= HE-560 Enhancement Mod (v1.5) =

[jerg]

 
Makes sense. Would you say the sealing of the driver+cup and baffle+pad increases bass quantity as well or just quality/control?

It makes the low end more noticeable (sub-bass is cleaner and more taut, which feeds into the weight of the bass) but I doubt the frequency response is changed.
 
So yeah it's a qualitative change, but it does affect the tonal balance despite.

 

[Soundsgoodtome]

Hmm... not much bass quantity addition. Shoot, was hoping a bit of a bump but the sub-bass control could be a nice addition. If I found the upper mids/treble a hair much even on Focus-A pads would you still recommend I put a hole in the middle of the shelf liner? Just trying to finalize before I seal everything.

 

[jerg]

  Hmm... not much bass quantity addition. Shoot, was hoping a bit of a bump but the sub-bass control could be a nice addition. If I found the upper mids/treble a hair much even on Focus-A pads would you still recommend I put a hole in the middle of the shelf liner? Just trying to finalize before I seal everything.

The shelf-liner doesn't really affect the FR in any major way, I think someone measured several variations of shelf-liners and they had reproducible effects on FR, but all on the order of 1 dB or less in narrow ranges. The hole ain't gonna change that.
 
Again, I do feel the tone is affected with the sealing steps, not warmer but more weighty, because bass does stand out more due to it. Tonal balance is not just the hard frequency response, but also partly temporal factors in terms of decay, as well as distortion.
 
Edit: have you done the regrilling mod on your HE560s? That does soften the upper end energy somewhat.

 

[money4me247]

  Hmm... not much bass quantity addition. Shoot, was hoping a bit of a bump but the sub-bass control could be a nice addition. If I found the upper mids/treble a hair much even on Focus-A pads would you still recommend I put a hole in the middle of the shelf liner? Just trying to finalize before I seal everything.

you can always try a warm tube amp. that solved all my personal preferences issues with the he-560

 

[ThurstonX]

I've done my version of the sealing mod on the HE-500s that I did on the HE-560s, using the same Scotch Reusable stickies on the cups, with a few enhancements.  I did it during a switch back to the Q701 pads, and I can say they have never sounded so good and rumbled so low.  I was pleasantly surprised.
 
A big +1 for jerg's genius 

 

 

[Soundsgoodtome]

I'm more of an ss controlled type though but now with the mods that may be a good idea.

you can always try a warm tube amp. that solved all my personal preferences issues with the he-560

 

[headwhacker]

After reading this thread and understanding the concepts behind each mods. I decided to mod my HE-400i. Take note I did not follow the exact mod as documented in this thread. I just want to get my hands on modding my 400i with minimum amount of time and material needed and easiest possible way of reverting back to stock in case I didn't like the mod.
 
But I want to get as close to the concept of the mod described here as possible. Here's what I did so far.
 
1. Removed the grills and peeled off the cloth attached underneath then I re-attached the stock grills back to the cup.
 
2. With the stock earpad, I cut away the thin fabric that serves to cover the diaphragm. This is just to remove any barrier between the driver and my ear
 
3. To enhance the seal between the cup and the earpad I wrap the seam/gap with electrical tape. I took this idea from the grado tape mod.
 
 
Here's the pics of what I did so far.
 

 

 
 
 



 

 
 
I have been listening with the modded HE-400i for the last 3 hours and here's my impressions so far.
 
1. I thought I can hear more details than the stock. Especially in bass/low areas.
 
2. Treble appears to have a little more extension.
 
3. Imaging in general improved. It feels like each instruments are easier to identify and locate their position in the virtual sound stage. I'm not sure if soundstage is wider but I think it's deeper.
 
4. Bass seems tighter and hits harder. Better controlled than the stock.  Very detailed and reveals more layers.
 
5. In general, the mod gives HE-400i a little for sparkle than the stock. It's a bit brighter but nowhere as bright as my T1 of 325e. I still don't feel any fatigue after 3 hours straight and counting.
 
When I get the time to get the materials I will try the mod as documented by Jerg. From the initial results I got so far, I'm very happy. Considering I like how the stock HE-400i sound.

 

[Semont]

snip

Thanks for posting this. I don't think anyone else has shown it done on a 400i before.

