[Nigel]

Hi KT88,

First of all, thank you for your excellent mods & advice. I guess I'll have to play with the cotton wool & blue-tak. I guess more cotton wool, less bass?

I'm going to try & source a K501 headband & velour earpads as per your recommendations.

I've also ordered a replacement headphone cable. I haven't really looked at this with much consideration as yet but am I correct in thinking I cut the two linking wires completely off the driver & the crossover & solder the new cable ends directly to the driver? Also, how do you go about making the right housing able to take the new cable input? Did you simply cut the plastic? Is there screws under the AKG logo's at the sides of the headphones that require removing?

Cheers,

Nigel

 

[Nigel]

Hi,

I read that the electostatic tweeter has a finite lifespan of around twenty to thirty years. Is there any way these units can be re-charged?

Nigel

 

[Fitz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nigel /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm going to try & source a K501 headband & velour earpads as per your recommendations.

You'll want to do it sooner than later, because the K501 is discontinued and the part is listed as obsolete in their database, so only the little remaining stock can be shipped out. The velour pads should be back in stock now though, after a long period of them being backordered. I can get you the part numbers for both if you need them.


Quote:

Originally Posted by Nigel /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hi, I read that the electostatic tweeter has a finite lifespan of around twenty to thirty years. Is there any way these units can be re-charged? Nigel

Negatory. And they can't be replaced anymore either. However, they all seem to still be running full steam for everybody.

 

[Nigel]

Hi Fitz,

I think these are the correct part numbers?

K501 headband - Z458Z3501

Velour pads - 2955Z2601

Thanks for your help.

Shame about the tweeter, am I correct in thinking it just packs in? Or, is it gradually deteriorating day by day?

Cheers,

Nigel

 

[Fitz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nigel /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hi Fitz, I think these are the correct part numbers? K501 headband - Z458Z3501 Velour pads - 2955Z2601 Thanks for your help. Shame about the tweeter, am I correct in thinking it just packs in? Or, is it gradually deteriorating day by day? Cheers, Nigel

The K501 headband is 2458Z3501, and the current velour pad part number is 2955M1002, which represents one pair of earpads, the single pads (old part number) aren't available anymore.

And I don't know of any instances of the electret dying or deteriorating from age, it seems to be more of a "in theory" thing than actually happening.

 

[Nigel]

Cheers Fitz.

One last question. How do you remove the end caps showing the AKG logo connected to the driver housing? Simply prise them off with a screwdriver?

 

[Fitz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nigel /img/forum/go_quote.gif Cheers Fitz. One last question. How do you remove the end caps showing the AKG logo connected to the driver housing? Simply prise them off with a screwdriver?

Take the screw at the top out first, then they should slide downwards and out.

 

[Nigel]

Thank you, Fitz.

So simple. I had taken out the screw & couldn't understand why the cap wouldn't just pull off.

 

[philodox]

The electret deteriorating is just an urban myth in my opinion... it hasn't happened to anyone and I have never actually heard anyone from AKG say anything about it. Everyone just keeps repeating the rumour and it is now 'fact'.

 

[Zorander]

Quote:

Originally Posted by KT88 /img/forum/go_quote.gif First thing I did was use a very small cutter made for electronics to cut a rought circle in the plastic screens:

Did you use the same cutter to create the initial incisions for the screen? That cutter does not look suited for the job (without causing damage to the outer ring of the screen).

Also, how likely are the ears to get 'shocked' whenever they touch the electrets (now that the insulating plastic mesh has been replaced by a thin, presumably non-insulating, screen)?

Cheers!

 

[SonicDawg]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zorander /img/forum/go_quote.gif Did you use the same cutter to create the initial incisions for the screen? That cutter does not look suited for the job (without causing damage to the outer ring of the screen). Also, how likely are the ears to get 'shocked' whenever they touch the electrets (now that the insulating plastic mesh has been replaced by a thin, presumably non-insulating, screen)? Cheers!

I don't think it is necessary to retain the grill frame at all. Simply cut screw holes on sheets of speaker cloth and secure them with screws directly works fine with me

As for your second question, the speaker cloth leaves no holes for your ears to be exposed to the electret unit, or vice versa. So the chance of being "shocked" has never been significant in my case.

 

[Zorander]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SonicDawg /img/forum/go_quote.gif I don't think it is necessary to retain the grill frame at all. Simply cut screw holes on sheets of speaker cloth and secure them with screws directly works fine with me

I was actually referring to how you actually start cutting them away (I know we can hack them apart). Do you start by cutting little by little through the small holes on the screen?

Quote:

Originally Posted by SonicDawg /img/forum/go_quote.gif As for your second question, the speaker cloth leaves no holes for your ears to be exposed to the electret unit, or vice versa. So the chance of being "shocked" has never been significant in my case.

Good to know that. I certainly don't want any headphones to give me "apprehensions" (unpleasant risk of shock), regardless of sonic qualities.

Cheers!

 

[SonicDawg]

Just made a pretty cool discovery tempering with the dampening cotton of the K340s today. I put a small ring of cotton (half an inch in diameter) and stuffed it around the opening of the cups, and put the drivers back on top of them, to effectively press them against the openings. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the bass is TIGHTENED BY A LARGE MARGIN, while the TREBLE GAINED A LARGE DEGREE OF SPARKLE. I have been constantly fiddling with the amount of cotton in the housing, and this has been the best result so far. No more loose and echoy bass or the tradeoff of rolled off treble. And best of all, it eliminates the midbass echo at the same time. The bass remains just as hard hitting, but a lot more focused. Some one has to try this out!!

 

[SonicDawg]

Ok, I was a bit too liberal with hyperboles there; but the result is really the best in terms of the dampening issue so far. Much better than no using any cotton at all, as it produces some nasty echo.

Btw, Zorander, what I meant is to not use the plastic grill at all. Simply cut small holes (after you measure them precisely over the screw holes, of course) on some speaker cloth and secure it with screws. You may have to replace the screws to shorter ones, though, since there's some clearance left from the grill.

 

[KT88]

Quote:

I was actually referring to how you actually start cutting them away (I know we can hack them apart). Do you start by cutting little by little through the small holes on the screen?

exactly. Its really easy one you give it a try