Grado modders go Magnum
Sep 10, 2012 at 1:00 PM Post #1,876 of 4,994
Quote:
So I finally found some SR325 aluminum cups, but I am looking for the housing to put the drivers in.  Anywhere I can get a set of those for a reasonable price?  I would prefer to get aluminum ones, then wood, then the normal grado plastic ones if I can get my hands on them.
 
Thanks

Larry at Headphile seems to be offering Korina wood driver holders if you recable with him, but I cannot figure out his website or find the images he refers to. Enter at your own risk!
You have to scroll down the Grado page a bit to find this: http://www.headphile.com/page5.html
 
[size=small]Now available…[/size][size=small] Convert to wood driver housings! Keep your stock Grado screened enclosures. An option with just recable or with woodies and recable. Turn your SR/MS into something similar to HF1/HF2. Photo of the Korina driver holder in High-End area below.[/size]

 
 
Sep 10, 2012 at 10:12 PM Post #1,877 of 4,994
Quote:
I'd seriously suggest going with wood inserts. They sound better and are lighter. Plus if you don't like the wood look, you won't see them anyway.

 
 
not all wood sounds better, in fact, a lot of wood does not sound better. Aluminum is way more predictable, the highs just don't sound quite right. Wood, well it sounds all kinds of different depending on the type and finish.
 
Sep 11, 2012 at 1:20 AM Post #1,879 of 4,994
Quote:
Anybody see that supermodded SR-225 in the sales section? Bleh.

 
    If you're referring to the "Custom Wood Grado SR-225" that has the horrible loosely wrapped and unsightly headband,
    with glue attempting to hold smaller screens and glue, glue, glue splattered all over the screens, with the very very poorly
    uncentred machined cups which themselves are filled with holes and scratches, clipped gimbals and ridiculously short cable.
 
    Then - double bleh!
 
Sep 11, 2012 at 9:23 AM Post #1,880 of 4,994
Thanks guys.  I am still looking around, hope to land something interesting on a reasonable budget.
 
I guess head-fi motto is going full effect right now.
 
Sep 12, 2012 at 12:27 AM Post #1,881 of 4,994
Quote:
 
    If you're referring to the "Custom Wood Grado SR-225" that has the horrible loosely wrapped and unsightly headband,
    with glue attempting to hold smaller screens and glue, glue, glue splattered all over the screens, with the very very poorly
    uncentred machined cups which themselves are filled with holes and scratches, clipped gimbals and ridiculously short cable.
 
    Then - double bleh!

yeah. that things unsightly
 
Sep 13, 2012 at 4:13 PM Post #1,883 of 4,994
I honestly question if it even improved sound. I wish that seller the best of luck, but given the overly enthusiastic "car salesman" description, it comes off almost as disingenuous, as if the seller knows it's pretty awful but just wants to get rid of it on some unsuspecting fool. 
 
Sep 13, 2012 at 6:59 PM Post #1,884 of 4,994
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The ultimate metal 'Grado' would be a one piece milled cup with some clever way to secure Magnum/Grado drivers. The grills could also be machined out of the aluminum billet, making these truly 'one piece'. The whole cup could then be treated/anodized etc. Maybe score some of Joe's special goop to rub around....

 
I'm always talking about the same Grado headphone (lol sorry!)..... but the HP-1000 have mostly just one-piece machined aluminum cylinders (*and I believe the PS-1 too, fully).

 

 

 

 
The slim line of hard/cement glue is there to hold everything together: the "one-piece cups", the metal grid, and the "HP-1000 ring" together (and as a bonus the cable, too!). I don't think there was another way as effective, that you could also reverse.
 
The 6 hexagonal screws is also a fairly clever way of holding the drivers tightly in my opinion :wink:, it makes driver replacement a bit easier too.
 
They are not anodized (though a DIYer could do it, why not :p) and I'm not sure if they come treated stock. The "i" upgrade includes a metal acoustic treatment and that changes the "patina" on the metal a bit. The metal of the HP-1000 is a complex anti-resonance aluminum alloy, there is a warning about it in the sheets that came with the headphone (last paragraph):

 
Mottled could refer to the "wet" some of them have:

 

 
Or the (etched) patterns in the metal:

 
(and same headphone, still "etched" after the "i" upgrade)

 

 

 
Oh, but there is one coming! (fully machined, even the grills; they could easily be anodized and meet all your requirements :p)
http://www.bb3.com.au/Home.aspx
 
Maybe you already knew thought, since Luke/Taiden posted about it earlier in this thread.
 
