[tangelo]

So basically, I severed the two metal arches at their bases that hold the headphones together. Please don't ask why, that is in the past now. Anyway, I gorilla glued the arches back on to the remaining stubs and it seems to be working decently, but the clamping force is much too weak and I was hoping for a more permanent solution. Is there anywhere I can buy just the housing for the drivers? I like how my K701 sound, but people have always said that they have a terrible artificial 'plasticky' sound, so I was thinking of getting a housing made of a different material, ex. wood, titanium, aluminum, steel. Thanks. 

 

[pdupiano]

I've never heard the akg's described as "Plasticky" but as far as I know, no one has made aftermarket k701 mods. The fact of the matter is that the akg design is highly specific and a lot of the parts snap together. Metal and wood can't really do something like that, only plastic can. If you want to properly put the metal rods back together, you might want to try welding/soldering them together. You can also try creating a wooden or metal brace for added supports. 

 

[nikongod]

I have heard all metal headphones described as plasticky. 
I have heard all wood headphones described as metalic
I have heard all plastic headphones described as organic. 
 
Headphones sound the way they sound because thats how they are designed to sound. There is very little (there is some, but not much) regard for the materials the enclosures are made of. 

 

[sphinxvc]

Seconded.  In the K701s case, having that "plasticky" midrange has nothing to do with the enclosure material.  Check the K701 appreciation thread for some DIY mods MadMax has done to get rid of that "plasticky" sound (caused by resonances according to him).  As far as your problem, x2 on what Pdupiano said.
 
 

 

[cyberspyder]

Contact AKG, they probably have a replacement part.

 

[tangelo]

I don't really want to buy new K701 replacement parts because then I'll just feel stupid having used $XX and having the same thing I started out with. Could I just get an HD600 enclosure or something of the like and just like, glue the K701 drivers in or something? As far as the housing material changing the sound signature, I would at least like to try something new to see how it is and if it doesn't change the sound then that's fine. 

 

[cyberspyder]

This is just my opinion, but you're going to ruin those k701's. Just get the replacement part and try another pair of phones, because they aren't cheap to begin with. You can get an HD600 enclosure, but you'll have to find a way to retrofit the driver in (may be too small/big), good luck.

 

[pdupiano]

The easiest "base" to use would be a pair of grados. From taking headphones apart to mod them I rank the easiest to assemble/disassemble  (of those I've modified) as follows:
Grado (All plastic Models and 325 metal)
Sennheiser (HD580/600/650)
Beyerdynamic Dt770/880
D2000/5000/7000
ATH -AD2000
Sony MDR SA5000
AKG K701
 
The grados have one of the most basic construction that you can have (also best to reduce resonance because unlike all of the headphones besides sennheisers, they do not use screws as fasteners and go further than sennheiser by gluing all pieces together rather than just snapping them together). If you're going to play with the akg's anyway I recommend looking up the old grado mods (I'm talking PVC pipes and all), mounting the drivers and taking a listen. If you like what you hear, then play around with aluminum and wood.