[regal]

I just sold my AKG501's. With the right recording they did good, but if an instrument was mixed mono (in the middle without reverb) there was too much distance. I guess I would say they tend to increase the hole in the head phenomenon. Just wanted folks to know if they are considering these.

 

[Fitz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by VR6ofpain /img/forum/go_quote.gif I noticed my mostly new K501 pads keep the drivers further away from your ears than my well worn in K601 pads. So anotherway to get some bass out of either can is to smash down the pads.

Hmm, perhaps this is a large reason why my new pair that's only got a few hours on it doesn't sound as good as my old pair did, which was so well worn in that the headband elastics didn't work anymore. I'd still like to get a hold of the same version of K501 I had before, regardless, but I'll give this pad smashing a try myself.

 

[VR6ofpain]

To be honest I am jealous of those K401's y'all got. I sometimes find myself not digging the K501 as much. A word on smashing the pads, the damn foam is a PITA. I smashed them with lots of heavy books stacked up on them for ~36 hours. Pulled them out and they were definitely smashed good...problem...they recovered their original shape after ~30 minutes. Some type of friggen memory foam or something. Very frustrating.

 

[Fitz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by VR6ofpain /img/forum/go_quote.gif To be honest I am jealous of those K401's y'all got. I sometimes find myself not digging the K501 as much. A word on smashing the pads, the damn foam is a PITA. I smashed them with lots of heavy books stacked up on them for ~36 hours. Pulled them out and they were definitely smashed good...problem...they recovered their original shape after ~30 minutes. Some type of friggen memory foam or something. Very frustrating.

I'm going to alternate between leaving them sitting free and smashing them. I think the transition between states is what will wear them in more than simply being left smashed down for a long time.

 

[megawzrd]

The foam probably won't change that much from smashing or even alternating smashing and rest unless you have some sort of press that can cycle the foam thousands of times. The biggest change over time with the foam is due to the skin oils and humidity it is exposed to during use.

Though I wouldn't suggest rubbing oil into the pads

. It would recommend hand washing them with a solution of just a bit of mild soap.

As to VR's foam disc mod: I am glad I tried it with my 501s. It brought the bass presence pretty close to the what I had wished they had. Definitely a worthwhile mod.

...although, the stock 401s are giving my 501s a run for their money. I don't need a foam disk mod on them.

 

[megawzrd]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fran /img/forum/go_quote.gif I just did the foam doughnut insert trick and its made quite a difference! Definitely boosts the bass quite a bit, really so that you wouldn't notice anything much lacking but without affecting soundstage (huge) or detail. So anyone have any comments on using the velour pads? And is it 601 or 701 pads that you guys are using? Or is it just that the velour pads allow the driver to sit closer to your ear? Fran

I use the velour pads for comfort. As to if it is the 601 or 701 pad I am confused myself now. I contacted a pat burns (whose no longer works at akg but had been mentioned here with the 271 pad velours). Initially when I emailed her asking for velour pads for the 501s she replied back with the part number for the 271 pads I had read in the thread. So I called her and explained that she might have given me the wrong ones. She actually tried 601 and 701 pads on the 501s for me and gave me a call back. What I vaguely remember her is telling me that they were different. For some reason ...I always thought I got 701 pads. But looking at the service document you can see that they are different part numbers...my guess is it may only be the color that is different. VR probably uses his 601 pads on his 501s and looking at the color pads I have I am now wondering if I have 601 pads and not the darker 701 pads. I guess you could call the new parts admin and ask or someone with 701s and 501s could say.

btw here is the thread with the parts admin:
http://www.head-fi.org/forums/showth...rank+rodriguez

 

[Fitz]

Well compared to a couple days ago, bass is starting to sound like how it did on my old pair, and the pads don't feel as scratchy. They don't really compress any more than they did before, but they do feel different when wearing them, so it may have to do with the fabric covering the foam.

 

[HFat]

Quote:

Originally Posted by megawzrd /img/forum/go_quote.gif As to if it is the 601 or 701 pad I am confused myself now.

The 701 pads are uneven while the 601 have more or less the same thickness all around the ear.

EDIT: at least that's what I've been told... I've never seen the 601 pads in person.

 

[VR6ofpain]

Quote:

Originally Posted by megawzrd /img/forum/go_quote.gif ...although, the stock 401s are giving my 501s a run for their money. I don't need a foam disk mod on them.

So do they not completely beat out the K501?

I think I am going to try washing my K501 pads. I recall that working some wonders on my old Grado pads.

 

[mypasswordis]

Hey Fitz, so do you think the amount of bass is affected more by the break-in of the pads or the different layout of openings in the enclosure near the driver?

So far the only mod I have done, just for fun, is taping up the outer holes. It seemed to have slightly increased the bass and/or roll off the highs, so it might just be placebo. I did try taping up all the holes and it sounded like crap because everything was muddy so I took out the tape on the central holes. That definitely was not placebo.

For reference, I have the version with 3 central holes with black foam and 4 outer holes. I don't think the tape makes that much of a difference from stock so I might just take them out. I think they had enough bass anyways.

 

[Fitz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mypasswordis /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hey Fitz, so do you think the amount of bass is affected more by the break-in of the pads or the different layout of openings in the enclosure near the driver? So far the only mod I have done, just for fun, is taping up the outer holes. It seemed to have slightly increased the bass and/or roll off the highs, so it might just be placebo. I did try taping up all the holes and it sounded like crap because everything was muddy so I took out the tape on the central holes. That definitely was not placebo. For reference, I have the version with 3 central holes with black foam and 4 outer holes. I don't think the tape makes that much of a difference from stock so I might just take them out. I think they had enough bass anyways.

This is why I'm trying to find the same version I had before, so I can eliminate as many variables as possible. I do believe that the openings has a strong influence on the sound, based on the sound of my previous pair, and from my experiments with the W5000 and varying the number of a similar set of openings around the driver.

But this recent experience has also shown me that the pads may have some influence as well. Looking at them very closely I can see more "fuzz" of random fibers than a pristine tightly-woven surface now. I'm not listening to the K501s a whole lot right now, so it may be a while before I really have much more to say about the matter.

 

[megawzrd]

WARNING!!!

As I suggested above about steam ironing the velour pads. Don't do it, the heat will warp the backing that attaches to the disk. It worked wonders on the foam but now I am trying to get the disk back to form. Hopefully you just stuck to washing the pads VR as I should have. I just wanted instant results of which I thought the iron could provide. I guess it would work for grado pads though.

phew (wiping sweat from my brow)

I was able to get the backings back to normal by smashing them between a couple of stone tiles with a case of paper on top immediately after steaming them.

 

[Fitz]

Glad you got the backings straightened out! That velour pad looks a lot like the pads on my Beyers now.

 

[Mrvile]

There is a sale pending on my K501's now.

Their final destination is now officially out of my control. Whatever the buyer decides to do will become the fate of these headphones.

I can now definitively say that I am leaving Team AKG.

I'll miss you guys, and I'll miss you, K501.

sigh

 

[cp8ir]

I was surprised to find that for electronica (chillout, techno, etc.) I really enjoy the sound of the K501. Something about the bass and the airy soundstage makes electronica extremely non-fatiguing I guess. I would have thought my DT990Pro would be the one for that genre, but it's not been the case. I like the K501 for acoustic and vocals as well, so I guess it's my favorite out of what I own. The only time I switch is for rock music.