[s1m0]

I wonder what were they thinking when designing the phones. No matter how much I bend the headband on my ath-a1000x they still fit loose and if I tilt my head even slightly to the back or front the headphones fall off. Yep, it's that bad. We should write a petition to AT to stop making headphones for gigantic heads

 

[miloxo]

I tried and tried, but there is no way for me i can bend it like that

I really bend it to the extreme till i couldnt bend it any further, but they spring right back to their original form..

I can live without clamp though, they dont fall of my head at all, but i get extra bass punch when i press the cups on my ears.

 

[marcusgi]

I did bend them quite a bit, at my own risk. I read that I should have been extra careful after I did the bend on the upper headbands because I could have broke the wires that run in them. If you do want to try it again, my personal recommendation is to put a towel between the pads that sit directly on your head and try to not point them into a point. The rubberband trick is pretty effective depending on the size of the rubberband. The smaller, the better sound, but you do not want them on your head like a clamp.

 

[dweaver]

Quote:

Originally Posted by miloxo /img/forum/go_quote.gif I tried and tried, but there is no way for me i can bend it like that I really bend it to the extreme till i couldnt bend it any further, but they spring right back to their original form.. I can live without clamp though, they dont fall of my head at all, but i get extra bass punch when i press the cups on my ears.

It sounds like you are trying the way I did when I first tried this in that your hands are quite wide apart when you are excerting force. If you grab the phone bars one at a time with both hands using your thumbs and for fingers right in the middle where you want to make the bend and then using equal force bend upward (your hands should be very close together, my pointing fingers were only a 1/4 to 1/2 inch apart) the bars bend very easily and look like they can be straightened back out if you don't like the fit.

This mods has really helped the phones fit on my head properly and it does help the cups fit to my head properly enhancing their sound ALOT.

 

[miloxo]

Quote:

It sounds like you are trying the way I did when I first tried this in that your hands are quite wide apart when you are excerting force. If you grab the phone bars one at a time with both hands using your thumbs and for fingers right in the middle where you want to make the bend and then using equal force bend upward (your hands should be very close together, my pointing fingers were only a 1/4 to 1/2 inch apart) the bars bend very easily and look like they can be straightened back out if you don't like the fit. This mods has really helped the phones fit on my head properly and it does help the cups fit to my head properly enhancing their sound ALOT.

I get it now!, thnx

Its actually like breaking a stick?

 

[dweaver]

Quote:

Originally Posted by miloxo /img/forum/go_quote.gif I get it now!, thnx Its actually like breaking a stick?

EXACTLY... Just don't break it!!! LOL

 

[1Time]

This is a modified post that I made in another AD700 thread.

The design of the AD700 is essentially defective, and a vertical swivel is needed to correct the defect. Audio-Technica should be lambasted for this failure.

In stock form the lower part of the ear cups presses harder at the jaw than the top part presses on the head. And, for many the fit of the AD700 is too loose (it was for me). A proper fit is when the ear cups press evenly around / on the ears, and the headphones are not too loose or too tight.

After modding the AD700 with rubber bands or bending, the fit no doubt would be tighter and the sound should be improved. However, modding in this way must increase the inward angle of the ear cups. If the ear cups are brought closer together by either of these mods and without bending the angle of the ear cups outward, the inward angle of the ear cups must increase accordingly. The result: the lower part of the ear cups now must press proportionately harder than the top part of the ear cups. The inward angle of the ear cups is increased, but the angle between one's head and jaw remains constant. That means even though these mods make the fit tighter, they also make the fit more improper. The headphones sound better after the mod because the fit was so screwed up in the first place; the drivers were too far from the ears. Modding just puts the headphones close enough to the ears for it to sound better. However, these mods make the angle of the drivers worse than stock. There is nothing "proper" about the fit of AD700 for practically anyone, stock or modified. You'd have to have a very wide head to very narrow jaw width ratio for it to fit properly. Picture an alien's head shaped like an inverted triangle and you get the idea.

I don't read many complaints about the comfort of the AD700. In stock form, I found it uncomfortable because the lower part of the ear pads clamped too much on my jaw. I did not bother stretching the ear cups wider apart to make it more comfortable because doing so would have made the top of the ear cups fit even looser.

It only makes sense that a proper fit would result in improved sound and comfort. A proper fit for practically everyone would require the ear cups to be bent outward, and I don't recall ever seeing a picture posted showing this done. And when I owned the AD700, I did not see an option for how this could be done.

FWIR, the AD700 and the similarly designed Audio-Technicas are an aberration in the world of headphones. They stand alone and apart in regard to the degree to which they do not fit properly for practically everyone, stock or modified. Again, Audio-Technica should be lambasted for this failure.

Now, does that mean I'm saying the AD700 cannot be enjoyed or comfortably worn by some. No. If there were a way to mod the AD700 for a proper fit, I would re-buy, amp it, and post pics with a proper review. I tried pushing it to my ears to see if modding it may be worth a try. But I soon determined the AD700 did not have enough bass for me and then sold it. And so until then, I agree with most in that it does not fit properly and it is bass light.

