Grado modders go Magnum

[Synesis]

Just got email from Rhydon that my V6's shipped today.

 

[joeq70]

Lindsay at Impact Audio just finished the cable I ordered for my Magnums. The listing below shows mine but there are many colors to choose from. Good prices for sure.Anyone who is looking for a cable and doesn't want to deal with the hassle of making it himself should check this out:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/250251559/custom-infinity-series-gradomagnum-diy?ref=shop_home_active_1

 

[Arty McGhee]

 

 
4) Headband --Many people use the Sony headband that fleasbaby referenced above, but if you want a Grado headband, I recommend going to www.headphile.com and snagging deal #6, option #2. It is a nice leather headband with rod locks. I got one for my last build and thought it was the nicest overall headband I've used yet.
 

so i follow this link and he's gotta bunch of grado parts for sale
a bunch of 325 aluminum outer cups
these a wicked hard to find i got a pair of original (non i or e) 37 bucks
now i've been saving the inners i got from ambchang
 

  Wayhay! Just got my tracking number for my V6 drivers. They're on their way (and from Canada, no less...).ow 

yeah mine shipped also not gonna let you guys have all the fun
now i'm gonna have an all aluminum magnum

 

[Arty McGhee]

Lindsay at Impact Audio just finished the cable I ordered for my Magnums. The listing below shows mine but there are many colors to choose from. Good prices for sure.Anyone who is looking for a cable and doesn't want to deal with the hassle of making it himself should check this out:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/250251559/custom-infinity-series-gradomagnum-diy?ref=shop_home_active_1

nice cable 
similar to what i make, good price
i hate when companies sell an equivalent cable
for $300.00 or more
enjoy

 

[wormsdriver]

   

 
4) Headband --Many people use the Sony headband that fleasbaby referenced above, but if you want a Grado headband, I recommend going to www.headphile.com and snagging deal #6, option #2. It is a nice leather headband with rod locks. I got one for my last build and thought it was the nicest overall headband I've used yet.
 

so i follow this link and he's gotta bunch of grado parts for sale
a bunch of 325 aluminum outer cups
these a wicked hard to find i got a pair of original (non i or e) 37 bucks
now i've been saving the inners i got from ambchang
 

  Wayhay! Just got my tracking number for my V6 drivers. They're on their way (and from Canada, no less...).ow 

yeah mine shipped also not gonna let you guys have all the fun
now i'm gonna have an all aluminum magnum

congrats on the all aluminum body, it's not easy sourcing out these parts. I also bought ambchang's aluminum sleeves some time ago. As I'm sure you know they have a whole bunch of holes in them that aren't necessary. What I did is cover up all the holes with a bit of epoxy, it worked great, no mess, no more holes!  Also, the hole for the cable was too small for regular 8 conductor grado cable so I took a slightly bigger drill bit to it and made it a bit bigger.
 

 

Lindsay at Impact Audio just finished the cable I ordered for my Magnums. The listing below shows mine but there are many colors to choose from. Good prices for sure.Anyone who is looking for a cable and doesn't want to deal with the hassle of making it himself should check this out:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/250251559/custom-infinity-series-gradomagnum-diy?ref=shop_home_active_1

nice cable 
similar to what i make, good price
i hate when companies sell an equivalent cable
for $300.00 or more
enjoy

same here, that's why I ended up going for the grado cable, the Cardas 4x24 came in a close second, but since I already have like 5 of these Grado extension cables on hand, well, that's even cheaper!!! 

 

 

[Arty McGhee]

  congrats on the all aluminum body, it's not easy sourcing out these parts. I also bought ambchang's aluminum sleeves some time ago. As I'm sure you know they have a whole bunch of holes in them that aren't necessary. What I did is cover up all the holes with a bit of epoxy, it worked great, no mess, no more holes!  Also, the hole for the cable was too small for regular 8 conductor grado cable so I took a slightly bigger drill bit to it and made it a bit bigger.
 
same here, that's why I ended up going for the grado cable, the Cardas 4x24 came in a close second, but since I already have like 5 of these Grado extension cables on hand, well, that's even cheaper!!! 

