[vid]

The damping triad that I now seem to be using for the HP-50S.
 
Black is polyester, the other two are synthetic felt of the kind they sold me at a crafts store. Each disc is about the size of the driver in diameter. By not damping the entire diameter of the cup, I've tried to keep at least a little bit of soundstage. (The yellow felt in the picture has its hole a bit off-center, but the disc that's in the phones is a bit more symmetrical.)

 
Some relative thicknesses.

 
Texture of the polyester disc. The other side has a regular knit pattern but the backside (here) is rough.

 
Texture of the felt. The yellow felt is about the same, only thicker.

 
I stuff three polyester discs into the left cup; and the two felt discs go into the right cup. Nothing else, no foam. The driver is blu-tacked onto the baffle and the stock white paper disc is gone.
 
The raw frequency response is like so.

The channel balance is reasonably good. The spikes around 80 Hz are noise that my recording equipment picks up.
 
This was the stock raw response and channel balance.

The modded channel balance is better, and of course the response is as well. Both stock and modded, the right channel is about 2 dB louder overall than the left, though, but that's not too bad.
 
There's some room to mess around with a reflex dot since the treble is a little bit withdrawn, but I figure I might as well adjust that via EQ if I need it.
 
The sound is neat.

 

[vid]

...And the fourth HP-3 auction in a row is lost by a hair. You guys are paying too much for em!

 

[ludoo]

Quote:

...And the fourth HP-3 auction in a row is lost by a hair. You guys are paying too much for em!

 
HP-50s are a dime a dozen on Yahoo japan...

 

[vid]

Incidentally, the HP-50S are pretty nice. Certainly worth going after - unlike the HP-3.

 

[roBernd]

Quote:

Incidentally, the HP-50S are pretty nice. Certainly worth going after - unlike the HP-3.

just as I sniped an HP-3... well at least it will looks good next to the two HP-50a
 
... wait so you were the dude sniping for 2cent less than I did

 

[ludoo]

Quote:

Incidentally, the HP-50S are pretty nice. Certainly worth going after - unlike the HP-3.

 
"Good" HP-3s are fantastic, but you need some luck. The average HP-50 is usually better than the average HP-3.

 

[vid]

Quote:

just as I sniped an HP-3... well at least it will looks good next to the two HP-50a
 
... wait so you were the dude sniping for 2cent less than I did

 
Yep. No worries.
 
I was just talking smack about the HP-3. I've never heard a pair, but would fancy having one at a reasonable price.
 
The only problem I have with the HP-50S is the soundstage - too narrow. They're also a bass-light pair, but with about 13 dB of EQ into 30 Hz they measure flat to 40 Hz and still give out clean bass, which is reasonable. Other than those things, no real complaints, except the sadness in headphones like these being handed out for free in the 80s yet in 2012 the closest we've got are the PortaPros.

 

[Dyaems]

anyone tried transplanting SFI drivers to an ES7? i might transfer it there instead but i think i need to "destroy" the center of the ES7 baffles unlike the driver baffle of the d1001. should i completely cut a hole at the center of the baffle of the ES7
 
i like the looks of the ES7, but i really dont like supraaurals that is not as comfy as the yamaha orthos.. i can use ESW9 pads though, i want to make a custom pad but i dont have any idea where to buy a good quality leather here and i need to learn stitching!
 
i cant take a pic at the moment since internet at home is still dead and i cant use my computer due to crazy flood last week.

 

[dBel84]

SFI's transplant well into ESW9's ( fake ones can be found for about $30 ) ..dB

 

[Dyaems]

Quote:

SFI's transplant well into ESW9's ( fake ones can be found for about $30 ) ..dB

 
Thanks. I searched google images and it seems esw9 baffle is the same with the es7 so I think using ES7 should be fine!

 

[khbaur330162]

I could very well be wrong, but I think finding leather as thin as you need might prove difficult. Imo it's worth looking into synthetics when considering a material for DIY pads. Btw, what will you do for venting in the ES7?
 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/new-bag-pouch-case-for-sony-mdr-7506-v6-ath-m50-hdj1000-dj-headphones-/180918877786?pt=Other_MP3_Player_Accessories&hash=item2a1f9afe5a
Might sound odd, but that's very good material for the fabric that will touch your face, imo. You might want some thicker/stiffer stuff for the backs. If you need thicker stuff I can send some nice pleather fit for the job at cost of postage. I've got oodles of it.
 
Also, as a random note to whoever, I've got an HP-1 frame in pretty good condition that I don't need. Few of the normal cracks in the headband, no pads either, but that's about it. If you were thinking, "Man, I'd like to try and drill holes in the cups like rhythm did, but I'm afraid of botching everything up," or something along those lines shoot me a PM and it's yours.

