[cdsa35000]

You can't remove the black felt without damaging the whole ring.
---

I think the (rubber) black center holed ring (although it will lessen some bass freq./level that normally pass through that center white felt) and the big black (rubber) outer ring covered on the metal magnet housing, aswell the felt covered solderpads are for the show, as they are really open viewed from to the outside.
As you can see the bass holes are bigger from Qualia> SA5000> SA3000 as they are Bass freq./level tuned to the coverness of added extra black felts and Qualia open grill.
Probably Qualia sounds worser than SA5000 due the sea-shell concaved smooth earpad/smooth front baffle design, hence the echoing.

http://www.engadget.com/products/sony/qualia/010/reviews/1mv/

That is the good news. The bad, is the completely alien and deeply unpleasant reverberation and tone upon simply sticking the 010 on your head, lining up your back-end audio gear and pressing 'Play'. Imagine a stereo playing in your tiled bathroom with the treble EQ turned up to max, and you standing in the middle of that room with a pair of open-at-the-end tin cones on your ears: That is the closest I can describe the out-of-the-box listening experience with the 010, and it was quite the $3,000 shock.

http://www.head-fi.org/t/568977/qualia-010-sa5000-and-sa3000-comparison-pics
http://www.head-fi.org/t/580667/sony-r10-or-qualia-010/30
http://www.head-fi.org/t/617027/sony-qualia-010-owners-club

Sony Qualia 010 User Manual (16 pages)
http://libr2.com/headphones/sony-qualia-010-112281

 

[Whitigir]

Wow ! Thank you for all of those great explaination. I see why there are more bass on the SA5000 now vs SA3000 stock. I didn't even know the Q10 pads was that strange! I am going to slowly proceed on the 5000 and report back for changes that I may found vs 3000. But honestly, the 5000 trebles is scary ! Lol

 

[Whitigir]

Ok, today mods is the damping mod and keeping the back opened. I already have SA3000 for closed back, so this one will be opened back.

I found these followings are very true.

1/ Damping the whole inner hard plastic surface on the drivers do "keep the trebles under control." I did not damping the baffle, but I did damping the metal sockets .

2/ the Bass ring on the felt paper does pump more bass if you make it larger, as large as the Q10 drivers.

Those are the 2 mods that I did, cables is stock






The result ? Bass is boomer and bloom away, rumbles and pressure can be felt. The bass feel even with more "authority" and deeper in the beats than my Closed-back SA3000. Trebles extensions are all super good and comfy, listening at loud volume is "enjoyable" where as before the mods it was "howling, scary, teeth clingy" trebles. Soundstage improved, wow !

I am pretty impressed at the SA5000. Between 3000/5000 the 3000 is clumsy, and of bad quality. It creaks, squeaks, squeals like a pig. Beside, there is no clamping forces, cheap plastics everywhere, and stock-stock, the sa3000 sounds ugly, lack of bass, and bright-sibilants, where as SA5000 has good bass, but scary trebles. Once you mod, both became kind of superb in sound quality.
The fit and the comfortability of the SA5000 is superb. I thought Z7 was comfortable and light, the SA5000 took it up another level.
Will update more

 

[Whitigir]

Right now my SA5000 sounds very open, and sound scape is far front with instruments all being layered around. Much wider staging and depth than modded sa3000. But the resolving power, resolutions are to die for on my SA3000. Probably due to the closed back mod and silver cables. It makes sense that more details can be observed in a closed back than an open HP, and so for the wider and deeper staging on the opened back. Can never have both :mad:

 

[cdsa35000]

Perfect mods, did you use razor to cut the hole so precisely, now its the same size as Qualia 010 (4x bigger size than SA3000 hole).

Which type micropore tape (looks good fluffy) you use, 3M Micropore 1" Paper Surgical Tape?

You gonna rewire it with solid silver anyway, than have same SA3000 resolution back.

PS. The undampen smooth black baffle still reverberate sound, giving the sea-shell depth effects.

 

[Whitigir]

Perfect mods, did you use razor to cut the hole so precisely, now its the same size as Qualia 010 (4x bigger size than SA3000 hole).

Which type micropore tape (looks good fluffy) you use, 3M Micropore 1" Paper Surgical Tape?

You gonna rewire it with solid silver anyway, than have same SA3000 resolution back.

PS. The undampen smooth black baffle still reverberate sound, giving the sea-shell depth effects.

Those wholes were actually easy. I used the soldering iron, wipe it and clean it nicely then I tin a very thin layer on it and then wash it when it was hot. Then I practiced a few wholes on the porous tapes. They turned out nicely, so I only used th heat to carve the whole. Kind of easy. Practicing on the porous tape will also shed the extra tin solders away from the tip so non of them can stick to the paper and fall down later.

