[Pharmaboy]

I bet @puck has a thousand great ideas that could be shared here!

I'm here to tell you--he does!

 

[Pharmaboy]

Most humans in general aren't with me when it comes to what I do, have done, will do. It's my fuel in a way, all my life most have had things to say/do against whatever it is I like or am into. The more others have a hate-on, the more I'm driven to experiment, explore, push "boundaries". C'est la vie, init mate?

I'm not against you & I certainly don't hate you.

I have done work that involved my thoughts, visual design sense and imagination (woodworking; photography; writings). I learned that no matter what I think, feel or intend in doing things--once they are out in the world, each viewer reacts according to his/her own perceptions. I don't control any of it. I can only stay inside myself and allow criticism to guide/help me, not bring me down.

 

[ericpalonen]

Here's one for the #hifihacks collection that helps with the array of cables we've all amassed over the years (many of them being USB). I picked up a thick 3-ring binder and these clear-windowed pencil zip pouches that fit said 3-ring binder. Now, I can group my cables by termination (example: USB-C to USB-A; USB-A to Lightning, etc) and keep them from getting tangled. At a glance I know which is which, and where they are. You can get as many combinations of binders and pouches (and colors of them) as required for your collection. Because many data and audio cables are relatively thin, you can archive them without taking up too much space.

Lastly, I put a strip of measuring-tape masking tape (it's impossibly useful) on the inside flap so that I always have a quick way of measuring cable lengths, etc without making a separate trip to the tool box. While this is not the most compact cable storage method, it is the cleanest I've used so far. Binders range from $2 to $11 (the latter is a thick, 3" thick Avery model) and pouches range from $0.50/ea to about $1. The exhale from having a clean cable archive? Priceless.

 

[Raketen]

Didn't plan on sharing this as it's not for everyone, but why not, plus would be cool to see other folks give their Empyrean's (or Elites even, maybe) a crack. This is a visual/aesthetic mod to give the cans a new personality/look/flavor. Besides can't afford to throw down 3-4 grand everytime Meze releases a different color scheme. And since they don't have custom options, this let's one personalize, to a degree. I dare not disassemble the earcups in case I damage the sound tech, no money to afford repairs, hence no wrapping of any other parts. Vinyl wrapping takes some time and patience, but is very easy to get the hang of (after some trial & error aka practice) and is best used with a heat gun. Small investment with long-term returns.

Nice work on the vinyl wrap, but I think the star of the show is the handy volume knob

 

[Evshrug]

Didn't plan on sharing this as it's not for everyone, but why not, plus would be cool to see other folks give their Empyrean's (or Elites even, maybe) a crack. This is a visual/aesthetic mod to give the cans a new personality/look/flavor. Besides can't afford to throw down 3-4 grand everytime Meze releases a different color scheme. And since they don't have custom options, this let's one personalize, to a degree. I dare not disassemble the earcups in case I damage the sound tech, no money to afford repairs, hence no wrapping of any other parts. Vinyl wrapping takes some time and patience, but is very easy to get the hang of (after some trial & error aka practice) and is best used with a heat gun. Small investment with long-term returns.

Also recommend a good X-acto knife &/or knifeless tape, and squeegee plus other shaping tools. They also make a pin pen to help with air bubble release should it come down to that, but it's all down to personal preference. Admittedly (mainly due to financial restrictions) I don't have any tools past squeegee & X-acto knife so my Empyrean parts have a ton of scratches now, but it's cosmetic & personally couldn't care less, especially as I'm never going back to OG looks. And I improvise by using what I have laying around & make do, alas, it's a hack in the end. Different vinyl wraps have different pros and cons, it comes down to application, preference, environment, budget, graphic selection, etc.

