[frank2908]

I made some earpads with a smaller inside opening (new left, old right)





Pretty much did as expected. Substantially shrank the sound stage, while improving the sound quality (but not magnitude) of the bass and being a fair bit darker of a sound.

Overall, I substantially like the old earpads better. They offer a much more believable image and are overall way more enjoyable to listen to. The only artist that sounds better on the new ones is 2Pac.

Hi, i've never seen a diy leather pads this neat. Could u pls share a tutorial? This is very beneficial for my other project

 

[arnaud]

Wachara, here are the notes I took when I tested your float and orpheus clones. Sorry for the dirty copy/paste, the comments are much very rough and don't reflect how much I enjoyed them. They were underpowered by the 727 amp though, that is certain.

Orpheus clone:
> Very easy on the ears (mid/highs quite smooth, treble rolled off), SR009 comes of as in-your-face and much brighter in comparison, SR007 is in between the two. Orpheus clone sounds muffled on SRM727, opens up on LLmk2.
> Bass is quite round / full sounding. 009 is tighter, 007 is similar both go quite a bit lower / or provide much more kick.
> Soundstage has limited depth bit L/R/C. Sounds is bit like in a box, 007mk2 more open, 009 even more.

Float clone:
> Much brighter / neutral sounding than Orpheus clone. Brighter than (or less bass) 007mk1 but still less bright than SR009.
> Can feel the vibration of the frame (feels like speaker is next to the ear, left ear rattles with acoustic bass).
> Works best with light music / strings & voices. Bass is nice (tight / well textured) but clearly missing low bass / sub-bass
> Soundstage much more realistic than orpheus clone, open sounding, well in front

 

[chinsettawong]

Hi Arnaud,
 
Thank you very much for your note.
 
Let me prepare my Float clone, and I'll send them off to you next week.  I'll let you keep them for a longer period of time.  Please share them with your friends in Japan.
 
When I got the Orpheus clone back from you last time, I noticed that the phones were not sounding balanced.  I'm not sure if you noticed that when they're with you.  Anyway, they're now with a good friend in the USA.  So, I can't send them to you this time.  I can send my new pair to you after I've finished making them if you're still interested.  But I'm taking my time and they'll probably won't be ready before May.
 
Wachara C.

 

[OnyxOcelot]

Hello Chinsetta and all DIY ES headphone folks,
 
Apologies if you had mentioned this earlier in the thread, but I was curious about one aspect in particular of ES headphone construction.
 
I have just begun reading Sanders' "Electrostatic Loudspeaker Design Cookbook" as one of the steps towards making my own ES headphones, and he mentions that the shape and size of stator-holes would have an impact on the sound.  In writing that, it seems obvious, but I was curious if any of you had experimented with different shapes of stator-holes than the standard round through-hole.  
 
For example, one might imagine using a v-tip bit, and producing holes which were larger on one end and smaller on the other. These holes could either 'face' in or out, or be alternated back and forth.    I could also imagine drilling the holes at an angle to the stator.  These changes might alter the sound in a positive or negative way, but are worth trying, if only for fun.
 
Have any of you adventurous DIY'ers tried these alterations?  Feel free to tell me they are stupid ideas.  I will try them anyway!
 
Best,
OnyxOcelot

 

[dude_500]

 
Have any of you adventurous DIY'ers tried these alterations?  Feel free to tell me they are stupid ideas.  I will try them anyway!

 
I've tried 1mm vs. 2mm holes, but not the different shaped holes. I want to think there's a difference and the 1mm sounds better, but really it's so subtle that it could all be in my head. I only have one pair of headphones so it takes too long to switch out drivers to really be able to tell.

 

[arnaud]

  Hi Arnaud,
 
Thank you very much for your note.
 
Let me prepare my Float clone, and I'll send them off to you next week.  I'll let you keep them for a longer period of time.  Please share them with your friends in Japan.
 
When I got the Orpheus clone back from you last time, I noticed that the phones were not sounding balanced.  I'm not sure if you noticed that when they're with you.  Anyway, they're now with a good friend in the USA.  So, I can't send them to you this time.  I can send my new pair to you after I've finished making them if you're still interested.  But I'm taking my time and they'll probably won't be ready before May.
 
Wachara C.

 
Hi Wachara,
 
This is super generous of you, I feel embarrassed because I haven't done anything in return - I was supposed to help you with your test rig remember?
 
Of course, I (and several others here actually ) would be delighted to get to hear it again, but at the very least shipping is on my this time (or something you need from Japan??).
 
cheers,
arnaud

 

[chinsettawong]

  Hello Chinsetta and all DIY ES headphone folks,
 
Apologies if you had mentioned this earlier in the thread, but I was curious about one aspect in particular of ES headphone construction.
 
I have just begun reading Sanders' "Electrostatic Loudspeaker Design Cookbook" as one of the steps towards making my own ES headphones, and he mentions that the shape and size of stator-holes would have an impact on the sound.  In writing that, it seems obvious, but I was curious if any of you had experimented with different shapes of stator-holes than the standard round through-hole.  
 
