[sysfail]

Thanks for the replies! I'm definitely buying the wood cups from Bill, and I am definitely NOT going to do the driver liberation mod lol. I really love my Grado SR80i and that's why I want to invest in upgrading it with mods. I just want to do what is necessary, the more I do the more I'm scared I'm going to ruin them

. So right now on my list are to switch out the plastic cups with wood ones from Bill, poke the holes (I'm not sure how many holes to open up, any advice?), and put Dynamat on the back of the magnet plate. I am also thinking about getting the bowls, right now I have the reverse quarter modded comfies, do you guys think that's silly when I upgrade the Grado to woodies?

 

[BobSaysHi]

Quote:

Thanks for the replies! I'm definitely buying the wood cups from Bill, and I am definitely NOT going to do the driver liberation mod lol. I really love my Grado SR80i and that's why I want to invest in upgrading it with mods. I just want to do what is necessary, the more I do the more I'm scared I'm going to ruin them

. So right now on my list are to switch out the plastic cups with wood ones from Bill, poke the holes (I'm not sure how many holes to open up, any advice?), and put Dynamat on the back of the magnet plate. I am also thinking about getting the bowls, right now I have the reverse quarter modded comfies, do you guys think that's silly when I upgrade the Grado to woodies?

start with 2-4 holes, you can always add more. If you do too many holes you can cover them back up with dynamat afterwards. I've never owned bowls, so I won't comment on that. I wouldn't recommend the g-cush, though.

 

[sysfail]

Ok, so I'll be looking at L-Cush bowls. Do they go around your ear or on your ear?

 

[BobSaysHi]

on ear

 

[sysfail]

On ears never work for me because my ears stick outward a little so when something is pressed against it, it will hurt after a while. Hopefully it's better than the comfies. Thanks again!

 

[ThomasLi]

I replaced the grill on my SR80s and found that is was well worth doing, looks much, much nicer. I wasn't too keen on venting the diaphragm though, it made the low-end a bit too muddy for my liking, I liked the bass a bit tighter, but I damped the back of the driver with blu-tac and I kind of liked what it did to the highs. I'm waiting for some cable to come in the mail and I will try and re-cable and see what that does to the sound.

 

[sysfail]

Quote:

I replaced the grill on my SR80s and found that is was well worth doing, looks much, much nicer. I wasn't too keen on venting the diaphragm though, it made the low-end a bit too muddy for my liking, I liked the bass a bit tighter, but I damped the back of the driver with blu-tac and I kind of liked what it did to the highs. I'm waiting for some cable to come in the mail and I will try and re-cable and see what that does to the sound.

Venting the the diaphragm makes the bass muddy? I didn't know that. I probably won't do that then, I actually prefer how my SR80i sounds right now, it is just right. I just want to refine it to produce more clarity, detail, and crispness in the sound. Also, what does damping the back of the driver do exactly to the highs? I actually don't find the highs too sharp or bright on the SR80i so if it muffles the highs or something then I probably won't like it.
 

 

[eyalcat]

Aren't the SR80i already vented? isn't that the difference between the SR80i & the SR60i? if you have photos with the response it would be great.
 
 
 

 

[ArmAndHammer]

 
Quote:

Aren't the SR80i already vented? isn't that the difference between the SR80i & the SR60i? if you have photos with the response it would be great.
 
 
 

No, they aren't. None of the prestige series are. They have the vent holes but they are covered with a mesh like fabric. Holes need to be punched through this fabric...not the diaphragm.
 

 

 

[sysfail]

It would make sense if the SR80i had vented holes vs the SR60i because of the "better bass response", but I guess not. I'm guessing 4 holes is the most ideal? I really don't want any overpowering bass, I actually love the sound of the SR80i right now with no mods except the reverse quarter mod on the comfies. All I want to do is to enhance that sound.

 

[BobSaysHi]

Quote:

It would make sense if the SR80i had vented holes vs the SR60i because of the "better bass response", but I guess not. I'm guessing 4 holes is the most ideal? I really don't want any overpowering bass, I actually love the sound of the SR80i right now with no mods except the reverse quarter mod on the comfies. All I want to do is to enhance that sound.

If you don't want more bass, don't vent. You'll probably vent anyway out of curiosity.
 

 

[sysfail]

Quote:

If you don't want more bass, don't vent. You'll probably vent anyway out of curiosity.
 

Haha! How did you know? Maybe I'll try 2 holes.....

 

 

[estreeter]

I punched every hole I could, and I would agree that it is overkill but I wasnt going to die wondering. Next step is to get a set of bowls and re-evaluate the sound before I go back and (possibly) plug some of those holes. Again, this stuff is very addictive and I would advise caution before you start boiling the water to loosen the glue on your Grado cups.

 

[sysfail]

Quote:

I punched every hole I could, and I would agree that it is overkill but I wasnt going to die wondering. Next step is to get a set of bowls and re-evaluate the sound before I go back and (possibly) plug some of those holes. Again, this stuff is very addictive and I would advise caution before you start boiling the water to loosen the glue on your Grado cups.

That's the part I'm scared about, I plan on using a hairdryer to release the cup and hopefully it won't ruin anything.
 

 

[ThomasLi]

Imo, if you you are happy with the current sound signature the best thing you can do would be to upgrade your source/amp and perhaps a recable; changing the grill is a nice superficial mod, but doesn't affect the sound quality too much imho.

I found the best way to loosen the glue off was to cover the drivers with cling wrap and dip them in about 1/2 inch of boiling water in a shallow pan and leave them for ~10mins.

If you are going to make the holes, start with 1 hole on one cup and A/B compare them to the other cup, then if you like the change maybe make 2 and A/B again, etc, until you are happy with the sound. But again, I found it made the bass slightly bloated, if you are after a tigher bass I would not bother with making the holes.