Grado modders go Magnum

[basman]

The first and second rows are in my radar. Thanks for the heads up.

 

[axtran]

Almost complete just waiting for the drivers and liners.

 


Love the look! What headband pad did you get on there?

 

[basman]

Almost complete just waiting for the drivers and liners.

 


Love the look! What headband pad did you get on there?

Headband is from from rholuphat. Here is the finished project

 

[wormsdriver]

Headband is from from rholuphat. Here is the finished project

they look great! how do you like the sound?

 

[Desi]

Headband is from from rholuphat. Here is the finished project

is the leather made from Grado or rholupat?

 

[basman]

they look great! how do you like the sound?

So far I'm liking it. This one has a polite grado sound.

is the leather made from Grado or rholupat?

Rholuphat leather.

 

[Acro]

Hey everyone,
 
First time poster, long time lurker...
 
I just wanted to post the fruits of my (and a few others') labour...
 

 
These are my Grado sr60's...sort of...
 
The Mahogany G1 clones are made by fleasbaby...the pictures don't do them justice.  The craftsmanship is unbelievable...so was the customer service.
 
I've got Rhydon's V.7 drivers in there.  They fit like a glove and sound...perfect.  Dealing with Rhydon was very informative and very gratifying, he definitely went 'that extra mile' for me.  I can't speak highly enough about these 2 members.  If they weren't so damn helpful, I wouldn't be up right now, listening to some Blind Melon, typing and loving life.
 
Thanks to Grado for the headband, cable and gimbals...
 
I am certainly not an audiophile (yet), but I can see myself sliding down that slippery slope.  My wife is thrilled with this new hobby.  We're currently just trying to figure out which one of our two kids is going to get a post secondary education, and which one will get my audio gear.  My money's on my 2 year old son...he lacks gumption like his old man.
 
I really have nothing to compare these to, other than my stock Grado sr60's (I kept the drivers intact and put them on another headband, with a new mogami cable)..and old pair of Bose OE1 headphones (which I found).  So I'm not going to do a 'review' or tell you that these are better than every other set of headphones the world has known...but I love them.  
 
I've A/B'd the heck out of these headphones and the stock Grado's, and there is absolutely no comparison...This isn't just the placebo effect either, which I was convinced it was originally.  I've done blind tests with many friends, and even my (lucky) wife.  They all agree, the Grado's sound 'louder, but more saturated', and they much prefer these new ones...I don't know what else to say about them, but I didn't know (or forgot) music sounded this good?...I definitely spend a lot more time listening to music, and that's a really good thing.  That alone makes them worth every penny.  I have no doubt that part of it is just the novelty of them, but a big part of me loves that they're mine, and nobody else has them...at least no one I know.  
 
I still like my Grado's,they're after all the gateway headphone that got me into modding to begin with...that's why I'm going to try and leave them as close to stock as I can, just for the memories.  But my plans of moving up the Grado ladder have stopped.  
 
One day I may try building a new set, something very different, not open ear maybe, but I really don't have that desire right now, my headphone addiction has been satiated. Although, I do have one friend who wants me to build him the exact same set...I'm kind of on the fence about it.
 
Next I'm going to look into amps, DACs, and other gear to enhance these headphones....maybe neither of my kids will get to go to college or university?
 
Anyway, long post short, thanks to all you jerks that inspired and assisted me in making these, and setting me down this road...as many have mentioned before (and I've read all the posts), my wallet hates you!
 
Happy modding!
 
Adam

 

[ecdarby]

I have a question in regard to how to objectively determine what effect the cups have on the frequency response of a given driver/ set of headphones. Not entirely sure if this is the best place to post it, but I am working with V7's and this would seem like the right group to ask.
 
In trying to capture the output of a set of headphones by coupling the drivers to stereo microphone elements...
 
In order to render the frequency response of the driver null and only capture the changes introduced by the cups, it seems like another set of v7's would make the ideal mic elements since their frequency response as a microphone would (in theory) be exactly equal to the frequency response of the headphone drivers. It seems like (with all other variables assumed to be under ideal testing conditions), the driver being used as a mic element would be naturally calibrated to produce a flat response across the frequency range of the headphone driver being tested, aside from any changes that the cups would introduce.
 
