[Currawong]

My V8's

What's the headphone stand?

 

[Oscar-HiFi]

What's the headphone stand?

It's from a company called Apina, it's really nice

They make furniture, and don't have the stands on their website. I've attached the brochure.

https://redirect.viglink.com/?forma... Head-Fi.org&txt=APINA WOODEN STANDS_2018.pdf

 

[Deaj]

I am in the process of modding an older Grado SR325 (beautiful brushed aluminum cups), hoping to build a 'different' Grado, something that provides a nice contrast to my SR325e's. I started with Elleven Acoustica Epsilon R1 drivers, and these were just too bright in the aluminum cups. I'm setting the Epsilon R1 drivers aside for a custom 'woody' build down the road. It seems to me that most folks really like the R1 drivers in wood cups.

I swapped the Epsilon R1's out for a pair of Symphones Magnum V8 drivers. MUCH better in the SR325 cups!

Quick impression in their first couple of hours with the Magnum V8's: These are quite different from the Epsilon drivers. Warm, full, well balanced, and detailed - these descriptors seem to fit so far. The Magnum V8's in this headphone are reminiscent of my Sennheiser HD650's without the much perceived 'veil' (something that seems to me does not apply when the HD650's are properly amped - in my case, a Schiit Jotunheim, balanced output, gain boost active). The SR325 / Magnum V8 headphone sounds 'faster' to my ears, with more treble extension and more detail vs the HD650. It's a livelier listen than the HD650 vs the Sennheiser's relaxed nature. They're certainly different enough that they're not at all redundant. Unless these drivers change dramatically while burning in I think the Magnum V8's have found a permanent home in this headphone.

I'm really digging the bass from these drivers!

Quick picture of this headphone. Disregard the Epsilon R1 driver shown in the picture, taken before I swapped drivers to the Magnum V8's. Couple of other 'modifications' - SMC jacks for use with detachable cables, set screws to secure the headband to the rod blocks (it was a loose fit prior), and flat stepped grommets with a .095" inside diameter on the gimbal shaft, above and below the rod blocks (these have a tight fit and they provide a semi-fixed vertical position for the gimbals).

 

[les_garten]

Can you show the grills without the foam? Where did you get those?

 

[Deaj]

Can you show the grills without the foam? Where did you get those?

Are you referring to the drivers (bright machined aluminum)? Those are the Elleven Acoustica Epsilon R1 drivers which have already been replaced by Symphones Magnum V8 drivers in this headphone. If you are referring to the driver grilles then here's a better picture than I can take with my phone (from their product page here: http://www.ellevenacoustica.com/products ):

If you are referring to the Grado SR325 cup grilles let me know and I'll take a pic without the ear pads installed.

 

[les_garten]

Are you referring to the drivers (bright machined aluminum)? Those are the Elleven Acoustica Epsilon R1 drivers which have already been replaced by Symphones Magnum V8 drivers in this headphone. If you are referring to the driver grilles then here's a better picture than I can take with my phone (from their product page here: http://www.ellevenacoustica.com/products ):

If you are referring to the Grado SR325 cup grilles let me know and I'll take a pic without the ear pads installed.

It was the drivers. I had never seen those. Very Hawt!

 

[Deaj]

It was the drivers. I had never seen those. Very Hawt!

They do make for nice eye candy

 

[Deaj]

Quick update on my SR325 / Magnum 8 headphone:

After a great deal of listening time with this headphone, comparison with my Grado SR325e, and the occasional switch to my beyer DT 1990 (a familiar reference point for me) it has become clear to me that the SR325 / Magnum 8 headphone is, for my ears, superior in every way to the Grado SR325e. I'm finding that I easily forget that I am wearing headphones while listening to them and feel more directly connected with the music. The SR325e is a more 'lively' listen with a sense that details are rendered in a more vivid fashion (subjective, I have yet to observe a lack of detail with the Magnum V8's) but I am now noting that the SR325e is mildly fatiguing by comparison.

I also find the Magnum V8's a more enjoyable listen at low volume.

Knowing that I am predisposed to confirmation bias I had a close friend with better ears than mine (and a Grado headphone fan / owner) have a listen to this headphone along side his own Grado's and my SR325e, through my headphone rig, using his turntable & vinyl as a source. As we talk music and audio quite a bit I am familiar with his perspective and so I had assumed that he would enjoy the Magnum 8 headphone. His comments following this comparison surprised me a bit. He much preferred the SR325 / Magnum V8 headphone to both Grado's, and found the Magnum V8 headphone to be the most speaker-like experience he has yet observed in a headphone. That last comment is not one I would have reached on my own as my 'speaker system' is comprised of powered near field studio monitors used for critical listening and I generally default to headphones for music listening. My buddy has a nicely treated room with a great speaker system and a fantastic music library on vinyl. I have spent time listening to music on his speaker system and it's a joy but I've never actively compared this to headphones.

