[DannyBuoy]

Well, after listening for a couple weeks now and not having any strange looks or complaints from my fellow workers I decided to make them look a bit better.
 
I looked into getting some wood veneer and removing the paper and replace with wood veneer but today I thought let me try something else (Suggested by DefectiveAudioComponent above).
 
I removed the drivers earpieces from their hangers, removed the dynamat and then took off the grills.
 
I checked under the felt pads and saw their was 1/4 inch bettween the grills and the felt the covers the drivers.
 
So using the grills as a template I cut the dynamat to 1/16 of th diameter of the outside diameter of the grill.
 
Then I cut indents where the screw holes were using wire snips.
 
Then I removed the paper covering the sticky dynamat surface, married the grills to the dynamat and press it tight.
 
I put it all back together adn I am listening to them now. I am pleased with the sound, happy with the isolation and not upset over the way they looked before (the cardboard look).
 
Here are some pictures I took along the way, the last pic is the finished product.
 
 

 

Finished!    How does it look? 

 

[powerlifter450]

Looks great. I'm gonna close mine too, same issues. It really doesn't take that much volume to get some serious sound leakage from these things.

 

[Paganini Alfredo]

Does it sound similar if you just clamp your hands over the cups? Cause that makes them sound horrible.

 

[bcg27]

Quote:

Does it sound similar if you just clamp your hands over the cups? Cause that makes them sound horrible.

Wow that really does make them sound bad

 

[powerlifter450]

I wouldn't say that it makes them sound bad, they still sound better than every closed phone that I've ever heard and I've heard many by now. It just makes the soundstage more closed in.

 

[DannyBuoy]

It does not sound anything like putting your hands over the cups. I am listening now and the sound is clear, distinct, sharp, and has increased bass slam.
I only detect two downsides to the sound so far:
1.) I have to increase the volume as the dynamics and efficiency of the drivers seem to have been impacted. It is taking more volume to get a satisfying sound, but that sound is very good.
2.) When I keep increasing the volume up to max enjoyable listening levels the treble gets a bit sharp edged, no sibilant, but harsher than unmodded version. The upside is that below that max comfort level there is a sweet spot where the mids and highs become bright and forward which the open ear (stock) version did not have and this was what I liked in the HE6 when I compared them to the LCD. So the sound actually is a nice cross breading of what I liked in the HE6 sound (mid articulated highs) while maintaining the dynamic, tight slamming bass.
 
And now I am not always loking around worried that I might be invading others earspace with my Beastie boys, or Supermassive Blackhole broadcasting to others...For me, it works.
Quote:

Wow that really does make them sound bad

 

 

[zzffnn]

Amazing mod! I will try this for sure, at least the mod on the 1st post. I would expect the mod on first page to beat a closed can like Fischer FA-003s, given DannyBuoy said he prefers the modded closed CLD-2s to D7000s? If that is indeed the case, it is much cheaper to than buying another closed can I guess.
 
A quick question though, when I google shopping "Dynamat Xtreme", I saw different part numbers for Dynamat Xtreme, like 10415, 10001, 10435. The material is all the same correct (i.e., different part number only refers to different size)? Please advise me, thanks a lot.

 

[rhythmdevils]

Don't worry about touching the drivers, even if it did, it would just touch the magnets, which are thick, and whatever it was would have to get in between magnets to touch the diaphragm.  Not possible with a sheet of dynamat like that. 
 
You could experiment with poking a small vent hole into the dynamat on the edge.  This won't change the sound leakage significantly, but it will let the backwave vent, which will change the sound and could be a very good thing. 

 

[DannyBuoy]

I cut slits in the dynamat (about 3, 1 inch long slits) to do exactly what you say. I definitely decompressed some of the boominess I was getting in the bass. I use museum putty (which is tacky, not sticky) to plug the holes sometimes.
Quote:

Don't worry about touching the drivers, even if it did, it would just touch the magnets, which are thick, and whatever it was would have to get in between magnets to touch the diaphragm.  Not possible with a sheet of dynamat like that. 
 
You could experiment with poking a small vent hole into the dynamat on the edge.  This won't change the sound leakage significantly, but it will let the backwave vent, which will change the sound and could be a very good thing. 

 

 

[Lurkumaural]

Amazing mod, no joke.  I had a journey reading through it.
 
Honestly, I was on page 1 thinking "Dude you have the wrong headphones if this is what you're doing to them."  This was mainly because it looked so bad.
 
I am very happy to find out that you solved your problem, kept the (wonderful IMO) aesthetics of the headphone, minimized degradation of the sound, and remembered to vent the new acoustics.
 
 
Cheers

 

[Wyd4]

Hi there, I have the LCD 2's also, (well I will have tomorrow when i get them). I bought some Rev1's. I am really hoping I dont have to do this mod, however if I do, out of interest, is there any danger to the diaphram due to pressure in the now somewhat sealed back or does the small venting you added resolve any issues in that regard? MIght have to look into this. Did you use Dynamat branded "Dynamat" or not? It seems very costly and I cant seem to buy it unless I want to do my entire car at the same time

 

[Wyd4]

Ok so I completed this mod and I must say (personally) that I really disliked the change in sound.
It's a great discrete mod that really allowed me to crank the volume but ultimately I much prefer listening to them quietly without.

Great idea though and I recommend anyone curious to give it a go.

Scott

 

[ev13wt]

You're gonna be the old man screaming: "WAT DID YOU SAY SON???? SPEAK UP DAMMIT!"


Also, you just changed the sound sig with your mod - take one side off and listen to a mono signal for a fair comparison.

edit: Old thread was old...

 

[peterinvan]

You're gonna be the old man screaming: "WAT DID YOU SAY SON???? SPEAK UP DAMMIT!"
.

Anyone tried fabricating or 3D printing some cups like the ones on the LCD-XC?

 

[wxchue]

Well, after listening for a couple weeks now and not having any strange looks or complaints from my fellow workers I decided to make them look a bit better.

I looked into getting some wood veneer and removing the paper and replace with wood veneer but today I thought let me try something else (Suggested by DefectiveAudioComponent above).

I removed the drivers earpieces from their hangers, removed the dynamat and then took off the grills.

I checked under the felt pads and saw their was 1/4 inch bettween the grills and the felt the covers the drivers.

So using the grills as a template I cut the dynamat to 1/16 of th diameter of the outside diameter of the grill.

Then I cut indents where the screw holes were using wire snips.

Then I removed the paper covering the sticky dynamat surface, married the grills to the dynamat and press it tight.

I put it all back together adn I am listening to them now. I am pleased with the sound, happy with the isolation and not upset over the way they looked before (the cardboard look).

Here are some pictures I took along the way, the last pic is the finished product.





Finished! How does it look?

Thanks for the share! I just modded my LCD2 by using Alphasonik Soundproofing mat (made in Korea). I was amazed by the soundproofing done on the headphone itself, it is superb and allows me to use in my office!

However, the sound quality is not what I expected. It becomes much flatter, the soundstage was narrowed. Overall reasonable sounding, vocal and treble are as normal. Currently, I'm still testing how to improve the soundstage a little bit, either by drilling a few little holes on the soundproofing mat or might tuning my amp to get to the desired sounding.

Do take note, the black mud of the Alphasonik mat will stain on the wooden casing. Suggest before installing, try to squeeze out excessive mud at the edge and press it flats before put into the casing.

Cheers!