Does anyone have any experience with this? I'm sure it wouldn't work out that neatly under real world conditions, but is my thinking flawed here?

 

[fleasbaby]

  Hey everyone,
 
First time poster, long time lurker...
 
I just wanted to post the fruits of my (and a few others') labour...
 

 
These are my Grado sr60's...sort of...
 
The Mahogany G1 clones are made by fleasbaby...the pictures don't do them justice.  The craftsmanship is unbelievable...so was the customer service.
 
I've got Rhydon's V.7 drivers in there.  They fit like a glove and sound...perfect.  Dealing with Rhydon was very informative and very gratifying, he definitely went 'that extra mile' for me.  I can't speak highly enough about these 2 members.  If they weren't so damn helpful, I wouldn't be up right now, listening to some Blind Melon, typing and loving life.
 
Thanks to Grado for the headband, cable and gimbals...
 
I am certainly not an audiophile (yet), but I can see myself sliding down that slippery slope.  My wife is thrilled with this new hobby.  We're currently just trying to figure out which one of our two kids is going to get a post secondary education, and which one will get my audio gear.  My money's on my 2 year old son...he lacks gumption like his old man.
 
I really have nothing to compare these to, other than my stock Grado sr60's (I kept the drivers intact and put them on another headband, with a new mogami cable)..and old pair of Bose OE1 headphones (which I found).  So I'm not going to do a 'review' or tell you that these are better than every other set of headphones the world has known...but I love them.  
 
I've A/B'd the heck out of these headphones and the stock Grado's, and there is absolutely no comparison...This isn't just the placebo effect either, which I was convinced it was originally.  I've done blind tests with many friends, and even my (lucky) wife.  They all agree, the Grado's sound 'louder, but more saturated', and they much prefer these new ones...I don't know what else to say about them, but I didn't know (or forgot) music sounded this good?...I definitely spend a lot more time listening to music, and that's a really good thing.  That alone makes them worth every penny.  I have no doubt that part of it is just the novelty of them, but a big part of me loves that they're mine, and nobody else has them...at least no one I know.  
 
I still like my Grado's,they're after all the gateway headphone that got me into modding to begin with...that's why I'm going to try and leave them as close to stock as I can, just for the memories.  But my plans of moving up the Grado ladder have stopped.  
 
One day I may try building a new set, something very different, not open ear maybe, but I really don't have that desire right now, my headphone addiction has been satiated. Although, I do have one friend who wants me to build him the exact same set...I'm kind of on the fence about it.
 
Next I'm going to look into amps, DACs, and other gear to enhance these headphones....maybe neither of my kids will get to go to college or university?
 
Anyway, long post short, thanks to all you jerks that inspired and assisted me in making these, and setting me down this road...as many have mentioned before (and I've read all the posts), my wallet hates you!
 
Happy modding!
 
Adam

 
The bolded statements make my day Adam. I am glad you like them, and have a healthy respect for the "novelty factor" at the same time. The fact that you're listening to more music, and savoring it more as well, well....that's inspiration for me.
 

  I have a question in regard to how to objectively determine what effect the cups have on the frequency response of a given driver/ set of headphones. Not entirely sure if this is the best place to post it, but I am working with V7's and this would seem like the right group to ask.
 
In trying to capture the output of a set of headphones by coupling the drivers to stereo microphone elements...
 
In order to render the frequency response of the driver null and only capture the changes introduced by the cups, it seems like another set of v7's would make the ideal mic elements since their frequency response as a microphone would (in theory) be exactly equal to the frequency response of the headphone drivers. It seems like (with all other variables assumed to be under ideal testing conditions), the driver being used as a mic element would be naturally calibrated to produce a flat response across the frequency range of the headphone driver being tested, aside from any changes that the cups would introduce.
 
Does anyone have any experience with this? I'm sure it wouldn't work out that neatly under real world conditions, but is my thinking flawed here?

