[phillkillv2]

After a while of use, I noticed that the plastic on the 8323 started cracking. I've had these for a few months also.

 

[Armaegis]

Cracking where?
 
For $20 I guess one wouldn't be hurting to replace it. Mine has no cracks though, but I don't use it that much.

 

[phillkillv2]

It's cracking where you adjust the headphones themselves. The cracks are small when not on my head. They were daily headphones for me for a while. They served their purpose. 

 

[Armaegis]

So what's on the horizon for replacement?

 

[phillkillv2]

  So what's on the horizon for replacement?

Just got my M50x a few days ago
 
I want to mod the 8323 to open air and add a few things like better pads. I don't know how I could reinforce the parts where they're cracking.

 

[Armaegis]

Maybe some crazy glue then pressure to push the cracks shut?

 

[phillkillv2]

I guess that could do. I'm wondering what else I could do with them.

 

[rockcoastsound]

I recently purchased the NXG NX-HTDJ from an amazon seller for just over $15. (I am new to head-fi so forgive me if this post is improperly located.) I needed a cheap set of cans to open up and play with. I am a new father so I am on a budget, but want to explore more impressive options in the future and gain a little practice without sweating over $$$. $15 allows for less pressure to get acquainted with modding. I discovered that the NX-HTDJ was supposedly a rebrand of the popular 8323, but slightly more comfortable with the velour headband. I can’t say if the two cans share the same sound signature, but the NX-HTDJ sounds great for the price. What can you really expect for $15.
The fit is a different story. I have a normal sized head, in my opinion, but felt like I was stringing a bow-and-arrow when putting the cans on. A strange squarish shape ensued. I understood this as a common criticism of both the 8323 and NX-HTDJ. The fit wasn’t too tight, but I felt like there was one small contact point on the top of my head allowed by the recurve design. After looking at the headband, I decided to get out my screwdriver and take things apart.
The swivel angle of the gimbels (?) was limited by the headband. I decided to remove a small amount of material from the headband to allow for a wider angle. I hoped this would get rid of the strange look of the headband and it did! In fact, it allowed for a more ergonomic curve to the headband and has greatly improved in the overall comfort of the headband as the pressure is spread across a wider surface area.
I am not one to frequently post on forums (this is my first), but I feel this mod so greatly improved my appreciation of these headphones it was worth passing on. Below, I have a few shots of the mod.
1. I eyeballed the general angle I wanted to achieve. Obviously, removing too much material could result in insufficient clamping force.
 

 
2. To disconnect the cup and mounting brackets, remove the two screws and gently pry the bracket back. The ball joint should easily slide out of the mount without completely removing the bract.
 

 
2. I ended up removing about 2mm with a diamond file. I am sure a Dremel tool would be wonderfully expeditious for the removal process. I would recommend covering the wire with tape to prevent inadvertently removing material from the wire jacket. I also removed the inward facing stopper protruding from the top of the ball joint. It seemed to restrict the movement for the angle I was looking to achieve. Both areas I removed are visible in this photo.

 
4. Like I said, the fit is greatly fit is greatly improved and consequently the comfort. I also noticed little reduction in clamping force. Don’t be fooled by the mundane facial expression, they are considerably more comfortable.
 
 
  

 
I also punched holes in the rear facing vent covers and placed a discernible amount of polyfill inside the cups. I hoped the polyfill would tighten up the bass and reduce the slight flabbiness. Opening the vents freed up the bass a bit, counteracting any loss from the polyfill. Now the bass seems much more musically varied. Lastly, I lined the inside of the cups with coaches tape. That's right, coaches tape. After reading that dynamat, which I do not have access to, reduced the soundstage making the sound more canned in, I still wanted to have some damping for the top end to reduce the subtle graininess without reducing soundstage. Not sure if this had a major effect, but over all the cans sound great.
 
I was considering a headband pad mod, but I think the comfort has been improved to the point that a new pad is unnecessary.

 

[trueserve]

Sorry about the late reply. Yes, you are correct, that is a mistake in the schematic. I think it should be .47uF on both sides, ignore the mistaken 1uF.

 

[TrollDragon]

  I also removed the inward facing stopper protruding from the top of the ball joint. It seemed to restrict the movement for the angle I was looking to achieve. Both areas I removed are visible in this photo.

 

Nice work!
I am going to try this with mine and see what happens as I already have Pearstone Velour pads and the eBay Universal Headband installed. The more we can do to take the squareness out of that headband the better.

 

[FraGGleR]

I know these are in a different price bracket entirely to start off with, but how does a modded pair of these compare to a modded T20/50 variant?  Bottlehead is releasing a mod kit based on this headphone (which shocked me), so I'm really curious about these now (not that I have time to do mods anymore).  They are doing something inline to make them more compatible with their Crack amp so I'm assuming it is a resistor network not unlike what has been posted here.  

 

[Armaegis]

It's a series resistor as far as I know. They tried L-pads but there was too much attenuation.
 
The stock 8323 is capable of better bass than the stock T50rp. The 8323 has a pretty strong treble rolloff though.
 
I've played more with T50rp mods than I have 8323, but in my opinion the T50rp is stll the superior headphone (or rather, has better potential). Then again, I can't fold the T50rp into a pouch and run it off an mp3 player.
 
I've always been impressed with bottlehead stuff though, so I'm really curious to hear impressions of their take on the 8323.

 

[rockcoastsound]

TrollDragon I'm excited to hear your impressions of the mod. I hope you find the same improvement in comfort. After looking at the swivel joint, it may be possible to complete the mod without taking anything apart if you have the right tool. A small dremel bit would do the trick. Good luck with the mod and let me know how it turned out!

 

[eSZee]

@TrollDragon I'm excited to hear your impressions of the mod. I hope you find the same improvement in comfort. After looking at the swivel joint, it may be possible to complete the mod without taking anything apart if you have the right tool. A small dremel bit would do the trick. Good luck with the mod and let me know how it turned out!

 
I would hold off if I were you.
Just did it on my 8323s and I'm somewhat regretting it. The comfort improvement is definitely there and the squared look of the band is mostly gone BUT majority of the clamping force is gone as well. They now feel loose on my watermelon of a head. The bottoms of the cups feel like they are lifting away from my head and making a poor seal.
 

  Nice work!
I am going to try this with mine and see what happens as I already have Pearstone Velour pads and the eBay Universal Headband installed. The more we can do to take the squareness out of that headband the better.

I removed the screws as you suggested on the left side but on the right side I only loosened them to do all the cuts. Used a box cutter, btw.

 

[TrollDragon]

Too late! I used a nice round Dremel bit on mine.... Squareness of the headband is totally gone!

But I cut too far into the back part and now the cups are pulled away from the bottom of my ears. There is not enough play in the yokes to allow the cups to swivel properly.

Back to the shop to find something to fill in the excess space or perform some kind of yoke modification.

I'll post pics later and if anything wait for a Monoprice $16 sale to get a replacement set... :basshead:

I really can't believe that Bottlehead sells a modified version of these for $149. Must be one hell of a mod.