[Boond]

Let me start off with an introduction,
I'm 15, live in Australia and I currently listen to my music with a pair of SR60s and a pair of HD 202s.  I've been into good sound quality for about 6 monthsa now so I'm a complete novice.  A welcome would be much appreciated.  I look forward to being a contributing member of this community in the future.
 
That being said, here's my question: I want a new pair of headphones that both look good and sound great.  I wouldn't mind taking apart the drivers from my SR60s and putting them into a pair of rp-htx7s.  Any alternatives?  I looked around some threads here and found I liked the look of the HD598, K702 and mostly the K702.  Could I get some information on these headphones in comparison to the SR60s?
 
My main question would be: Would it be easy to move the drivers from the SR60s to the rp-htx7s?
 
Any help would be much appreciated.
Thanks

 

[Gwarmi]

The HD 598 will sound good out of a Cowan player or backed up by 
a decent sound card on the desktop.
 
The K702 will need a dedicated desktop amplifier to realise
their potential.
 
As for the SR60i's, look up 'Jaben Australia'
they sell a pretty cool anodized purple cup
kit if you're looking for looks and a 
different sound.

 

[Boond]

Thanks for the reply, I can't seem to find anywhere to buy the aluminium cups though. 

 

[koolkat]

Did Jaben stop selling aluminium shells?
 
I remember seeing something about it in Headfonia. 
 
 

 

[ZARIM]

The K702(cleaner, wider, open and airy), HD598(detailed, clean) has different soundsignature than SR60i but they are much more detailed.

 

[Arleus]

I recently auditioned the Senn 558 and 598, and brought my 702s along to the shop too. I found the difference between the 558 and 598 was pretty subtle, and of course you can do the foam mod to the 558 if you want, to approximate the 598. I ended up getting the 558 for those reasons, and the fact I actually thought it sounded a little nicer than its big brother (I've not done the foam mod because of this). Plus, cream and wood? I think not.
 
So I've had the 558s for a couple of weeks now, and compared to the 702s, the soundstage is a bit smaller, but much more tightly focussed. Imaging is much better - especially the centre image. It also doesn't suffer from that slight midrange weirdness that the 702 has, which seems almost a little honky to me - something like a singer holding a plastic lunch-box over their face while they sing. This strange midrange of the 702 is described in various ways on these forums, but I don't want to overstate its importance. It's really only a very subtle and minor fault, and piano especially sounds amazing on them. The AKGs also sound like they've got better treble extension, and a bigger soundstage, but apart from that, I have to say I think the (significantly cheaper) 558 sounds better to me. The AKG is also more comfortable for me, but your mileage may vary.
 
Compared to Grados, any of these headphones will sound significantly less forwards and less aggressive, but also much more refined.
 
Sorry, I know you were asking about the 598, but I thought you might like to hear about its little brother too.

 

[Gwarmi]

 
http://www.lelong.com.my/metal-aluminium-mod-grado-alessandro-models-pair-I964919-2007-01-Sale-I.htm
 
http://www.lelong.com.my/wooden-mod-kit-grado-alessandro-models-pair-I964920-2007-01-Sale-I.htm
 
Contact the main email address at Jaben Australia, surely it will just be a matter of ordering them
from their Malaysian home base.
 
Pricing appears to be between $70-$80AUD for the purple cups. The woodies look good too.
 
Best of luck.

 

[Boond]

Thanks for the great responses.  I have decided to do my own modding on my SR60s and buy a pair of 702s to replace my 202s. 
I was thinking of taking the grados apart and:
1. remove the plastic mesh/grills and replacing with wire mesh
2. painting/chroming the cups and
3. sanding off the logos.
 
Has anyone else painted their SR60s?  Do i need to apply a primer?

 

[Gwarmi]

Quote:

Has anyone else painted their SR60s?  Do i need to apply a primer?

Good idea, the primer will be a better adhesive for the paint than the factory plastic.

 

[Boond]

What type of paint should i use?  Just spray cans?

 

[Gwarmi]

Spray can that is specifically suited for plastic use. This is a good product.
 
Note that most of these paints become the most 'chip resistant' after 7 days of drying off.
 

 

[koolkat]

Does applying a white layer coat apply to spray painting like it does in normal painting? 

 

[Gwarmi]

I'd give the cups a good clean once they are disassembled, dry them off, apply primer, allow to dry, and then use 2 to 3 coats of that Krylon stuff.
 
Use a coat hanger to hangs the cups from somewhere with newspaper underneath to catch any dripping when spraying.

 

[Boond]

Thanks for all the advice, You've been really helpful.  I'm going out tomorrow to get all the necessary tools.  I'll post the results here in case anyone's interested.