Orthodynamic Roundup

[matarua]

Anyway, what specifically are those pads for that are on your T20mk1? They look nothing like the old T20 pads.

They are from Ali Express - my specific ones are here >>> https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32940877541.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.22764c4d3AN44J

Or you can get more simple style > https://www.aliexpress.com/item/328...chweb0_0,searchweb201602_2,searchweb201603_53

If you search on the site you can basically go direct to china for some cheap PU pads.

 

[ericj]

Probably not me you wanted to quote....

Whoops, was not paying enough attention

 

[ericj]

So i bought that "no sound" EAH-830 on ebay.

Wires broken at both the plug and the cups. Standard "shorten the cable" fix.

I recall that these were regarded as not sounding so great.

Here's some gut shots:

Thoughts: Maybe the damping pad is too aggressive or is flapping in the breeze?

Maybe more venting would help?

I think perhaps i could remove the metal part of the grilles and with some light dremel work remove most of the plastic behind the driver.

Then set the original damping pad aside and see how they sound, and tune from there?

I haven't finished the cable fixes so i still have no idea what they sound like stock.

There's a hard cardboard ring that i have removed from the back of the driver - I suspect it was only intended to prevent the solder tabs from shorting out on the metallic coating on the cups.

 

[GREQ]

So i bought that "no sound" EAH-830 on ebay.

Wires broken at both the plug and the cups. Standard "shorten the cable" fix.

I recall that these were regarded as not sounding so great.

Here's some gut shots:



Thoughts: Maybe the damping pad is too aggressive or is flapping in the breeze?

Maybe more venting would help?

I think perhaps i could remove the metal part of the grilles and with some light dremel work remove most of the plastic behind the driver.

Then set the original damping pad aside and see how they sound, and tune from there?

I haven't finished the cable fixes so i still have no idea what they sound like stock.

There's a hard cardboard ring that i have removed from the back of the driver - I suspect it was only intended to prevent the solder tabs from shorting out on the metallic coating on the cups.

I remember my 820 responded really well to over-ear pads, as long as they were extremely thin. But I've since sold it.
Not sure how it is on the 830, but the 820 also had a thick brown felt layer on the ear side of the driver that really held it back.

 

[ericj]

I remember my 820 responded really well to over-ear pads, as long as they were extremely thin. But I've since sold it.
Not sure how it is on the 830, but the 820 also had a thick brown felt layer on the ear side of the driver that really held it back.

Yeah. I may try to rebuild the original pads.

I forget the 820. Didn't one of the lineup have an sfi driver in it?

I will peel back the felt and decide whether the back of the driver housing has excess plastic that also needs to go. I just feel like layers of occlusion can't help the sound you know?

It goes through a set of tunnels in the magnet because it's ferrite. How many more sets of little tunnels should it go through? I feel like that is going to add some resonances that can't be pleasant.

 

[GREQ]

Yeah. I may try to rebuild the original pads.

I forget the 820. Didn't one of the lineup have an sfi driver in it?

I will peel back the felt and decide whether the back of the driver housing has excess plastic that also needs to go. I just feel like layers of occlusion can't help the sound you know?

Yeah the 810 has the SFI , 820 is very similar to 830 from all I've seen and compared from images of 830 drivers... seems to be very similar trace on the diaphragm too.
The back being semi open might not be that bad. I mean it could be, but HP-1 and PMB-6 are both semi open and they both sound fine.

 

[nick n]

830 has one extra line of traces in the diaphragm vs the 820.
Check that the spring contact is clean and making good contact.
I have an 830 that is in pieces due to some storage corrosion from the seller's relative.
Looking at the 830 traces under a lens it is still had to figure out where the break may be. Totally confusing.
/ I believe it is trace breaks on my 830. I hope it is.


A bit of sorbothane on the things where you can fit it helps, but these 820 seem to just soak up whatever power you can throw at them.
As for pads I simply went with square aftermarket things.
If I get to it I will dig out the info pamplet on them and post images.

 

[ericj]

830 has one extra line of traces in the diaphragm vs the 820.
Check that the spring contact is clean and making good contact.
I have an 830 that is in pieces due to some storage corrosion from the seller's relative.
Looking at the 830 traces under a lens it is still had to figure out where the break may be. Totally confusing.
/ I believe it is trace breaks on my 830. I hope it is.


A bit of sorbothane on the things where you can fit it helps, but these 820 seem to just soak up whatever power you can throw at them.
As for pads I simply went with square aftermarket things.
If I get to it I will dig out the info pamplet on them and post images.

Yeah, I had to open up the drivers and dab the rivets with deoxit to get the impedance down to 100 ohms.