I appreciate your impressions but funny how everything is a positive increase to sound quality.

I'll try out the mod soon enough myself.

 

[jerg]

 

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

After reading this thread and understanding the concepts behind each mods. I decided to mod my HE-400i. Take note I did not follow the exact mod as documented in this thread. I just want to get my hands on modding my 400i with minimum amount of time and material needed and easiest possible way of reverting back to stock in case I didn't like the mod.
 
But I want to get as close to the concept of the mod described here as possible. Here's what I did so far.
 
1. Removed the grills and peeled off the cloth attached underneath then I re-attached the stock grills back to the cup.
 
2. With the stock earpad, I cut away the thin fabric that serves to cover the diaphragm. This is just to remove any barrier between the driver and my ear
 
3. To enhance the seal between the cup and the earpad I wrap the seam/gap with electrical tape. I took this idea from the grado tape mod.
 
 
Here's the pics of what I did so far.
 

 

 
 
 



 

 
 
I have been listening with the modded HE-400i for the last 3 hours and here's my impressions so far.
 
1. I thought I can hear more details than the stock. Especially in bass/low areas.
 
2. Treble appears to have a little more extension.
 
3. Imaging in general improved. It feels like each instruments are easier to identify and locate their position in the virtual sound stage. I'm not sure if soundstage is wider but I think it's deeper.
 
4. Bass seems tighter and hits harder. Better controlled than the stock.  Very detailed and reveals more layers.
 
5. In general, the mod gives HE-400i a little for sparkle than the stock. It's a bit brighter but nowhere as bright as my T1 of 325e. I still don't feel any fatigue after 3 hours straight and counting.
 
When I get the time to get the materials I will try the mod as documented by Jerg. From the initial results I got so far, I'm very happy. Considering I like how the stock HE-400i sound.

 

 
Very interesting "lite" adaptation of the major modifications in my guide, thanks for sharing.

 

[Stillhart]

Focus-A pads are back in stock.  Mine are on order.

 

[headwhacker]

Thanks for posting this. I don't think anyone else has shown it done on a 400i before.

I appreciate your impressions but funny how everything is a positive increase to sound quality.

I'll try out the mod soon enough myself.

 
That is usually how initial impression goes.

Always looking for what changes for the better. Any negatives will show up later I suppose. But I have to get a new pad so I can do a better comparison between the stock and the mod.

 

[decade127000]

wow

 

[Stillhart]

So I got my Focus-A pads in today and swapped them on before attempting any modding.  So far I can't super tell the difference, other than these are squishier.  The only thing I've really noticed is that the treble seems slightly fatiguing, where it never did before.  Bass is maybe just a bit...mushier: more quantity, less quality.
 
It doesn't help that it took me like 5 minutes to swap the pads so it's hard to really A/B.
 
So what's the actual difference supposed to be, for those who've tried both?

 

[Soundsgoodtome]

  So I got my Focus-A pads in today and swapped them on before attempting any modding.  So far I can't super tell the difference, other than these are squishier.  The only thing I've really noticed is that the treble seems slightly fatiguing, where it never did before.  Bass is maybe just a bit...mushier: more quantity, less quality.
 
It doesn't help that it took me like 5 minutes to swap the pads so it's hard to really A/B.
 
So what's the actual difference supposed to be, for those who've tried both?

Suppose to have less treble and better imaging.. also more bass perception (not additional bass but makes it come out more).

Can you snap a pic of the new pads? Maybe they changed something in the newer production?!

 

[jerg]

  So I got my Focus-A pads in today and swapped them on before attempting any modding.  So far I can't super tell the difference, other than these are squishier.  The only thing I've really noticed is that the treble seems slightly fatiguing, where it never did before.  Bass is maybe just a bit...mushier: more quantity, less quality.
 
It doesn't help that it took me like 5 minutes to swap the pads so it's hard to really A/B.
 
So what's the actual difference supposed to be, for those who've tried both?

Biggest difference between Focus and Focus-A earpads, and this has been shown again and again in different independent measurements, is that Focus pads introduce a substantial 4kHz hump, while Focus-A pads (mostly) do not.
 
Bass differences of both pads in stock config on the stock headphones are very minor, not even measurable.