[Igenich]

That's PMB drivers

 

[nick n]

These TDS-16 based things after another listen needed some further tweakings ( from back on page 1545 ). I find it's good to sit back and leave things alone for a bit then revisit them to get the immediate instinctive impressions.

 

 

 They are an awesome shell for mods, no screws juts a press tab inside the tan cup part top and bottom and seem to hold tight after numerous easy openings. Pop out the arms , so fast.
 
I have to leave them again after this latest due to a slight imbalance ( in my ears at the moment )
They are damn close.
Here's what I did to bring up bass and organicize details.
Letting them fly relatively free with a simple direct felty damping was not adequate for bass levels and many other things.
 
Sort of complex but I know how the various stuff responds and what it does from a bit too many late nights and hours, sad yes, worth it I dunno.
This borrows a modification style from two things I did way back, as well as one that is factory installed.
 Way back on the Koss Red Devil "Dead Rebel" -thanks 4 the name Wualta- SFI mod I had to hit the drivers hard in a similarly large shell so I made a small ring of Creatology adhesive foam around the perimeter of the driver rears. ( still a top notch mod after all this time it sounds like speakers in a room-ish )
-----wayyyy back here but this is not the final chamber mod http://www.head-fi.org/t/111193/orthodynamic-roundup/19650#post_8310152
 Then on top of that I added a spacer made from a layer of Acoutipack 3-layer but stripped/slowly sliced off the adhesive layer on that to allow for sound pass-through and damping at the same time. Adhesive layer would simply reflect that obviously. Left a ring of the adhesive back so it could stick to the top of that foam spacer ring.
Then because by itself this tends to get the low end up it also sucks out some of the mids/vocal range and a bit of the highs, I took a disc of the magic Arctic Cotton to fit the inside of the spacer ring, topped with a dual layer of 3M Micropore tape on the rears.
 
** this is borrowed from the 40 + fullsized pages of T50Rp mod notes and finalized setup ***
This combination adds details, and also at the same time as selectively slowly raising highs depending on Micropore layers, adds the Arctic Cotton goodness.
it's an odd combination
 Because this is topped immediately by the Acoustipack 3-layer stripped disc for a good driver damping, everything seems to fall into place.
Adjust the highs with another layer if necessary as it not only brings highs up but also seems to clean them up and expose details.
 
 
When using a driver that likes close small spaces this dual chamber setup with these materials is excellent.
Heck some other variant of this dual chamber I'm sure would work also.
Case in point = the Technics 810 clone I have uses this very method ( SFI sized  63 ohm driver ). A small enclosed tubular 1st chamber with more depth to it than I am using, topped simply with thin stiffer felt for damping makes the first chamber, and then things go out into the vented outer shell the second chamber. A realllly nice open effect on those Technics 810. Nice.
here's a shot from my old crappy resolution pics.
You can see the immediate chamber and then the rest of the rear cup space, with the backs removed, here. See the peeled back felt damping at the rear and wow i just noticed those holes rather than open space! DAMMIT MORE IDEAS NOW, MUST IGNORE, CANNOT UNSEE WHAT I SAWD

 

 
 
 
I added an extra layer of Micropore tape on the back of the Acoustipack disk on the right driver even to help with a small imbalance and it is now decently close to the left side that does not have that added rear layer.
 There is a slit halfway along on everything here to fit it around the center pin tabs. I didn't cover that over in case it was contributing to the excellent bass levels.
 
Seems these TDS-16 enjoy their small space and do not like flying free in a large space or open even.
 
So that's that... now the pics, i wasn't going to bother posting this up but the idea of the mini chamber seems to work well when in combo wiith the inserted Arctic Cotton disc backed with Micropore tape. Maybe someone might get some mileage out of this method using other materials, so that's why I am posting.
*** I'll try this also on an open backed HP-50 drivered mod upcoming and see how it works, if thsoe drivers need it, bet they do.
 
SO BASICALLY if a driver in an more-open-than-stock-setup is giving you grief:

1. try out a mini chamber and/or in there  try out 3M Micropore Tape on fabrics/felts for adjustable filtering and reflecting instead of the normal flying free with some direct damping.

 
PICS:
 
Recabled them with some beefy wire I had taken off my first set of TDS-16 from Russia way back, so the wire is also Russian.
 

^ Black Acoustic pack 3-layer backing sliced off with sticky out for adding to that red creatology thin foam ring top. ( white ring is double sided tape I needed to add due to opening this a few times)

^ Arctic Cotton inner "detail" disk added inside red foam ring, fuzzy-face down, topped with 2 layers of 3M Micropore.
*** Note the slit through the middle of it all all the way through to the left of the picture to allow it to slip past the center + driver trace tab and stay flush***

^ Final topping of Acoustipack 3-layer disk, also with slit a little longer than a radius. Stuck down in this case with that thin ring of double sided tape.
Magical

Angel Hair not shown in this picture for rear of cups.
 