Had multiple breaks near the cups. Was a lot of annoying trial and error getting them working.

They have some good bass?

Took some more gut shots. The back of the driver housing turns out to have just two holes in it. So a radical mod would involve removing the magnet from the back of the driver housing, maybe by soaking it in alcohol for a couple days, and then cutting it wide open along with the back of the cup, and then damping from there with a traditional felt and foam combination.

I'm not really a sorbothane believer but i have peel-n-seal here.

 

[ericj]

They are from Ali Express - my specific ones are here >>> https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32940877541.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.22764c4d3AN44J

Or you can get more simple style > https://www.aliexpress.com/item/328...chweb0_0,searchweb201602_2,searchweb201603_53

If you search on the site you can basically go direct to china for some cheap PU pads.

I think i bought the "protein leather" version of that as an AKG K240 pad. Seems about the right size.

Nothing like the flattened donuts that come on the original T20.

 

[matarua]

I think i bought the "protein leather" version of that as an AKG K240 pad. Seems about the right size.

Nothing like the flattened donuts that come on the original T20.

Yeah, when I got the T20 the flattened donuts were breaking up and there was zero clamping pressure, and in my noob un-knowledgeable state thought the foam had deteriorated, but on seeing old photographs of them they don't look much different that's for sure. With the new pads they are super comfy and seal a lot better than no seal at all. Not sure if I kept the old ones. Hmmm, anyway in comparing them to my Audiotronic AHP66 which have on-ear pads - the sound-stage opens up with more pad depth there on the T20 but maybe softens everything down a lot too. It makes them a very light, relaxed non fatiguing set which I quite like. Nothing is punching like my LCD-XC tho yet.

I have not got my headphone amp out since I moved either so can't really test them heaps, both a comfortable listening at 100% computer volume, so will have some more to shine with grunt behind them.

 

[richard51]

Some news from my Fostex T10... They improve a lot with some lava beads and some Herkimer diamond taped around the jack...It is a loving affair with them growing...I will received my Fo.Q tape of micro-crystals and my sorbothane to damp them in few days I think... In the meantime they rocks more and more...They are again behind the refined imaging of the dynamic Fostex TH 7 but they are not so far behind now...Headphonia had a review comparing them to the Fostex t50 rp and they speak already there of the superior holographic imaging of the TH-7... And they were not damped nor modified by the reviewer, it is a very good headphone at his cost, the TH-7 is one the best headphone there is for 80 bucks new...The T10 was behind him but his timbre is better more natural,(for human voice it is evident now) his imaging is behind for the moment, because adequately damped I think it will be equal or better I dont know yet...

P.s. Before lava beads, I tried small agate beads but it was not an improvement, with lava beads Bingo! Each stone had his particular effect then we must experiment for which will be the best...For example with the AKG K 701 lava beads would have a negative impact reinforcing the harshness of the higher frequencies... But with the darker T10 they play magic...


More:
It seems that after hours of listening,with this simple mods with stones, without even damping yet, the T10 now can beat my dynamic Fostex TH-7 b, same holography with a better timbre and details are more audible because they are better contrasted and better colored against the background... It is now my first love... There exist better headphone but I dont know which one, I know only that they must be relatively costly...This vintage orthodynamic can is a queen...

 

[GREQ]

Some news from my Fostex T10... They improve a lot with some lava beads and some Herkimer diamond taped around the jack...It is a loving affair with them growing...I will received my Fo.Q tape of micro-crystals and my sorbothane to damp them in few days I think... In the meantime they rocks more and more...They are again behind the refined imaging of the dynamic Fostex TH 7 but they are not so far behind now...Headphonia had a review comparing them to the Fostex t50 rp and they speak already there of the superior holographic imaging of the TH-7... And they were not damped nor modified by the reviewer, it is a very good headphone at his cost, the TH-7 is one the best headphone there is for 80 bucks new...The T10 was behind him but his timbre is better more natural,(for human voice it is evident now) his imaging is behind for the moment, because adequately damped I think it will be equal or better I dont know yet...

P.s. Before lava beads, I tried small agate beads but it was not an improvement, with lava beads Bingo! Each stone had his particular effect then we must experiment for which will be the best...For example with the AKG K 701 lava beads would have a negative impact reinforcing the harshness of the higher frequencies... But with the darker T10 they play magic...


More:
It seems that after hours of listening,with this simple mods with stones, without even damping yet, the T10 now can beat my dynamic Fostex TH-7 b, same holography with a better timbre and details are more audible because they are better contrasted and better colored against the background... It is now my first love... There exist better headphone but I dont know which one, I know only that they must be relatively costly...This vintage orthodynamic can is a queen...