 

[runswithaliens]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1Time /img/forum/go_quote.gif ... A proper fit for practically everyone would require the ear cups to be bent outward, and I don't recall ever seeing a picture posted showing this done. ...

Hello 1Time, Thanks for adding your experience with your ATH's. True, I haven't posted any pictures, but in my original post that is what I tried to describe: Bending them inward at the middle, but then outward nearer the ends of the hoops. Changing the circular curvature into more of a 'U' shape. Hope that helps.

And thanks Dweaver, I think that technique you describe will definitely work for many.

 

[1Time]

Quote:

Originally Posted by runswithaliens /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hello 1Time, Thanks for adding your experience with your ATH's. True, I haven't posted any pictures, but in my original post that is what I tried to describe: Bending them inward at the middle, but then outward nearer the ends of the hoops. Changing the circular curvature into more of a 'U' shape. Hope that helps.

You're welcome. Hopefully someone will post a pic showing your success.

 

[dweaver]

1time;

Having read runswithaliens description of the second bend I tried using my stick break bend method on my phones and while a photo won't really show much (they still look alot like the other pictures) the clamp at my jaw is less. I will think about whether I want to adjust these further as I don't want to break them by over modifying them. If I do and the look is different enough to warrant a picture I'll take one and post it in the thread.

 

[1Time]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dweaver /img/forum/go_quote.gif 1time; Having read runswithaliens description of the second bend I tried using my stick break bend method on my phones and while a photo won't really show much (they still look alot like the other pictures) the clamp at my jaw is less. I will think about whether I want to adjust these further as I don't want to break them by over modifying them. If I do and the look is different enough to warrant a picture I'll take one and post it in the thread.

My reasoning for not modding the AD700:
Given the ear cups are angled inward too much in stock form, and bending the over head bars at the apex would increase this inward angle, it seemed apparent the ear cups would require quite a bit of outward bending in order to obtain a proper fit. Success just seemed too unlikely, and it seemed more likely my attempts would result in one or more "snapped angles", which I considered unacceptable.

@dweaver
Of course if you were to confirm that you have indeed obtained a proper fit, then I would be encouraged. And, I think posting a pic of it stretched over 6 inches of books or something would be helpful. Thanks

 

[Kurotetsu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by runswithaliens /img/forum/go_quote.gif <snip>

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1Time /img/forum/go_quote.gif <snip>

I want to thank you both for making this thread. I was having many of the same problems you outlined with the AD700 (mainly, it put way too much pressure under my ears), but when I complained about it everyone thought I was insane for not thinking they were the most comfortable headphones ever made! I followed runswithaliens suggestion and very carefully "bent" (I stretched them outward in my case) the headphones to fit better, and it worked beautifully. They're much more comfortable now and I no longer regret buying them!

 

[marcusgi]

I still like my AD700's after I bent them to fit my head. However, I got Audio Technica M50's for about $20's more. They are closed instead of open. The sound is absolutely better IMO and bass is awesome. Plus, everyone in the room can't hear my music like they can with open phones.

 

[FrozenGecko]

Wow! it looks like someone sat on those headphones, not modded them =p I had no issues with my brothers ATH-AD700 when I used them briefly. I have no idea why someone would bend them to that degree :S

 

[mlantinen]

I just got a pair of AD500's and they were way too large for my mellon and kept sliding around. So I decided to mod them by physically shortening the headband. I unscrewed the tiny screws on the inner part of the left headphone up by the headband, then carefully pulled the pieces apart. I decided to clip about 1 and 1/8th inch from each headband wire to reduce the size.

So you must carefully remove the headband wires from their attachment points. Once you wiggle them free you will see that they are bent 90 degrees at the ends to better hold them in place. I used a razer and scissors to carefully peel back the plastic sleeving from each of the headband wires. Please be sure to be really, really carefull with the headband wire that contains the speaker wire. It is very thin and can be sliced super easy. I actually nicked mine, but did not have an affect on the sound, so I got lucky. I removed about 1 and 1/2 inches of the sleeving from both of the headband wires. So I measured 1 and 1/8inches then I grabbed my heavy duty wire cutters and again, very firmly pressed the wire cutters together then very carefully twisted to snap the headband wire off. BE CAREFUL, it would be easy to jab yourself or the headphone components that are still dangeling.

Once you have cut both headband wires you will need to grab a good set of pliers in order to re-bend the ends so that they can be repositioned where they were. You will need to bend them to about 90 degrees. Just use the part that you snapped off for reference. It may take some reshaping and such to get them just right to fit back in. Then put everything back together (which can be a pain because of the speaker wire) and voila, you have a tighter more comfortable and slightly less ugly AD500 or AD700.

I will try to post some pics tonight to help others.

(EDIT): Actually, since I've got them back together, I'll post some pics of the innards and the process only if someone asks me to. Otherwise here's a pic of the finished product. Sorry there's no before pics.

Sorry about my afterwork skanky wife-beater.

You can see the fat pad mod in this one too.

Here's one of the two pieces of the wire head band that I clipped off.