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ATH M50 Mod Thread
Feb 21, 2012 at 5:42 PM Post #31 of 65

I just got my DT250 pads about 30 mins ago. First off they are slightly smaller than M50 pads so installing them got kinda annoying and I will not be AB-ing them with originals for that reason. I got these pads cause my original pads were pretty much destroyed not because of comfort issues; to me original pads are a 7 on comfort these are like an 8. The first thing I noticed right away is that the isolation and sound leakage is much worse now than it was before. So far the only thing that sounds different is that it seems to be more emphasized on the lower end but in a semi-sloppy way. More usage needed to make sure, hopefully its just placebo effect and it sounds just like the originals. 
Quote:
ilovepottery said:
To the folks using the DT250 velours, what changes, if any, did you notice in sound?
 
Over the weekend I listened to a member's M50s using Shure SRH840 pads. They were pretty comfy, but I really liked how it leveled out the bass boom.
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Feb 23, 2012 at 5:58 PM Post #32 of 65
Feb 24, 2012 at 10:09 AM Post #34 of 65


Quote:
lemonspark said:
if i mod my ath m50 into detachable cables and use dr beats solo cable(since i got an extra), what changes in SQ and everything else should i be expecting?
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I don't expect the sound to change. Most stock headphone cables are the same, so there should be little difference.
 
Mar 20, 2012 at 11:19 PM Post #40 of 65
Hey guys, specifically TestSubject,

I am also going to be modding my ATH-m50's. I was thinking of doing a balanced cable mod for one thing. I figured i'd leave the wire that goes from one ear to the other and simply cut it close to the termination, and that I would be able to attach L/R +/- to the existing contacts.

Can you show me what both sides of the driver look like witht he m50's disassembled and possibly use a multimeter to figure out what connector/solder area does what?

Also, I saw that Testsubject wanted to paint or color his ath-m50's, the logo and the black part red. My best advice: masking tape and sand paper. First, take off the earpads. then use plastic bags and masking tape to tape off and seal every single thing that you dont want paint on. this is absolutely crucial. If you arent comfortable spilling a glass of salt water on your headphones after doing this, you have not done a good enough job. Next, mask off the A symbol on the cup. use an exacto knife to cut the tape in the exact shape necessary.

You will probably want to sand the A shape the best you can but perhaps it is not terribly necessary. it just helps a WHOLE lot and trust me, it wont screw up anything if you put some scratches in there because the paint will fill it up. After this point you can just do some light sprays of whatever color you want and then do a couple sprays of clearcoat to seal it in. You will want to put some sprays of primer too.

If you arent comfortable with spraying, you can look at the ModMen episode regarding proper spraypaint techniques such as soaking the can in hot water before use, spraying test paper first to establish the thickness and uniform coat etc. Or you can use a paint brush oldschool style. Or you can use white out followed by sharpie, which is kinda reversible too but really janky.

Anyways, i hope we can all work on this together.

BTW i've got SRH-840 earpads on my ath-m50's. it brought the bass down significantly and made the highs kinda harsh. They are perfect for regular listening to me now and sound like beyerdynamics instead, though i'd like the harshness dialed back. Also the bass isnt enough for car listening levels unless I ratchet it to bass boost 2 on my Fiio E11.
 
Mar 21, 2012 at 12:04 AM Post #41 of 65
Try Dynamat Xtreme on the back of the drivers.  That may alleviate the harshness.
 
Oct 14, 2012 at 7:41 PM Post #42 of 65
anyone tried experimenting with different damping materials? I was thinking of getting these and do DT250 pads + detachable cable mod, but would also like to try changing the damping if it helps with reducing bass a bit / tightening it up, and slightly reducing treble if possible.
 
May 20, 2013 at 10:15 AM Post #44 of 65
Quote:
testsubject said:
Opened my M50's and removed the damping material, i noticed that the bass sound deeper. Didnt notice anything else in the mids or treble.
 
is it a first impression of a more opened can? What is the purpose of this damping foam? Outside insolation?
 
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The sound that comes off the back of the diaphragm bounces around and comes back through (to your ears) as distortion.  Damping material helps reduce that by absorbing some and may also reduce resonances in the cavity.  That undesired sound is one of the reasons some people prefer "open" headphones.  I wonder if you continue to prefer the sound without the damping material after you have had a longer time to listen to your headphones?  I don't think the manufacturer will bother to put it there without good reason.
 
It would be interesting to try different damping materials such as the fluffy insulation made from recycled denim ["Ultra Touch"], or, Dow "Safe Touch", lamb's wool, etc.
 
If you really want more bass, perhaps you could put a tuned port.  
tongue_smile.gif

 
 

testsubject said:
Well it is a Monster Cable after all, it cant be that bad... Or can it?
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Monster cable is not bad, it's just not better than any generic cable of the same gauge.  So if you pay more for Monster Cable, you're probably just wasting money.  If the cable looks cooler, or is more durable, or has some other desirable feature then it might be worth buying, but different brands/models of cables do not "sound different" - that's an unfortunate myth.
 
 

..Does the beats cable will affect the sound quality of the M50 comparing to the default cable?? 
thanks!
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Unless they are significantly higher resistance cables simply do not affect the sound.  
 
 

munchzilla /img/forum/go_quote.gif  anyone tried experimenting with different damping materials? I was thinking of getting these and do DT250 pads + detachable cable mod, but would also like to try changing the damping if it helps with reducing bass a bit / tightening it up, and slightly reducing treble if possible.
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To reduce the treble you could try various thin materials covering the inside of the headphone closest to your ear such as thin foam, felt, a thin bit of insulation/padding (not fiberglass please!  don't want to make your ears itchy).
 
You could also add a passive electric filter (like a crossover in a speaker).  I would need to measure the impedance after I get my pair before I could suggest any component values...
 
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I wonder what happens if you put some tape (I'd start with electrical tape) over these holes (circled in red):
 
 
  
(Picture from this thread: http://www.head-fi.org/t/586304/full-ath-m50-deconstruction )
 
I'm not recommending that, I'm just curious...

 
Jun 7, 2013 at 3:08 PM Post #45 of 65
Tried putting some tape over the small holes, no sound difference to my ears. But love the detachable Cable, looking at changing out the ear pads to the DT-250, is it worth swapping out?
beyersmile.png

 
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