[waynes world]

Just joined the KPH30i club! If you check my signature, you'll know that I'm a big fan of Koss.

Anyway, when I compare the 30is to the 75s (my personal fave), it's a little more veiled. Compared to the KTXPro1s, the 1s appear not to require as much amp to power and sound slightly better. The 1s are more comfortable as well, but can creak when you bob your head a certain way. The 1s are also really aesthetically... odd-looking. Whereas, the 30is wins the overall less-goofy looking Koss award The cable on the KPH30i is way more solid compared to all the other Koss cans in this price range as well.

If only Koss used this KPH30i headband and cable with the KSC75s, then that would probably be my favorite. I might have to burn-in the KPH30is some more though. The Grado G-cushion mod looks cool, but I don't really want to disassemble the 30is as I'm always prone to breaking something! Just a quick review.

Fyi you don't need to disassemble, except to remove the stock pads (easy) and then slap on the G cushions. Well worth it (removes the veil).

 

[FYFL]

These are one of my own 30i. Still light and huge soundstage

These are almost done as Christmas gift. Still needs some work on headband. But they sound great and despite Zebra wood frame, still under 200g.

 

[Josheto]

These are one of my own 30i. Still light and huge soundstage




These are almost done as Christmas gift. Still needs some work on headband. But they sound great and despite Zebra wood frame, still under 200g.

how does the sound change with those pads? also could I get a link for these pads?

 

[FYFL]

how does the sound change with those pads? also could I get a link for these pads?

I have tried various pads and arrangements/combinations. They all change sound quite a bit. My goal is for 30i to retain bass but take some of that harshness away. Getting bigger soundstage is also what I do like to achieve with these mods. First pair has huge soundstage, gut felt/clean bass that almost feels slightly exaggerated but certainly not bloated or muddy. Imaging isn’t as precise as the case might be with other mods but that’s what you get when you go for huge soundstage. Foam must be removed to get decent volume and top end where it needs to be. It might be slightly to airy/bright-ish. Depends what you’re looking for and what you’re listening to. Due to ear-to-driver distance, you need to crank the volume quite a bit.
2nd pair had better imaging. Decent soundstage, more forward midrange , clean bass but not as gut felt as on 1st one. String instruments might sound somewhat more right on 2nd pair. Maybe..... Hights seem slightly better balanced and less sparky. Take it with a grain of salt as I haven’t put a lot of time on 2nd moded pair. I literally just finished it earlier today.

 

[jant71]

SONY MA or F1 mod??

...with some K401 pads.

 

[FYFL]

Grado replacement foam pads are the simplest, cheapest and most effective mod imo. Using other pads and mods is what I like to do for fun. And I wouldn’t not necessarily recommend any of it as all of those need a lot of time getting it somewhat right. You need to build a sturdy frame in case of those oversized pads. And then you need to try to tune it just right. And there’s always a chance to screw things up and end up with some frustrations. It can be done. It just needs a lot of try and error, as well as patience. Examples I have shown still need proper tuning. I do have an idea how to make it work but I wouldn’t recommended it to anyone looking for easy fix. YMMV.

 

[FYFL]

Finished.

 

[FYFL]

 

[waynes world]

Grado replacement foam pads are the simplest, cheapest and most effective mod imo. Using other pads and mods is what I like to do for fun. And I wouldn’t not necessarily recommend any of it as all of those need a lot of time getting it somewhat right. You need to build a sturdy frame in case of those oversized pads. And then you need to try to tune it just right. And there’s always a chance to screw things up and end up with some frustrations. It can be done. It just needs a lot of try and error, as well as patience. Examples I have shown still need proper tuning. I do have an idea how to make it work but I wouldn’t recommended it to anyone looking for easy fix. YMMV.

All of your mods are very impressive. Well done!

 

[FYFL]

All of your mods are very impressive. Well done!

Pads change the sound tremendously. It’s a trail and error affair. It’s either too much bass, boosted mids or too bright top end. Getting it right is frustrating. So far I like perforated pads pads the most. Getting the right distance from the driver to ear is also crucial. Cheap foam “Grado” pads seems to strike a good balance. My only issue is that I don’t like anything resting over my ear.

 

[rad7]

Awesome! So glad that you're enjoying them.

Now, if you want to get them sounding even better (imo), and to also increase comfort even more, then try out the Grado huGe pads mod (completely reversible). You won't of course be able to wear them out in public because they will look so goofy (and you'll look like my dog in my avatar), but we don't care about that, do we?

When you say the mod is completely reversible, you're talking about just inserting these huge pads on top of the stock pads, right?

You also mentioned it is better to remove the stock pads to make them sound even better. So, I'm planning to do that. Is it easy to just carefully pull out the stock pads without damaging the headphones or is there any trick to do that?

 

[waynes world]

When you say the mod is completely reversible, you're talking about just inserting these huge pads on top of the stock pads, right?

You also mentioned it is better to remove the stock pads to make them sound even better. So, I'm planning to do that. Is it easy to just carefully pull out the stock pads without damaging the headphones or is there any trick to do that?

See this video:

Spoiler

The 20:00 mark shows the old pads being removed (ignore the fact that he had previously put holes in the pads). If you take your time and do it more carefully, you should be able to do it without ripping the old pads.

See the 22:20 mark for putting the huGe pads on. Small slits in the huGe pads where the cable goes works well.

To reverse the mods, reverse the steps.

That's it

 

[rad7]

See this video:

Spoiler

The 20:00 mark shows the old pads being removed (ignore the fact that he had previously put holes in the pads). If you take your time and do it more carefully, you should be able to do it without ripping the old pads.

See the 22:20 mark for putting the huGe pads on. Small slits in the huGe pads where the cable goes works well.

To reverse the mods, reverse the steps.

That's it

Thank you!

 

[mafyou12]

thanks to @ilmothedude on the Grado mod! I like my KSC75 so much that I got KPH30i to try... but I can't wear small on-ears like that for more than an hour so they have been collecting dust til now. Amazing and comfy mod.

 

[rad7]

In the Z-review, he mentioned that after the Grado mod was done, he needed to crank up the volume (he was also using a class-A rebel amp while testing them). I'm planning to use these for casual listening, directly from my cell phone. So, I'm now wondering if I need an amp to drive them properly after swapping out the pads.