[jazzman7]

I just made a mod to my M50s which is very simple:  New angled pads.  
 
I took delivery of the NVX XPT100 due to a recent sale ($100 for this Fischer FA-003 clone, plus the NXT clone of the in-ear VSonic GR06). 
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/624729/review-nvx-xpt100-a-direct-brainwavz-hm5-competitor
 
Inside of the NXT box were an extra pair of these:
 
http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_66627_NVX-XRE100A.html
 
They look like a pleather oval version of the Alpha Dog pads by Mr. Speakers.  The design is a little weird, though, as they are really two "right" pairs of pads.  Basically this means that the seams will be on opposite sides (bottom left and top right) when installed.  
 
I look at the size and think, if I take out the plastic mounting bracket from them, these might fit the M50s.
 
Well, it is nearly a perfect fit.  Now I have what might be called ATH-M50 Alpha headphones.  
 
So, what changes?  Comfort, for one.  The M50s are now super comfortable.  The angled pads mean my ears no longer touch the foam inside of the pad.  In fact, you can even adjust the toe in of the fit to change the pressure between the front and back of the pad very easily -- really useful for longer listening sessions.  Next, they have better imaging.  There might be a bass bump, as well, but I'm not going to swap back and forth to check (don't want to damage the pads).  
 
On the downside, the pads do have a little play in them when mounted, which means positioning becomes a bit more of an issue when you first put them on.  I think of that as a plus, though, because it helps with long-term comfort.
 
All in all, a big win.

 

[bankai]

Hi, does anyone here do this modification on the m50's in LA county ? specifically Pasadena Area. Hoping for a response. thanks!

 

[verde57]

Anyone know were I can find new headband trim for these headphones?

 

[THC Butterz]

Modded mine last night... forgot to buy a cable long enough to work with my pc, but works great on my phone, also just for laughs I tried to install the pads from my cm storm sirus headset I blew before I bought these, turns out the pads fit like they where made for the m50s

 

[dwib44]

Modded mine last night... forgot to buy a cable long enough to work with my pc, but works great on my phone, also just for laughs I tried to install the pads from my cm storm sirus headset I blew before I bought these, turns out the pads fit like they where made for the m50s

Those are some big looking pads? How comfortable are those compared to the stock pads? Have you tried the DT-250 Velour pads at all?

 

[frbhead]

Long time lurker here.

I did this mod last night on a set that had been a bit hacked by someone else and I am finding that the sound is mono (i.e. left channel coming thru both speakers)

I tested with a multi meter and there is no resistance (60 ohms) from the left circuit to the right circuit. Given that these both connect to the same ground wire this expected? Thoughts? Thanks

 

[THC Butterz]

Quote:

  Those are some big looking pads? How comfortable are those compared to the stock pads? Have you tried the DT-250 Velour pads at all?

No I havent tried the DT-250 pads, but these are super comfortable, but they take a bit of the thump out of the Bass due to less vibration from the cushy padding
 

Long time lurker here.

I did this mod last night on a set that had been a bit hacked by someone else and I am finding that the sound is mono (i.e. left channel coming thru both speakers)

I tested with a multi meter and there is no resistance (60 ohms) from the left circuit to the right circuit. Given that these both connect to the same ground wire this expected? Thoughts? Thanks

Something is definently wrong there, from g-L or G-R there should be continuity but not from L-R, you might have a bad Jack... I dunno

 

[superjawes]

Long time lurker here.

I did this mod last night on a set that had been a bit hacked by someone else and I am finding that the sound is mono (i.e. left channel coming thru both speakers)

I tested with a multi meter and there is no resistance (60 ohms) from the left circuit to the right circuit. Given that these both connect to the same ground wire this expected? Thoughts? Thanks

It sounds like you have a short from the left channel to the right, but with the cable unplugged, I would expect a measurement in that range between channels (basically double the resistance of each driver, and the M50 has an impedance of 38 Ohms according to the specs). However, you can check this by comparing the left-to-right resistance to the left-to-ground (or right-to-ground) resistance. With an unplugged cable (floating ground, which is essentially in infinite resistance or open circuit), the left-to-right resistance should be double the left-to-ground resistance because you are measuring each driver in series.

Basically your unplugged circuit should look something like:

[L NODE] - - - [L DRIVER] - - - [GROUND NODE] - - - [R DRIVER] - - - [R NODE]

But if the channels are shorted:

[L NODE] - - - + - - - [L DRIVER] - - - - +
. . . . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .| - - - [GROUND NODE]
[R NODE] - - - + - - - [R DRIVER] - - - -+

In this case, measuring from a channel node to ground will have both drivers in parallel (with a resistance of [RL * RR] / [RL + RR]), and measuring between nodes would give you zero resistance (or close to it). Regardless of the values, you should get a better idea of what's going on before you start inspecting the physical construction.

(I hope that visualization works and is helpful...the "+" and "|" are used to show circuit paths vertically while "." is used for empty space since the forum ignores multiple spaces).

 

[frbhead]

It sounds like you have a short from the left to right

Thanks for the thorough reply. That was spot on. I actually meant to follow up on this but I was finding this forum a bit difficult to use on android!

What was baffling me was that the impedance were all checking out when I measured it and given the behavior of the headphones the fault had to be with the female Jack. I tested the impedance with the cable plugged in (but disconnected at the other end) and found that this was shorting the left and right causing the mono output. This came about due to me bending the right terminal on the jack to get it to fit into cup.

Replaced the jack (luckily had another one) and it's all working! Thanks for the responses. Especially superjawes - I'm sure that should help someone in the future too.

 

[Frodo]

Not much of a mod really, but it may interest some of you. I had a problem with a broken driver (the right one, perhaps a common fault?) in my ATH-M50s. I couldn't find any original drivers for sale so I replaced them with the drivers from a pair of Koss KSC75s (also 45mm and a near perfect fit). I removed the grille covers from the KSC75s and replaced them with some wire mesh (my attempt at the Kramer mod). They sound good in my opinion (detailed and balanced) and KSC75s are only $13 so it's a cheap mod/replacement if anyone wants to experiment.

 

[Lemz]

Wow, looks amazing! Do you have pics of the process? I have a damaged ATH-M50 and I'm considering that mod. Just afraid of doing some miswire.

 

[aairria]

FYI the Brainwavz HM5 earpads fit the ATH-M50 perfectly. There is a velour and pleather option with additional memory foam pleather version. I only tried the pleather and what it does is make these headphones very comfortable. No noticeable change in sound signature, maybe the bass gets slightly more cohesive as part of overall sound. Can post a photo if needed.

 

[Frodo]

Sorry no other photos, the wiring may look a little confusing at first, but it's not really, you'll work it out quickly I'm sure.

Wow, looks amazing! Do you have pics of the process? I have a damaged ATH-M50 and I'm considering that mod. Just afraid of doing some miswire.

 

[jerrikko]

Any idea how do the DT-250 Velour pads compare to the Sound Pro, HM5, HM5 angled pads?

 

[Phill360]

Today I decided to do the detachable cable mod to my m50s but I have a problem. After wiring it up my right channel became very soft and lacked any vocal or bass. I decided to disconnect the black wires and listen to the right on its own and it sounds normal. I think there may be a problem with the headphone jack I purchased, do you think my assumption is right?