Yes, I used those 3M tapes

Yes, I think I am going to solder silvers on it, but not just yet. I need to ask my wife to braid me a better braiding job on the wires lol....can't ruin the look of 5000

Yes, I think I do hear those reverbs, kind of minimalized, but yeah, it is there compares to the fully dampened 3000 (dead silence studio quality)

Here you can see the tin shed off on the practice tapes.

 

[cdsa35000]

OK Thanks, good holing tech.

Common bestfriendgoogle have all tut:
https://backstrapweaving.wordpress.com/tutorials/tutorial-4-strand-braid/

 

[cdsa35000]

BTW You're on the CD3000 bid, last day:

For the fan's now bidding $ 272:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Sony-MDR-CD3000-Kopfbugel-Kopfhorer-Schwarz-Grau-/131602364639

 

[Whitigir]

BTW You're on the CD3000 bid, last day:

Wow ! But I think I am done spending for now . Thank you for that braiding tutorial ! It gets kind of confusing lol....if anything, I think I rather buy SA5000 as the build is simply superb, solid. Especially the drivers and the way the wires are, very simple and easy access to work on, light weight and super duper comfy.

 

[Whitigir]

My god, I don't know if it is due to the larger bass wholes or the damping mods. The soundstage on the SA5000 is a darn killer...it is to die for. The first time I have heard such awesome soundscape+soundstage and depth together. Especially in the movies, the soundscape is just right at the exact that distant in the front in some good master HD movies and it gets even deeper as further noises of car running on the street from that angle....is like I am there. While during music sessions they are simply awesome.

Also, I don't remember stock SA3000 to have this kind of soundstage either. Will probably do removable cables to use stock Z7 cables with just similar to my SA3000.

Here in this Vpop song at 2:53 or so for like 30 seconds, there is a very fine hand chimes hit that I can not hear too well even if I tried on my SA5000 stock cables, and even on Z7 (no silver on Z7 inner drivers) .... But it vividly shows in SA3000 with solid silver hard-wired on the drivers. Then the bass, the resolutions and textures are just killer. I know even so, my modded 3000 doesn't have this kind of soundstage that my 5000 does now. I wonder if solid silver may change it to be "better/worse"

 

[Whitigir]

Okay ! Done !

1/ fully dampened
2/ Qualia bass whole sizes (Q10 drivers mimic)
3/ Solid silver upgraded onto the drivers

The result ? Exactly as much resolving with vivid resolutions as my SA3000, super tight bass, very deep dives, airy, toned down that edgy sibilance and smooth it out a bit more. Now I can officially confirm that solid silver is an "definite" upgrade to these guys. It gives the resolution and definition that once I hear it, I just can not go back. Especially different from stock inner wires vs solid silver all the way to the drivers

Now, need more listening sessions to give better details





The bass on closed back SA3000 sounds closer and so is the vocal and some other details as it doesn't have too much room to breathe, for that said, it makes the soundstage narrower compares to my SA5000 with semi open back with that stock felt paper, it is much wider in soundstage and soundscape. I can't believe I have made 2 HP sound similar and yet different at the same time awesome !

Also, fully damping the baffles, now the high spectrums doesn't show the housing ringing resonances anymore, similar to what cdsa35000 mentioned "seashell resonances". It is now clear like a beautiful morning sky, clarity is "high-res" no grain of "distortion or bad resonances/noises" with Max "details".

 

[cdsa35000]

Perfect final mods!

What/Which are those replacement earpads? Looks good and twice thicker than original ones.

 

[cdsa35000]

If you're looking for spareparts here's the chance:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Sony-MDR-SA5000-Headphones-/181877632092

 

[purk]

You can't remove the black felt without damaging the whole ring.
---

I think the (rubber) black center holed ring (although it will lessen some bass freq./level that normally pass through that center white felt) and the big black (rubber) outer ring covered on the metal magnet housing, aswell the felt covered solderpads are for the show, as they are really open viewed from to the outside.
As you can see the bass holes are bigger from Qualia> SA5000> SA3000 as they are Bass freq./level tuned to the coverness of added extra black felts and Qualia open grill.
Probably Qualia sounds worser than SA5000 due the sea-shell concaved smooth earpad/smooth front baffle design, hence the echoing.
 

Not true.  The Qualia definitely sound better than my recabled SA5000.  The echoing is due to an improper fit.  You must have the right seal for the Qualia to sound right.  Once you do,  it competes with the SR009 even.

 

[Whitigir]

Perfect final mods!

What/Which are those replacement earpads? Looks good and twice thicker than original ones.

These pads came to me attached on the headphones...I still am trying to find out what it is. The one I ordered on eBay definitely not as comfy or thick.