Oh yeah I meant that peak at 5.5k. Pretty sure removing the ports increases treble some more (including details, soundstage etc.) and the tape mod adds more bass depending on how much of the holes are covered, essentially giving a more V-shape to the sound. Sure it's less "flat" and neutral but...

I remember the Sony's having some kind of a peak in some frequency band though I'd have to look it up. Was it maybe the 5k? Or 7k maybe? Not sure. For the tape mod I've simply used a normal scotch tape (it doesn't really matter, it just has to stick and block the holes), cut up into a slim...

Yeah removing the ports (essentially some thick foil/plastic glued on) really opens up the sound, increases soundstage, detail and treble (essentially what the EX1000 is all about). Unfortunately you can't really reverse it since the foil gets a bit destroyed, but then again you could probably...

Let me know how it works out. They're still my favourite IEMs, highly highly underrated when modded like this. I'm actually thinking of grabbing another pair as a backup before they're impossible to get. Edit: forgot to add... if you want another mod in combination with this, also take out the...

It's true though technically speaking it's nothing ground breaking and you could change back the sound to how it was (or make it even darker/less airy than the stock 800ST) by making DYI filters or applying tape to the port so that it's partially covered (essentially that's exactly what those...

Tweezers... or whatever, yeah. It's just some kind of semi-flexible plastic foil with a hole that's stuck in there, so very easy to do. No it looks how it's supposed to.

Check one of my posts above where I was experimenting with different filters, which make it easy to get anywhere from the default sound (slightly bright treble due to the 5-7kHz peak of the MDR-600/800/1000 which is actually great for airiness and micro-detail but might be tiring if you're...

I'm still super happy with them and I highly recommend the mod. I'd love to get some EX1000 to compare them to but unfortunately they're sold out absolutely everywhere now and used prices are ridiculous. Actually I'm thinking of getting another pair of the 800STs before they're also gone...

Sounds like EX1000 or modded EX800ST in terms of soundstage, imaging, bass and brightness though I assume there could probably be better options in terms of resolution, detail etc. in the 1000-2000,- range.

There could be a difference in the driver as well... however since removing the nozzle dampers produces exactly the sound the EX1000 appears to have compared to the stock EX800ST (more detail, bigger, airier, more soundstage but also brighter treble) I'd rather think they used the same drivers...

OK so I've done some more experimentation. I find the 800ST with both the foam filters and the "plastic discs" removed to be super revealing in that it sounds amazing with good recordings but a little "hot" or fatiguing on others (example: James Brown - Hot Pants... the sound is crisp but the...

Yep. :) Eagles - Hotel California (Hell Freezes Over Live Acoustic) Ray Charles - Fever Nina Simone - Baltimore Nina Simone - Sinnerman (Live in New York 1965) Pink Floyd - Time Deftones - Passanger Daft Punk - Get Lucky Daft Punk - Doin' It Right These tunes so far sound out of this world on...

Yeah I thought the material seemed fairly soft and bendable when I was pulling out the foam so I suspected that it's not really part of the casing, so I pulled carefully and realized it has to be just stuck in there.

Geez... did you just pull out the foam or did you remove the that plastic disc on top as well? At first I thought that was part of the housing but turns out it's simply some plastic foil with a hole inside that's glued in there (probably to keep the foam from falling out). I decided to pull that...

OK screw it I just did it. First on one side, then the other with listening to some songs before and in between. The difference is not huge as you said but the sound is certainly more airy now and the treble more detailed (obviously). I like it it... reminds me a bit of my GS1000 with the big...

I could see that they did this in order to make the EX1000 "better" than the EX800 but who knows.

Hmm... will have to think whether I want to perform this. I generally like the way how the 800ST sounds now and I'm a bit treble sensitive. Yes blocking the vents completely makes it boomy and the soundstage definitely shrinks. You definitely need to punch a hole into the tape. But I still...

Interesting! Could you provide some more details? Can it be reversed or are the dampers destroyed once they are pulled out? Does it worsen the the 7k treble peak that the EX series is infamous for? Or does it just extend the treble range? I can see this being a double edged sword since the...

Very cool.. just tried this with my Sony EX800ST and it opens up the sound quite a bit.

Anybody give this a try yet? How are your results?

So I've recently got me some of the legendary EX800ST and while I thought they possess a tight, controlled and detailed bass I also found they were a bit flat or analytical for some types of music for my liking. I knew about the tape mod before buying them and quickly decided to try it out as...

Sooo... ain't that month over now? :)

Yeah the aluminium plate came unglued... but then again the new plastic face plate appears to be glued on as well, so technically it could happen to them as well. The ZSN and CCA have screwed on plates.

I wouldn't put it that way necessarily, just in comparison to the TRN IM1 you could view it like that. But yeah currently I'm more satisfied with the ZSN. Just feels more open, more musical, more natural, less dark and less bright at the same time. I've just listened to a drum and bass tune...

So I have received some TRN IM1's yesterday... and guess what: they don't have the metal plates anymore, which is kinda disappointing. What's funny though is that I can't seem to find any info on when/why/if that has changed. Soundwise in a quick comparison with the KZ ZSN: Bass sounds and...