[kskwerl]

OHHHHH YEAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!

It's actually Pink Tulle lol but you can't tell unless its bunched together. I used 2 sheets for cup. Has been depth, better imaging and overall improved SQ IMO

 

[kskwerl]

Super easy to, my girlfriend was the one who put the gasket thing back on and she doesn't know anything at all about this mod.

 

[plin]

Quote:

OHHHHH YEAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!
It's actually Pink Tulle lol but you can't tell unless its bunched together. I used 2 sheets for cup. Has been depth, better imaging and overall improved SQ IMO

Glad you've liked it! Enjoy your modded HE-500! 

 
Please, keep in mind that mechanical protection has been compromised.

 

[syvlvr]

Yes, that's my fear...I would be a little a'feared to do same, but then again, I do like some hacks...
 

 

[kindasonic]

i tried taking the cup and mesh off my he-500 to compare but still experienced ringing / glare.
 
thinking of selling now..

 

[kghgs]

Under joint efforts with others, he studied radiation damping effect and its effect on nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) linear, and developed the rotation operator approach of Nuclear Spin Dynamics

 

[kindasonic]

I have now been in contact with Fang @ hifiman who suggests the ringing/glare is being caused by an insufficiently powerful amplifier. I'm using an arcam alpha 5 plus speaker amp with a headphone output rated as follows:
 
max output into 600 ohms - 10V rms
output impedance 33 ohms
 
these specifications mean almost nothing to me but perhaps one of you knowledgeable folks might be able to help. Is the amp underpowered and could this be the cause of the glare?
 
one final point - I've ordered a graham slee solo srg II on a 30 day money back offer from audio affair. should arrive this week so I'll be able to do a direct comparison against my current amp. anyone have experience of paring the solo with the he-500?

 

[mrarroyo]

kindasonic, the SRGII is IMO a very nice sounding amp. Did you get the PSU1 with it or the switching PSU? If the second make sure the SRGII is grounded using the grounding post on the back of the amp. Good luck.

 

[plin]

Quote:

I have now been in contact with Fang @ hifiman who suggests the ringing/glare is being caused by an insufficiently powerful amplifier. I'm using an arcam alpha 5 plus speaker amp with a headphone output rated as follows:
 
max output into 600 ohms - 10V rms
output impedance 33 ohms
 
these specifications mean almost nothing to me but perhaps one of you knowledgeable folks might be able to help. Is the amp underpowered and could this be the cause of the glare?

This translates to 0.75W driving HE-500 (38 Ohm resistance), little less than the recommended 1W but not too much.
I recommend that you measure HE-500 resistance with a multimeter. HE-500 seems to have impedance that varies alot and this may lead to driver differences from HE-500 to HE-500 which may explain the ringing/glare that you noticed. Mine HE-500 and the one measured by purrin here excibits no ringing/glare at all.

 

[kindasonic]

That's very interesting. Thank you plin. I've all but decided to sell now, as I'm realising that I can't afford to make the he-500 sound their best.

 

[TheGadaffiDuck]

Does anybody know what the silk fabric screen was called on the HE500 or old stock headphones? I had to order a new pair of grills for my HE500s, and somewhere in their production line, they changed the dust fabric to a less transparent material, altering it's stock sound. I don't know where its peaking in the freq range, but in vocals: the SSSSS sound kills you now. I want to buy that material at a fabric store but i wouldnt know what its called

 

[bagwell359]

OK, time to pull up this zombie thread:

Stock HE-500:

* stock pads are average or a bit below quality and sound wise.
* cable is thin silver plate - known by its tendency to be microphonic, and emphasis on the treble which makes ringing in the treble worse.
* back screen is about 65% "full" aka 35% open. My own testing shows that a screen with higher open numbers above 75% open (1/2" ground cloth) is the same as no screen audibly.
* Fuzzor mod. The HE-500 and HE-600 has a lot of magnet surface getting in the way between the membrane and the ear. This causes issues such as reflections and cancellations, Very audible. Less definition in mids and highs. Brighter, edgier, and not a lot of blackness around instruments where there should be some.
* Bass. Even on big watts and high damping, these can get a little sloppy on bass. Tonality very nice, impact good but with added cruft.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Cable: any decent OF copper should do.

Pads: my favorite: MrSpeakers Ether Angled leather - very flat FR, very solid bass. Best of 12 I've tried.

Back Screen off/minimzed. I pack my cans in a ziploc bag when not using them. Sound well more open, and less reflections.

Fuzzor mod: the single most key mod.

Bass: tried blu-tack, sorbothane (effective, glue no good).. best for me was dynamat, cut into 3 strips of different lengths arrayed around the outside edge of the can on that flat edge facing itself the whole way along. Each about 1/2" wide, 1.75, 1.10, .75 inches long for these - spread so gaps are equal. This mod also quiets mid and upper bass issues, and keeps low male voices from getting too bassy.

Fuzzor, pads, back screen: on top of what each promises alone, together: headspace widens dramatically. On some audiophile recordings I get 135 degree wide headspace, almost all in front outside of my head, very rectangular and very much like fine speakers in a prepared room.