[eclein]

Quote:

Interesting, apparently Gibson used it on their flying V back in the day.
 
LINK
 
Limba (a.k.a. Korina)
Back in the fifties, Gibson® introduced a couple of space age looking guitars: the Flying V, and the Explorer.  Both were made from white limba, which for some reason Gibson referred to instead as Korina (maybe limba didn’t sound sexy enough).  Guitarists might drool at the mention of guitars made from Korina, but if you go to a lumberyard and ask for Korina, most managers will respond with a blank stare, followed by a comment like “Never heard of it….” Limba comes from Africa, and is somewhat difficult to come by here in the states (again, Limba is not the same thing as African mahogany).  It produces a beautiful, warm rich tone, similar to mahogany, but with maybe just a touch more resonance.  
 
Interesting perhaps Bill was going for something with similar tonal qualities to Mahogany ala the RS1 but had a little something something extra.

Great find KneelJung...so I guess theyt should be called............drum roll please.............splash goes the cymbal...........The BilaGradoLimba Line!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Great stuff, fun stuff, the right stuff  !!!!!
 

 

[schwallman]

Your dog looks like it can care less.
Quote:

 

Nice job, man!  The plot thickens!
 

 


Quote:

Little hard to see since I used the PC camera but I've started the process of cutting the cups similar to what Bill already did. The plank is not thick enough so I need to glue an additional 1/4 piece on before I cut the next ones. This was a test fit and they came out alright. Just need some tweaking. These are single pieces.
 
 
 

 

 

 

[wje]

Edit:
 
After going to sleep for an hour or so, woke up (bathroom) and had a thought, so I headed downstairs.  I remembered when I opened up the right can for the 2nd time on the 325s, I had applied some small pieces of Dynamat to partially close off some of the holes I had opened up - to see how the sound would potentially change.  I got out the heat gun and opened up right side again.  I removed the Dynamat that I had set in place, so it was now just covering the magnet and the plastic side walls.  I then assembled everything again.  Let things cool down a bit.  I then sampled some music - ahh ... it appears as if my 325s are back in business.  They're sounding better - much better.  I still need to A / B them along with the woody 225s and see where they stand - er, sound. 

 
 
 
Original Post:
 
I think I need to start a new reality series for TV titled: "When Headphone Mods Go Bad".
 
Today, I had some free time on my hands and made it out to buy some shrink tube, spade connectors and all that good stuff to work on some other projects.  This evening, I then proceeded to work on my stock SR325 headphones.  I proceeded with the following:
 

• Separated the driver assemblies from the aluminum cups by using a lil' bit of heat from the heat gun.
• Opened up the 10 holes on the back of the driver assemblies by removing the black veil.
• Removed the silken covers that protect the drivers on the side that faces your ears.
• Applied some Dynamat to the back of the driver magnet.
• Cleaned up some of the existing hot glue so it wouldn't get in the way of the new application of hot glue.
• Applied the hot glue and pushed the components back into place as good as I could.
• I realized I still had about 1/8" further to push the driver assembly into the aluminum cups.
• Applied a lil' bit more heat from the heat gun to the aluminum cups - and then pushed the plastic driver assemblies all the way into place.

 
Well, how did it all work out?  Not so good - in fact, things sort of crashed and burned at this point.  My right driver is vibrating with distortion as it tries to play music.  The whole soundstage is off - even the left channel is just not good at this point.  I suspect that the aluminum cups of the SR325 Grados are a whole different beast to work with - as opposed to the SR60, 80, 125 and 225.  The aluminum obviously holds the heat for a longer period of time.  Now, I'm wondering of that heat build-up and retention made a little "oven" and as things tried to cool down, my drivers were affected by the process?
 
At this point, I'm suffering mental pain from this apparent stupid mistake on my part.  Ughh!!  

 

[peskypesky]

Quote:

I think I need to start a new reality series for TV titled: "When Headphone Mods Go Bad".
At this point, I'm suffering mental pain from this apparent stupid mistake on my part.  Ughh!!  

My condolences.  

 

[alphones]

Hang in there wje. Take a moment, step away and then comeback to troubleshoot. Comeback to the thread if you have any questions. Tons of helpful and knowledgeable people here.

We all share your pain. I've cooked a few drivers myself...