Hope this was sort of interesting, at least it is something to read.
 
Please enjoy your late nights and frustrations, everything is great even the bad times.

 

[MuZo2]

YHD-1 went for 91 Euro. Anyone here got it?

 

[Neogeo333]

I got mine for 75 usd recently.   Best 75 I spent.  Impressive little driver.  

 

[leeperry]

Don't you guys find that 38mm drivers lack dynamics? Whatever ATH2, Pro30 or YHD1/2 sound like you have a compressor plugin activated in foobar to both a friend's and my ears.

 

[MuZo2]

Got my HP-1, I dont think they are modded by last owner. They are quiet different from HP-3 I had. HP3 was dark. These ones are linear across frequency spectrum. Soundstage is small and for me they lack bit in bass.Early impressions should give them some more time before I open  them up.

 

[dogwan]

I know it's not a true Ortho, but am awaiting the arrival of a pair of Audio Technica AT-706 
 
Does anyone have any experience modding these? Will they even need it? Seems like I have read some good things about these if they are working correctly. Looking forward to comparing them to my Koss ESP9's.

 

[nick n]

Do you have the Dual Input Adaptor coming with it? It does make a difference flipping that high and low switch so you can pump more voltage to the adaptor.
Here's hoping they have no imbalance.
Ignore the overexcited ( though justified ) early noob postings. This is a pic of the Adaptor differences.http://www.head-fi.org/t/557368/audio-technica-at-705-electrets-nos/15#post_10499276
 
Also had a set of the similarly shelled 701  I would use the cups for ortho transplants but the headband is being used on something else. A woody SFI. they do stick out a fair bit  for a transplant shell ( 701-704 - nobody waste the 705/6 unless you send me the drivers for a small fee )

 

[dogwan]

  Do you have the Dual Input Adaptor coming with it? It does make a difference flipping that high and low switch so you can pump more voltage to the adaptor.
Here's hoping they have no imbalance.
Ignore the overexcited ( though justified ) early noob postings. This is a pic of the Adaptor differences.http://www.head-fi.org/t/557368/audio-technica-at-705-electrets-nos/15#post_10499276
 
Also had a set of the similarly shelled 701  I would use the cups for ortho transplants but the headband is being used on something else. A woody SFI. they do stick out a fair bit  for a transplant shell ( 701-704 - nobody waste the 705/6 unless you send me the drivers for a small fee )

It's coming with the adapter with 2 sockets for headphones and Hi/Low switch (don't think it has dual inputs? just speaker taps), like the upper one in the pic.
 
A little nervous, supposedly has a "slight" imbalance. BUT, seller claims that when you switch speaker leads the imbalance shifts sides. Banking on either problem in energizer or his amp. But wait, just realized if it was in energizer it would stay on same channel. Hmmm, we'll find out soon enough. Either way, it is supposedly a very slight imbalance. Probably no worse than the imbalance in my ears. My right ear is damaged from years of standing at a table saw despite always using protection.
 
Curious about how the hi/low switch works without applied power. Thinking of my E9 energizer with single-ended or AC powered option.

 

[nick n]

Those plugs are pretty specific to non-Stax electrets. 4 pin with the outer shroud.
BTW love the posts about stuff like this it is still relevant as far as I am concerned. Planar
Dual inputs I was meaning the headphone jacks.
If it switches with changing over the speaker leads, hmmm. I think the 2 capacitors inside at the front are ceramic so doubtful they are the issue, and if you saw the link there are also two orange non-polars they must be stock so that might be the problem.
 
The switch must engage some resistors I would think.
 
 
If anyone wants to convert their rather poor decayed-foam and flat fabric stock pad set on their YHD-3 , the AKG K26P and K414P pads fit perfectly, sure saved messing about with the iFrogz ones mentioned way back in here. Some double sided tape rings and BLAMMO all done. ( and wht would a person do with the ifrogz shell it'd have to be used in a mod and i don't know if that would fly. UNLESS it was late 1970's green ski-boat metal flake paint...
 
I'm very scared to open them up because they are the same method as the YHE-50 and that was a real pain with snapped press-tabs and the glued seam. So FYI anyone looking into these if the foam in the stock flat earpads is gummy and decayed as bad as they were - black foam- then the stuff inside will also be hurting as well. The decayed flat foam also gets into all the holes on the driver baffle face which are all fairly tiny.( I honestly think they must all be that way ) The only way to get some of the foam out of the holes is to vaccum them and then use double sided tape depending on how bad. A full clean will need you to open them.
YOU WILL break them partially if you try to open them pretty much guaranteed, at least a few tabs anyhow, not to mention cracking the glued seam you'll have to fix that too..  Think I managed a record in here ( somehow ) last time only busting 1 or 2 on the YHE-50.
There are 6 or 8 total 3 or 4 per cup. then the glue seam. Nightmare city.
These have some almost more than decent trebles and balanced evenly, but I have a sneaking suspicion it is bad foam since they are black coloured, therefore the foam in the rears may also be, and that can get nasty when it decays..
 
can I cry now...

