Thanks! Those look perfect! One thing is one of the rings that hold the screens snapped on me so I'm going to have to also figure out a way to hold them in place and also be able to remove them. Something like "superglue" which I have several types of(my other hobby is building model amour, like tanks from World War 2). Also I have sorbathane in the outer groves of the driver assembly. They might just stick to that. It's sorb70 which is almost a half an inch thick. The factory screens worked fine so there's no real issue. Do you know how difficult these are to cut? I have heavy duty scissors that cost about $30 that I used back when I worked for AT&T. You can cut a penny in half with them.
If they can cut a penny in half your good to go. I took my Dremel and ground the edges down so they would fit under the rings and also took a knife to the slots the rings hook onto to get them securely fitting. I have the same grill material and have some left over if you want to save a few bucks. When I was in the Navy in the early 80's I lived in Winthrop Harbor drove thru Zion everyday.
Stationed at Great Lakes I take it. I knew I guy that was stationed there and after a year he had never been on a boat or seen an ocean... Money is kind of tight for the next couple of weeks. If you can wait that long I would certainly be interested in your offer. I noticed they offer you a sheet of mesh you could cut a dozen of the circles needed for 2 headphone pieces. How much are you looking for?
Thanks! Those look perfect! One thing is one of the rings that hold the screens snapped on me so I'm going to have to also figure out a way to hold them in place and also be able to remove them. Something like "superglue" which I have several types of(my other hobby is building model amour, like tanks from World War 2). Also I have sorbathane in the outer groves of the driver assembly. They might just stick to that. It's sorb70 which is almost a half an inch thick. The factory screens worked fine so there's no real issue. Do you know how difficult these are to cut? I have heavy duty scissors that cost about $30 that I used back when I worked for AT&T. You can cut a penny in half with them.
With the thick grill you don't need the retaining rings, if you are good with cutting the grill then you can just make them fit tight and the retaining rings are not needed.
Thanks. That's good to know. Cutting these meshes so they are just right will be a challenge. I do of course have the factory originals. Beats having one of the diaphrams punctured and/or having to handle them with kit leather gloves. With the sorbathane treatments, the cable upgrade, and the removal of the stock screens has catapulted this headphone into a much higher class of fidelity. For those of you still using the stock HE-400's I can't emphasize enough the improments these alterations make. Maybe not for the faint of heart, but if you go slowly are read how Ed Estrow and Richard51 did theirs, it's not that hard. The only expensive item would be a cable upgrade. I spent $150(CablePro Panoramas, now discontinued). You might think $150 is a lot for a $300 headphone, but you have to spend some money to get a cable that will make a difference.
Thanks. That's good to know. Cutting these meshes so they are just right will be a challenge. I do of course have the factory originals. Beats having one of the diaphrams punctured and/or having to handle them with kit leather gloves. With the sorbathane treatments, the cable upgrade, and the removal of the stock screens has catapulted this headphone into a much higher class of fidelity. For those of you still using the stock HE-400's I can't emphasize enough the improments these alterations make. Maybe not for the faint of heart, but if you go slowly are read how Ed Estrow and Richard51 did theirs, it's not that hard. The only expensive item would be a cable upgrade. I spent $150(CablePro Panoramas, now discontinued). You might think $150 is a lot for a $300 headphone, but you have to spend some money to get a cable that will make a difference.
The best way to get a good fit is to use painters tape, place it on the grill material, trace the original grill on the tape and use either right or left wire cutters to cut out the template and then use a dremel to do the fine cutting to make the grill fit tight without the use of the retaining ring.
Don't have a Dremel tool, but I got files and small scissors and lots a sandpaper. I'm sure I could pull it off. Meanwhile I'm very careful with them. There's a small cable that sticks out behind the drivers that would be real easy to snag. BTW I also got the valour pads which are not only more comfortable, but help out the bass response. I've not tried any of the aftermarket pads. Please keep in mind we're discussing the original HE-400's, not the 400i's or the S's so none of these builds apply. I've not heard the HE560's or HE-6's. Given their cost one could assume they sound much better with the 6's going for $1300. One can only dream how good the HE-1000 V2's at $3000. Of course there a lot of high-end phones now on the market to choose from. I would do a LOT of auditioning. Of coarse my electronics would require at least $5000 to get the full potential. One can always dream...
