[Jigglybootch]

I was looking into getting a Darth Beyer, but I soon realized that I honestly don't really want a woody mod. The recable job, on the other, still interests.

I say this because I'm wondering how much of the improvement to the DT770 (I'm talking the 80 ohm version) comes from the recable and how much is contributed to the woody. I'd imagine the woody doesn't make quite as much difference as the cable.

 

[silverrain]

Email that question to Headphile, and see what Larry has to say.
Straight from the horse's mouth.
Post the answer here, as I'm sure there are others wondering the same thing.
Myself -- I prefer the pretty wood to go along with the cabling.
And whatever sonic improvement that happens from the wood, is icing on the cake.

 

[warubozu]

I have a set of Darth Beyers that has only the recable and stock enclosure dampening mods done by Larry. I can tell you the recabling and enclosure dampening mods made a tremendous amount of difference over the stock DT770/80. I think it was mentioned on Headphile's website that the woodies may improve sound slightly but the bulk of the improvement attributed to the recabling.

With the recabling and the stock enclosure dampening mods, the Beyers has a more foward and faster sound to it without sounding bright. Bass definitely has more slam and is tighter than stock. The level of detail in the Darth Beyers with the above mentioned mods is sharper with a better sense of seperation.

 

[GreatDane]

This is a good question. I can believe that the enclosure mod (dampening) and changing the plastic enclosure to the superior wood construction makes up at least half of the overall improvement in SQ that Darthing creates. The recable job that Larry does is also very nice...it's a beautiful thing.

 

[Skylab]

I cannot imagine NOT wanting the wood, and I do think it makes a difference in the sound of Darth Beyers, in that different woods sound different from each other, so wood versus plastic will sound different. Also the cup shape is different with the woodies.

Nonetheless, I'm sure the wood-less Darth Beyers are still excellent.

 

[Xanadu777]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jigglybootch /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'd imagine the woody doesn't make quite as much difference as the cable.

They both do different things, and together make a V3... that is if the woody interior shape, size, tweaking, materials, damping, and methods are my doing. None of which the latter I do on a recable only. So the outside woody that you see, is only part of the story of a Darth V3...

Quote:

Originally Posted by silverrain /img/forum/go_quote.gif Straight from the horse's mouth... And whatever sonic improvement that happens from the wood, is icing on the cake.

From "Mr Ed"... V1 was icing on the cake as a cosmetic replacement of stock, with some tweaking. With V2 I tweaked for a dryer feel and improved lower mids sound. V3 tweaked with knowledge and mojo to create something sweet to my ears... Some may be shocked that I find stock 770's virtually unlistenable

Quote:

Originally Posted by warubozu /img/forum/go_quote.gif I think it was mentioned on Headphile's website that the woodies may improve sound slightly but the bulk of the improvement attributed to the recabling.

Attributing improvements mostly to the recable is something I've said about some headphone at some point in the past, but often misunderstood and taken too broadly. I think when it's stated as "most of", peeps think that means 95% (or something like that), and with every headphone, which is quite misleading... (I've read this quoted to me before by others, so time to clear it up a little).

You'd have to break it down to frequencies, then it depends on which headphone and drivers are in question and what other tweaks I do in parallel. Without a recable, you'd not get the resolution up to form, so in that sense "most of" really means just that. There's no simple formula of percentages for any given frequency or flavor though.

In addition, the overall feel, soundstage and various frequencies can, and are directly related to mods other than recable. They can be (and are) manipulated for good (or bad if done wrong or not at all). A certain amount can be done with a recable, but it's just a starting point. Really, the bottom line is most of the overall sound of a V3 can be attributed to my knowledge of tweaking and how I implement them into the mod of any headphone.

To answer questions I've seen often in other Darth threads (but not the time)...

The V3 "open vs. closed" debate... I personally prefer closed if I had to pick just one, but others have favored open. There's no right or wrong, only ones own ears can decide what's best through experience... Are covers on screens the same as closed? No... think about it from the inside of the mod. Solid wood vs. stealth screens with a non airtight cover. The dynamics are different, though I do try to emulate closed "feel" as much as possible. BUT, a solid closed will not be the same as covered, so comparisions can be misleading... Which cable is best? BlackMax is most popular, all are good with V3 and one is best IMO (BG), again that's for my ears... Which wood sounds best? Differences are subtle, too subtle to worry about unless you can afford to buy them all and decide for yourself!... Get what you like, the only one who's eyes and ears matter for in the end...

 

[silverrain]

Well, there you go -- the answer to "who will win this horse-race?", straight from the horse's mouth!

(Very old saying, for the benefit of those that never heard it)