[The Third]

Here's a grill mod that was popular for a while....................forget the name of these but got them off Amazon. Think they were/are for computer fans but there's plenty of posts on here earlier in the thread detailing where to get and the name. "Snap" in place.................actually a press fit after trimming them. This is called Biohazard.

They look quite cool. Do you remember the dimensions of the grill perhaps?

 

[Oregonian]

They look quite cool. Do you remember the dimensions of the grill perhaps?

Found the name on Amazon.....................Inspired Laser Designs. Think it was 80mm but could be the 120mm version. Grab a metric/SAE tape/ruler and check it out.

 

[hemipowered007]

You can also just leave the grills off. I had mine off for 2 years or so, no issues..

 

[Oregonian]

You can also just leave the grills off. I had mine off for 2 years or so, no issues..

I do the same with my HE-6SE.................sure, you have to be careful with your fingers but worth it..........

Nice stereo - what is it my Oregonian brother?

 

[hemipowered007]

I do the same with my HE-6SE.................sure, you have to be careful with your fingers but worth it..........

Nice stereo - what is it my Oregonian brother?

Come on man you should recognize it! Pioneer sx 1010 sitting beside an sx 727

 

[hemipowered007]

Come on man you should recognize it! Pioneer sx 1010 sitting beside an sx 727

Also, yes you have to be more careful, but i had my 4 year old(at the time) listening to the he4 and just reminded him dont touch the drivers, and never had an issue. BUT, i notice very minimal difference going back to the wire mesh grills i have, which are on now again just because i dont want to kill an he4, they're kindof rare now. Heres an old pic of a current grill.

 

[bagwell359]

Grills off of HFM round cans is clearly audible - there are some good measurements of that in the HE6SE thread on that other site.

Also, I do not recommend running them with no grill. There are many solutions, some ugly, some pretty, many ineffective. The stock grill is 60% density. I tested six solutions and the best was the most sparse - about 12% density and in fact I could not A/B them from no screen. The next least sparse was about 30% and that was clearly audible.

Here is my cheap solution - "ground cloth" (actually metal wire). It's firm enough to keep fingers out. It's magnetic like the screen which is IMO part of the design. I spray painted the set I have on my HE-500, so that's easy. The tabs for the plastic retaining ring usually line up with the ground cloth so extra cutting and bending is usually needed. I would not run with this type of screen without the retaining rings firmly in place. Make sure there are no loose bits in your final version.

Also, if you find the HE-500, HE5LE, 4XX, and HE6SE a bit woolly below 100 Hz (classical music buffs almost for sure), put some dynamat down along the edges to damp it down a bit. Do that before you put the screen on. I have my formula, try for your own, it's cheap.

Last tip, use plastic 1 gallon zip bags for the cans to protect them from cooking fumes (very destructive), dust, kids, whatever when not in use. Better even than the bags that come with cans which are not airtight - although not as stylish.

I can't say why, but this no grill or small grill mod goes very well with the MrSpeakers Ether Angled pad, and on the HE-500 the sound stage which is already great goes to a whole other level. Each mode alone does not do it. No other pad I've tried is close.

 

[bagwell359]

Come on man you should recognize it! Pioneer sx 1010 sitting beside an sx 727

I remember when the 1010 came out, what a tempest (hype, advertising, dealers, hobbyists) that caused. I remember two guys that had it, a Bose 901 guy and an Allison 1 guy. Fun to play with. Some of the Marantz and Kenwood rec's from that era were good too - esp the FM of the Kenwood's.

Good to see folks keeping up the antiques!

Note: That HE-4 sure looks like a dead ringer for the HE-5LE.

 

[leeperry]

seeking having grills printed with huge holes so I can have them printed in black with partly wood compound and black woman stocking as protection, could anyone help please?

 

[KHatfull]

Modded my HE-400i grilles tonight. Black mesh document stand from OfficeMax. Used the old grille as a guide and using Irwin Mini Quick Grip clamps I attached the grille to the mesh with two clamps. Then used heavy scissors to cut and as I got close to a clamp, I added another then removed the one in the way, always keeping two clamps on to prevent slippage. Took all of 10 minutes. I never mod anything, this was a cinch. And for sure, sounds more open.

 

[S0MA]

Has anyone tried the Alpha Pads on the HE500? What about on the HE5se?

 

[bagwell359]

Has anyone tried the Alpha Pads on the HE500? What about on the HE5se?

Yes and an average grade. I've heard 13 diff pads and Dan Clark ether angled are the best.

I tried lots if pads on the 5se too. Still ether angled are the best

 

[S0MA]

Yes and an average grade. I've heard 13 diff pads and Dan Clark ether angled are the best.

I tried lots if pads on the 5se too. Still ether angled are the best

Great to know, finally motivates me to get a pair of those pads.

 

[NiceDepth]

Had some spare 92mm fan grills and was inspired by Soundsgoodtome. Removing the original grill made a bigger difference that I was expecting, basically went a tier up in terms of sound-stage and clarity over the whole spectrum.

The HE-560 are really held back by the original grill, too restrictive, I tested this after I took them off by blowing air at a constant rate over the back of my hand and slid the grill over the air stream, the air restriction is stark. Highly recommend to mod the HE-560, not very difficult either.

To deal with drop in low frequency I'm using an DIY kit preamp + tone control based on the TDA1524A and powered by the O2 amp. Have the bass dial at about +6dB, otherwise the HE-560 lacks bass and would not be great to listen to. Personally the tone control is a requirement for me, not sure why it's so frowned upon in the community, without it my HE-560 would be sold a long time ago since they lack bass.

Many thanks to this thread for upgrading my headphones

 

[ilmothedude]

Had some spare 92mm fan grills and was inspired by Soundsgoodtome. Removing the original grill made a bigger difference that I was expecting, basically went a tier up in terms of sound-stage and clarity over the whole spectrum.

The HE-560 are really held back by the original grill, too restrictive, I tested this after I took them off by blowing air at a constant rate over the back of my hand and slid the grill over the air stream, the air restriction is stark. Highly recommend to mod the HE-560, not very difficult either.

Many thanks to this thread for upgrading my headphones

Good job! Looks great and very airy grill design.