So I recently built a custom set of cans using the Nhoord Red drivers. The headband and cups are from turbulent labs, the cable from venus audio. My aluminum rodblocks and gimbals have yet to arrive. I did need to sand the cups a tad for the drivers to fit properly. I used my dremel sanding drum and took my time (45 minutes). Soldering was a piece of cake. Then I used some double sided tape for a friction fit. I am using the L cush, but the g cush also sounded good.
The sound is truly amazing. It sounds like an HD650 without the veil in the treble. Songs I've tested with :
Nirvana - In Bloom
The texture if the guitars is amazing. No longer are the vocals and guitar artificial sounding, nor are the 2 fighting to be the focal point. The separation between the 2 is phenomenal. The percussion and bass is actually audible, and pleasantly so.
It Ain't Hard to Tell - Nas
Holy cow, bass! This was a great test song because it was something I couldn't previously listen to with my SR80e. Hip hop just doesn't sound great on the Grado. That has changed in a big way. The bass is thick but textured. The only downside was the keyboard sample during the verses sounded distant...but the SR80e made them a focal point. This is a great example of a big difference in sound between the drivers.
Cry to Me - Solomon Burke
The vocals are thick but not shouty. The percussion is muffled, but that is the way the song was recorded, so no problems. The Piano sounds great and you can hear the details without the ringing. SR80e always made piano almost brutal to listen to. The backing vocals are stepped up a tad as well.
Breakdown - Tantric
Wow, acoustic guitar sounded better on the SR80e, but not by much. The nhoords held their own. The percussion is a bit forward, but once again that is because of the way the song was recorded. The vocals again sound forward without being offensive. The bass guitar is audible, unlike the SR80e. The strings all have great detail, but there is a thickness with the nhoords that didn't exist with the SR80e. The nhoords have great separation and way better imaging. Soundstage is too close to call.
Only 8 hours in after 10 hour burn-in. The verdict...totally worth it. These sound much better than the SR80e, as one would expect when looking at the price tag. That being said, I'd advise anybody interested to weigh out the pros and cons. Do you have the funds to do this? Do you have the tools and technical skills to do this? If so, it is a no brainer!