Lava beads?... would you care to share some images of your nodding work, you've piqued my curiosity.

 

[richard51]

Yes it is simple you takes some 180 lava beads 4mm in plastic bag+ 180 chrysocolla beads mixed in the bags with them and one Herkimer diamond and you taped it with electrical tape around the jack of the cable 's headphone:

you choose 4 mm. for the dimension of lava beads
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32727503814.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.27424c4dWUcONO

same dimension for Chrysocolla beads :
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1792459432.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.4da94c4dB7g7jm

Herkimer diamond one or 2 pieces around 2mm to 3mm

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/329...hweb0_0,searchweb201602_10,searchweb201603_52

You can also add to the exterior cups under the vents a piece of shungite for cellphone:
https://www.ebay.ca/itm/6-pcs-Shung...502780?hash=item41d309b43c:g:o~AAAOSwqfNXktMf
(addenda : I put one shungite piece on the jack with the beads taped and remove the shungite pieces from the cups for a better result)


Like I already said, this tweaks put this T10 in front of my extraordinary TH-7 itself modified and damped ... Without even a damping yet...In my system, heavily treated and tweaked already the sound of the T10 tough lacks details and was slightly muffled compared to my other headphones especially the TH-7...It is way better now and it is better for me than my other headphones (Stax basic nova or Stax SR-5 gold, AKG 340, AKG K701, Hifiman HE 400, Beyerdynamic T140 and vintage beyer 990 pro, Fostex TH 7 b,)

My goal is to own a headphone with 3-d holographic imaging +a natural timbre realistic for musical instruments and voices... Only one, I dont collect headphone...

I wait to damp them with sorbothane duro 70, and some Fo.Q no. 32 tape made with micro-crystals...They will be better … All headphones vibrate badly and there are some resonance between the cups , it is mandatory to damp that... The level of vibrations is variable and function of the construction of the headphones...All gear vibrates and it is necessary to address that...


ADDENDA : I add chrysocolla beads to the lava beads and that had a great impact on the soundstage and imaging exactly in the direction I want to go with the T10 more holographically 3-d...The soundstage is now a bit more out of the brain and more around the head if you know what I means...Superb T10... the addition of the chrysocolla is really the magical touch, I am amazed... This headphone is now my best one even not yet damped ...

 

[GREQ]

I wonder if the stones inside the cup are increasing treble reflections, making a more 'detailed' response.
This might actually be something worth exploring further.

 

[richard51]

Now I does not put anything inside... The shungite plates are at the exterior of the cups simply taped on it under the 2 vents...I will put also the sorbothane and the Fo.Q tape at the exterior... All is reversible and without risks...

This evening is marvellous listening to songs I know for 40 years and appreciating them anew with new colors and new details... The Akg K 701 sound artificial compared to this amazing T10... This headphone is the easiest to mods with great results... I like the naturalness of his timbre and the imaging now on par with the best I listen to...I cannot wait to damp it for better results... Thanks to those of you that insist about the quality of this headphones...

Important addendum :
I remove the shungite from the cups and put a small shungite plate on top of the lava and chrysocolla beads with 2 Herkimer diamond taped around the jack at the end of the headphone cable... I will put only damping products on the cups...Trials and errors is part of the experiment, only the ears is the final judge... the holography is maintained with more clarity the imaging very good with a soundstage more out of the head but with a better coherency if no shungite on the cups ...The results are now optimal... I wait for the damping products...Without any damping yet this is now the best headphone I had...The right methods and products of damping will be critical to elevate it to another level without loosing what I have now with this stones taped around the jack......

Second Addendum : I added a Herkimer diamond taped with nano magic tape on one of the vent of the cup but without blocking all apertures. It was a boost for the highs and lows and keeping the holograpical imaging...This mod will not interfere with the sorbothane I will put on the cup and the Fo.Q tape around the cup...I forget to say that I added a chunk of tourmaline to the jack, the mixed combination of this with lava beads, shungite Herkimer, and chrysocolla makes them better than they ever be since I bought them...Amazing...

This headphone is not a microscope but a very good musical instrument, beside him except perhaps of the Stax S5-5 Gold which rightly driven with a costly dedicated amplifier will be in the same league, all other headphones I listen to were faulty on a count or on another... My deception with the Stax Sr-5 Gold comes probably from the box I used to link it to my regular amplifier with no stones to filters the noise and insufficient vibrations controls...The Stax SR-5 Gold had a magnificent tonality that the T10 reminds me , evident with voice timbre...But now with the T10 I had also an imaging and soundstage that was better than my past SR5 perhaps for the reasons I thank of moment ago...