 
Quote:
So I finally found some SR325 aluminum cups, but I am looking for the housing to put the drivers in.  Anywhere I can get a set of those for a reasonable price?  I would prefer to get aluminum ones, then wood, then the normal grado plastic ones if I can get my hands on them.
 
Thanks

 
The normal Grado plastic ones are molded with the drivers. It doesn't exist alone, and you need to tear it apart to liberate your Grado drivers (like in this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9A6UwkQFTdg by Taiden).
 
As early as for my SR200 (pre-1993), the drivers were already "embedded" like that... when you send your headphones for drivers replacement at Grado they replace the whole thing (maybe the cable too! gets replaced).
 
Only exception is black anodized metal SR325 (http://www.head-fi.org/t/616052/full-grado-labs-history/30#post_8673922), and SR-1-2-300 with HP-1000 drivers which are all like that:
 
(my SR200 in the background, one screen replaced by Grado, the white one) (in foreground my SR100-0)

 
(my SR100 left, HP-2 right)

 
(my SR325-0)

 
Larry at Headphile was taking out HP-1000 drivers from these "erroneous :p" plastic HP-1000 Grados... to make his creatures.
 
Oct 20, 2012 at 10:31 PM Post #1,885 of 4,994
This thread needs some life! Here is my newly recabled Magnum V4 build. Grado SR-60 outer cups and grills,black aluminum chambers from Symphones, headphone lounge leather headband, new bowl pads, orange replacement tips for rods, and occ copper recabling done by me. Looking and sounding quite good if you ask me!

 
Oct 20, 2012 at 11:01 PM Post #1,886 of 4,994
Halloween colors!
 
Oct 21, 2012 at 6:42 PM Post #1,887 of 4,994

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Hey guys, 
 
Question for you about these...any idea where I can get rod blocks, rods, end caps, or even rod clamps that fit the Grado rods?
 
I just picked up a fantastic modded set actually made by Rhydon before he stopped doing the actual modding and focused on the Magnums. Can anyone name the cable type used? It looks like the connector is a custom mini threaded end and the cable itself is solid core. The cable is is definitely 4 braided conductors going to each cup. The workmanship in these is fantastic as the pics show and the headband is padded lambskin.
 
What I would like to do...if someone could point me in the right direction...is replace the plastic gimbals with either wood or aluminum, get new rod blocks and rod end caps. Any help would really be appreciated. 
 
Oct 21, 2012 at 7:27 PM Post #1,888 of 4,994
the connectors look like SMC connectors as used on hifiman headphones.  as for the gimbals, martin custom audio might be able to help you.
 
Oct 21, 2012 at 7:56 PM Post #1,889 of 4,994
Quote:
 
I just picked up a fantastic modded set actually made by Rhydon before he stopped doing the actual modding and focused on the Magnums. 

I believe these are your headphones and, if so, they are NOT made by Rhydon. NOR are they a "Full Magnum Build". 
Rhydon's Magnum mods had aluminum inner cups to hold the drivers. These are one piece wood cups.
This is the kind of woodied Grado/Magnum one can buy today from The Headphone Lounge - still a good (great) headphone.
The seller posted this huge post on how great the experience was and then tried to sell them off the same day on the FS forum.
Then they show up on ebay....
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/624760/my-experience-with-headphone-lounge
http://www.head-fi.org/t/624749/full-magnum-v4-build-300-today-only#post_8672003
 
Oct 21, 2012 at 7:59 PM Post #1,890 of 4,994
Quote:
as for the gimbals, martin custom audio might be able to help you.

Yes, Martin will hook you up with some sweet all metal gimbals and your 'phones will look even better. You will then have NO Grado left except the metal headband. Actually martin can sell you a new metal headband too, if you ask nice. http://www.martincustomaudio.com/
 

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