[springbay]

1. yep i used the original foam
2. I did leave one port open just like on the Zen 1. The foam doesn't need to be cut. By the time it wraps all the way around the magnet, one hole will be left open.
3. I do prefer the Zen 1 sound over the sound of the stock HP320M. The Zen is warmer overall with better bass and has a completely non fatiguing sound that I find pretty addictive. To me the mod was totally worth it, but like everything else it just comes down to preference.

Thank you for all the effort with this project. Just one question, because I'm stupid.
With one port/hole left open, are you talking about the driver or the vent holes of the shell?
I love the signature of my Smart 1.0 paired with the Walnut V2/Burson V5i-D too much to mod it, but I'm more than willing to try the mod on the TY Hi-Z HP320M.

 

[slappypete]

Thank you for all the effort with this project. Just one question, because I'm stupid.
With one port/hole left open, are you talking about the driver or the vent holes of the shell?
I love the signature of my Smart 1.0 paired with the Walnut V2/Burson V5i-D too much to mod it, but I'm more than willing to try the mod on the TY Hi-Z HP320M.

hey, there are no stupid questions when it comes to modding a rare earbud I 'm talking about leaving one of the driver vent holes open. The foam is removed from the shell and applied to the back of the driver. There will no longer be any foam applied directly to the shell. In my post there was a photo showing the zen 1 driver and shell config compared to the seahf (same as TY), you can think of this photo as a before and after for the mod. I hope that helps.

 

[cigarello]

Opinions of the RX1 are very polarized.

Why is that? I've read many reviews on the RX1 and wont lie some do seem biased but for the most part, they really are the impressive. I've yet to hear the Vido though, after reading all these assumptions that they do sound similar to the CF2, I may as well pick one up.

 

[Dark Helmet]

Bummer! The PK2 is also a decent bud, speak to Jim (well message him) and send a video of sound from one side and not the other. He will respond.

The PK2 might one of the worst buds I own. To my ears it sounds blah and lacks bass.

 

[Makahl]

I agree that tuning will change the sound, however from my experiences I've found that changing the tuning leads to a noticeable change in the FR graph. I'm not saying FR is everything, but in my experience if something measures near identically in terms of FR it usually sounds identical as well. It would be different if you were comparing identical FR from completely different builds, for example different shells. Or for an extreme example, obviously if you compare a closed headphone with the same FR of an open headphone, the listening experience will differ greatly. I'm just saying they sound very similar in my opinion, but I'm totally fine if others agree to disagree here.

I would love to open up both the Vido and CF2 to compare, but the CF2 is really glued shut and I'm worried I'll break the driver if I open it. Looking at the housings of the CF2 I can see some left over exess glue all the way around the seal. I do plan on tinkering with Vido mods regardless. I have a few more coming in the mail and planned to wait until then.

Oh perfect, I fully agree with what you say, by the way, I'd be worried to open a bud which worth $100+ as well!

The PK2 might one of the worst buds I own. To my ears it sounds blah and lacks bass.

Sorry, but, are you talking about the Yuin or the DIY ones?

 

[Dark Helmet]

Oh perfect, I fully agree with what you say, by the way, I'd be worried to open a bud which worth $100+ as well!



Sorry, but, are you talking about the Yuin or the DIY ones?

DIY. I didn't know that there were two different ones.

 

[rkw]

Opinions of the RX1 are very polarized.

Why is that? I've read many reviews on the RX1 and wont lie some do seem biased but for the most part, they really are the impressive.

The RX1 has a very bright sound signature. It appeals to those who like a bright sound (and don't mind lack of bass). For others the RX1 is unbalanced and too bright. The RX1 is the brightest sounding earbud I've owned, by far — nothing else even comes close.

I listen mostly to classical music, and I find the RX1 unsuitable for classical. String instruments sound shrill, harsh and grainy. The lack of bass makes it unable to convey the weight of a symphony orchestra. This isn't what acoustic instruments sound like in live performances.

 

[fairx]

hey, there are no stupid questions when it comes to modding a rare earbud I 'm talking about leaving one of the driver vent holes open. The foam is removed from the shell and applied to the back of the driver. There will no longer be any foam applied directly to the shell. In my post there was a photo showing the zen 1 driver and shell config compared to the seahf (same as TY), you can think of this photo as a before and after for the mod. I hope that helps.

I see. Thanks a bunch. So it's really just just matter of glue and no glue foams. That make sense. They might made that decisions based on easier implementation for mass produce. Maybe also necause they want to differentiate the signature because of different business ventures of the originall zen.

BTW last i read @ClieOS never mention anything about ty 320 / smart in his list made me curious about ty 320. Well i did ordered tye Hp320M. Instead seller send me black shell hp320 with braided cable. I wonder if I should open and inspect the insides. The seller assures me that the driver is the same only with more expensive cable.

When i saw the white shell in your pic i inderstand that i own the other vesrion (then model name is confusing)

Oh BTW selamat hari raya / lebaran ti all my brothers who's celebrating eid in Malaysia /Indonesia and the rest of the world.

 

[fairx]

Impatient, I open my ty 320 and look inside. Same driver? I'm not sure myself. But the foam did attached to the shell. I tried using tweezer to pull it out but theres quite strong glue and i don't want to risk ripping it.

So i did other trick. My understanding is that by gluing the foam to the back of driver it create tighter seal? So i put some shredded cotton swab and put the shell back together. I tried to put as much as same amount on both driver and sandwich them between driver and foam.

The results? First thing I notice is less bass response (which i suspect a bit too much originally but I kinda like it.) The bass response is now almost less as ty32.

Second is, slight extended high. Maybe just slight. I need to listen more.

Third. Something elevated or reduced and live up something else in the upper mids. Not much just a little.