I'm going to give this a few more days thought and listening but I'm thinking at this point that I may be selling my SR325e. With more listening time I'm finding that these two headphones have more in common than not and I'm not finding any reason that I might reach for the SR325e over the Magnum V8's. I'm also finding less reason to burn time and money building another 'Grado' headphone around the Epsilon R1 drivers that I first installed in the SR325 before the Magnum's so the R1 drivers may be headed for the classifieds as well. If there's a better 'Grado' headphone than my SR325 / Magnum V8's to be bought or built I've no interest in chasing them. I'm astonished with just how good this headphone turned out!

 

[rikk009]

How do I order Magnum V8s? What is the price? I couldn't find any on the official site.

 

[Deaj]

How do I order Magnum V8s? What is the price? I couldn't find any on the official site.

You'll find them here:

https://www.symphones.com

The drivers themselves cost $90 USD. I paid $105 total with shipping and handling to Washington state in the U.S.

You probably know this already know this already but, on the off chance that you do not, Grado headphones are assembled in an 'interesting' fashion (that's the nice way of saying it). Grado's with plastic or aluminum cups utilize hot glue to hold the ear cup and driver assembly together (IIRC, all wood cup Grado's use a one piece wood cup and the drivers mount directly to the inner side of the cup). While messy, it does work to hold the assembly together. In order to separate the outer cup and driver sleeve one need only use a hair dryer to gradually heat the cup side all the away around its circumference, then carefully pull the outer cup and driver sleeve apart. Try not to twist the two halves more that a millimeter or two as the cable runs through a slot on both halves and twisting them too much could damage the cable.

Here's the bit that sucks. The Grado drivers are secured to the driver sleeve (or to the cup with wood Grado's) using an epoxy or similar glue. Removing the stock drivers is no easy task and it's easy to damage the driver and/or the sleeve (or wood cup) in the process of removal. Folks do remove drivers successfully so it can be done. I haven't had to do so as the previous owner of the SR325 that I used to host the Magnum V8 drivers had already liberated the Grado drivers from the sleeves.

If you plan to remove stock Grado drivers to install Magnum V8 (or other) drivers there are folks here on head-fi who should be able to provide some instruction on how to proceed. I'll be looking for some assistance in removing Grado drivers sometime soon as I have a friend who wants the Magnum V8's installed in his SR225 (or SR125, can't recall which at the moment) after hearing my SR325 / Magnum V8 headphone.

(I'm not sure if this disclaimer is necessary when posting a vendors URL on this forum but just to be sure... I am not affiliated with Symphones in any way. I was just recently turned on to these drivers on head-fi.org,in this thread)

I'm done yammering now.

 

[rikk009]

You'll find them here:

https://www.symphones.com

The drivers themselves cost $90 USD. I paid $105 total with shipping and handling to Washington state in the U.S.

You probably know this already know this already but, on the off chance that you do not, Grado headphones are assembled in an 'interesting' fashion (that's the nice way of saying it). Grado's with plastic or aluminum cups utilize hot glue to hold the ear cup and driver assembly together (IIRC, all wood cup Grado's use a one piece wood cup and the drivers mount directly to the inner side of the cup). While messy, it does work to hold the assembly together. In order to separate the outer cup and driver sleeve one need only use a hair dryer to gradually heat the cup side all the away around its circumference, then carefully pull the outer cup and driver sleeve apart. Try not to twist the two halves more that a millimeter or two as the cable runs through a slot on both halves and twisting them too much could damage the cable.

Here's the bit that sucks. The Grado drivers are secured to the driver sleeve (or to the cup with wood Grado's) using an epoxy or similar glue. Removing the stock drivers is no easy task and it's easy to damage the driver and/or the sleeve (or wood cup) in the process of removal. Folks do remove drivers successfully so it can be done. I haven't had to do so as the previous owner of the SR325 that I used to host the Magnum V8 drivers had already liberated the Grado drivers from the sleeves.

If you plan to remove stock Grado drivers to install Magnum V8 (or other) drivers there are folks here on head-fi who should be able to provide some instruction on how to proceed. I'll be looking for some assistance in removing Grado drivers sometime soon as I have a friend who wants the Magnum V8's installed in his SR225 (or SR125, can't recall which at the moment) after hearing my SR325 / Magnum V8 headphone.

(I'm not sure if this disclaimer is necessary when posting a vendors URL on this forum but just to be sure... I am not affiliated with Symphones in any way. I was just recently turned on to these drivers on head-fi.org,in this thread)

I'm done yammering now.

Thanks. I visited the URL earlier but that BUY button eluded me. Anyway, I don't have a Grado but this https://www.aliexpress.com/item/OKC...138.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.26774c4dJFAVGo which is yet to arrive and ofcourse the sole purpose is to install another driver. My first choice was Nhoord since it's cheaper and then maybe some day upgrade them to maybe R1 or V8. Still contemplating on that. My primary cans atm are Hdxx and T50rps. I wanted mids of Hd6xx but extension on both ends and much bigger stage.

