[nickchen]

Quote:

Just shot a Sansui SS-L 55.

 
http://cgi.ebay.de/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=120684627944
 

It has arrived today, looks and sounds quite nice - actually the best "stock vintage ortho" sound I've heared until now. Ribbed them off my head after a few seconds though, the former user was a cigar smoker obviously. I put it into the cellar and applied some Febreze anti-smell stuff, I think it has to stay down there for a while...

 

[dBel84]

cover the drivers and douse it in baking soda ..dB

 

[wualta]

D-limonene-based product on wipes. Complete immersion is the only way to get it off all the surfaces, including the diaphragm, but I can't recommend that. You're dealing with oils and resins, so you need a degreaser/detergent. Cleaners containing 2-butoxyethanol should work well, too.

 

[nickchen]

Quote:

cover the drivers and douse it in baking soda ..dB

 
Quote:

D-limonene-based product on wipes. Complete immersion is the only way to get it off all the surfaces, including the diaphragm, but I can't recommend that. You're dealing with oils and resins, so you need a degreaser/detergent. Cleaners containing 2-butoxyethanol should work well, too.

 
And Bryan suggested active carbon via PM, thanks for all those tips. However, I'm content to succeed anyway, time is also my allied after all. In worst case, I do a Lux implantation again (have one left), but in difference to the Yamahas, I like the Sansui look somewhat...
 
 

 

[rhythmdevils]

Yeah they look pretty cool.  It's too bad there isn't more metal on them but still one of the more attractive headphones.  There is a headphone that looks similar but is all gold and silver I think it might be a Sansui conventional dynamic but there's always pictures of them in the most beautiful headphone threads.

 

[nickchen]

To be honest, that "metal" isn't really metal, it's just silver colour on black plastic that tends to wear off...

 

[ardgedee]

When I had to de-stink some headphones, the recommendations I found were to fumigate with white vinegar: Put a small dish of vinegar in a plastic box, put phones in box, seal box, return in two days.
 
It cut the smoke fume stench back a great deal - to the point that I don't feel dirtied when wearing them - although it isn't completely eliminated, and probably won't be unless I open those phones up and wipe everything clean.

 

[nickchen]

Surprisingly simple method!

 
As I'm already here, I was brave and took a 30min listening test of the Sansuis. The tonality really isn't bad compared to the dark soup you get from a stock Yamaha or Fostex. But it lacks a bit depth and authority, although the low end is quite thumpy and it has enough presence. Hard to explain, but this thing has "no balls" somewhat. Quite curious to which extend that will be alterable later...

 

[kwkarth]

Quote:

Surprisingly simple method!

 
As I'm already here, I was brave and took a 30min listening test of the Sansuis. The tonality really isn't bad compared to the dark soup you get from a stock Yamaha or Fostex. But it lacks a bit depth and authority, although the low end is quite thumpy and it has enough presence. Hard to explain, but this thing has "no balls" somewhat. Quite curious to which extend that will be alterable later...

No amp, no balls...    What amp were all you guys using to evaluate this?
 

 

[nickchen]

"Only" the Millet, and I doubt that thing needs "more". It's actually pretty efficient for a 1980s ortho, the Yamahas are much worse power pigs. I can't put my finger really on it in which respect it sounds strange, my "no balls" phrase was just a misunderstood attempt to do so, and of course I have to get tickled with the usual headfi folklore for that

 
It's not underdamped dead sure at least...

 

[wualta]

Well, now of course I'm curious, since Sansui seems to've been able to tweak their OEM'd 'phones to get a unique sound. The innards look like standard ATH-2, but looks can be deceiving.
 

SANSUI SS-L55  photo by trooper

 

[nickchen]

Problem is, those systems are really tiny, there isn't much diaphragm material to shake around, it's net size is approx. less than 40mm total diameter, and they got damped as well. Even the HP2 systems which aren't exactly the oomph masters are big boys in comparison...
 

 
As you can see, I've ribbed the felt off on one side, that undamped state sounds a bit nicer to my ears, the mids loose part of that coldth.
 
I also tried some other damping later (Tranpore'ing worked best until now), but the general SQ keeps some cheapish touch that I'm not entirely able to get rid of. The SS-L55 can sound really great with fast and drumheavy stuff though (the hard'n heavy or techno fraction would love these), that must be the PRaT advantages of such small systems. But with mellower stuff, it's a bit like cruising with a hectical 2-stroke engine... 

 

[joelpearce]

Hang on, those are the innards of the Sansui?  Those drivers look exactly like the SFI bipoles.

 

[DefectiveAudioComponent]

Quote:

Hang on, those are the innards of the Sansui?  Those drivers look exactly like the SFI bipoles.

They do. They appear in the SFI orthos, the Eagle, and the ATH-2 with clones. Maybe I even forgot some ortho now.

 

[nickchen]

I'm not so sure about the systematics, but I think I solved the problem of "no ball" and "cheap sound" I mourned about. The solution has a simple name: AKG K141 velours pads.
 

 
I glued them onto the stock pads by means of doublesided tape. That solved most of the things I had disliked, now the sound is warmer, airier and more relaxed, but I still enjoy its great speed factor. They are also much nicer to wear now. I prefer them to the HP2 right now and would put them into the same leage as my beloved T20v2 - at least in respect of my listening habits. The Fostex still has the edge in respect of mids presentation and sound "weight" (K271 sort), but the SS-L55 sounds more dynamical and has a more alive presence (Grado sort).
 
As I was at it, and as I have fallen in love with their 80's looks anyway, I granted them an old MS2 cable and T5P headband pads.