[Armaegis]

Which one is that?

 

[DefectiveAudioComponent]

This is a much better picture of the new ortho. I have cleaned out all the crud and put it back together

 

 

[Armaegis]

Updated with some more pictures on my transplant thread and more notes on driver disassembly: http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/554183/ortho-transplant-fostex-t40v1-driver-into-phiaton-ps-500-many-pics#

 

[gurubhai]

I can't put my finger on it. The shell  & headband reminds of PMB but...
 
Quote:

This is a much better picture of the new ortho. I have cleaned out all the crud and put it back together

 

 

 

[DefectiveAudioComponent]

PMB-style? Well spotted. Here are the drivers:

 
This is by a small margin the best PMB-style headset I have seen so far. Large, goes around-ear, completely open back.
It also uses the idea to suspend the drivers in air, with an open baffle around the driver to go with the open back, and no damping at all, except for the crumbling foam.
 
Quote:

I can't put my finger on it. The shell  & headband reminds of PMB but...
 


 

 

 

[Armaegis]

Is the driver assembly just held together with metal clasps?

 

[DefectiveAudioComponent]

Not quite. The magnets are held together with the clamps, and it comes apart if the clamps are removed. It is quite easy actually. But on one side, the one you see there, the membrane is attached to the tounge that sticks out that the cables attach to. It goes through the magnet in the middle. So on that side, the membrane stays with the magnet.
 
This is the usual PMB style driver assembly. Although, the Grundig has the same kind of driver, but glued together. There are several open back PMB style orthos, although they are often only half-open, with something blocking about half of the opening.
 
Quote:

Is the driver assembly just held together with metal clasps?

 

 

[EddieE]

Can't quite visualise what you mean by the driver being "suspended in air" could you elaborate a little? 

 

[DefectiveAudioComponent]

Normally, the driver would be placed in a sealed baffle, to retain bass. But exactly like the PMB-80, there is a gap around the driver through the baffle. It rests on thin lips going out from the baffle. Add to that, the completely open back and the lack of damping, the driver just hangs there in air. The leather pads do seal a bit from the outside though, saving a bit of bass there.
 
Quote:

Can't quite visualise what you mean by the driver being "suspended in air" could you elaborate a little? 

 

 

[DefectiveAudioComponent]

I will probably have to take the drivers apart to completely get rid of the crud though. It is a bit annoying.

 

[chrislangley4253]

Quote:

Well, you know that bit where I said I'd have a good listen before doing the dirty on them?

I lied

hehe

Bitumen lining the cups to kill that plastic resonance. Nice and dead now.

Felt pad just sat in the cup to soak up random waves as they float about.

Reflex dot that won't do much given the cup design which has one build into the rear of the cup seen in the previous pics.

Filling the baffle plate braces with epoxy putty to mass damp it a bit and add some strength. Plastered liquid nails over that.

Bass is a little less now but tighter and considerably less tubby and boxy. It'll never be a big hairy bass monster as the driver is pretty tiny but what is there is nice, goes pretty deep and sounds good. It still doesn't have any major flaws anywhere and is a smooth sound with a nicely neutral top end. Efficiency is fairly good too.

I didn't want to get too extreme on it's ass this early into the relationship, time will tell how well we mesh, for now she's very pleasing indeed

Is this still the best way to dampen the cups.. Could I maybe get some other suggestions on materials/layouts for dampening if you don't think this is the best way to go about it? 
 
Thank you very much,

Chris
 
P.S. sorry if i'm asking a question that has been asked a million times already :\
 
Also, if anyone has any materials at the smaller quantity that I would need them for dampening. I would be more than willing to buy from a head-fier and pay for shipping rather than buy something in bulk.
 
-edit- Do I want to drill a bass port? If so, where and how big?
 
Sorry again if its in the wrong forum or if i'm asking redundant questions. I don't meant to. There is just a lot of info to digest about these headphones, and most of it is about the Thunderpants, not the stock ones without wooden cups and whatnot. I'm having a hard time sifting  

 

[MDR30]

 

 

[DefectiveAudioComponent]

That's the crud I am talking about right there!
Dual DK 830?
 
(you might want to avoid holding the driver like that before you have gotten rid of the crud on the outside)
(how about posting your pictures on the wikiphonia?)
 
It looks like they perforated the baffle to also get the outermost holes in the driver to actually be useful. Nice touch
Quote:

 

 

 

[turimbar1]

Quote:

Is this still the best way to dampen the cups.. Could I maybe get some other suggestions on materials/layouts for dampening if you don't think this is the best way to go about it? 
 
Thank you very much,

Chris
 
P.S. sorry if i'm asking a question that has been asked a million times already :\
 
Also, if anyone has any materials at the smaller quantity that I would need them for dampening. I would be more than willing to buy from a head-fier and pay for shipping rather than buy something in bulk.
 
-edit- Do I want to drill a bass port? If so, where and how big?
 
Sorry again if its in the wrong forum or if i'm asking redundant questions. I don't meant to. There is just a lot of info to digest about these headphones, and most of it is about the Thunderpants, not the stock ones without wooden cups and whatnot. I'm having a hard time sifting  

Hey chris! come over to the 

"Just listened to some Fostex T50RPs today... WOW!"

thread, all we talk about is modding the stock t50's we have come up with some basic treatments for it, take a look at the last 20 pages of it and you will get the final product of our consensus.
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/452404/just-listened-to-some-fostex-t50rps-today-wow
 

 

[maverickronin]

Quote:

Is this still the best way to dampen the cups.. Could I maybe get some other suggestions on materials/layouts for dampening if you don't think this is the best way to go about it? 
 

First, I'd use Dynamat or an equivalent product on the inside of the cup.  You want constrained layer damping, more than just simple mass loading.  That helps with timbre and detail.  I'd also remove the driver from the baffle, scrub the felt off with some steel wool or a something, and cover the front of the baffle with dynamat as well.  This improves the bass definition.  Be sure not to cover the vent in the back of the cup with dynamat and also poke out holes in the dynamat on the baffle for the small vent and the other screws.  You'll want to experiment with opening or covering the vents to different degrees to tune the sound.  A lot of it will depend on what pads you use.  Then I'd put a layer of Akasa Paxmate foam on the back of the cup to reduce reflections.  That helps with soundstage and treble clarity.
 
Those are the basics.  I haven't tried messing with the damping on the driver itself yet as I want to have a stock driver for A/B comparisons.  I'm probably going to get to that soon though.  With all that I found the blu tak on the inside of the baffle didn't do much except make a mess so I wouldn't recommend it.  Here's a picture that shows the dynamat on mine, with the hole poked in the baffle.  Here are some pics of my pair more or less as they are now.  It shows the giant pads I hand sewed for them.  They really open up the soundstage.
 
The pads make a big difference and the stock ones don't sound too great and aren't very comfy.  On a budget, people have reported good things with the Shure 840 pads.  If you've got money to burn, the O2 pads are probably the best you can get off the shelf.  I haven't tried them myself but I made mine in the same basic design but bigger.  The dimensions for the patterns are in that last album too if you want to have a go at making some yourself.  I haven't sewed anything but buttons since 7th grade home ec but I managed to make something that's comfy and great sounding with some lambskin and urethane foam I got from ebay.  Unless you've got a sewing machine capable of sewing leather (which I don't) it will be very tedious though.  I probably spent 10-12 hours on the labor.  The O2 pads don't seem quite so overpriced after that.