 

nothin wrong with grado cable they use good copper
i've stripped them for the innards to sleeve in paracord
i just like a shorter more flexible cable...and any excuse to solder...

 

[Currawong]

Wow about the new drivers. And here I was about to sell off my Magnums because I thought it was well past the end of the road. Guess I'll have to get at least one set of the new drivers.

 

[7keys]

Look what just arrived in the mail.
 

 
 

 

[fleasbaby]

  Look what just arrived in the mail.
 

 
 

 
LMAO...I love that packaging...
 
The real question now is, what will you be putting them into?
 
I am trying to decide and battling a little. I have some blanks made from Mahogany, Walnut and Paduak waiting to be shaped, but am not 100% sure. Also toying with the idea of getting someone to add mini-xlr plugs to the cups so I can swap between Pono-balanced and single-ended...never done that before...worried about the connectors being too bulky on the smaller-size cups I have been making...

 

[7keys]

 
The real question now is, what will you be putting them into?
 
I am trying to decide and battling a little. I have some blanks made from Mahogany, Walnut and Paduak waiting to be shaped, but am not 100% sure. Also toying with the idea of getting someone to add mini-xlr plugs to the cups so I can swap between Pono-balanced and single-ended...never done that before...worried about the connectors being too bulky on the smaller-size cups I have been making...

 
 I'll be going to the Wood store on the weekend, I'll see if I can find something I like.
 
I made a trade for a couple of cables but I'm still looking for a Sony headband. 

 

[Synesis]

As I have considered various wood cups for my Magnum V6's that are in route, something I have wondered about is what is the optimum length and volume for cups for the Magnum drivers.  I know from study of acoustics and speaker design how influential, even critical, the enclosure interaction and pairing with the driver can be.  I have also read in some threads how spacers have been used to affect soundstage.  Is there a consensus on what is considered to be optimal spacing and volume/length of cups?  
 
Is the configuration used by Grado considered optimal?  Since the Magnums are most often used in Grado platforms, are the Magnums designed with similar Thiel-Small parameters?  It would appear to me that in a headphone application, even very small deviations in the drivers, or the enclosure, could have a very significant impact on the sound, even more so that with full size speakers. This is why having matched drivers is of value.  I read that one of Rhydon's goals for the Magnum 6's was for them to be as flexible as possible within various enclosure applications. Current state computer modeling offers unprecedented ability to explore these interactions pre-production. I am curious as to what the evolved knowledge consensus is at this point, but haven't been able to distill that down and assimilate this information for myself based on what I have read in various threads.
 
Are the available wood cups essentially all the same interior dimensions?  If not, acoustically, what might be the advantage of one over the other?
 
Thanks in advance for any insight or experience.

 

[fleasbaby]

   
 I'll be going to the Wood store on the weekend, I'll see if I can find something I like.
 
I made a trade for a couple of cables but I'm still looking for a Sony headband. 

 
@7keys Just pulled the trigger on some Black Limba and some Maple...I already have a little Mahogany on the shelf and some Cherry. planning to do some layering, need to pick which woods to use. If they turn out nice, I'll pop the V6 in them...
 
Now to agonize over whether to go detachable or not . I re-soldered my V4 this morning. When I got them the barbarian who had done the build had soldered the cable to the bridge between the pad and the voice-coils. All fixed now, and they sound better. Not sure if its psychological or not...who knows...
 

  As I have considered various wood cups for my Magnum V6's that are in route, something I have wondered about is what is the optimum length and volume for cups for the Magnum drivers.  I know from study of acoustics and speaker design how influential, even critical, the enclosure interaction and pairing with the driver can be.  I have also read in some threads how spacers have been used to affect soundstage.  Is there a consensus on what is considered to be optimal spacing and volume/length of cups?  
 