Thanks for the headsup on the disassembly,

 

[Deaj]

Thanks. I visited the URL earlier but that BUY button eluded me. Anyway, I don't have a Grado but this https://www.aliexpress.com/item/OKC...138.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.26774c4dJFAVGo which is yet to arrive and ofcourse the sole purpose is to install another driver. My first choice was Nhoord since it's cheaper and then maybe some day upgrade them to maybe R1 or V8. Still contemplating on that. My primary cans atm are Hdxx and T50rps. I wanted mids of Hd6xx but extension on both ends and much bigger stage.

Thanks for the headsup on the disassembly,

Though I can't comment on the sound of the Nhoord drivers I do question the decision to use slot openings on the driver grills instead of round holes. The slots will almost certainly induce diffraction of the sound waves passing through the grilles. How this will impact the sound perceived by the listener is entirely subjective but I wouldn't expect it to be as clear as the Grado drivers or the Symphones Magnum drivers.

The Magnum V8 drivers, in my observations, provide a midrange quite reminiscent of the Sennheiser HD 600/650 series headphones. This is one of the qualities that stopped me from any further experimentation with drivers. Bass and treble are both well extended. The Magnum V8's sound full with a touch of warmth without compromising balance and clarity. These drivers are faster than the HD 600/650 drivers, and their dynamics are far superior IMO. There's an amazing amount of detail without sounding edgy - presentation leans a bit toward smooth. Mind you, I've only heard these drivers in Grado SR325 aluminum cups. Many people are using them in wood cups and love the sound they're getting out of them.

I have a set of Epsilon R1 drivers that were the first drivers I swapped in to my SR325 headphone. They were a bit bright in the aluminum cups for my taste. In all of my reading on the aftermarket drivers for Grado headphones it seems to me that the Epsilon/Ypsilon drivers are most appreciated in wood cups. I would assume that the headphones you linked would afford similar influence in the sound of any of the drivers mentioned, including the Epsilon/Ypsilon drivers. Should you be interested I plan to post my essentially new Epsilon R1 drivers (maybe 40 hours total for burn-in) for sale at some point in the near future as I won't be building any more Grado headphones. I'll be selling them for a very reasonable price (cost for shipping to locations outside the continental U.S. would have to be calculated) considering what they cost new, shipped to the U.S.

Have fun, and be sure to post about your results and impressions.

 

[les_garten]

Hey Folks

I have a SR-225 driver in some Cocobolo Cups.

I have a SR-325i setup that has new unused and unmounted 325 drivers and cups, but has never been built

I have a set of V7 drivers

I am thinking about buying a set of V8 drivers

End up with 2 sets of headphones.

Cocobolo and SR-325i

Where should I put the V7's and V8 drivers?

 

[capnjack]

Though I can't comment on the sound of the Nhoord drivers I do question the decision to use slot openings on the driver grills instead of round holes. The slots will almost certainly induce diffraction of the sound waves passing through the grilles. How this will impact the sound perceived by the listener is entirely subjective but I wouldn't expect it to be as clear as the Grado drivers or the Symphones Magnum drivers.

The Magnum V8 drivers, in my observations, provide a midrange quite reminiscent of the Sennheiser HD 600/650 series headphones. This is one of the qualities that stopped me from any further experimentation with drivers. Bass and treble are both well extended. The Magnum V8's sound full with a touch of warmth without compromising balance and clarity. These drivers are faster than the HD 600/650 drivers, and their dynamics are far superior IMO. There's an amazing amount of detail without sounding edgy - presentation leans a bit toward smooth. Mind you, I've only heard these drivers in Grado SR325 aluminum cups. Many people are using them in wood cups and love the sound they're getting out of them.

I have a set of Epsilon R1 drivers that were the first drivers I swapped in to my SR325 headphone. They were a bit bright in the aluminum cups for my taste. In all of my reading on the aftermarket drivers for Grado headphones it seems to me that the Epsilon/Ypsilon drivers are most appreciated in wood cups. I would assume that the headphones you linked would afford similar influence in the sound of any of the drivers mentioned, including the Epsilon/Ypsilon drivers. Should you be interested I plan to post my essentially new Epsilon R1 drivers (maybe 40 hours total for burn-in) for sale at some point in the near future as I won't be building any more Grado headphones. I'll be selling them for a very reasonable price (cost for shipping to locations outside the continental U.S. would have to be calculated) considering what they cost new, shipped to the U.S.

Have fun, and be sure to post about your results and impressions.

http://www.nhoord.com/products I think this might help with your driver cover questions

 

[Deaj]

http://www.nhoord.com/products I think this might help with your driver cover questions

Thanks for the link!