 

[wje]

Thanks guys!  I just composed a note to Grado to inquire about the necessary replacement parts that I'd need.  Hopefully, they can provide me with some good numbers before too long.  Meanwhile, I do have my "Bilavideo Specials" (modified / woody / SR225) that literally mopped the floor of the stock SR325 pair that I was working on.  Now, if it had been my beloved SR225s that suffered this fate, I don't know what I'd do.  Sure, I have a few portables with the Klipsch in-ears and a full audio system (Monitor Audio speakers, Parasound amp, 2 subs, etc.) to play my music out loud if I want to - but, somehow, those other "toys" just don't take me to where the Grados do.  

 

[alphones]

Majestic it's looking good... Can't wait to see finished product.

 

[WhiteCrow]

anyone ever thing of angling the cups? like making the hinge on the cup swing down a bit more and actually cut a cup at an angle so it points into your ear more naturally?
 

 

[xaval]

This is one of those that should go for Grado HF3
 
Quote:

in the process: 
 
-added metal grado rings- the "mod" series. is that cheezy?? haaa
 

 
ps they aren't glued down just yet. 

Dude!
 
You
Are
Awesome
 
Some of the best stuff in da house yet!!!

 

[eclein]

wje--hang in there !!!                     

 

[xaval]

Quote:

wje--hang in there !!!                     

I'm hoping for a happy ending there wje!
 

 

[Majestic]

I think your right....................

 
Quote:

Your dog looks like it can care less.


 




 

 

 

[Big Bill]

Quote:

Edit:
 
After going to sleep for an hour or so, woke up (bathroom) and had a thought, so I headed downstairs.  I remembered when I opened up the right can for the 2nd time on the 325s, I had applied some small pieces of Dynamat to partially close off some of the holes I had opened up - to see how the sound would potentially change.  I got out the heat gun and opened up right side again.  I removed the Dynamat that I had set in place, so it was now just covering the magnet and the plastic side walls.  I then assembled everything again.  Let things cool down a bit.  I then sampled some music - ahh ... it appears as if my 325s are back in business.  They're sounding better - much better.  I still need to A / B them along with the woody 225s and see where they stand - er, sound. 

I'm glad to hear things worked out for you in the end!

 

[Bilavideo]

 

anyone ever thing of angling the cups? like making the hinge on the cup swing down a bit more and actually cut a cup at an angle so it points into your ear more naturally?
 

I had an amazing experience one time angling a pair of computer speakers.  By turning them off-axis, I heard sound coming off the walls in parity with whatever sound I was getting from the drivers.  It's a Bose-like trick but one I greatly enjoyed.  To do this with headphones, however, a couple of things would need to be part of the equation.  Just angling the driver, by itself, doesn't work.  What you want is reflection ghosting alongside the on-axis presentation.  This would require the construction of a forward shell.
 
Let me back up and come at this from a slightly different angle (ba-dum-dum).  If you're wearing on-ear pads, the driver is already angled, but it's angled with the ears, which are angled.  You're getting a sound that is completely on-axis.  The jumbo pads of the GS1000 and PS1000 are circumaural.  Not only is the driver further away; it is shooting to the side of your head, that little area in front of the ear.  This is more angled than the on-ear approach because the aim is somewhat diffused.
 
The problem here is that the reflection has nothing solid to bounce off of.  The cushions are more absorbent than reflective.  If you're going to bounce sound off of the area in front of the ears, you'll need something constructed out of something other than foam.  Grado has no cushions like that.  Most manufacturers don't.  It's a job for Super DIY, who is not just faster than a speeding bullet but faster than beryllium, with its sound velocity of 12,000 m/s (Note: Don't use beryllium; it's total kryptonite).
 

 

[wje]

As mentioned in my "Edit" section of my original post, the SR325 "Goldies" are alive and kicking again.  The driver didn't really suffer a failure - just some experimentation on my end had some Dynamat covering a few of the vent / relief holes.  Cleaning this up, fixed my woes.
 
Additionally, I did get a response from Grado - I've got to tell you, they are the best!  It's only once in a very infrequent cycle when you come across such a company.  Actually, Grado did state that they didn't "sell" parts as I inquired about getting replacement drivers sent to me and I'd do the work as well as a new "Y" cable that I'd go ahead and replace at the same time.  Being that they don't "sell" parts - other than replacement pads (which are $20 for the bowl pads directly from Grado), they did tell me that I could send in my SR325 "Goldies" and for $45.00 they'd fix whatever the issue was and cover the return shipping.  So many companies could - and would, easily state that since the product is out of warranty they won't assist you.  Now, that's what I call excellent customer service!
 
Granted, this service on Grado's behalf doesn't really do much for someone who's a hard-core modification person of their products.  Though, it does tell me that as a buyer, I'd think of them first and foremost when it came to a purchase because of how I'd be taken care of as a customer.