 
This is exciting work you're thinking of doing. I hope he doesn't mind me dropping his name, but I am working with @BrianKT on a special project. Basically I'm making him four identical sets of cups, from the same wood. This isn't objective, and doesn't render measurements, but in the end, its going to give him a picture of what all of the drivers out there now sound like in a controlled (well...as controlled as its going to get with handmade cups) test group.
 
@BrianKT isn't factoring in something @thelostMIDrange touched on though. Variances between drivers. He found differences between drivers that were supposed to be identical. He regularly buys multiple pairs of drivers/headphones to do his own matching in an attempt to get around these variances. That's an example of a golden ear at work...not many of us hear or focus on that level, or perhaps our brains just adjust to it and ignore the variances. 
 
For measurements, the best folks to speak to would likely be @bluemonkeyflyer who spends most of his energy working T50rp mods, or someone I haven't seen in a while: @stratocaster 

 

[matchbox]

Quote:

  I have a question in regard to how to objectively determine what effect the cups have on the frequency response of a given driver/ set of headphones. Not entirely sure if this is the best place to post it, but I am working with V7's and this would seem like the right group to ask.
 
In trying to capture the output of a set of headphones by coupling the drivers to stereo microphone elements...
 
In order to render the frequency response of the driver null and only capture the changes introduced by the cups, it seems like another set of v7's would make the ideal mic elements since their frequency response as a microphone would (in theory) be exactly equal to the frequency response of the headphone drivers. It seems like (with all other variables assumed to be under ideal testing conditions), the driver being used as a mic element would be naturally calibrated to produce a flat response across the frequency range of the headphone driver being tested, aside from any changes that the cups would introduce.
 
Does anyone have any experience with this? I'm sure it wouldn't work out that neatly under real world conditions, but is my thinking flawed here?

 

  This is exciting work you're thinking of doing. I hope he doesn't mind me dropping his name, but I am working with @BrianKT on a special project. Basically I'm making him four identical sets of cups, from the same wood. This isn't objective, and doesn't render measurements, but in the end, its going to give him a picture of what all of the drivers out there now sound like in a controlled (well...as controlled as its going to get with handmade cups) test group.
 
@BrianKT isn't factoring in something @thelostMIDrange touched on though. Variances between drivers. He found differences between drivers that were supposed to be identical. He regularly buys multiple pairs of drivers/headphones to do his own matching in an attempt to get around these variances. That's an example of a golden ear at work...not many of us hear or focus on that level, or perhaps our brains just adjust to it and ignore the variances. 
 
For measurements, the best folks to speak to would likely be @bluemonkeyflyer who spends most of his energy working T50rp mods, or someone I haven't seen in a while: @stratocaster 

   
  My two cents:  I have no experience with making these types of measurements– I would think that both sets of drivers would have to have had the same amount of  break-in time before the measurements are made. I personally do not think that even forty hours of use is enough to wear the driver in to its “optimal” or “ideal” sound. How a driver as a microphone should be broken in might also be an issue.

 

[Konstantin690]

  I have a question in regard to how to objectively determine what effect the cups have on the frequency response of a given driver/ set of headphones. Not entirely sure if this is the best place to post it, but I am working with V7's and this would seem like the right group to ask.
 
In trying to capture the output of a set of headphones by coupling the drivers to stereo microphone elements...
 
In order to render the frequency response of the driver null and only capture the changes introduced by the cups, it seems like another set of v7's would make the ideal mic elements since their frequency response as a microphone would (in theory) be exactly equal to the frequency response of the headphone drivers. It seems like (with all other variables assumed to be under ideal testing conditions), the driver being used as a mic element would be naturally calibrated to produce a flat response across the frequency range of the headphone driver being tested, aside from any changes that the cups would introduce.
 
Does anyone have any experience with this? I'm sure it wouldn't work out that neatly under real world conditions, but is my thinking flawed here?