 

 

 

[kalbee]

  It's coming with the adapter with 2 sockets for headphones and Hi/Low switch (don't think it has dual inputs? just speaker taps), like the upper one in the pic.
 
A little nervous, supposedly has a "slight" imbalance. BUT, seller claims that when you switch speaker leads the imbalance shifts sides. Banking on either problem in energizer or his amp. But wait, just realized if it was in energizer it would stay on same channel. Hmmm, we'll find out soon enough. Either way, it is supposedly a very slight imbalance. Probably no worse than the imbalance in my ears. My right ear is damaged from years of standing at a table saw despite always using protection.
 
Curious about how the hi/low switch works without applied power. Thinking of my E9 energizer with single-ended or AC powered option.

Totally didn't think of this method!! thanks for pointing it out (am trying to figure out what is causing imbalance on a pair of headphones)

 

[nick n]

See it IS relevant!!!!

 
 

  YHD-1 went for 91 Euro. Anyone here got it?

I wish, I did bid on it but to no avail , also I fell alseep before it ended.
 
 
So what's the deal here nobody doing any mods at all lately?
Am I the only one with 6 or 7 lined up waiting to get tackled? Please  say it isn't so ( shared suffering and all that )
 
I want to see this thread hit the 2,000,000 views mark.
Get on it!
Pictures, impressions, new finds, thoughts etc.
 
Well I'll add another picture here. I just finished duplicating the Echo TDS-16 mod for a pal and will send it out soon.  Replaced a broken headband clip, and replaced the stock hard as rock headband with softer but not too soft double layered Buffalo Hide one. See also the aftermarket nice pads in action there. Same profile and opening as stock, infinitely more comfortable and the sound suffers not.

 
Super easy to do and FAST simply "watching  the paint dry ' as they say.
 
I took two sections of the leather and applied 2 coats of industrial strength contact cement to the backsides, one piece was slightly longer so when they were cut to shape  where they attach at the sliders was only one layer thick in that exact spot otherwise it would not slide properly.
Went for a walk between coats drying ~ 10-15 minutes each time.
Next carefully laid down one on top of the other and used the rubber roller like you use when bonding contact cement and wood veneer to set the two tightly.
 
Then a sharp exacto hobby knife cut an even taper from the center points to the part that gets screwed in. Get a nice new blade and make clean cuts it s like a factory build.
Cut 4 tiny slits so the screws would go through, screwed it in and blammo. Done.  This thing is not floppy , but it is also not hard it is extremely comfortable.
 
 I bet someone could rig up something like this for the T50 very easily, and any other HP-1/ HP-2 etc that was hurting. Contact cement will also let you add thin wire ( or other like plastic strips embedded in the edges ) reinforcements, inside before you bond the sides or even on the outside if you are careful about applying it ( obviously you need to apply it to both parts or it does not work, and no "overspray" application , pretend it's a colouring book or something stay in the lines)
 
It doesn't flop around, and if you had wider join points at the ends it would be even better, very  very very comfortable.
Here is the fast attack process on this

^ Rubber roller, bonded leather sides before cutting to shape with the single layer edges, stock ridiculously hard vinyl band (  which at one time even had foam in there pretty sure )
I did two at once so the uncut one there is for my modded set.

 
Hey it's not a GREQ-PMB 8 uber glossy puffy fancy thing, but it does the trick

 

 

[MuZo2]

On my side I have  HP-1, TDS-7 and Fostex  T20V2 which needs mod.

 
TDS-7 is new favorite, I have it since one year but didnt get any playtime. Its big headphone and not so comfortable also it clamps really tight.
But did listen to them last week and they have very clean sound , wider soundstage, but not in depth  but I think with different pads and housing it can change.
Bass is clean, impactful and goes deep.(It has one of the largest diaphragm). I think the headphones are already modded, because they seem to be linear until the mids,Mids nice warm and rich. Treble is smooth and well extended and detailed.

 

[nick n]

Glad I am not alone then!!!
The TDS-7 are simply the largest headphone ever created , have you looked in the mirror with them on

It's a scary sight. Ridiculous. Pictures do not do their size justice.
I also have given them very little playtime and had them for a long time.
 
Already modded? Lucky. I can't even figure out how to open them up.
 
I found some Creative Soundbalster pads that will work on them I think but not sure about putting them on top of the stock pads, or somehow opening them up and removing the good condition stock pads.

 

[MuZo2]

  Already modded? Lucky. I can't even figure out how to open them up.
 

Its easy, back side just pops out, its press fitted, no screws. But drivers are attached to frame and  connections are also soldered to headband.
 

  The TDS-7 are simply the largest headphone ever created , have you looked in the mirror with them on

It's a scary sight.

Thats why they dont get much playtime.
 
 
BMF had opened them up, not sure if he managed to put it back or transplant it.