[noguera]

Thank you everyone for your comments, It is very encouraging to hear from real enthusiasts. 
 
Quote:

  They look amazing! How did you fabricate the headband, did you roll it? What's the thickness, and how's the clamping force? Do the rodblocks allow for adjustment on the go or do you need to unscrew the screws before adjusting? 

TijmenK, The headband is actually rolled 1/8" x 3/4" aluminum stock, which was rolled into shape here in our metal shop. As expected, the headband itself is not very springy. As such, I rolled it to a diameter that suited my head and that still provides sufficient clamping force. an ideal material for this would be tempered stainless steel (I will try this mod soon). As for the height adjustment blocks, currently the friction is adjusted with a set screw, however I am thinking of replacing this with thumbscrews (like on vintage Grados) so you can also fix them in place if desired.
 
 

Beautiful! How did you determine the cavity/chamber size, and the size of the port?
If you were to proceed into production (don't mean to get ahead of things here), you may want to consult an acoustician, to optimize sound.

 
Billheiser, thank you so much. I didn't use any method for determining the chamber size, I just tripled the volume of the Panasonic headphones I had on hand. Once I replace the drivers with something decent, I can vary my outer cap design to hone in on the chamber volume and port size (It is 3d printed, so iterating on this would be quick)

 

[miceblue]

Now that, is a fine work of art. Really great job with this project!

 

[mrscotchguy]

Sub'd, super interesting read! Thank you for walking us through each step and the tools used to make the "magic happen".

I will be following this closely. Hopefully you can get the weight down a bit and fine tune it with the right drivers for the job!

As for the headband, just add padding on the under side, but don't wrap it around. Basically, keep the aluminum exposed, but add sufficent padding. Personally, I like the hd650 head padding.

 

[Onix]

Nice work, congratulations. Looks amazing.

 

[audionewbi]

Send it to tyll, would love to see his measurement.

 

[Hawaiibadboy]

WOW

 

[psych0n]

So fine work, so close than I understand what is art. Really great job men.
 
Sorry but I didnt have words if I dont use my original languaje..  Vaya pedazo de proyecto que has montado colega! enhorabuena!

 

[Zoomer13]

Other than being a bit less open they look like grados with a more retro-future vibe. Really nice job!

 

[enazarko]

Those are so beautiful looking they should be illegal.
 
The texture from the old-school lathe really is a major contributor to the look.  Can you get that look with a more volume oriented process?
 
I hope you keep at it.  You might want to connect with a headphone manufacturer that is somewhat premium end, and that would like to offer customers a highly customized and personalized option, that's also eye-catchingly beautiful.  Before anyone scoffs - take a look at the popularity of Noble Audio's earphones, which sound wonderful, but the real attractor it seems (based on the number of people who are willing to pay $400 extra for a Wizard original design) is the beauty that wraps around the sound.
 
In this highly automated, low-cost commodity driven world we live in, the market for customized and beautiful objects is very strong.

 

[Q Mass]

Brilliant!

Personally, I really like the 'Metropolis' look of those red spikes.

Beautiful work

 

[SilentFrequency]

omg! I think it's so amazing that you actually made a pair of headphones!

Plus, they look super great!

 

[whiterobe]

I love topics like this. I love seeing what talented people like you can produce. I think you should get those on as many pairs of ears as possible. Getting input from a range of different people, head shapes, knowledge, taste in music, would result in a great deal of information to apply to your endeavors.

 

[EniGmA1987]

I think these look incredible and the design idea is pretty awesome. Makes me want to try and do a pair for myself one of these weekends at the shop.
My one suggestion would be to increase the earpad size so that they could be truly over the ear. Looks like the pads rest on your ears right now.

 

[israikc]

Damn, those are beautiful!
I like the retro style, as if someone from the 50's designed something from the future for a magazine.
 
I understand that the headband probably has to be padded to be comfortable, but I think I'd prefer to keep it as it is now.

 

[frank2908]

Wow great job. What a coincidence, I too used a printrbot simple metal for my 3d printed closed hd800. Interesting to see the buildtak mat, how good is it printing with both abs and pla? How long do they last?