 
Although in theory the idea of using the same driver as a mic element to null out the driver's FR is appealing, in practice it won't work.
Not two dynamic drivers are alike, you can get a pair that is close enough (for the ear to "detect" any differences) with careful matching, handpicked.
It's very difficult, if possible at all, to "load" the two drivers (headphone amp and mic preamp side) the same way so the result is a flat line.
Dynamic elements make poor measurement mics due to limited FR, coil inductance, noise % and low sensitivity.
 
Your best bet is to make a mounting baffle for the driver that is the height of the driver itself, think, enclosure-less (acoustic chamber-less), 
Using a proper condenser electret mic make a base measurement and use it to create the mic's calibration file, then add on the back side of the baffle your acoustics chambers of different length, diameter and "bottle-neck" dimensions and re-measure, the resulting FR will be the one of the acoustic chambers alone.
This way you can eliminate the headphone drivers differences, with a little more effort you can also extrapolate the Impulse Response, Distortion % and Cumulative Spectral Decay impact for each acoustic chamber.

 

[BrianKT]

This is exciting work you're thinking of doing. I hope he doesn't mind me dropping his name, but I am working with @BrianKT
 on a special project. Basically I'm making him four identical sets of cups, from the same wood. This isn't objective, and doesn't render measurements, but in the end, its going to give him a picture of what all of the drivers out there now sound like in a controlled (well...as controlled as its going to get with handmade cups) test group.

@BrianKT
 isn't factoring in something @thelostMIDrange
 touched on though. Variances between drivers. He found differences between drivers that were supposed to be identical. He regularly buys multiple pairs of drivers/headphones to do his own matching in an attempt to get around these variances. That's an example of a golden ear at work...not many of us hear or focus on that level, or perhaps our brains just adjust to it and ignore the variances. 

For measurements, the best folks to speak to would likely be @bluemonkeyflyer
 who spends most of his energy working T50rp mods, or someone I haven't seen in a while: @stratocaster
 

One step at a time

 

[fleasbaby]

One step at a time

 
Yes indeed.

 

[fleasbaby]

   
Although in theory the idea of using the same driver as a mic element to null out the driver's FR is appealing, in practice it won't work.
Not two dynamic drivers are alike, you can get a pair that is close enough (for the ear to "detect" any differences) with careful matching, handpicked.
It's very difficult, if possible at all, to "load" the two drivers (headphone amp and mic preamp side) the same way so the result is a flat line.
Dynamic elements make poor measurement mics due to limited FR, coil inductance, noise % and low sensitivity.
 
Your best bet is to make a mounting baffle for the driver that is the height of the driver itself, think, enclosure-less (acoustic chamber-less), 
Using a proper condenser electret mic make a base measurement and use it to create the mic's calibration file, then add on the back side of the baffle your acoustics chambers of different length, diameter and "bottle-neck" dimensions and re-measure, the resulting FR will be the one of the acoustic chambers alone.
This way you can eliminate the headphone drivers differences, with a little more effort you can also extrapolate the Impulse Response, Distortion % and Cumulative Spectral Decay impact for each acoustic chamber.

 
@thelostMIDrange You are not alone...

 

[ecdarby]

Fleasbaby- Thanks man! It's always exciting to see pics pop up of the new cups you and several others are always making, you do incredible work. Appreciate the leads on the experts, its always hard to tell when you've crossed into "you're on your own" territory with stuff like this. Good to know others have done some thinking on the subject.
 
Matchbox- Excellent point. Has anyone done good testing to show the objective difference introduced by the effects of break-in over measured intervals? I rarely ever buy anything new so I don't have a whole lot of experience with the subject first hand, but have seen the debates rage over how much is real and how much is placebo ( while I do trust my own hearing, I do admit my ears have been fooled before). I should probably just use the search box for that...
 
Konstantin69- Very interesting and informative response. Would a small anechoic chamber be necessary for this? Sounds like you have this pretty well thought out, have you actually done it before? I had a feeling someone was going to point out that a condenser would be better for this. Very good point about loading, didn't take that into consideration.
 
BrianKT- Cant wait to read your observations on the subject.