go-Vibe amp, with 6” Cardas mini to mini IC. I was able to spend about an hour with them. I gave the woody HF-1 a quick listen with flats and did not like this at all. I then listened to a variety of tracks comparing the woody HF-1 (w/ bowls) to the stock HF-1 (w/ bowls, reversed bowls, and flats). Although not exactly what I desired, the woody mod of the HF-1 brought more depth, richness and impact without losing any soundstage or clarity. At the same time I realized how wooly the flats on the stock set sounded compared to the woody set with the bowls. One last test revealed that if I increased the volume of the woody set a little, that nirvana was reached. I had found the depth, richness and impact I wanted without any loss in soundstage or clarity. Now the problem is that at that volume, I feel you risk hearing damage.

I am off to amp thread to see if I can get some help there on volume and amps.

 

[Jahn]

ouch, no one wants to get hearing damage to enjoy cans- have you tried reverse bowls with the woodies?

 

[deaconblues]

Which one got woodied, your original HF-1 or the one I sold you?

 

[wolfen68]

Quote:

Originally Posted by deaconblues Which one got woodied, your original HF-1 or the one I sold you?

The one I got from you was the one elevated to a higher plane of existence.

It's now my fav can.

I told you I would take care of it

.

 

[Jahn]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wolfen68 The one I got from you was the one elevated to a higher plane of existence. It's now my fav can. I told you I would take care of it .

deaconblues called, he wants his cans back.

 

[deaconblues]

Here's a pic of #377 in its original state. Let's see some of it post metamorphasis

.

oh yeah, and I think Jahn's idea is excellent

 

[wolfen68]

Well, OK.......

 

[wolfen68]

I can't resist...one more

My positive impressions of these have just been growing over the last couple of weeks. They continue to sound rich and full, all around pleasant and fun. The highs are definitely tamed from what they were, but do not seem lacking.

 

[Blitzula]

I haven't read this thread yet...but I'm betting the mod improved the headphone. Does anyone EVER say an expensive mod made a headphone not as pleasureable? Let's see.....

Yup, an improvement. But it seems like some possible cons were noted too. Those are beautiful headphones, enjoy!