[mrarroyo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jamato8 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Well you may get more detail but in my opinion the sound becomes etched, which is the antithesis of what I enjoy in good sound reproduction. I find that the detail is more natural and the mids more correct with the foam in place. I do like the Beyerdynamic leather ear pads I have been using. The bass is more responsive and I like the general frequency response a little better but the stock pads really are fine.

I may have found a compromise.

... I removed the foam and then I used the foam that comes with the Beyer DT770 velour ear pads. The DT770 foam included is less than half the thickness and not as dense a foam. Here is a picture comparing both foams and with the DT770 foam and ear pads installed on the RP21. Click on the thumbnails below to see the full size picture.

 

[Skylab]

And I agree - after Mrarroyo suggested this I tried it. This is the best the RP21's have sounded - Beyer Leather pads, and Beyer foam.

 

[epithetless]

Ahhh! Invasion of the MEGAPICS!


EDIT: Skylab, mrarroyo, mind detailing some of the sonic changes/characteristics with the Beyer foam? In keeping with the times (without actually knowing all you guys were up to this stuff), I experimented with removing the stock foam from my RP-15MCs this weekend, and, like jamato8, found it made the highs too etched. I also discovered the stock pads were too shallow to keep my earlobes off the plastic inside, not just the foam circles, so some sort of RP-15MC pad mod is definitely in order...

 

[Skylab]

With the Beyer foam the treble is more natural than with the stock foam (which made the treble weird IMO) but isn't too much - it's not etched or sibilant. Details are better and so is the soundstage. These effects are minor, but noticeable.

 

[epithetless]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skylab /img/forum/go_quote.gif With the Beyer foam the treble is more natural than with the stock foam (which made the treble weird IMO) but isn't too much - it's not etched or sibilant. Details are better and so is the soundstage. These effects are minor, but noticeable.

Sounds nice. Do you know if the Beyer foam comes included with pleather and velour Beyer pads, by chance -- or must it be ordered separately?

 

[BigAmish]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skylab /img/forum/go_quote.gif With the Beyer foam the treble is more natural than with the stock foam (which made the treble weird IMO) but isn't too much - it's not etched or sibilant. Details are better and so is the soundstage. These effects are minor, but noticeable.

I'm game. I just ordered a pair of Beyer DT770 replacement foam inserts from fullcompass.com for a whopping $2 + $2.50 shipping. These mods (with the exception of the replacement ear pads) are so cheap that even if I don't care for the sound I'll still have fun testing them out. $4.50 is a darn side cheaper than pad switching on Grados in any event. Will have impressions in ~10 days (stated ETA of shipment).

 

[epithetless]

Could you post a link, BigAmish? I'm not finding them on the fullcompass site.

 

[Skylab]

Quote:

Originally Posted by epithetless /img/forum/go_quote.gif Sounds nice. Do you know if the Beyer foam comes included with pleather and velour Beyer pads, by chance -- or must it be ordered separately?

Separate order.

Mrarroyo: Please resize those pics down a bit!

 

[BigAmish]

Quote:

Originally Posted by epithetless /img/forum/go_quote.gif Could you post a link, BigAmish? I'm not finding them on the fullcompass site.

No sweat. They have a seperate replacement parts catalog & the section that includes the Beyerdynamic parts can be found here. You'll have to download that section & give them a call (1-800-356-5844, x1358). The part # is 014-333.395. Jeff (the person who took my order) said I was the first person in ~5 years to request them. It would be kind of funny if suddenly they got a mini-rush of headfiers looking for them.

I love cheap reversible mods.

 

[epithetless]

Many thanks, BigAmish.

 

[mrarroyo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skylab /img/forum/go_quote.gif And I agree - after Mrarroyo suggested this I tried it. This is the best the RP21's have sounded - Beyer Leather pads, and Beyer foam.

Glad you liked it, and cheap to boot.

Now all I could use are leather pads.

 

[mrarroyo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by epithetless /img/forum/go_quote.gif Sounds nice. Do you know if the Beyer foam comes included with pleather and velour Beyer pads, by chance -- or must it be ordered separately?

When I ordered the Beyer velour pads from Beyer USA the foam was included.

 

[Psiga]

Y'all got my brainmeats churning. I tried slipping the foam covers to the KSC-75s into the RP-21s. Results are interesting:

Stock foam: Dry treble.
No foam: Bright treble.
Koss foam: Very nice.

Stock foam: Transparent mids.
No foam: Kinda obnoxious mids.
Koss foam: Friendly mids.

Stock foam: Focus more on arrangement of musical scene.
No foam: Focus more on feeling of musical flow.
Koss foam: Pleasant balance.

Stock foam: Somwhat detached vocals.
No foam: Somewhat attention-seeking vocals.
Koss foam: A pleasant emphasis on vocals.

Stock foam: Not enough air and articulation (though still good for mid-price closed cans).
No foam: More sparkle, emphasis on sharpness (too much, depending on source).
Koss foam: Crisp in the forefront, but loses airy micro-details (possibly depending on source).

I think a thinner pad is a is a no-brainer mod for anybody who's interested in better sound from the RP-21. Equation should probably make it standard, really.

This is gonna be tough for me, since I honestly like emotional nuance and tiny details floating through the air. Enough to suffer the downsides? I'll be going back and forth for hours on this one. ;]

 

[BigAmish]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Psiga /img/forum/go_quote.gif Y'all got my brainmeats churning. I tried slipping the foam covers to the KSC-75s into the RP-21s. I think a thinner pad is a is a no-brainer mod for anybody who's interested in better sound from the RP-21. Equation should probably make it standard, really. This is gonna be tough for me, since I honestly like emotional nuance and tiny details floating through the air. Enough to suffer the downsides? I'll be going back and forth for hours on this one. ;]

Excellent! I wanted to do this myself but, sadly, I quarter-modded my KSC75 pads. I'm eager to get my Beyer DT770 foam as I suspect the results may be similar...we'll see.

Like you, I may be oscillating between no-foam/thin foam for awhile until I get my sound tradeoff preferences sorted out. I am glad to have non-stock options to work with though.

 

[bindibadgi]

How do the KSC-75 pads fit on there? Did you need to cut them? I've got some el-cheapo Shintaro phones which were given to me by my work but I don't have KSC-75s, and I'm wondering if it will work with these pads.