Orthodynamic Roundup

[Kabeer]

  ahh ok 
Thanks,
have an "A" already but might have one with no suffix showing up mysteriously soon. 
Have you ever gone all out and used actual velour pads for these?

Nope, havent used velour. My very first HP-50S was one of THe worst condition hedaphones i have ever had in my presence. The pads were very worn, so it seemed to be like nearly velour like, but not quite as totally open as that. And i think that contributed most to it's sound. Anything is worth a shot . I havent been playing with HP-50 etc for a long time because it needs damping and amping.

 

[kalbee]

Gotta say, my YH-1 had pristine pads while the HP-1 was worn in. After a while using the HP-1 I thought I could just switch the baffles & pads over. Turns out the worn in one was actually more comfortable and better sounding...
 
But YMMV. The mods on the HP-1 were done with the original worn pads afterall.

 

[vid]

  HP-50S and HP-50A generally have quite a similar sound. But the sound can vary quite a bit between pairs. Iv owned many A's and S's and whilst having the same 'family' of sound, the sound can vary a lot. The A's and S's tend to have a lot of bass, but once you try and tame them they really are a Fun musical can.
 
The HP-50 (no letter suffix, and no pleather headband) seems to be less bassy, so easier to control and get right. But i found the bass monsters more fun.

 
My S don't go much below 30 Hz and their midbass hump was only about 5 dB or so. Whether that's amping or the actual unit, who knows.

 

[MDR30]

Quote:
 

http://www.ebay.de/itm/Yamaha-HP-50A-Kopfhoerer-70er-jahre-/390703311125?_trksid=p2047675.l2557&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEWAX%3AIT&nma=true&si=PRLobow11KMdQT1E5MT%252BG7C9YgE%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc
 
Originally Posted by nick n /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
That is going to make someone very happy. Is that someone you?

 
No, I've got my fair share of HP50s by now.
 

 
It's always nice to see other people make a good deal. And, if they are handy, a much better one than they could ever imagine.

 

[vid]

^ I want to see a picture like that but with HOKs. As much as I love the HP-50, the HOK's where it's at once you figure them out.

 

[namaiki]

Just got my Yamaha HP-1. Likely in stock condition. Not too bad besides a general "old" smell.
 
I do like the general sound signature, but unfortunately the mids aren't quite as transparent (edit: perhaps they aren't so much "transparent" as they are "smooth") as with my stock Fostex T50RP which can have a tendency to just disappear on my head when I'm listening to music. Though the (stock) T50RP really doesn't have too much else that is nice to me besides its mids.
 
I did a quick Google search but couldn't find anything, but does anyone know what the FR graph of the stock Yamaha HP-1 looks like? Mostly curious because the treble isn't as particularly rolled off to me as I expected from what I read about them.

 

[Neogeo333]

You like the sound signature of the stock T50RP over the stock HP-1?  What amp are you using to drive them?  The HP-1 need a beefier amp than the easier to drive Fostex. 

 

[namaiki]

I've got a DACport (which seems to be slightly dark) and my Apex Glacier which is a bit brighter. Mainly the Glacier.

I do like some qualities of the T50RP better. I haven't had the HP-1 long enough to decide about them. Their sound can depend a bit about the placement on the ears.

The HP-1 have a bit of warmth which is somewhat pleasant. They are also good for hearing background or side details in tracks. Good stereo separation could be it or maybe the drivers are sensitive in that area. (edit: I mean good layering)

 

[kalbee]

  I did a quick Google search but couldn't find anything, but does anyone know what the FR graph of the stock Yamaha HP-1 looks like? Mostly curious because the treble isn't as particularly rolled off to me as I expected from what I read about them.

This is... uhh... the measurements I made a while ago. Quite a while ago.
It was in a PM but seems it got deleted from Head-Fi's servers so I only have this small LQ thumbnail picture.
That's the picture of the stock YH-1 (similar? identical? to HP-1) w/ mint earpads (slightly worn in might be better) as the purple lines, with the lower freqs chopped off. I can't see the stuff anymore but I think the graph starts at 60Hz or something?? Below that it rolls off.
 
The teal line is my modded HP-1 aniso. You can argue that I worsened it. Might have, dunno. Everyone tells me they sound really dark. Haven't gone back to modding them yet... hopefully soon.
 
Mind you that's just my own measurement and can be 100% wrong for all we know. Pretty sure it isn't very accurate, in fact. The vertical scale, as I recall, was something like 2dB. The common dip is a measurement artifact AFAIK.

 

[namaiki]

Wow! Thanks a lot for the Yamama YH-1 measurements. I do think they are supposed to be the same as the HP-1. 
 
The measurements look pretty reasonable to me (or so I hope, as they look much better than I expected). The mids stick out a bit and there is a slight but gradual treble roll off. Treble extends above 10KHz so there is still a bit of sparkle. (Lots of headphones - or headphone measurements? - tend to roll off very quickly above 10KHz) From mids to bass is damn flat.
 
