mod: Monoporice 8323

[eSZee]

Hahaha. I just came back to say cut very little at at time til you like it.
 
Temporary fix for me...4 layers of electrical tape inside each cut and they are again snug and still rounded.

 

[TrollDragon]

  Hahaha. I just came back to say cut very little at at time til you like it.
 
Temporary fix for me...4 layers of electrical tape inside each cut and they are again snug and still rounded.

Nice temporary recovery, I'll have to work on mine later on tonight.

 

[eSZee]

I received my NXGs this morning and can't believe how different they are from the 8323s. Bass and treble are swapped in these. There is almost no bass and the highs are almost unbearable.

 

[rockcoastsound]

The bass was recessed initially with my NXGs as well. The bass is much more present when they are driven by an amp. The velvet pads will contribute to a loss in bass as well,although I haven't noticed any piercing highs. Give them a chance to warm up and remember you paid $15 for them.

 

[eSZee]

The bass was recessed initially with my NXGs as well. The bass is much more present when they are driven by an amp. The velvet pads will contribute to a loss in bass as well,although I haven't noticed any piercing highs. Give them a chance to warm up and remember you paid $15 for them.

I've got the 8323 pads on them and driving them with a fiio e11.
I was expecting them to be more or less the same as the 8323s. I'm just scratching my head as to how it's possible for the difference to be so big.
I paid $19

but I still think it was worth it if nothing else just for the pads and cups alone.

 

[rockcoastsound]

I am equally surprised. I don't have the 8323 to compare with, but the build is nearly identical. Is this where I recommend burn in and say it will all change after 100 hours?

 

[eSZee]

I am equally surprised. I don't have the 8323 to compare with, but the build is nearly identical. Is this where I recommend burn in and say it will all change after 100 hours?

Got about 80hrs of burn in. Got the pleather 8323 pads on them and the bass is nowhere to be found.
EQing in +9db under ~65hz does almost nothing. It's as if though the drivers are not meant to produce anything under that frequency.
I have some free time so I'll be swapping parts. Hopefully that get's me somewhere.

 

[avitron142]

I found this final version of the mod got me the absolute best out of these headphones - but it really takes out a lot of the bass, so bassheads please look elsewhere. Sorry.
 
Bought the Beyerdynamic edt 250 pads. Way more comfortable, worth the price in my opinion. Through out the included velour backing and replaced it with the original pads' foam backing (cut it out of the original pads; if you have your own foam backing good for you

) the velour backing altered the sound quality too much for me. This mod is geared for that setup.
 
Skipped step 1.
 
Do step 2&3 with a *bit* thicker foam than what's shown in the picture; it worked better for me. Mine had no rubber backing. I think the foam clears up the bass (less muddy), but I'm honestly not sure. It is part of the formula though 

 
Step 4 was done with a triple layered surgical tape. The bass holes are the only noticeable holes in the headphone that's not attached to hinges of any sort. 2 in each cup, one on each side. Taping them up decreases the bass, but greatly improves the clarity, so it's a trade-off. The final bass result is going to be normal for what higher-end headphones can offer, and I found that after a few days, I didn't really miss it 

 
Bass is like salt; the more you're used to it, the less you feel it. The first few days without it is hard, but after a week or so, you'll wonder why you needed so much in the first place.
 
Step 5 was done with funtak/blutak, worked for me. And double surgical tape over half the driver vents, as shown in the original picture.
 
Step 6 was done exactly how he said it. Cotton brings out the highs, so put as much a you feel is necessary. YMMV.
 
Step 7 was skipped.
 
Step 8: This is my own addition; after your finished and put the velour pads back on, put funtak/blutak around the pads, where the pads and cups meet. Here's a picture (not mine, but it'll be fine for now):
 

 
 
 
Notice that where the pads and the monoprice cups meet, there remains a spot a bit open; a line straight around the headphone. I filled that up with a fine line of blutak/funtak; the isolation greatly improves. I'll see if I can add my own picture in the recent future. Enjoy!
 
Thank you to @Armaegis for all his help!

 

[Armaegis]

Awesome job man. I'm glad it worked out for you

 

[avitron142]

  Awesome job man. I'm glad it worked out for you

I'm happy with the result. Thank you for all your help!
 
 
P.S.- Just got the Nuforce Icon Udac-2 (new) for $39... heard your a Nuforce fan - thought you might wanna stock up on them at this price; especially since the original price was $130
 -> http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_78814_NuForce-Icon-uDAC-2-Black-Damaged-Box-Complete.html
"Damaged" box, but who cares since everybody throws out the box anyway after 5 minutes 

 
Don't know what the advantages of the Udac-3 over the udac-2, but the udac-2 seems to be a solid piece of hardware as is. Does it improve much after burn-in?

 

[Armaegis]

Haha, I have way too many toys as it is. That's a great price though.
 
If you dig around my profile I do have a review of the uDac3 that compares a bit with the 2. Not really a huge difference to my ear. I'm not really a believer in burn-in either, although I do give the components time to "burn in" as it were over a couple days.

 

[avitron142]

  Haha, I have way too many toys as it is. That's a great price though.
 
If you dig around my profile I do have a review of the uDac3 that compares a bit with the 2. Not really a huge difference to my ear. I'm not really a believer in burn-in either, although I do give the components time to "burn in" as it were over a couple days.

Alright. Thanks! 

 

[ducatirob]

Will adding dynamat inside alter the enclosure volume significantly enough to be an issue ? Would applying it to the outside of the earcup be effective (though ugly) ? Just looking for tighter not diminished bass. Thanks

 

[Armaegis]

I don't think adding the dynamat will make any significant difference in the cups. Try some softer pads and maybe a bit of material in front of the driver.

 

[jdg711]

Which of these mods gets them to sound like the HD800s? Thanks!