[rhythmdevils]

Are you talking about for mass loading, or for acoustical damping?

 

[nick n]

The dip can of Plasti Dip I got and used to seal up the fabric backs of some pads I ordered but weren't completely pleather, and ate up the sound.
 I did try them after treatment and they are as good as full pleather ones, no more sinkhole.
Used a paint brush and a couple of built-up coats. It's stinky as hell and probably toxic so open a window with a huge fan,( ideally outside ) not after drying though, and it does dry to a somewhat rubbery aspect, but not silicone rubbery, a little more on the denser side.  That may also be due to how much the fabric soaked up.  Seems pliable enough though with bending the areas, no signs of cracking.
 I may try it out on some other stuff also and see how it fills in recesses also to what final consistency/density. Will check back in after that trial if it ever happens.
 
The can itself does specifically mention "INSULATES : Vibration, deadens sound." Appears to stick to almost anything clean.
 
 I was thinking that it could be built-up in all the recesses of the cups on a level surface it would settle in flat with the final coats, would add density/some vibe control, and also you could properly apply adhesive backed damping of your choice to the resulting flat surfaces at that point.
 
Worth mentioning.

 

[E3SEL]

What are the actual effects of stuffing the cups with something like cotton? I thought it reduced the treble, but I just read one person saying that they increased the treble by stuffing the cups. I am just asking to clarify, sorry if it has been covered before.
 
Also, would it be wrong to see the cups as a room that needs acoustic treatment (as in will doing things that people do to treat rooms improve the sound)?

 

[Lurkumaural]

Quote:

Are you talking about for mass loading, or for acoustical damping?

Me?  Sealing, like nick n described.  And as nick n also indicated, there was some interest from other DIYers here in its purported ability to mechanically dampen.

 

[zzffnn]

This thread reveals lots of DIY talents!

 

[sluker]

 

[wje]

Quote:

This thread reveals lots of DIY talents!

Of course it does.  Mixing and matching them correctly though is the key to success.  If you were to read through a recipe for chocolate chip cookies and came across the request to add 1.5 cups of salt, would that raise a few flags?
 
Again, the thread is full of great information ... but, you have to carefully read the recipe and if something seems odd, or out of proportion, then it might be a moment to stop, and give the process some thought if an item or part of the process is truly a logical one.

 

 

[wje]

I found sheep's wool today - attached to the leather hide backing.  It was for sale at Lowe's in the floor refinishing section.  I bought a replacement pad, which is about 10" long by 8" wide and is designed to be mounted in a wooden brace and attached to a broom handle for applying poly on wood floors.  I'll see if I can get the cans apart tonight to apply some of that in place of the fiberglass insulation and cotton balls -- to see what effect is gained, or lost.  The pad was only about $5.50 and is enough for at least 5 pair of headphones.
 
Also, I'm going to install a reflex dot.  I can't get the upper end detail that I want out of the Fostex' just yet.  I'd like to listen to the Carolina Chocolate Drops with more clarity and much of their percussion isn't very detailed with the state of my Fostex at this point.
 
Updates to follow when finished ...

 

[wje]

The lambs wool option doesn't provide enough of a benefit to head that direction.  I'd opt for the acoustic insulation instead on these modifications.  My opinion on the reflex dot is still out there - I've yet to decide whether I'd keep it or try them again without it.
 
Now, back in my subwoofer days, rock wool was being used in strategic locations to catch the waves.  The rock wool was a bit messy, so one would have to sufficiently contain it within a cheese cloth type of sack prior to use.  Though, it's not readily available locally - requiring the purchase over the Internet and getting it shipped to you.

 

[painter]

Brief history of mods: 
 
- adhesive craft foam lining inside of cups - big improvement
- clay seal around back of driver - helped
- poly fill in cups - terrible removed
 
Still thought the upper midrange a tad mellow compared to live music.
 
Now I replaced the stock pads with the sure pads,  helps with seal,  rhythm section is much better.   But the upper midrange is no longer accurate way too mellow.
 