Is the configuration used by Grado considered optimal?  Since the Magnums are most often used in Grado platforms, are the Magnums designed with similar Thiel-Small parameters?  It would appear to me that in a headphone application, even very small deviations in the drivers, or the enclosure, could have a very significant impact on the sound, even more so that with full size speakers. This is why having matched drivers is of value.  I read that one of Rhydon's goals for the Magnum 6's was for them to be as flexible as possible within various enclosure applications. Current state computer modeling offers unprecedented ability to explore these interactions pre-production. I am curious as to what the evolved knowledge consensus is at this point, but haven't been able to distill that down and assimilate this information for myself based on what I have read in various threads.
 
Are the available wood cups essentially all the same interior dimensions?  If not, acoustically, what might be the advantage of one over the other?
 
Thanks in advance for any insight or experience.

 
Internal volume is indeed important. I don't think I have seen computer simulation used to build predictive models though. Grado's cups vary in length in the RS series. I think they also vary in length in the GS and PS series. Not sure though. My default I use most is 1.25 inch cup length overall. Seems to do best...I also use a rim of hot glue around the interior circumference midway between the driver and the grill. Saw old Joe Grado do something similar when upgrading his HP series cans for people. Seems to have a smoothing effect for me. I don't do measurements though, so....

 

[Arty McGhee]

   
@7keys Just pulled the trigger on some Black Limba and some Maple...I already have a little Mahogany on the shelf and some Cherry. planning to do some layering, need to pick which woods to use. If they turn out nice, I'll pop the V6 in them...
 
Now to agonize over whether to go detachable or not . I re-soldered my V4 this morning. When I got them the barbarian who had done the build had soldered the cable to the bridge between the pad and the voice-coils. All fixed now, and they sound better. Not sure if its psychological or not...who knows...
 
 
Internal volume is indeed important. I don't think I have seen computer simulation used to build predictive models though. Grado's cups vary in length in the RS series. I think they also vary in length in the GS and PS series. Not sure though. My default I use most is 1.25 inch cup length overall. Seems to do best...I also use a rim of hot glue around the interior circumference midway between the driver and the grill. Saw old Joe Grado do something similar when upgrading his HP series cans for people. Seems to have a smoothing effect for me. I don't do measurements though, so....

i gave up on detachable they were just too microphonic
my diy cables have no microphonics and i use an adaptor to go from balanced to single ended
you might wanna try going with the mini-xlr 
i have the same problem with my tr50p with the mini-xlr
i used 1/8" on the grados
maybe someone has gotten around this maybe an o-ring or something
 
tracked my v6's, won't get 'em until tuesday ahhhh

 

[fleasbaby]

i gave up on detachable they were just too microphonic
my diy cables have no microphonics and i use an adaptor to go from balanced to single ended
you might wanna try going with the mini-xlr 
i have the same problem with my tr50p with the mini-xlr
i used 1/8" on the grados
maybe someone has gotten around this maybe an o-ring or something

tracked my v6's, won't get 'em until tuesday ahhhh

If I do detachable it will be min-xlr...PETEREK will put the plugs in for me...he talked about using an O ring...The thing is, my cups are on the smaller side, and I use the MDR7502 headband, so having massive plugs hanging off them might be a pain in the arse...

#firstworldproblems

Plenty of time to think about it...am at the beach with the family this weekend .

 

[Arty McGhee]

If I do detachable it will be min-xlr...PETEREK will put the plugs in for me...he talked about using an O ring...The thing is, my cups are on the smaller side, and I use the MDR7502 headband, so having massive plugs hanging off them might be a pain in the arse...

#firstworldproblems

Plenty of time to think about it...am at the beach with the family this weekend

.

have fun
ain't no beach weather in new england
hi's in the 40's
MIT flea market sunday too