[Oregonian]

http://www.head-fi.org/t/619447/hifiman-regrilling-mod

 

[mrscotchguy]

Does anyone know what the exact measurements of the grill?

I found a few drain grills that might work

 

[preproman]

Work done by My main man Frank...
 

 

 

[Oregonian]

  Work done by My main man Frank...
 

 
 

 
Glad you liked it Darryl! 

 

[mrscotchguy]

So thought I would report in and share some experiences with my current setup and recent pad rolling thoughts.  I recently moved to a very warm yet still resolving balanced dac/amp (AudioGD 10.33) that makes most of my headphones just a touch more musical.  As much as I love super clear, bright, and detailed sound... the fatigue was becoming unbearable.  I guess I'm getting old.  I enjoyed my headphones too much to discard them and decided finding "the right amp" was the better option.  To be honest, I haven't really bothered to thow my older gear in the mix, so please refer to the following info with a heaping grain of salt.  My experiences only relate to my specific setup, not necessarily all setups.
 
With the warning out of the way, feel free to check out my HE-4 and pad rolling impressions:
 
Shure SRH-1540 Alcantara Pads:
 
Comfort
These pads s(h)ure are comfortable... just not on my HE-4.  Something about the stiffness of the memory foam and the clamping force of the HE-4 just doesn't work for me.  That said, Thujone's were leagues more comfortable.. so maybe I just haven't used them enough? Either way, I probably will not be using these all that much on my cans as I feel the comfort and sound were surpassed by my Angled Brainwavz/NVX pads. My guess is with some break in, and the heat generated from wear, they could potentially be the best option... for people without glasses.  Unfortunately, I have glasses.
 
Sound
Sound wise, these are indeed very resolving, crisp, and do not detract in any way from the HE-4 experience.  With a good seal, you can even get a slightly tighter bass response... but not having an the angle pushed the soundstage and imagine into an area that is not my style coming from my massive angled-pads.  If you've never gone angled and want cloud-like pillows, you will love these.
 
Other Thoughts
I am curious if these could be made angled or modded by removing the protective foam material (placed between the ear and the driver) if the sound quality increase would be even better.
 
 
Beyerdynamic 990 Velour Pads (EDT990V)
 
Comfort
Seriously the best, period.  Of the dozen or so different configurations I've tried, these are the softest and easily the best seal (which is crucial for the best sound on any Hifiman pads).
 
I wouldn't have invested in these on my own, but they came with my DT990 Pro and now am considering purchasing the black version (EDT990VB) next pay day!  
 
Sound
These are the closest sound to my NVX Angled pads sound wise.  Maybe it's because there is no material between the ears and the driver, or possibly the closer proximity to the driver, but I am not missing the spacial cues from the angled pads one bit.  The sound it crisp, clear, but just a tad warmer than stock pads.  Maybe it's my configuration, but I feel the vocals are tad more present(forward maybe) with these pads than stock or my angled pads.
 
I can see why people say these pads can make the HE-4 too bright.  In a warm setup, the balance is quite engaging. 
 
Other Thoughts
I can see these pads wearing a bit more quickly than other alternatives due to the "squishiness" being quite a bit softer than the stiff-as-hell stock pads.  Another concern for me is not having the added dust and debris protection by not having the material in between the pad and the driver. Luckily, the price isn't absurd to replace the pads.
 
Be careful when purchasing Beyer pads, apparently the open headphones (dt880/990) are designed for open headphones while the dt770 pads are designed for closed headphones (durrp).  If you get the wrong style, the sound is supposed to be mushy and bass flabby.  I will eventually end up with these as I am considering modding my DT990s into closed back cans. If I do, I'll report in.
 
 
-----
 
That's it for now... on the fence about purchasing the non-leather Audeze pads.  My finger's been on the "buy now" a few times as well as the micro-velour Beyer pads.  

 

[Stillhart]

It's weird to me that people say the 1540's don't affect the sound.  They very clearly shifted the sound towards more bass and less treble on both headphones I've used them on.  It was a minor shift, for sure, but still noticeable.
 
I'm probably going to snag a set of the Beyer 770 pads to try on my HP100 once I get them back from Tyll (sending them in for measurements!).  I like the Shure's, but experimenting for $30 is fun!  What are the micro-velour pads you mentioned?  Is that different from the normal fuzzy ones they sell?  I could only find fuzzy and leather.