Next step would be remove the stock outer felt over the driver -  seems to be a non-reversible mod
 
Or cut out the lining of the sure pads.
 
Both are irreversible it seems,  so I need advice.   Is there a means to remove the stock outer felt over the driver without destroying the felt in case I don't like the result ?

 

[wje]

Quote:

Brief history of mods: 
 
- adhesive craft foam lining inside of cups - big improvement
- clay seal around back of driver - helped
- poly fill in cups - terrible removed
 
Still thought the upper midrange a tad mellow compared to live music.
 
Now I replaced the stock pads with the sure pads,  helps with seal,  rhythm section is much better.   But the upper midrange is no longer accurate way too mellow.
 
Next step would be remove the stock outer felt over the driver -  seems to be a non-reversible mod
 
Or cut out the lining of the sure pads.
 
Both are irreversible it seems,  so I need advice.   Is there a means to remove the stock outer felt over the driver without destroying the felt in case I don't like the result ?

1) Have you tried fiberglass insulation for stuffing the cups, yet?
 
2) The square can be cut-out if you hold the headphones up to a light in order to see the driver area.  Then, carefully working with a craft knife, you can cut the square piece of material out.  I'm sure if you were careful enough, you'd be able to use some cloth adhesive and mount the square of felt back into place.  However, a slight outline of the work would be noticed due to removal and replacement of the piece.  But, I'm quite sure once you've removed the felt in that area, you would not desire to cover it back up.  I think with most people, this mod has really not be reversed.  Keep in mind, I'm referring to removing the felt from the original baffles, not the acoustic felt that's a part of the Shure 840 ear cups.
 

 

[zzffnn]

Quote:

 
Still thought the upper midrange a tad mellow compared to live music.
 
Now I replaced the stock pads with the sure pads,  helps with seal,  rhythm section is much better.   But the upper midrange is no longer accurate way too mellow.
 

I suggest adding a few memory foam ear plugs underneath the Shure pads. You can reverse it in one minute if you do not like it. Can also adjust the distance between foam plugs or use half plug to fine tune it. Generally deeper pads produce more upper mid / treble.
 
 

 

[micmacmo]

I've been experimenting with fabric cut from a microfiber dust cloth. These are those square towels that look like face cloths, with a relatively thick pile on both sides. I've taken small squares (3.5 x 3.5 cm^2) of this material and taped it directly over the driver with two-sided tape around the periphery of the driver grate. 
 

 
And here's the FR curve (generated by REW using Panasonic WM-61A mics)
 

 
There's a bit of audible variation between the left and right channels, between 1 kHz and 5 kHz, that I'll have to figure out. But I'm generally pretty pleased with the sound. 
 
Otherwise, the other mods I've included in my current setup have been described elsewhere, specifically:

1. Cup lining: Two strips of AcoustiPack lining the bottom halves of both cups and 1 cm strips of Paxmate lining the walls of the central well of the cups directly behind the driver. 
2. Cup fill: ~2cm-thick absorbent cotton to fill the central well of the cup.  
3. Baffle mass loading: The compartments of the baffle are flush-filled with tungsten putty.
4. Ear side of baffle: B-Quiet (Dynamat equivalent) covering the entire baffle, except over the driver opening. The B-Quiet is covered with adhesive craft felt. Stock dust cover remains over the driver but I removed it from the rest of the driver before applying the B-Quiet.
5. Pads: Fischer 003 pads.
6. Recable: Double entry with Canare mini starquad.
7. Baffle holes (one open per cup), cup vents (felt covered) and driver covering (white material) are all stock.

 
If anyone has (had) a chance to use microfiber, I'd love to hear about your experience. 

 

[DeathDomokun]

Is this over the stock felt or instead of/replacing it?

 

[headphonatic]

Got the DAC destroyer today, pretty neat, not exactly overly impressed but there are noticeable changes, a little colored, shoudl I just wait for them to get burned in?