[GUIDE] How To Properly Dampen Your Beyerdynamic T1

[Zombie_X]

Yes, exactly! A little damping goes a long way.
 
Quote:

 
You mean like they did w/ the DT880?  

 

[AlfredWong]

Thanks all for the input. Just did the mod tonight - taken off treble energy, if you are used to the treble "spike", you may feel the T1 would sound bit warm after that. Bass definitely punctured deeper.

 

[Zombie_X]

Hi,
 
Glad to hear you did the mod and I hope the resulting sound is to your liking. What type of felt did you use?
 
Quote:

Thanks all for the input. Just did the mod tonight - taken off treble energy, if you are used to the treble "spike", you may feel the T1 would sound bit warm after that. Bass definitely punctured deeper.

 

[Zombie_X]

Yo guys,
 
I added a video to the first post to show you guys how to open up your T1.
 
Enjoy

 

[jkwanness]

Thanks for the vid... really easy to understand...  i have felts directly under the diaphragm.... will try some like yours, a thin strip on the side...  

 

[Hawaiiancerveza]

Hmmm The only thing stopping me from getting the T1 was the treble spike... this could make it a bit more tempting...

 

[tashlin]

Has anyone compared this mod to the ADE (aka "Tampon"!) mod that Airwin describes here..?
http://www.head-fi.org/t/531401/ade-tuned-beyerdynamic-t1
 
Matrixnobu - it looks as though you have posted on both threads and didn't rate the ADE mod highly?
 
My T1s should arrive in a few days.  I really liked most things about the demo set I listened to (enough to buy them!) but found listening for a long period quite fatiguing so taming the treble peak is very interesting to me!

 

[AlfredWong]

Quote:

Hi,
 
Glad to hear you did the mod and I hope the resulting sound is to your liking. What type of felt did you use?
 

Used some aerospace soundproof sheet. Sry bro just found you ask me!

 

[TheManko]

Tried the mod with adhesive felt applied with about the same amount seen in the video. I'm very impressed with the changes! Before the T1 were a bit too bright and now the balance feels just right. I guess the resonance was pretty bad by default. I modded my HD 800 at the same time and their change was more modest, so there wasn't the same amount of problems in the construction as with the T1 where the change feels quite dramatic.

 

[tashlin]

Does the mod reduce the soundstage at all?  Mods I have tried before of this nature (with other headphones) usually exhibit a compromise between smoothness and airiness (and also 'speed'/attack).

 

[TheManko]

To my ears the soundstage hasn't been compromised at all, in fact it sounds better to me. Before with certain recordings the treble peak could make the sound feel a bit "small" as instruments lacked body and weight. It was like the elements of the recording existed like small objects in front of you. Now that the balance has been tweaked the bass has come forward and the instruments sound bigger and badder, creating a more realistic sense of their size and space. The sound still feels neutral-ish, but with pleasantly beefy bass. I'm not getting the sense at all that there is less airiness, just a better balance of it.

 

[Zombie_X]

Hi,
 
Glad to hear you like the mod. The reverb from the plastic seems to really turn the brightness up. The felt absorbs the back wave completely, so the colorations of the reverb are now gone. I found that this mod does beef up the bass and mids a bit, which is always a plus.
 
Any other thoughts Manko?
 
Quote:

To my ears the soundstage hasn't been compromised at all, in fact it sounds better to me. Before with certain recordings the treble peak could make the sound feel a bit "small" as instruments lacked body and weight. It was like the elements of the recording existed like small objects in front of you. Now that the balance has been tweaked the bass has come forward and the instruments sound bigger and badder, creating a more realistic sense of their size and space. The sound still feels neutral-ish, but with pleasantly beefy bass. I'm not getting the sense at all that there is less airiness, just a better balance of it.

 

[TheManko]

With both the HD 800 and T1 mod, which I used the same felt for, I feel that the effect was that something artificial was removed from the sound and that the recording comes forward more clearly. Like you're hearing less of the headphone and more of the music. It's not at all like doing EQ, even if the effect is that the treble is lowered. The character of the sound changed, and because I could do the mod for both after others had done all the trial and error before me the result was very positive right away.
 
Since I did the T1 mod they've been my new favorite headphones. It used to be that I switched between the HD 800 and LCD-2 mostly as I felt they were noticeably superior in detailing and had a more even balance to my ears. Now that I've modded the T1 the balance has shifted and they are my new favorites. Their bass is more physical than either of the two others, and the soundstage is way superior to the LCD-2. I just find myself enjoying everything I listen to with the T1 and it doesn't feel like I'm losing out on anything compared to the HD 800 and the LCD-2.
 
If the T1 was updated with a mk2 model with this mod installed I suspect it just might become the new favorite headphone for a lot of people. The balance of fun vs neutrality in the sound is pretty much bang on where I want it. The warmth of the mod might be too much for some if you've got a system which adds it to compensate for the default treble. In my case I'm using the Violectric V800 dac and SPL Auditor amp which is a very neutral combination and the modded T1 is the one doing the coloration to the sound.

 

[Zombie_X]

Hi,
 
Isn't it something how a few pieces of felt can alter the sound so much, and for the better? I agree, beyerdynamic should add some sort of damping inside the T1's cups. A lot more people might like them.
 
Quote:

With both the HD 800 and T1 mod, which I used the same felt for, I feel that the effect was that something artificial was removed from the sound and that the recording comes forward more clearly. Like you're hearing less of the headphone and more of the music. It's not at all like doing EQ, even if the effect is that the treble is lowered. The character of the sound changed, and because I could do the mod for both after others had done all the trial and error before me the result was very positive right away.
 
Since I did the T1 mod they've been my new favorite headphones. It used to be that I switched between the HD 800 and LCD-2 mostly as I felt they were noticeably superior in detailing and had a more even balance to my ears. Now that I've modded the T1 the balance has shifted and they are my new favorites. Their bass is more physical than either of the two others, and the soundstage is way superior to the LCD-2. I just find myself enjoying everything I listen to with the T1 and it doesn't feel like I'm losing out on anything compared to the HD 800 and the LCD-2.
 
If the T1 was updated with a mk2 model with this mod installed I suspect it just might become the new favorite headphone for a lot of people. The balance of fun vs neutrality in the sound is pretty much bang on where I want it. The warmth of the mod might be too much for some if you've got a system which adds it to compensate for the default treble. In my case I'm using the Violectric V800 dac and SPL Auditor amp which is a very neutral combination and the modded T1 is the one doing the coloration to the sound.

 

[TheManko]

It became very obvious when I removed the driver just how big of a problem that area in front of the driver is. Behind the styling there's just a big area of bare plastic that reflects the sound right back at your ear. I'm sure Beyerdynamic were aware of it, just like Sennheiser were aware of the metal ring reflecting sound with the HD 800. We will probably never know why either decided to not dampen those surfaces, but I'm glad the headphone community exists so everyone who wants to can easily experiments with mods like this to fix those issues.