Orthodynamic Roundup
Aug 10, 2021 at 5:13 PM Post #26,567 of 27,131
NAD RP18 Beyer pads.jpg


Quick initial measurements. Not super quiet environment. Did not try a ton of earpad positioning. The bass imbalance could be from other variables that are not the headphones. Stock damping came set aside. Testing for bass rattle will require using test tones and listening by ear.

Bigger bass and soundstage... Soundstage also related to the bigger and more open Beyer pads I'm using on RP18. I was expecting a more closed-in sound based on others notes of stock enclosure. I won't be using stock enclosure anyway because it's in rough shape. Bass rattle not apparent from first few tracks but I will painstakingly try test tones. The clamp from stock headband is already fatiguing - I'm wimp. Little much 10kHz but its not painful, and that 4kHz possibly ringing - undecided if its bothersome, maybe some glare. Bit u-shaped. Will try lambskins and hybrids to increase warmth and make more apparent that lush vintage ortho sound. As-is: very nice. I'm not sensing the bass imbalance by ear, and still have not noticed bass rattle while listening while typing this post.

edit: Clamp is rough. Need to take a break before trying test tones.

06ADAC75-DDD3-4168-B060-A14C33935C28.jpeg
 
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Aug 10, 2021 at 7:12 PM Post #26,568 of 27,131
Played test tones and did not hear anything unusual except being impressive. Left channel bass noticeably a little stronger from about 40-60Hz. I can rule out my chain by testing other headphones. I could disassemble the RP18 and inspect for symmetry including the membrane for any obvious flaws.

I haven't used T30 in awhile but I'd say RP18 is on another level. Going to try some more measurements with some other pads. Then disassemble to inspect. Then transplant to Beyer enclosure. If bass imbalance persists then what?

edit: How bad is such a bass imbalance for normal music listening? Throw off center image for bassy music. Probably would be way worse if in vocal range.

edit2: I guess I would dampen unevenly to balance. Or use eq.
 
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Aug 10, 2021 at 8:55 PM Post #26,569 of 27,131
Micro suede pads came in. Not good match for YH-100, but look at YH-1...

2021-8-10 YH-1 Brainwavz Suede vs Brainwavz Flat.jpg


Really good, imo. Almost preferable to Flat pads.


-edit- Just saw your posts @Philimon. Nice to hear RP18 is to your liking for the most part. :) Pretty decent, huh? So wait, T30's work?!?!?! Or is that based off memory?
 
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Aug 10, 2021 at 11:34 PM Post #26,572 of 27,131
P8100046.JPG


Here they are. They are on sale.

What do you guys think of these? I'm looking for leather pads with fabric sides to increase bass, but don't know of any that fit the MDR-ZX700. But fenestrated pads were also mentioned. Will these increase bass on YH-1's?
 
Aug 11, 2021 at 2:07 AM Post #26,573 of 27,131
NAD RP18 Beyer pads.jpg

Quick initial measurements. Not super quiet environment. Did not try a ton of earpad positioning. The bass imbalance could be from other variables that are not the headphones. Stock damping came set aside. Testing for bass rattle will require using test tones and listening by ear.

Bigger bass and soundstage... Soundstage also related to the bigger and more open Beyer pads I'm using on RP18. I was expecting a more closed-in sound based on others notes of stock enclosure. I won't be using stock enclosure anyway because it's in rough shape. Bass rattle not apparent from first few tracks but I will painstakingly try test tones. The clamp from stock headband is already fatiguing - I'm wimp. Little much 10kHz but its not painful, and that 4kHz possibly ringing - undecided if its bothersome, maybe some glare. Bit u-shaped. Will try lambskins and hybrids to increase warmth and make more apparent that lush vintage ortho sound. As-is: very nice. I'm not sensing the bass imbalance by ear, and still have not noticed bass rattle while listening while typing this post.

edit: Clamp is rough. Need to take a break before trying test tones.

06ADAC75-DDD3-4168-B060-A14C33935C28.jpeg
I recall beyer pads sounding horrible on RP18.
Certainly doesn't measure as poorly as I remember, but large pleathers will fix the bass rolloff.
Something like brainwavz angled pleather pads will work in a pinch, but naturally round pads are preferable.
 
Aug 11, 2021 at 11:07 AM Post #26,574 of 27,131
@khbaur330162
Those micro suedes look plush.
Leather and fabric = hybrids. The angled hybrids from Brainwavz are nice if they fit. Focus-a pads from hifiman are my fav style (outer edge is only part thats leather while rest is all velour) but they wont fit anything but hifiman. I just destroyed a new set trying to get it to fit a Fostex TRX00. $40 gone. The adapter rings on hifiman pads are glued on and cannot be unglued…

@GREQ This RP18 has stock damping removed so probably would have more bass.

Fostex T30: I have to resolder so impressions delayed. I used new stiff thick guage wires for soldering to the drivers. Well, they were cut a little long so I had to push them out of the way for reinstalling grill. This put too much pressure on one of my poorly executed solder joints and caused a disconnect, so will have to resolder and trim wires to proper lengths.
 
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Aug 11, 2021 at 3:11 PM Post #26,575 of 27,131
Ok, I did more listening. Suede on YH-100's is actually really good, too. YH-100 and YH-1 Suede measure identical??? I now prefer Suede YH-100's to handstitched. Handstitched has a nice intimate soundstage and sounds good, but I think suede eeks out a little more midrange and sparkle to where they sound more correct to my ears and they are more spacious. My father thinks they are too forward in midrange. Hrm. Maybe handstitched pads are the sweet spot.

2021-8-11 YH-100 vs YH-1 Brainwavz Suede.jpg


@khbaur330162
Those micro suedes look plush.
Leather and fabric = hybrids. The angled hybrids from Brainwavz are nice if they fit. Focus-a pads from hifiman are my fav style (outer edge is only part thats leather while rest is all velour) but they wont fit anything but hifiman. I just destroyed a new set trying to get it to fit a Fostex TRX00. $40 gone. The adapter rings on hifiman pads are glued on and cannot be unglued…
Oh, so you're saying buy these? I'd rather not get more angled pads, their angle is just... the pad is so thick, Idk, if the pad was angled but like half the thickness I'd consider, so I guess just get the flat hybrid pads. These hybrid pads should have same dimensions as the Flat Sheepskin and Micro Suede so I know they will sound spacious with strong center image, at least I'd bet they do, and they should 100% fit DR-ZX701iP. We will seeeee.
 
Aug 11, 2021 at 5:18 PM Post #26,576 of 27,131
NAD RP18 AHl pads.jpg


RP18 no pads.jpg


Bass imbalance. I disassembled (photos coming) and could see that the right side had some dimpling on the membrane -they look like the indent from solder splash on my T30. Could this be the cause for imbalance? As you can see in the first graph I tried a bunch of attempts to attain better bass with earpad positioning.
 
Aug 11, 2021 at 7:09 PM Post #26,579 of 27,131
I'd wager they sound pretty good... Might still be fun to mod, and how much auditory info is below 50Hz?

What audio program do you use on computer? There are EQ's available for foobar which can split into stereo, might be able to fix through EQ like you said?
 
Aug 11, 2021 at 7:59 PM Post #26,580 of 27,131
I'd wager they sound pretty good... Might still be fun to mod, and how much auditory info is below 50Hz?

What audio program do you use on computer? There are EQ's available for foobar which can split into stereo, might be able to fix through EQ like you said?
Apple music. How much info is below 50Hz? I hadn’t noticed bass channel imbalance while listening to music so maybe it doesn’t matter much.
 

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