It really surprises me how competent these headphones sound for being so old. Or perhaps I just have or had rather low expectations. The bass sound a bit lazy but still present and contrasting with that, the forward but not harsh mids and the effortless but still slightly tizzy (I do mean in a bad way) treble seal the deal. (Could partially be the fault of my Apex Glacier, but my DACport is a bit too dark to be a better match) And these seem to do the layering of different parts of music better than a lot of my other headphones. It's even hard to go back to my Denon D2000/D5000 after listening to these.
 
I just need to change the earpads of my HP-1 sometime. They are pretty flat and the driver touches my ear sometimes so I have to be careful with placement when I wear them.
 
Still, I wonder why your modded one would seem to sound dark to people. The treble from the measurements looks like it should be more extended and present.

 

[kalbee]

Yes, I know... the measurements lie, I say.
I just A/Bed the two yesterday and surely the YH-1 (stock) had better extension.
It might just be because I had switched the pads of the YH-1 with that of the HP-1 some time after the measurements. I don't know.

 

[DefectiveAudioComponent]

Returning to the Magnat again, I am again trying to make it sound like when holding the drivers to the ears. There is then a quite balanced sound, with good bass.
The headset design should be good for this, with the driver resting on pegs in an opening in the baffle, and a completely open back.
 
Problem is, if the driver is a bit away from the ear, all bass is lost.....
 
This time I have removed the dust protector as well.
 
I have tried a pair of rev.1 Audeze pads, but the damping is too strong, and / or the pads are too deep.
 
Perhaps if I mount the drivers on the wrong side of the baffle.... ?

 

[DefectiveAudioComponent]

First, a bit of mounting the driver on the outside of the baffle, to get it closer to the ears.... Some blutak should hold it in place.
The driver is resting on pegs, so the baffle is completely open around the driver.
The large baffle opening makes it possible to move the driver through the baffle without removing the cable from the driver.
 
 

 
Then, on goes the headset.... now the driver floats nicely just surrounded by air....
 
Let's break all the rules while being at it....
No damping. No baffle to seal out the back wave.
 

 
Completely open back - through the baffle all the way into the ear pads. With extra vents on the edges to make it really really open....
 

 
And some ear pads on that....
Those pads have a dust protector stitched to the back. The driver just pushes gently on the dust protector, it's not drum tight. Keeps the driver in place too.
 

 
And from the side:

 
Now, it's got reasonably deep bass - some rumble, but not crazy deep. A tiny bit of the bass got lost - there is still a tiny bit of distance to the ears.
 
But, it's a completely open design It doesn't get any more open than this. No damping, no sealed baffle.... nothing...
 
Custom ear pads might be needed to perfect this design... unless I get another good idea...
 
 
EDIT: A Peerless PMB-80 should work equally well, it's the same basic design as this Magnat.

 

[MDR30]

First, a bit of mounting the driver on the outside of the baffle, to get it closer to the ears.... Some blutak should hold it in place.
The driver is resting on pegs, so the baffle is completely open around the driver.
The large baffle opening makes it possible to move the driver through the baffle without removing the cable from the driver.





Then, on goes the headset.... now the driver floats nicely just surrounded by air....

Let's break all the rules while being at it....
No damping. No baffle to seal out the back wave.




Completely open back - through the baffle all the way into the ear pads. With extra vents on the edges to make it really really open....




And some ear pads on that....
Those pads have a dust protector stitched to the back. The driver just pushes gently on the dust protector, it's not drum tight. Keeps the driver in place too.




And from the side:



Now, it's got reasonably deep bass - some rumble, but not crazy deep. A tiny bit of the bass got lost - there is still a tiny bit of distance to the ears.

But, it's a completely open design It doesn't get any more open than this. No damping, no sealed baffle.... nothing...

Custom ear pads might be needed to perfect this design... unless I get another good idea...


EDIT: A Peerless PMB-80 should work equally well, it's the same basic design as this Magnat.

Good work! Gonna put it in my memory bank for the future. Did some similar experiments with the DK830, but recall some midrange resonances with the fully open approach. How is your Magnat in that respect?

 

[DefectiveAudioComponent]

Good work! Gonna put it in my memory bank for the future. Did some similar experiments with the DK830, but recall some midrange resonances with the fully open approach. How is your Magnat in that respect?

 
No apparent problems just out of the mod... still, something might come up later when I listen.... At least there is nothing much in the headset that can generate resonances... I perhaps should line the inside of the cups with dense felt just to make sure.
 
The problem I had with previous open back / open baffle mods (including the stock configuration) was that all bass vanished. That's basically solved with this approach.
 
Strangely, the cups are now empty. I suppose a cupless design would be possible - perhaps even a benefit?