[TakashiMiike]

Quote:

 

What's your feeling?  If you're content with the headphones, why not consider some revisions to the components?  If you went for the RS-1, would you mod them?  Or, would you leave them stock?  Lower level Grados that have had a bit of surgery done to them can come awfully close to a high-end sound.  Now, the question is, is it worth spending $500 - $600 more on the RS-1 headphones for a 10% gain in sound improvement?  It would be ideal if you could demo a pair of RS-1 headphones for a few days to see what you really think of them before taking the plunge.  However, that is virtually a limited idea because unless you have a good friend with a pair, stores don't usually lend out headphones for a few days.  It's actually too bad that they don't.  I'd love to have that option.
 
 

 
I don't know, I've heard many different things about the gap between sr60i modded and rs1i, some claim it's a lot some claim you can get 80-90% of the way there. There is a dxcstore by me I suppose I could check in sometime and see if they have a demo pair.

 

[Melvins]

he's alive!

 

[apatN]

Trees fell? Hmm, got me thinking. 

 

[xaval]

Quote:

 
I don't know, I've heard many different things about the gap between sr60i modded and rs1i, some claim it's a lot some claim you can get 80-90% of the way there. There is a dxcstore by me I suppose I could check in sometime and see if they have a demo pair.

It is clear that you can approach the mod thing from a multitude of angles re thes sr60s.
 
It should mean that the percentile could be anything you want to. I believe that what Bill and many others are offering here - done stuff and conceptual thinking crazy stuff - can go further than 100%. Common drivers (maybe) + better sounding (to your taste) woodcups + 4-10 holes + variable driver dampping + cleaner grills + better cables + cloth free fronts + leather/whatnot pads = a lot of awesomeness going down
 
 

 

[xaval]

Quote:

Trees fell? Hmm, got me thinking. 

Haha )))
 
@Bill - Spirit is high in spite. In the zone maybe?
 

 

[blufox4900]

The storm is over.  We lost power.  Some planes got overturned.  Trees were felled.  And I lost a chunk of my fence.  My wife freaked out, with crying and praying and telephonic last wishes but today the sun is out and we are cutting, drilling and mailing.  What doesn't kill you . . . . 

You went through that storm too? I was on I4 when it hit
not
fun
at
all

 

[etteoh]

Quote:

 
I don't know, I've heard many different things about the gap between sr60i modded and rs1i, some claim it's a lot some claim you can get 80-90% of the way there. There is a dxcstore by me I suppose I could check in sometime and see if they have a demo pair.

 
@TakashiMiike
Honestly, with the awesome results you get from doing these mods, you would need to ask yourself if the RS-1 is really worth $600 more. Mine was based on a SR325is and I never looked down the path of an RS-1 after that. I was a huge RS-1 fan and did own one myself. I had to sell mine off for personal reasons and I told everyone here, at that time, not a day went by I failed to think about how I could buy one back...that was until I hit this wonderful thread. I will admit that the only thing you cannot achieve from doing these mods is the magical smooth vocal presentation of the RS-1. This was again confirmed when a close friend of mine brought his RS-1 for a lengthy showdown against my modded SR325is. Somehow Grado must have done something to the drivers. In every other aspect, the modded SR325is bested it. You should have seen the look on my friend's face - priceless!
 
So take your time, go out there and listen to the RS-1. Then if you have the chance to grab say a used SR60, do it and do these mods. You have nothing to lose and a whole lot to gain rather than plonking $695 straight on a new RS-1i. All the best!
 
@Bill
Great to know you are ok after the storm. It's never a nice thing going through one of these things but you did great man...and back in business too KUDOS!
 

 

[wje]

Quote:

The storm is over.  We lost power.  Some planes got overturned.  Trees were felled.  And I lost a chunk of my fence.  My wife freaked out, with crying and praying and telephonic last wishes but today the sun is out and we are cutting, drilling and mailing.  What doesn't kill you . . . . 

But, you did have a backup generator to keep your drill press and drum sander running ... right?    

   

 
 
Just kidding, of course.  Happy April 1st. 

 
 
Sadly, most if not all of the homes in Florida don't have basements - making a tornado or hurricane quite an adventure to go through.

