[Knee Deep In Epoxy]

And in other news - received my Dekoni Velours today (finally available in the UK from Electromod).

Just had a play around between the SR60x and Hemps with the new babies, along with a bunch of others from the collection (Shipibo, Grado G, Geekria G, Yaxi, Grado F.... Left out the L and S pads this time)

Long story short, Dekoni Velours are my new favourites for the Hemps. Compared to all the other pads I've tried, the Dekoni's improve the bass (slightly more sub-bass and tighter mid-bass), better resolution and separation and a bigger and more defined soundstage. The only con I've found with them is that female vocals can sound slightly thin and recessed on some tracks but not all. Overall I'm very happy with these and they are the most comfortable pads I've tried on Grados by a long way.

Second place for the Hemps goes to the Grado G. Lovely open and clear sound through the mids and highs. Bass is present but lacking impact and depth.

That combo, alongside the SR60x with Shipibo (and O rings of course) has me pretty well set up as far as my Grado collection is concerned.

Haven't posted here in a while as I've been mostly in ZMF world for a while. Today I decided to rekindle my love for the Hemps.

I am still using them with the Dekoni Velours. I remembered straight away why I love this combo... Bass, soundstage and sparkly highs....

But I also remember my gripe with this combination... Driver too far from ears so the mids can get a bit too recessed.

I started considering getting another set of Shipibo/Nyczaj pads for my Hemps but the Hemp doesn't need the bass boost that would bring, and with those pads my ears would touch the wooden Hemp drivers which gets uncomfortable.

I had previously made my mind up that the Hemps need angled Dekoni Velours that are also slightly less deep.

I'm happy to report that I found a little hack that I want to share for using Dekoni pads

1 - bend the headband to increase the clamp force at much as possible.

2- place the Dekoni pads so the seams are behind the ears. The pads are a little stiffer at the seams.

3- press against the front of the pads to crush that side as much as possible so the drivers sit parallel to the ears (angled).

Over time that the pads will settle into this shape, but I can immediately hear a more balanced mids tonality with all great bass soundstage and highs.

 

[jonathan c]

If you can, get your Hemp the Nyczaj Audio gimbal / rod assemblies - together with a Turbulent Labs headband.

Believe it or not, these not only add comfort & stability but also increase the 'focus' & 'speed' of Hemp sound - while preserving Hemp jauntiness of sound !!

 

[LTSFBH]

Hi Guys, good news for us.

Todd of TTVJ AUDIO is doing reviews on YouTube and is certainly one of the more knowledgeable and experienced guys out there and a Great guy to deal with. Below is his link, pass it on.

TTVJAudio YouTube Channel

Good to hear. There's only a handful of YT reviewers that I rely on for good info. Will be great to have another good source of info.

 

[firesgt911]

Got some new/old cans.

 

[joseph69]

Hi Guys, good news for us.

Todd of TTVJ AUDIO is doing reviews on YouTube and is certainly one of the more knowledgeable and experienced guys out there and a Great guy to deal with. Below is his link, pass it on.

TTVJAudio YouTube Channel

Although I'm not one to watch reviews on YouTube--I'll definitely be checking out TTVJ's reviews, for sure!
Thanks for the heads up, Joe, I appreciate it very much and looking forward to reading old, as well as new reviews from Todd.

EDIT: *viewing*

 

[alexdemaet]

Next listening test of the Rupert Neve rnhp will be with the Hemp, Rs2e and Ps2000e. Really impressed.

 

[plakat]

Weekend project…

 

[ESL-1]

Next listening test of the Rupert Neve rnhp will be with the Hemp, Rs2e and Ps2000e. Really impressed.

Very neutral and definitely a good match to any Grados I tried and a good value too. Worked well with many of my other phones too.

ENJOY…..

 

[glpsace]

Next listening test of the Rupert Neve rnhp will be with the Hemp, Rs2e and Ps2000e. Really impressed.

Enjoy. Loved the RNHP, a neutral, clear amp with just a very slight hint of warmth. I liked it especially with the Hemp because of its warmth.

Now, personally, I prefer the Gilmore, especially for its enhanced bass, fuller sound and bigger soundstage (probably lifted by the dedicated PS), if I remember the Rupert correctly.

In the future I´m curious about the Ferrum stack (OOR+Hypsos) but especially about the Schiit Mojolnir 3, as recent feedback seems to be very positive overall.

The RS1 Classic is not my cup of tea, I will probably get a PS500e instead as I have always been curious about it.

I really believe the X driver is more suitable to my tastes but that new generation cable just kills it for me. That was the reason I got fed up with the Hemp - nothing to do with its sound which I loved.

 

[Guts390]

Weekend project…

So what's the benefit of waxing the headphones? Maintenance? Does it change the resonance? I'm pretty new to owning wooden headphones. I know I already asked this a few times, so I apologize. But it got buried and I'm just curious.

 

[TooFrank]

Good find... 19€... I'm sure I won't ever need even 1/10th of that bottle, yet I ordered one. Just listening to my GH2, and want to show them some love.

+1 - I have 5 woodies, but still I think this will be enough for my lifetime

 

[Redd House]

Nyczaj Audio gimbal / rod assemblies

This might seem like a dumb question, but how do you get the Grado gimbals off and the Nyczaj ones installed? I'd like to get these but I'm not seeing any obvious way to get the cans loose from the gimbals

 

[plakat]

So what's the benefit of waxing the headphones? Maintenance? Does it change the resonance? I'm pretty new to owning wooden headphones. I know I already asked this a few times, so I apologize. But it got buried and I'm just curious.

For me it’s just maintenance, keeping them in good condition in my rather dry apartment.

I’m not even sure it helps much in that regard, but I do find some joy in the thought of caring for them. I just really Iike them.

 

[plakat]

+1 - I have 5 woodies, but still I think this will be enough for my lifetime

Absolutely, yes. The bottle was even larger than anticipated… see the GH2 for scale

 

[jonathan c]

This might seem like a dumb question, but how do you get the Grado gimbals off and the Nyczaj ones installed? I'd like to get these but I'm not seeing any obvious way to get the cans loose from the gimbals

I use a small flathead screwdriver to pry apart the plastic Grado rod/blocks.

[There is also a video on the Nyczaj website showing the steps.]