[Andrea]

Quote:

Originally Posted by NotJeffBuckley I think "correct for" would be a better way to phrase it. With current technology, you can't really build a headphone that has quick transient response without a significant peak in the different treble areas, so foam to attenuate that peakyness can make the listening experience much better.

If so, then I don't want an artifact such as a treble peak as a precarious remedy for transient response imperfection. I prefer a honest and straightforward recognition of limitation

After all, good loudspeakers have much worse transient response than good headphones, ain't it?

 

[NotJeffBuckley]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andrea If so, then I don't want an artifact such as a treble peak as a precarious remedy for transient response imperfection. I prefer a honest and straightforward recognition of limitation After all, good loudspeakers have much worse transient response than good headphones, ain't it?

Much higher group delay in the low frequencies, at any rate.

 

[spinali]

After reading about the Kramer mod for the KSC-75, I wondered if it might be possible to mod the pads in a different way.

That is, why not simply punch a few small holes in the foam at discrete intervals? You would retain the basic dampening that the 701s need, while making for a sound that's clearer.

Of course, I don't want to be the first one to try - though I'd have more courage if I had some backup foam. Frankly, I wouldn't know where to begin to find an appropriate sheet of thin, porous foam. Searching online is pretty overwhelming.

 

[A.Thorsen]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sacd lover I am with JaZZ on this one. The 701 is as natural and perfectly balanced a headphone as I have come across. Even with my tube amps the brightness in a poor recording is clearly evident. The 701 has excellent clarity and gets right to the edge at times without going over the top. But add more top end emphasis and I think the headphone will be to analytical. Just my $.02 ....

Agreed as well.

 

[bangraman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fewtch I'm convinced that with at least some headphones, the foam is an integral part of the design of the headphones and acts to tune the sound, as well as reducing parasitic reflections between drivers and ears. Headphones are not speakers and IMO should not be thought of the same way... there's an earcup/head interface there that can be very important, where there's no such interface with speakers. I removed the foam from my AKG K240S and noticed that it screwed with the coherency of the cans. The highs became clearer, but suddenly it was a case of boosted bass/treble with recessed mids (also the midrange/treble transition became screwy), rather than the former smooth progression from bass to treble that made the cans sound at least semi hi-fi.

Someone pinch me... I agree with fewtch!!!

I think that the change may be intriguing and initially positive at times but I would like to see people reverse the action after a long period of listening to the 'desponged' set-up, and then listen to them over several hours... and see how they feel about it.

 

[robm321]

I went the extra step and not only removed the foam from my Sennheisser's. I removed the whole headphone completely and it's amazing how my Grados sound now - completeley exciting and detailed

Kidding!

I think it's designed in for a reason. I like the way the Senns sound and try not to make them more detailed, and the same goes for K701, but if you like it go ahead, I just think there is something added that you may not be noticing with regards to reflections against plastic. Grados (the better ones) use wood, so the reflections give it a warmer, richer sound IMHO.

 

[warpdriver]

Quote:

Originally Posted by NotoriousBIG_PJ Foam is used to hide the harshness a phone would exhibit otherwise.

All headphones are designed as a system, if you start removing any part of it, you are going to get anomalies. For example, the grill on the back of many headphones can be used to control the damping of the driver. If you change the pads some other headphone, you are going to alter the volume of the "enclosure" and ear distance and cause different peaks to be accentuated. The foam may have been designed to match the driver resonance frequencies. It's not a sign of bad design, and in fact, if the foam density is carefully chosen, it may free up the design parameters to allow it to sound better in other parts of the spectrum.

 

[Solude]

I'd think the donut shape was chosen on purpose for AKG. Their varimotion is low freq at the centre and high freq on the outside. The donut would allow low frequency to hang around giving a more full sound while dampening the highs would reduce any echo or reflection glare. Pretty bright, course this is all speculation, they may just have run out of material

 

[jl123]

Wow no, they sound pretty damn horrible. Seems more lean on the bass as well. The treble is just bad. Too bright. Takes away from everything else if you listen.

 

[spinali]

The AKG mod was easy enough one I got the pads off. After I got the insulators out, the sound was amazingly clear and crystalline, almost sharp. If you like absolute definition without any barriers, it's not a bad place to go. But comparing with and without, you begin to understand why it was done. The insulators add the smoothness that so prized wtih this headphones.

If I had a small supply of these things, I can imagne punching small holes into them in the style of the Kramer mod for the KSC75; just two or four small holes would retain smoothness while admitting extra clarity. I think I'll leave them alone for the time being.

 

[kin0kin]

I've always thought that the k701 is a little lush and thick sometimes....with the foams removed...they sound awesome..though still not the best when it comes to transparency. The foams are there to smoothen out the freq as some have mentioned....I think I prefer unfiltered sound more

(need to get panty hose for my 600s

)

 

[mfaughn]

Foams out made a difference. Pushed them towards fatiguing? Liked 'em better in.

 

[cswann1]

Haaaaahleluya....Haaaaahleluya....Haleluya Haleluya Haleluya ....Haleyeyluya!!!!!

This thread is risen.

 

[smaugem]

There have been several threads on modding the k701s by removing or changing the foam inserts. My experience was the opposite to yours. I found a strong peak in the 6-8kHz range to cause added clarity but made anything with strong cymbals or distorted guitars overpowering. I replaced the foam with something without the cutouts to give a more balanced sound.