scootermafia
MOT: Double Helix Cables
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- Nov 24, 2008
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UPDATED - read on for how I modded my SRH840s to be 4-pin balanced compatible.
Well, my Shures just came today, and they're pretty good headphones, especially for the money. The only way to improve them is to rewire them balanced. I think they're up there with HD650s and DT990s in terms of sound, they certainly are something new, they have a fresh and neutral quality to them. I do want to know what they can do.
Update: Stage 1 - internal wiring replaced:
How to mod SRH840s:
This is a very easy can to mod, although there are many options. Pictures will follow when we get down to business as parts are on the way.
These are very easy to open up. If you pop off the earmuffs, there's a plastic baffle with the driver below it/attached to the baffle. Just remove 3 screws, and out it comes. There is a very handy innovation for the jack...it's just mounted to a small PCB with 4 contacts, one for each of the 4 polarities, and it's easily removed so that you can have some fun here. Wires just run from the PCB to easily accessed contacts on both drivers with plenty of slack. The positive wires are enameled so even noobs will have no trouble hardwiring these. You can't use the PCB to hardwire balanced though as obviously the L-/R- contacts are connected.
Option 1: Remove the PCB with the jack, and run your cable, sleeving and all, so the sleeving goes right into the headphone cable hole (stock is a 2.5mm locking proprietary connector, blah). Then run the 2 wires for the right through the headband. Should look quite clean.
Option 2: Dual entry it, this won't look as clean as there's no way to duplicate the headphone jack hole exactly. It has the benefit of not having unequal length wires for left/right (unless you put an epic coil of slack in the left cup)
Option 3: What I am going with.
I plan to install in the left cup a 4-pin male chassis mount mini XLR jack. It should barely fit. Then I can use balanced cables and SE cables (for travel/work) without worrying about adapters. I will run the wires for the right cup through the headband, fun fun.
More pix and info to come when I actually do the mod, parts are coming.
UPDATE:
This was not that hard of a mod. I simply removed the stock PCB inside, then proceded to drill out a hole just under 1/2". Pretty huge, but that's what it takes. Overdrill it a little and use the silver washer to make it look nice, unless you can get the size perfect. The eBay 4-pin XLR male jacks are what I went with, cheap and nice quality and well labeled. Just use the 1-2-3-4 pin conventions for L+ L- R+ R- and you're set. I connected all the wires to the pins carefully, plenty of glue to hold everything in place, and sealed it back up. I then built a cable with a 4-pin mini-XLR (also on ebay) going to a 4-pin regular XLR for my Phoenix.
These headphones sound astounding when balanced, this is a cheap and worthwhile mod. Certainly doing all the internal wiring with solidcore 24awg teflon silver would make it even easier. They have a very neutral quality, as neutral as the HD800 but without the height of its soundstage, certainly nice bass punch and clarity. No complaints. And with this mod you can build a 2nd cable for minijack. Just roll the cable that you need.
PM me for pix.
Disclaimer - this is not a commercial project. It would cost more for this mod to be done by far than the headphones themselves due to the hours involved, and I am not a professional hard-wirer.
Well, my Shures just came today, and they're pretty good headphones, especially for the money. The only way to improve them is to rewire them balanced. I think they're up there with HD650s and DT990s in terms of sound, they certainly are something new, they have a fresh and neutral quality to them. I do want to know what they can do.
Update: Stage 1 - internal wiring replaced:
How to mod SRH840s:
This is a very easy can to mod, although there are many options. Pictures will follow when we get down to business as parts are on the way.
These are very easy to open up. If you pop off the earmuffs, there's a plastic baffle with the driver below it/attached to the baffle. Just remove 3 screws, and out it comes. There is a very handy innovation for the jack...it's just mounted to a small PCB with 4 contacts, one for each of the 4 polarities, and it's easily removed so that you can have some fun here. Wires just run from the PCB to easily accessed contacts on both drivers with plenty of slack. The positive wires are enameled so even noobs will have no trouble hardwiring these. You can't use the PCB to hardwire balanced though as obviously the L-/R- contacts are connected.
Option 1: Remove the PCB with the jack, and run your cable, sleeving and all, so the sleeving goes right into the headphone cable hole (stock is a 2.5mm locking proprietary connector, blah). Then run the 2 wires for the right through the headband. Should look quite clean.
Option 2: Dual entry it, this won't look as clean as there's no way to duplicate the headphone jack hole exactly. It has the benefit of not having unequal length wires for left/right (unless you put an epic coil of slack in the left cup)
Option 3: What I am going with.
I plan to install in the left cup a 4-pin male chassis mount mini XLR jack. It should barely fit. Then I can use balanced cables and SE cables (for travel/work) without worrying about adapters. I will run the wires for the right cup through the headband, fun fun.
More pix and info to come when I actually do the mod, parts are coming.
UPDATE:
This was not that hard of a mod. I simply removed the stock PCB inside, then proceded to drill out a hole just under 1/2". Pretty huge, but that's what it takes. Overdrill it a little and use the silver washer to make it look nice, unless you can get the size perfect. The eBay 4-pin XLR male jacks are what I went with, cheap and nice quality and well labeled. Just use the 1-2-3-4 pin conventions for L+ L- R+ R- and you're set. I connected all the wires to the pins carefully, plenty of glue to hold everything in place, and sealed it back up. I then built a cable with a 4-pin mini-XLR (also on ebay) going to a 4-pin regular XLR for my Phoenix.
These headphones sound astounding when balanced, this is a cheap and worthwhile mod. Certainly doing all the internal wiring with solidcore 24awg teflon silver would make it even easier. They have a very neutral quality, as neutral as the HD800 but without the height of its soundstage, certainly nice bass punch and clarity. No complaints. And with this mod you can build a 2nd cable for minijack. Just roll the cable that you need.
PM me for pix.
Disclaimer - this is not a commercial project. It would cost more for this mod to be done by far than the headphones themselves due to the hours involved, and I am not a professional hard-wirer.