I have a Chandler Tool heat gun I got off Amazon, and both wraps (Vvivid Vinyl & Vinyl Frog) from there as well. Provided pictures from various applications to best aid visually. Due to lack of finer tools I use my bare hands to do the smaller details, meaning I burn my hands a lot, heat is strong with this gun. To each their own, I don't mind the compromise & it toughens my fingers, paracording on the side certainly benefits tolerance levels. It is recommended (even more so to watch a bunch of YT tutorials) to heat the top surface of the vinyl a tad all over evenly to loosen it up a bit before applying on to your designated object, it helps with bending much better. The vinyl upon heating initially will stretch, then tighten. And heating it past a threshold will stretch again, then possibly tear. Different quality will determine these factors. I used Vvivid Biopulse Hex in dark tint & Gloss Candy Purple as base for the headband, & Vinyl Frog Matte Chameleon for the headband/rod clamps/holder for my current appearance, with neon yellow paracord wrap on the left side of the headband, because it's how I like it. Very hard to miss, this pair, when out in public .

Antonio/Meze designed this headphone so well, there's virtually no gap forgiveness between the clamps & the parts in between. Meaning, if one were to wrap the parts and attempt to screw the assembly back, with the wrap it would be too thick to do so. So, must cut very precisely so there's nothing in the way, at the same time not so far out that it interferes with the cleanliness of the wrap. Otherwise, will look very untidy and parts of the carbon fiber or alumin(i)um will be visible between the wraps. It's a big reason I ended up wrapping them multiple times, would get lazy and then regret it later, and have to do the whole thing from scratch. As long as the rods aren't all the way out, cannot see the back of them and so no need to wrap that area properly, just enough for the wrap to grasp the object. Same for the insides of the clamps, not that it'll be possible. As can be seen, my screws are silver & not stock black, I switched them out with the Maple Silver Classics for contrast against the color (or black before it was wrapped). All Meze cans use a T6 Torx screwdriver, but on the Liric they're intentionally super taut so as to not loosen over time, given their design.

Once the initially wrap is applied, it's a matter of heating, lifting and reapplying bit by bit with the aid of the heat gun, and using tools such as one's finger/nails & squeegee to wrap over curves, bends, etc. If applying on a closed gap, poke a hole in the center for air and easement of application. Cut out and discard the excess wrap. I use a for air release in areas I've exhausted all other options on to do so. Air is easily pushed out through the hole and practically disappears. I have yet to use knifeless tape, but I suspect it'll make the wrapping much easier in that you won't have scratches all over the parts as I do, and also will be able to choose leaving out the printed section on the rod holder parts. I took a picture of the area and then wrapped over it. Previously had the print showing but didn't like how abrupt the wrap looked.

I also have wanted to hydro-dip the parts for more complicated graphics, but haven't dabbled into it yet, mostly financial reasons. And have no worries about destroying the parts as it's all replaceable. I did accidentally push out the innards of the rod holder, but got to learn in the process what the mechanics are. For anyone wishing to increase the friction, doesn't seem to be a way according to me from what it is. But I've attached a photo so y'all can see, the rubber tube goes in first, leaving just enough space on the bottom for that hard ring with the gap, which follows suit. It popped out when I was wrapping the bottom sides and pushing through with a thicker screwdriver so the sides stretch out properly. I effed up and will need to rewrap the left rod holder as I got frustrated towards the end & rushed through it.

I have considered for future when I have knifeless tape to have more complicated wrap designs, and to build a heat divider that can go between the grille and cup frame in order that I may attempt to wrap those parts, but so far is fantasy, don't want to risk damaging the tech, everything else isn't as prone to a heart attack. Adding this for other eyes to read.

Best of luck & cheerio

Edit: Remove rods by unscrewing the top black head, & same way to put back on. Mine came with one loose, it's how I discovered it.