For example, one might imagine using a v-tip bit, and producing holes which were larger on one end and smaller on the other. These holes could either 'face' in or out, or be alternated back and forth.    I could also imagine drilling the holes at an angle to the stator.  These changes might alter the sound in a positive or negative way, but are worth trying, if only for fun.
 
Have any of you adventurous DIY'ers tried these alterations?  Feel free to tell me they are stupid ideas.  I will try them anyway!
 
Best,
OnyxOcelot

 
Hi OnyxOcelot,
 
A few people that I know have actually talked and discussed about the shape and size of the stator-holes and their influence in sound.  Yes, I have done quite a few tests in the past.  And I can't really hear a significant difference in sound when comparing the different hole sizes.  However, I do like it better with the more open area stators.  I feel that the sound stage is wider and the sound is more transparent.  I have no measurement though, and it's just my feeling.
 
This is a picture of my first version of Oval shape stator:
 

Later on, I put a lot more holes on it and it becomes:
 

 
I also played around to see if asymmetrical alignment of holes would make a much difference in sound.  So, I made something like these:
 

 
You're welcome to try something different.  You might have better ears than us.  
 
Wachara C.

 

[chinsettawong]

   
Hi Wachara,
 
This is super generous of you, I feel embarrassed because I haven't done anything in return - I was supposed to help you with your test rig remember?
 
Of course, I (and several others here actually ) would be delighted to get to hear it again, but at the very least shipping is on my this time (or something you need from Japan??).
 
cheers,
arnaud

 
Hi Arnaud,
 
I'm always glad to lend my headphones to friends.  It's no problem at all.  I've got to many of them here anyway.  

 
Please enjoy them and let me know your thought on how I can improve them.
 
I'll send them to you early next week.  Please let me know when you've received them.
 
Wachara C.
 
PS.  I might need your help on some items from Japan in the future.  Please help me when I need your help.  

 

 

[OnyxOcelot]

   
You're welcome to try something different.  You might have better ears than us.  
 

Unlikely, Wachara!  
 
Could you just confirm that by more 'open area' on the stator, you mean fewer holes, and therefore greater stator-area?  Or do you mean more open as in more openings (holes)?  
 
Thanks, dude_500, for the reply as well.  I think I will start with 1 or 2 mm straight holes and play around with shape / angle later on down the road.
 I will post back any findings if I do end up trying it.

 

[chinsettawong]

  Unlikely, Wachara!  
 
Could you just confirm that by more 'open area' on the stator, you mean fewer holes, and therefore greater stator-area?  Or do you mean more open as in more openings (holes)?  
 
Thanks, dude_500, for the reply as well.  I think I will start with 1 or 2 mm straight holes and play around with shape / angle later on down the road.
 I will post back any findings if I do end up trying it.

 
By more open area, I mean more holes.  Well, actually, it means more area for air to flow through and not just more holes.  
 
I prefer something like this:
 

 

 
to this:
 

 
 
Comparing 2nd picture and 3rd picture, I'm sure that you can tell that the stators in 2nd picture has a lot more open area than the 3rd.  
 
And that's what I mean.
 
Wachara C.

 

[n3rdling]

I don't think shaping the holes as cones would really make much difference for our application.  Usually you only see that kind of thing being done as a way to prevent corona discharge on the stators (sharp edges + high voltage).  This is why people will make sure to orient their perforated sheets so that the rounded over side of the sheet faces inwards.  Note though that we're operating at much lower voltages than speaker applications here., so it shouldn't be an issue.
 
I do wonder though if there'd be any measurable increase in efficiency if you were able to cut the holes so that they'd be shaped like miniature horns.  I think the open area percentage would probably be too small.

 

[dude_500]

Has anyone tried this 0.5 micron OS film? http://hobbyspecialties.com/product_info.php?cPath=28&products_id=44
 
I can't find much information, but google seems to be under the belief that OS film is genuine mylar

 

[n3rdling]

I was going to get that a few months ago but it's not Mylar.  It's not even polyester...it's polypropylene. 

 

[PretentiousFood]

Hoping to join the leagues of DIY stats soon, just need to finish up my CNC.  Why is it that Mylar's the polymer of choice here? Easier to tension?

 

[chinsettawong]

Hi PretentiousFood,
 
Hope to see your headphones soon.  If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask.
 
Mylar or Hostaphan film is usually the choice of diaphragm material.  They are very strong and do not elongate much after tensioning or heat treating.
 
 

  Has anyone tried this 0.5 micron OS film? http://hobbyspecialties.com/product_info.php?cPath=28&products_id=44
 
I can't find much information, but google seems to be under the belief that OS film is genuine mylar

 
I can't find anywhere on the site mentioning that it's 0.5 micron.  
 
Wachara C.