[Alberto01]

Thank you, peter123.
 
I didn't get you wrong.  You're telling it like it is with your hearing.  That is exactly what I asked for.

 

[peter123]

Quote:

Thank you, peter123.
 
I didn't get you wrong.  You're telling it like it is with your hearing.  That is exactly what I asked for.

 

[BBEG]

Might not be spending enough time on the EFi's, but I'm not enjoying them as much as my Uptowns (only other closed headphones) and I don't think they sound as good for what I normally listen to as the MH463. The only thing I find that they do better is the electronica stuff. Once work training is done and I have some semblance of free time again, I'm going to relook at the disassembly pics in this thread and see if I can't cut/grind/remove the cups from the back of the EFi's cups and make them open phones.

 

[CashNotCredit]

 
 
Do this.
 
Get some Goop ($7 on Amazon), unscrew some stuff, and do this.

 

[zhyla]

What are we looking at here?  You've cut off the outside of the cups?  And used adhesive to secure the drivers so they don't fall out?

 

[CashNotCredit]

What are we looking at here?  You've cut off the outside of the cups?  And used adhesive to secure the drivers so they don't fall out?

Just a lot of unscrewing and some adhesive. Remove the black and red mesh,then unscrew the three main screws. Pop off the driver enclosure and unscrew four more screws. Them pull off the back, screw the driver enclosure back into the...other thing (ear cup? housing?), and use adhesive to secure the driver+housing onto the hinge. I used Goop and left it on overnight.

Open back EFis sound as nice as you'd think they would.

 

[Xprime4]

how does your open efi finally compare to the mh463? are they sounding similar? how does the bass react in the efi

 

[CashNotCredit]

Quote:

how does your open efi finally compare to the mh463? are they sounding similar? how does the bass react in the efi

Not sounding similar at all, I'm afraid.

The Opefi (ditch/keep the name for the mod?) makes the MH463 sound like a crowded club. Tighter bass, bigger soundstage, and the treble comes out just the way it needs to. In an A/B, the 463 just sounds bloated and dark (could be the Turtle Beach pads; I hope not!)

Plus, these are the most comfortable headphones ever! They're so lightweight without the back. 

But yeah, this driver was made for an open-backed design. 

I'm just using MH5 pads, no dampening. If it's too bright for your taste, I suppose you could put the dampening back in or use Shure pads (or both!).

 

[zhyla]

Can you compare the isolation between stock 82 and open back 82?  I'm sure we're all interested in a general comparison but I am hoping opening up the backs reduces the isolation significantly.
 
ETA:  darn you Cash, it's your fault I have to disassemble these things so frequently .

 

[CashNotCredit]

Quote:

Can you compare the isolation between stock 82 and open back 82?  I'm sure we're all interested in a general comparison but I am hoping opening up the backs reduces the isolation significantly.
 
ETA:  darn you Cash, it's your fault I have to disassemble these things so frequently .

Yes! Both leakage out and leakage in are much higher. I let my father use them (he listens fairly loudly, but not too far from the norm), and I could hear his music clearly and intelligibly from 4 feet away. The regular 82 is OK for library use if put at a quiet enough volume. Take the Opefi to the library and you're getting kicked out!

 

[kickin81]

I love what you did, and I think I'll try it out (even before I fully burn them in unfortunately) but do you have any ideas on how to make it semi-open? The fact that it's really audible to others around me and that it's insides are exposed doesn't make this mod too attractive. Or did you really reinstall the caps back on?

 

[CashNotCredit]

Quote:

I love what you did, and I think I'll try it out (even before I fully burn them in unfortunately) but do you have any ideas on how to make it semi-open? The fact that it's really audible to others around me and that it's insides are exposed doesn't make this mod too attractive. Or did you really reinstall the caps back on?

Perhaps you could cut out some slits in the back, opening it up a bit. 

I didn't put the caps back on and I don't intend on doing so. This *needs* to be open-backed (or at least more opened than it is).

You could also put some wire meshing on the inside of the cups. I didn't get around to it, but you could definitely create a grille that way and it'd look a lot nicer.

Additionally, that's just what happens with open-backed headphones. Open-backed headphones aren't meant to be used in noisy environments or around others. It turns them into a homebody, but an awesome sounding one at that.

 

[zhyla]

Ok, took Cash's advice.  Yes, the isolation is much lower.  It took me a while to figure out that I was hearing birds singing and not some super subtle audio on whatever track I was listening to.
 
Unfortunately without that cover piece these headphones don't really hold themselves together.  Few ideas:
 
1.  Dremel out the grooves in the cover plate.
 
2.  I could drill out most of that rectangular space under the Somic logo (see below).  If I did it right I could even replace the logo plate and revert back to closed back.  Seems like that would be so little surface area that it might unbalance the frequency response.  Anyone have a good feel for what that would do?
 
3.  I hadn't noticed these before but see the little half rings of ports in the 2nd picture?  These have some damping material over them.  I wonder, could/should they be enlarged?  Or more of them added?  It would be cosmetically fairly benign since these are hidden behind the cover plate.
 

 

[CashNotCredit]

Quote:

Ok, took Cash's advice.  Yes, the isolation is much lower.  It took me a while to figure out that I was hearing birds singing and not some super subtle audio on whatever track I was listening to.
 
Unfortunately without that cover piece these headphones don't really hold themselves together.  Few ideas:

This is where you bring in the Goop.

 

[cute]

Quote:

Ok, took Cash's advice.  Yes, the isolation is much lower.  It took me a while to figure out that I was hearing birds singing and not some super subtle audio on whatever track I was listening to.
 
Unfortunately without that cover piece these headphones don't really hold themselves together.  Few ideas:
 
1.  Dremel out the grooves in the cover plate.
 
2.  I could drill out most of that rectangular space under the Somic logo (see below).  If I did it right I could even replace the logo plate and revert back to closed back.  Seems like that would be so little surface area that it might unbalance the frequency response.  Anyone have a good feel for what that would do?
 
3.  I hadn't noticed these before but see the little half rings of ports in the 2nd picture?  These have some damping material over them.  I wonder, could/should they be enlarged?  Or more of them added?  It would be cosmetically fairly benign since these are hidden behind the cover plate.
 

 
Wow, that makes em handy for a rewire!