I tried it with sibilant prone track like from queen or liza hanim album. Nothing drastic change.

However what intrigued me is that i heard things that usually I get when listening to ty 320 during silent night. But right now I'm listening in low noise (fans and some nature noise) I can't wait till midnight to listen more to it.

 

[golov17]

My understanding is that by gluing the foam to the back of driver it create tighter seal?

No, man..

 

[Merlin-PT]

The glue can't be applied to all the foam, it will block all air/sound.
We can see in Golov photo, the glue is only applied around the foam, so the air can pass the foam.
It's like the air ports on the back of full size speakers, were we can use different density foams to filter different frequencies.
Here we can also use different density foams/materials, but air/sound needs to pass through the foam/materials, so they can't be covered with glue.

 

[slappypete]

Impatient, I open my ty 320 and look inside. Same driver? I'm not sure myself. But the foam did attached to the shell. I tried using tweezer to pull it out but theres quite strong glue and i don't want to risk ripping it.

So i did other trick. My understanding is that by gluing the foam to the back of driver it create tighter seal? So i put some shredded cotton swab and put the shell back together. I tried to put as much as same amount on both driver and sandwich them between driver and foam.

Thanks for sharing the driver photos. They look different than the ones used in Zen 1, HP320M, and Seahf Smart 1. The most telling feature is the white colored blob of glue seen on the back of the driver which covers the voice coil wire. This is black on the Zen 1 and others.

What you did with the cotton will likely have a very different effect on FR than what I did. Every little thing done inside a shell can have a large effect on FR, so you really need to do the mod exactly as I've done if you want the same result, and on different drivers the mod may have significant differences as well. BTW, the foam was glued originally in the TY and Seahf, just glued to the shell, rather than the driver. It needs to be glued to the driver only and one of the drivers vent holes needs to be left open. I took a lot of measurements one day with a monk plus to get an understanding of what driver dampening does. I didn't post the results yet because I felt only using one earbud wasn't enough to come up with definitive rules so to speak of how different foam configurations effect sound. Anyway, I can tell you from that experiment that if you over-stuff a shell with dampening material, you can significantly lower the mid and bass response of the earbud and also create a larger 2k bump. I suspect that is more in line with what you have done to yours, than the Zen 1 mod. Thanks for sharing though!

The glue can't be applied to all the foam, it will block all air/sound.
We can see in Golov photo, the glue is only applied around the foam, so the air can pass the foam.
It's like the air ports on the back of full size speakers, were we can use different density foams to filter different frequencies.
Here we can also use different density foams/materials, but air/sound needs to pass through the foam/materials, so they can't be covered with glue.

I disagree that glue is only applied around the foam, but I might be wrong. Or maybe I should just say that it doesn't need to be used only around the foam for the HP320M mod that I did. I applied glue to the entire piece of foam and the measurements came out near identical to a stock Zen 1 driver. I have removed foam dampening material from a few drivers now and in each case the foam seemed to be clearly glued throughout the entire piece. It is possible they somehow avoid going exactly over the air holes, but I doubt it. I think if they did that the glue would only go along the perimeter edges of the foam strip and leave a strip through the middle without glue. This is how it is done with the paper-like dampening material you can get for earbuds. Interestingly enough it doesn't seem to matter if the foam is glued completely. The Monk Plus for example has foam glued to the back of the driver and has no exposed driver vent holes. If I add a second piece of foam on top of the original, there will be a significant change in FR. You wouldn't expect this if glue was applied to the entirety of the foam, yet this is the case.

 

[Saoshyant]

Just got in Svara, and I think I'm in love. With our resident basshead gone, I might be the closest one around at this point. Doing my initial listen on Shanling M1 with bassy EQ, I can tell this is something special for fun-seekers. I know the rebranding of Svara also included a lower ohm, with the original at 100 if memory serves. I'm a little tempted to grab my Cayin & put it into the chain to see how far the bass can go. This feels like the logical progression for those that love the EMX500 for it's bass, this includes you Vido fans too.

With the shipment is HCK's EB200 and the Yincrow X6. I might need a little time before I'm willing to put these down and give the others a try. Also got the KZ ZS5 in the same shipment, so the earbuds might have to wait just a little longer at that.

 

[knudsen]

Just got in Svara, and I think I'm in love. With our resident basshead gone, I might be the closest one around at this point. Doing my initial listen on Shanling M1 with bassy EQ, I can tell this is something special for fun-seekers. I know the rebranding of Svara also included a lower ohm, with the original at 100 if memory serves. I'm a little tempted to grab my Cayin & put it into the chain to see how far the bass can go. This feels like the logical progression for those that love the EMX500 for it's bass, this includes you Vido fans too.

With the shipment is HCK's EB200 and the Yincrow X6. I might need a little time before I'm willing to put these down and give the others a try. Also got the KZ ZS5 in the same shipment, so the earbuds might have to wait just a little longer at that.

Thanks man, if I may ask could you judge
- do the bass shape resemble Vido or EMX more (everything un-eq'ed)? To my ears EMX has the lowest bass center (more subbass), Vidos center is further up making it sound bloated when compared. But thats just my impressions.
- could you briefly compare to EMX with regards to mids/treble? I think someone has said Svara is rather rolled off, which is not my impression with EMX.

Thanks

 

[Merlin-PT]

@slappypete
In your case, you leave 1 hole uncovered, so air/sound escapes from there.
This is only an opinion, my understanding is also limited to my observation and tests:
If manufactures wanted a complete seal, they wouldn't use different densities porous materials that partial block the vent holes and then try to seal them with glue, they would use any other non porous material in the first place.
I think it is more expensive to apply glue only around the dampening materials, so maybe some apply glue to the metal grid, that way the foam still works as a vent, because the holes section wont have glue.