 

[TakashiMiike]

Quote:

 
@TakashiMiike
Honestly, with the awesome results you get from doing these mods, you would need to ask yourself if the RS-1 is really worth $600 more. Mine was based on a SR325is and I never looked down the path of an RS-1 after that. I was a huge RS-1 fan and did own one myself. I had to sell mine off for personal reasons and I told everyone here, at that time, not a day went by I failed to think about how I could buy one back...that was until I hit this wonderful thread. I will admit that the only thing you cannot achieve from doing these mods is the magical smooth vocal presentation of the RS-1. This was again confirmed when a close friend of mine brought his RS-1 for a lengthy showdown against my modded SR325is. Somehow Grado must have done something to the drivers. In every other aspect, the modded SR325is bested it. You should have seen the look on my friend's face - priceless!
 
So take your time, go out there and listen to the RS-1. Then if you have the chance to grab say a used SR60, do it and do these mods. You have nothing to lose and a whole lot to gain rather than plonking $695 straight on a new RS-1i. All the best!
 
@Bill
Great to know you are ok after the storm. It's never a nice thing going through one of these things but you did great man...and back in business too KUDOS!
 

Thanks for the great advice I already have the sr60i and have performed all of the mods customizing the sound to my liking. I was just wondering what the rs1i has to offer, but thank you for the perspective, much appreciated.
 
I suppose I will go for wood cups and a new dac before I try upgrading up the grado line.

 

[sysfail]

Glad you're ok Bill!

 

 

[Bilavideo]

 

Trees fell? Hmm, got me thinking. 

 
The lady across the street had her trees trimmed bigtime before the storm.  She must have seen it coming.  She had all that wood cut up and was waiting for the county to come and pick it up.  I almost got over there to ask if I could haul it off (long trip across the street).  But then the rain fall, soaking the wood - and then the county hauled it off.  Talk about a near miss.
 
In the meantime, I've got 97 pounds of exotic wood coming to me from Oregon.  It'll be here on Friday.  
 
One good thing I did figure out was how to ensure that my lateral clamp holes were perfectly positioned - every time.  I created a tool (I don't know what to call it) that lets me put the piece into place using a C clamp from a pair of Grados I've taken apart.  I have a spacer made of several layers of Dynamat that lets me position the wood exactly how I want it.  In the meantime, I've popped the plastic pins out, leaving holes that make perfect templates for the holes I want to drill.  It has turned out to be a life saver because I'm so right-brained that I actually get little panic attacks when I'm rushing to do something where accuracy matters.  
 

 
Here's the device.  I've got a shell sitting in a C clamp.  What's keeping it in place, while filling the headroom needed to hang this particular door is a multiple layer of Dynamat.  The lack of pins is bringing the forks to a resting point along the sides of the shell, but when the shells are fitted with a Clamp bearing the proper pins, the alignment is perfect.
 

 
Here is the Dynamat ringing around the top inner of the C clamp.  It's basically created a cushiony liner that acts as a spacer.
 

 
Popping the shell into place, I can align the top so the holes run with the wood grain.  With the pins popped out, I have a nice drill spot.  What's more, I can instantly flip this around to position the opposite hole (without having to run a long drill bit through both sides).  Early on, I checked each cut and every one of them was sound - and that was with the tinier drill bit.  The next step was to come back with a larger drill bit and basically enlarge each hole to a size that would make pin positioning a no-brainer.

 

[JamesMcProgger]

is that dynamat in the cup holders? how does that sound? 

 

[Bilavideo]

 

is that dynamat in the cup holders? how does that sound? 

To be quite honest, I don't know.  I used it because I thought Dynamat to be an easy material to use as a spacer.  That way, I could easily pop a shell in, line up the holes for drilling and know I got a good fit each time.  Without it, I found myself stressing out over hole alignment.
 

 

[JamesMcProgger]

you always seem to be popping out clever solutions for mods, are you constantly thinking abour grado mods? sorry to ask, it just seems like it.
Also, how come you are a Head.Supremus and not a contributor? 

 

[shipsupt]

Bill, are you drilling with the c clamp in place or marking the wood then drilling? If in place, do you worry about the bits opening up the c clamp "pilot" holes over time, which might lead to the holes being out of position? The plastic being sort of soft and all...