 

[Soundsgoodtome]

Those angled nvx are no longer made, correct? Angled pads are where it's at, unfortunately the new Hifiman still didn't get it right imo. They should've went Lawton pads thick.

 

[Thujone]

Those angled NVX pads were pretty hard to beat. If you are looking for the comfort and sound quality and soundstage/presentation, the NVX angled pads are definitely my recommendation. The 1540 pads are more comfortable for me since they're also very squishy but do not have the pleather.
 
I agree that the 1540 pads increase the warmth. I assume this is mostly due to the proximity to the driver**. The other contributing factor would be the thickness of the dust cover, which may not show drastic changes to treble on the measurements (they're there, just not drastic) but it may be affecting the reverb/decay of the treble. I haven't done enough measurements to be experienced with CSD plots though.
 
**I believe this may be why the Beyer pads are warmer as well.

 

[mrscotchguy]

  It's weird to me that people say the 1540's don't affect the sound.  They very clearly shifted the sound towards more bass and less treble on both headphones I've used them on.  It was a minor shift, for sure, but still noticeable.
 

I agree with you there... at least on my NVX XPT100 (closed) and my DT770 (opened).  With the HE-4, the differences were super subtle.  Yes sub-bass was heightened compared to the angled pads, but the 1540 pads are definitely brighter than the angled pads.
 
One thing to note is I am using the older "thick" mounting rings with the circles on the beyer pads and I am using the new "flexible" mounting rings with the angled pads.  The angled pads need to "breath more".
 

  I'm probably going to snag a set of the Beyer 770 pads to try on my HP100 once I get them back from Tyll (sending them in for measurements!).  I like the Shure's, but experimenting for $30 is fun!  What are the micro-velour pads you mentioned?  Is that different from the normal fuzzy ones they sell?  I could only find fuzzy and leather.

These are the pads for the T70(p).  They are uber comfortable, but the T70(p) are closed cans... so it probably won't pair the greatest.  But who knows.  An friend used these pads on his T90 with great success as well as his T1.  I'm willing to experiment.
 
http://www.adorama.com/BDEDT770NL.html
 

 

 

[Stillhart]

 

 
Actually the HP100 is closed, so those might work very well.  They seem to be an off-brand tho, not official.  Still, if they're super comfy and sound good, I won't complain!

 

[mrscotchguy]

  Those angled NVX pads were pretty hard to beat. If you are looking for the comfort and sound quality and soundstage/presentation, the NVX angled pads are definitely my recommendation. The 1540 pads are more comfortable for me since they're also very squishy but do not have the pleather.
 
I agree that the 1540 pads increase the warmth. I assume this is mostly due to the proximity to the driver**. The other contributing factor would be the thickness of the dust cover, which may not show drastic changes to treble on the measurements (they're there, just not drastic) but it may be affecting the reverb/decay of the treble. I haven't done enough measurements to be experienced with CSD plots though.
 
**I believe this may be why the Beyer pads are warmer as well.

Thujone, did you chop the dust cover out on yours?

Those angled nvx are no longer made, correct? Angled pads are where it's at, unfortunately the new Hifiman still didn't get it right imo. They should've went Lawton pads thick.

http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_66627_NVX-XRE100A.html
 
Go buy it!

 

[Thujone]

  Thujone, did you chop the dust cover out on yours?

 
Naw, I kept them in. I could consider doing it in the future though...

 

[hemipowered007]

From the deals thread...
Want a free printed measurement of your headphones and want to help Innerfidelity get vintage, unobtainium and underrated headphones measured for the masses? Package and have them shipped for free both ways to Tyll! Details at the link below: http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/new-push-headphone-measurements


Shall we again?

 

[Stillhart]

From the deals thread...
Want a free printed measurement of your headphones and want to help Innerfidelity get vintage, unobtainium and underrated headphones measured for the masses? Package and have them shipped for free both ways to Tyll! Details at the link below: http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/new-push-headphone-measurements


Shall we again?

It has to be completely stock...

 

[hemipowered007]

It has to be completely stock...

Everything I've done is reversibl, I've went back and fourth many a time. But I don't want to send mine, as I have a very slight tizz in the right side. I believe I can fix It when I take them back aoart, Its gotta be dust/hair, In the driver somewhere, or maybe a cracked solder on the leads. I just don't want to do anything like that right now. And I need them since I'm doing the open t50rp mod soon, need em to compare. Was just putting it out there since tyll never measured them. But I'm guessing purrins would be the same?