hi, got my pair of ms1's last friday and i was really suprised about the sound.
i was just wondering, how i could just improve that experience due to so many readings through threads about these headphones.
is it possible to make them circumaural?
what else could i do?
I personally don't like the way Grado's sound with C-pads. I've tried them on my 125's and it completely changed the sound signature. Hold the drivers about 1/2 inch from your ears and you'll see what i'm talking about. Either way, a design like that might be something if you want to DIY.
As for other mods, I'm not sure. I have heard of people putting a little wad of blue tack behind the center of their drivers to calm down the highs.
I'm not sure what Alessandro's come with, but this is what he's talking about when referring to bowl pads.
It is still not circumaural however. The pads still press on your ears.
Originally Posted by b0ol /img/forum/go_quote.gif what are these bowl pads?
i got no amp (neither the money)
and i got a cheap mp3player for most of my listening experience... they're for outdoor use
headphile C-pads will probably cost more than the MS1,so you can probably scratch that off your list.
Seriously... Just enjoy them and the great tunes. They're great headphones. But if you really want to upgrade here are some things to get your feet wet.
$0- Socket mod the comfy pads. That will open up the highs and add more detail.
$5-HD414 pads, not my favorite Grado pad, but its more detailed than the stock comfy.
$15- Grado bowl pads, that will open up the highs, add detail and image separation.
$30- TTVJ flats, That will open up the highs and add more detai.The foam is denser than the comfy pads, so it will add image separation too, but not as much as bowls.
$50- cmoy, see tangentsoft.net for all the details on a DIY build. There are quite a few on ebay too.
Originally Posted by HiWire /img/forum/go_quote.gif You can improve them by listening to them more. Burn-in/adaptation improves the sound substantially. Also, it's free
what does this mean? the longer i listen to them the better they get? Oo
@kramer: thank you
Burn-in, this is the change in mechanical properties of the headphones through playing music or sounds out of them. The idea is that good headphones are designed so that they perform their best once they are worn in. This wear is due to the fact that the diaphragm actually moves as you play music.
There is some controversy as to whether this is a real, physical effect or a psychological effect. My position stands that there is a slight physical effect that really can't be heard by most people and that most of the change people hear is psychological. Either way, many people find themselves enjoying their headphones more after burn-in. There are certain sounds (pink noise) that you can get that are supposed to help burn in headphones.
You should definitely consider an amp. I have a CMOY I bought from Gary a number of years back, they worked really well with my SR-125's. Now, he makes the PA2v2 which you can buy either on these forums, ebay, or emailing him directly. I've heard it and it sounds great. Another plus with buying from Gary is he will offer lifetime support for the amp in case anything breaks. He is a great guy to deal with. It will run you about $60 new, $50 ish used. Definitely worth it. Sounds great plus extends your portable setup battery life.
Originally Posted by b0ol /img/forum/go_quote.gif problem: i live in germany... 50 bucks, that's nothing...
what does this (or what do these amps) amp increase else than volume?
Can feed more (or same amount) "juice" in more purely. Grados need quite a bit of current to sound their best, so portable players small chip runs out of steam quickly. With proper amp, it sounds more detailed and so on... increased dynamics, increased dynamics (less compressed feeling) etc... Also PA2V2 (amp Gary is selling IIRC) has warm soundsignature that mates well with Grado/Alessandro line. Not THE amplifier for them, but certainly improvement over portable-player-only.
hm... gary is his nick?
sounds very interesting..
does he ship to germany? (i don't think he's a german bloke)
what do both cost? how do i realise that the battery is worn off? (don't know how to say that in english, sorry)
One mistake people often make when they are new to the hobby is that they jump in too quickly. I find a lot of people on the forums like "Hey, I just got these new headphones two days ago, 1) How can I make them better, 2) What should I upgrade to?" After you get new headphones, especially if it's your first decent pair, spend some time listening to them to pick out things you like and dislike about them. That way, when you go modding or go to upgrade, you know what you're looking for and you're unlikely to mess up. Otherwise, you'll end up doing what I did and going through six or seven pairs of headphones before finally finding one that fits. If you stop and actually listen to the cans for a while, you can easily avoid all the in-betweens and go down the correct route.
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