Don't have a Dremel tool, but I got files and small scissors and lots a sandpaper. I'm sure I could pull it off. Meanwhile I'm very careful with them. There's a small cable that sticks out behind the drivers that would be real easy to snag. BTW I also got the valour pads which are not only more comfortable, but help out the bass response. I've not tried any of the aftermarket pads. Please keep in mind we're discussing the original HE-400's, not the 400i's or the S's so none of these builds apply. I've not heard the HE560's or HE-6's. Given their cost one could assume they sound much better with the 6's going for $1300. One can only dream how good the HE-1000 V2's at $3000. Of course there a lot of high-end phones now on the market to choose from. I would do a LOT of auditioning. Of coarse my electronics would require at least $5000 to get the full potential. One can always dream...
some of the higher priced headphones may not sound better, its a personal choice. I like the HE560 better than the original HE1K and to me the HD800S is not as good as the original HD800 but I would still own both since they are different enough. Another thing to consider with headphones is the genre of music you listen to and how loud you listen, many can't stand Grado headphones saying they are too bright, one reason why is that they turn up the volume to get more bass but if you listen at lower levels (65-70dB) they are actually really good and don't seem bright.
The main reason I've never considered Grados, besides the fact, IMHO, they are way over priced, is their headphones feel like I have a vice on my head. And I considered their fidelity to be way over rated. But some people love and swear by them and I respect that. About 10 years ago I bought the AC powered headphone amp for $400. The transformer you plug into the wall was huge! One of the biggest I've ever seen. The bottom panel was attached with some very difficult to remove screws. They were hex screws with a post in the middle. However I had a wrench that fit so being the curious audiophile I am, I removed the bottom panel and there was one op-amp covered with hot glue, a variable pot for volume, and an LED to let you know it's on. And the 1/4in. headphone jack. I'll bet there wasn't more than $20 worth of electronics. By far the most expensive item was the solid mahogany box. It weighed about the same as a tennis ball while the wall wart was big enough to use as a deadly weapon. I returned it the next day. One good thing I will say is it did have the ability to adequately drive the Sennheiser HD-650's which had just come out.
The main reason I've never considered Grados, besides the fact, IMHO, they are way over priced, is their headphones feel like I have a vice on my head. And I considered their fidelity to be way over rated. But some people love and swear by them and I respect that. About 10 years ago I bought the AC powered headphone amp for $400. The transformer you plug into the wall was huge! One of the biggest I've ever seen. The bottom panel was attached with some very difficult to remove screws. They were hex screws with a post in the middle. However I had a wrench that fit so being the curious audiophile I am, I removed the bottom panel and there was one op-amp covered with hot glue, a variable pot for volume, and an LED to let you know it's on. And the 1/4in. headphone jack. I'll bet there wasn't more than $20 worth of electronics. By far the most expensive item was the solid mahogany box. It weighed about the same as a tennis ball while the wall wart was big enough to use as a deadly weapon. I returned it the next day. One good thing I will say is it did have the ability to adequately drive the Sennheiser HD-650's which had just come out.
The HD600 and HD650 were the two headphones that felt like a vice on my head, had to bend the sliders since I was getting a headache after 15mins. As for Grado's being over priced and their fidelity over rated I can agree with it a little since the construction is not the best but after building a few clones using drivers from Elleven Acoustica (ypsilon driver) and Nhoord I think the beauty of Grado's is their simplicity and the ability for one to tinker with the sound. FWIW the Ypsilon and Nhoord drivers are quite a bit better over similar priced Grado headphones and with the cheap G pads they are quite comfortable for me, I have used them for 7-8 hours at a time for a few weeks while converting a old photo album to digital for a friend.
Going back to the HE400, I think Richard51 and I have gone away from the completely open grill and have used other materials to cover up some of the openness since it helps balance out the sound. I've installed a hard rubber pad on my grill and it changes the V shaped sound to a less V shape and makes the HE400 much more even sounding to me.
Stationed at Great Lakes I take it. I knew I guy that was stationed there and after a year he had never been on a boat or seen an ocean... Money is kind of tight for the next couple of weeks. If you can wait that long I would certainly be interested in your offer. I noticed they offer you a sheet of mesh you could cut a dozen of the circles needed for 2 headphone pieces. How much are you looking for?
You got it Great Lakes for a school and that's where my daughter was born. Well I saw a few oceans crossed the equator and under the Arctic circle and around The Cape of Good Hope as well I was on a submarine for almost 5 years. I can wait no problem how much do you need? Do you just need to make one set?
After 4 years, the threaded ring (left side) on my HE400 stock cable has broken. The cable still mates with the headphone receptacle, but there is only friction keeping the connector inserted; the threaded section is no longer attached to the connector.
.
Is this easily repaired by soldering on a new connector, or should I just get a new cable? New connectors are $10 on eBay, and cables start at $23. I'm open to advice.
I ordered a 26 dollar cable from alliexpress. I hate to admit it but I did notice a difference, much clearer now. It is a very thin silver coated one with the connectors attached. This with the sorb mod has vastly improved these classics.
I ordered a 26 dollar cable from alliexpress. I hate to admit it but I did notice a difference, much clearer now. It is a very thin silver coated one with the connectors attached. This with the sorb mod has vastly improved these classics.
This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
.