 

[Dyaems]

Quote:

I could very well be wrong, but I think finding leather as thin as you need might prove difficult. Imo it's worth looking into synthetics when considering a material for DIY pads. Btw, what will you do for venting in the ES7?
 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/new-bag-pouch-case-for-sony-mdr-7506-v6-ath-m50-hdj1000-dj-headphones-/180918877786?pt=Other_MP3_Player_Accessories&hash=item2a1f9afe5a
Might sound odd, but that's very good material for the fabric that will touch your face, imo. You might want some thicker/stiffer stuff for the backs. If you need thicker stuff I can send some nice pleather fit for the job at cost of postage. I've got oodles of it.

 
Thanks for the recommendation for the material. Not sure yet where to make a vent on the ES7 cups, but probably at the side "if ever" it is doable. It is not final anyway but I will be getting an es7 frame for free-ish, so why not try it there!
 
 
Quote:

Also, as a random note to whoever, I've got an HP-1 frame in pretty good condition that I don't need. Few of the normal cracks in the headband, no pads either, but that's about it. If you were thinking, "Man, I'd like to try and drill holes in the cups like rhythm did, but I'm afraid of botching everything up," or something along those lines shoot me a PM and it's yours.

 
i like to own that frame but i want to put dynamic drivers in it. for some weird reason i like the looks of hp1/yh1 frame. however, 55mm is too big and hard to get a 55mm dynamic driver except for A-T drivers that i need to source from somewhere like hongkong

 

[kalbee]

You can probably find acrylic sheets to fill the remaining space around the dynamic drivers!
Would require some cutting though...

 

[khbaur330162]

Quote:

i like to own that frame but i want to put dynamic drivers in it. for some weird reason i like the looks of hp1/yh1 frame. however, 55mm is too big and hard to get a 55mm dynamic driver except for A-T drivers that i need to source from somewhere like hongkong

Sounds alright to me. I can include some of that thickish pleather, too, if you're interested. Send me a PM with your shipping address and I'll send a care package your way. I know there's other stuff around here somewhere that you could use, just gotta figure out what exactly.
 
 
Oh! Some one was asking about a little piece of plastic film that they saw/heard in their SFI's. Not sure if this is the same piece as the one that's in question, and I'm sure this is common knowledge for a lot of us, but after spending some time on a YHD-2 it's pretty obvious now that what I was talking about is to keep these metal rings/spacers on the diaphragm from touching the metal clamps that are holding the magnets together. The diaphragm is "printed" with its trace outline and instead of soldering a wire onto the diaphragm directly (which would be dangerous, and/or hard to do, I feel) they solder the signal wires to two thin metal rings that are clamped down around the perimeter of the diaphragm on either side which come into contact with the +/- terminals that are printed on the "ends of the road" of the circuit design. If you look at pictures of a T20v1 or v2 diaphragm you'll see the metal rings that I'm talking about, or even just follow one of the solder tabs on your SFI to in between the magnets to see the edges of them.

 

[kalbee]

Quote:

Sounds alright to me. I can include some of that thickish pleather, too, if you're interested. Send me a PM with your shipping address and I'll send a care package your way. I know there's other stuff around here somewhere that you could use, just gotta figure out what exactly.
 
 
Oh! Some one was asking about a little piece of plastic film that they saw/heard in their SFI's. Not sure if this is the same piece as the one that's in question, and I'm sure this is common knowledge for a lot of us, but after spending some time on a YHD-2 it's pretty obvious now that what I was talking about is to keep these metal rings/spacers on the diaphragm from touching the metal clamps that are holding the magnets together. The diaphragm is "printed" with its trace outline and instead of soldering a wire onto the diaphragm directly (which would be dangerous, and/or hard to do, I feel) they solder the signal wires to two thin metal rings that are clamped down around the perimeter of the diaphragm on either side which come into contact with the +/- terminals that are printed on the "ends of the road" of the circuit design. If you look at pictures of a T20v1 or v2 diaphragm you'll see the metal rings that I'm talking about, or even just follow one of the solder tabs on your SFI to in between the magnets to see the edges of them.

That person, would be me
Yeah, I know that's what the plastic film was for, though I was unsure if it was there at all at first. My SFI drivers have yet to be fully fixed; looking for an appropriate enclosure first, or for the moment I start clawing into the cups of the poor ATH-SJ5.
 
If HP-1 enclosure is too big, I have a HP-2 enclosure (45mm driver I think?) that I don't especially need... Though it's brown, I won't be able to include all the original felt and disintegrated foam, no earpads either, and the plastic on the suspension headband is cracked on both end... still usable, but perhaps a new one would be better. Too bad the SFI doesn't fit in there; too thick.