Well, personally I feel that your process was well explained (and that price!!!), so if someone else preferred a different color scheme than you chose, then that's all the more incentive for them to try at their own taste! I'm super impressed, and I know a few people who would swoon for those purple accents Vinyl would also protect against damage and encourage experimentation... the thought of spray painting directly onto my precious headphones makes me cringe, I might be willing to try adding a spray-paint stencil on top of a vinyl wrap, like my name or a logo!
Also, I just HAD to expand to see the "handy volume knob" mentioned by @Raketen

I'll have to think if I have any of my own Hacticals to share... right now, all I can think of is some experiments I'm performing with styrofoam apple cartons and cardboard egg cartons, as well as using a hat/coat stand as a "headphone tree" to hang headphones and bags of commonly used accessories! I ought to combine this with organizing the bags for different connector types, as Eric did with his binder...

Oh, also some years back, I realized that baby seatbelt covers make excellent headband wraps! Way softer than some other options I tried...

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[Infoseeker]

Well, personally I feel that your process was well explained (and that price!!!), so if someone else preferred a different color scheme than you chose, then that's all the more incentive for them to try at their own taste! I'm super impressed, and I know a few people who would swoon for those purple accents Vinyl would also protect against damage and encourage experimentation... the thought of spray painting directly onto my precious headphones makes me cringe, I might be willing to try adding a spray-paint stencil on top of a vinyl wrap, like my name or a logo!
Also, I just HAD to expand to see the "handy volume knob" mentioned by @Raketen

I'll have to think if I have any of my own Hacticals to share... right now, all I can think of is some experiments I'm performing with styrofoam apple cartons and cardboard egg cartons, as well as using a hat/coat stand as a "headphone tree" to hang headphones and bags of commonly used accessories! I ought to combine this with organizing the bags for different connector types, as Eric did with his binder...


Oh, also some years back, I realized that baby seatbelt covers make excellent headband wraps! Way softer than some other options I tried...

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That is a new level of not giving any ducks, but wow both ideas look really damn convenient. It's perfectly convenient.

 

[ericpalonen]

I'll have to think if I have any of my own Hacticals to share... right now, all I can think of is some experiments I'm performing with styrofoam apple cartons and cardboard egg cartons, as well as using a hat/coat stand as a "headphone tree" to hang headphones and bags of commonly used accessories! I ought to combine this with organizing the bags for different connector types, as Eric did with his binder...


Oh, also some years back, I realized that baby seatbelt covers make excellent headband wraps! Way softer than some other options I tried...

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The REAL tree of life hath been revealed
Love the padding hack @Evshrug ! Now that's using your head

 

[Evshrug]

That is a new level of not giving any ducks, but wow both ideas look really damn convenient. It's perfectly convenient.

HAhah, fair enough! Convenient is right though... when reviewing the sound of a headphone, and A/B swapping between two or three quickly, a single headphone stand didn't feel like enough. If I pay attention to arrangement, I think it actually is a good prop (at least for my personality) in the background of a video! And the baby seatbelt wraps migrate between headphones... I think it's actually going to my Momentum Wireless 2 next, for bedtime tunes!

But just like water rolling off a duck's back, it's actually an ideal of mine to just shrug things off that could bother me. I don't always succeed, but I try! That's why Everett (Ev) became EvShrug online

 

[Unseen Aura]

I'm not against you & I certainly don't hate you.

I have done work that involved my thoughts, visual design sense and imagination (woodworking; photography; writings). I learned that no matter what I think, feel or intend in doing things--once they are out in the world, each viewer reacts according to his/her own perceptions. I don't control any of it. I can only stay inside myself and allow criticism to guide/help me, not bring me down.

Ha! No need to get defensive mate, that's exactly what I'm doing, but clearly not going to be seen that way irregardless. Cheerio

 

[Evshrug]

OH! I was just at Bed Bath & Beyond (looking at toaster ovens, but tempted by a Ninja Foodi Grill? Not sure what to get), and I saw this baby which rang up at the register for just $10:

Looks like it can hold controllers, a couple headphones, AND there’s a tray at the bottom to hold adapters, dongles, spare eartips, and more! $10! I almost bought it, even though I don’t need it