[Deadneddz]

Hes not talking about the foam between your ear and the driver, but the foam toward the back of the driver.

 

[gilency]

Oh. OK. How do you open the case to remove it?

 

[edstrelow]

This is actually pretty simple and you don't even have to fully remove the earpads.

The driver is on a plactic baffle, held in place by screws at the corners, under the earpads.

1) Peel back the corners of the earpads, about 1/2 inch to expose the screw heads.

2) When all the screws are out, pry out the driver/baffle. I insert a very thin knife blade between the baffle and the outer cover. Slide the blade along the baffle if need be, take your time and be gentle it will work loose.

3) The driver, mounted on its baffle, with the pads still on, should then pop out an inch or so. You really don't need to open it more to get the foam. Reach in and grab the foam, possibly with screw driver, tweezers or finger if it is open enough.


Cautions.

1) Don't try to pull out the cable, it should stay right where it is mounted on the outer cup.
2) Be carefull with the driver, if you should expose it. There is a thin clear dust cover on the back of the driver that you do not want to cut, or press too hard.

Then, put it back together, replace the screws and press the pad corners.

 

[spritzer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by edstrelow /img/forum/go_quote.gif The driver is on a plactic baffle...

It's anodized aluminum, not plastic.

 

[gilency]

Quote:

Originally Posted by edstrelow /img/forum/go_quote.gif This is actually pretty simple and you don't even have to fully remove the earpads. The driver is on a plactic baffle, held in place by screws at the corners, under the earpads. 1) Peel back the corners of the earpads, about 1/2 inch to expose the screw heads. 2) When all the screws are out, pry out the driver/baffle. I insert a very thin knife blade between the baffle and the outer cover. Slide the blade along the baffle if need be, take your time and be gentle it will work loose. 3) The driver, mounted on its baffle, with the pads still on, should then pop out an inch or so. You really don't need to open it more to get the foam. Reach in and grab the foam, possibly with screw driver, tweezers or finger if it is open enough. Cautions. 1) Don't try to pull out the cable, it should stay right where it is mounted on the outer cup. 2) Be carefull with the driver, if you should expose it. There is a thin clear dust cover on the back of the driver that you do not want to cut, or press too hard. Then, put it back together, replace the screws and press the pad corners.

Thanks. I may try it tomorrow when I am more awake. I assume is just as easy to put them back in place if I don't like the sound without them?

 

[gilency]

Well, I removed the foam but now the left driver has a high pitched noise that was initially continuous but now comes and goes when I plug it into the amplifier with no music playing regardless of volume. It seems to happen when I move my head. This is an electronic noise, not related to the plastic case or pads.
I opened the plastic case again and everything seems OK on visual inspection.. I did not touch the driver itself and the transparent plastic dust cover is fine. The 3 wires are connected properly. I did not touch the driver itself.
I put it together again and it seems to slowly be getting better.
Any ideas?

 

[green0153]

On my ESP950 it was happening because of the dust but in your case maybe the cable is the problem.Try bending and moving the cable while you have the headphones on your head and see if the noise manifests itself again.

 

[gilency]

I left my 404's connected to the amplifier (on) several hours and the strange sound is gone. Go figure.
As far as audible sound differences with vs without the foam the difference is minimal to my ears, so I am not sure if it matters much. I am happy with them either way. They do look nicer with the foam off though.

 

[edstrelow]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gilency /img/forum/go_quote.gif I left my 404's connected to the amplifier (on) several hours and the strange sound is gone. Go figure. As far as audible sound differences with vs without the foam the difference is minimal to my ears, so I am not sure if it matters much. I am happy with them either way. They do look nicer with the foam off though.

Sounds like something somehow shorted out for a while. Maybe something loose inside a driver.

My conversion to no foam came after I replaced the old foam of a Signature with new foam. Well actually one side of old foam since the other side had already disappeared. I couldn't take sound with the new foam, having been used to little or no foam backing since I got the phones.

The 404 did not need the backing removed so much as the Signature did, but with it gone, the sound quality changed in a somewhat similar way as the Signature. I find the sound more open and less etched without the foam and doubt that I will ever go back to using foam backing.Possibly you want to re-insert the foam after a week or so and see what you think about the sound.

 

[gilency]

Thank you Ed. The fact is, I am enjoying my 404's tremendously. I have been listening for hours while I work at home. The soundstage seems to be a little more open without the foams.
I know the 404's don't get a lot of love around here, but I think they are wonderful. The treble etch is not bothersome with my current setting, and the clarity of stats is amazing.

 

[edstrelow]

I had a somewhat similar experience with my 404 after the foam was removed. I unplugged my 007A and just sat listening to the 404 for an hour or so enjoying the sound. I agree there is a somewhat wider soundstage as part of the opening up of sound without the foam.

 

[Comfy]

I have removed the foam of my LNS and put it back like three times in two days now.

Without the foam there is a subtle increase in the impact and definition of the transients, and the soundstage seems slightly arier, wider.
But the mids impact might be a little fatiguing in the long run, as opposed to the lush easy-listening of the foamed version. It's a very subtle trade-off both ways, but it's hard to decide.

Right now I have them defoamed, but I'm probably trying them at least one more time with the foams on.

EDIT: Foams back on. The soundstage is a bit more compact and cohesive. The definition might be subtly lesser, but the whole listening experience seems a little more coherent now. That increased impact that led to an ever so slight increase in fatigue with the de-foamed version has been traded for an ever so slight non-fatiguing euphonic veil.

All in all, I'm not sure which option is the more recommendable one. De-foamed for fresh ears ready to rock out; foamed for laid-back listening late at night? Except I wouldn't recommend taking your headphones apart that often. Foamed is perhaps the better compromise, as the LNS already has detail and impact in spades, so you might as well take the extra euphonics and stock configuration.

 

[padam]

I have compared my Signature side-by-side to my friend's pair that still has the foam in the housing and I think it has little to no effect on the sound, maybe it is a little bit airier but that's all.
By the way I got some new SR-404 earpads and this new version is darker than I thought (I had a brand new 404 on testing a year ago) but this is good because it matches the Sig colour scheme very nicely. Maybe that will have some effect on the sound since it will also have a dust-proof mesh (needs to be attached separately before the pads), will let you know if interested.

 

[edstrelow]

Yup, airiness and probably a wider soundstage too.

The original foam in the Signature probably has less effect on sound than replacement foam would.

If you follow this thread from the beginning, what you describe is quite similar to my experience because I did not have as much problem with the Signature when I originally got it with old foam on one cup. The other cup had no foam. I quite liked its sound, it was only when I put new foam in that the sound became really harsh.

The Signature is a very old phone and the old foam in my set was very thin, not strong at all and fell apart when I tried to remove it. It had much less effect on the sound than the new, replacement foam that I bought from the US Stax distributer.

This raises some questions. Did the old foam originally have less effect on sound, possibly because it was lighter, or did it lose its effect as the foam aged?

I suspect that many old Lambdas sound better because they have old foam.

However the original foam on my 404 was in good shape when I took it out, and its removal was a notable improvement.