[Philimon]

Cutting felt rings to fit underneath the inner edge of the pads for YH1. This will prevent the driver from being partially sealed by the pleather pads so hopefully more bass (or maybe any extra bass is now due to thicker pads). Its also comfier. Measurements later.

 

[Philimon]

Bass rolled off. I stuffed a lot of felt in there so maybe its caused a loss in seal if the pads glue is not perfect around the circumference (probably not since Ive peeled away to access cup screws). I'll try reducing amount of felt used to the amount I used in YH100 (about half). btw YH100 pads are a little wider (despite drivers being same diameter) so it would be a little harder to break the seal with a little pad stuffing around the inner diameter.

We see the continuation of 8kHz softening so that's nice.

mod17 and mod18 are the same aside from the pad stuffing.

 

[Philimon]

Re-sealed vents on khbaur’s YH100. Bass balance seems to have improved a little maybe. Channel imbalance like this might not be unusual for planars 30 years newer. Not worried.

https://cdn.head-fi.org/a/11742142.jpeg

 

[Philimon]

Conclusion to khbaur’s YH100 mod review is that I wanted one for myself.

—————————-

*khbaurmod with YH1 drivers*

Id like to add a few things to khbaur’s tutorial.:

1. There is a plastic t-shaped post in the back of each cup that gets in the way of completely closing the cups post-Yamaha driver installation. The Yam drivers are much thicker than stock. Luckily those t-shaped posts snap off easily with a press of your thumb.

2. Stock pads arent bad. Reuse and save $ possibly.

3. Stock Sony cable has a microphone so I recabled using the stock YH1 cables. This Sony headphone comes in different versions and premium tiers so if you want to find something with nicer stock cables then there are options. This particular model is only $50 new.

4. For dual entry conversion you will need to drill a small hole in the cup.

——————————

Ive not done any damping mods yet but the obvious advantages are:
- soundstage
- comfort
- more bass

 

[Brahmsian]

I general, which kind of headphone has better longevity: planar, dynamic, or electrostatic?

 

[GREQ]

I general, which kind of headphone has better longevity: planar, dynamic, or electrostatic?

There isn't really a simple answer to this, but planars and e-stats stand above dynamics.

Dynamics are the oldest technology and many of the old headphones still work today... also a lot of them don't.
Old e-stats usually lose their ability to hold charge over time, but can be serviced by re-coating the diaphragm surface.
A well designed planar will last a lifetime. There are also badly designed planars out there that have not.

E-stats are the one least likely to suddenly just 'stop working' for no apparent reason, but will age very slowly.
Planars can die, but it's not as common - and in some cases can be serviced.
Dynamics are most likely to just sometimes suddenly not feel like working any more... ever.

 

[szerecsen]

Gentlemen, can you tell me if sfi made sf-7 was ever OEMd to other brands, like sf17 - sound track, sf16 - eagle? Thanks! pics

 

[szerecsen]

Gentlemen, can you tell me if sfi made sf-7 was ever OEMd to other brands, like sf17 - sound track, sf16 - eagle? Thanks! pics

My bad. There is an answer to this question in this very thread. Just had to check further. Sorry.

 

[voja]

This thread is a gem. Almost 2k pages of pure orthodynamic-focused posts. At this point, I don't even know how many pages I've read.

I've had this idea for a while. This idea to create a thread that would be focused on orthodynamic headphones history. More importantly, I want to keep it updated so people don't have to follow for dozens of pages.

However, I need some help. I've done my research, but I know that there's always more. This thread has the most knowledgeable people when it comes to orthodynamic headphones and their history. If you know a model and its release date (and any other valuable information), please let me know, I want to make sure that I get the most complete image of their history as possible. Your guys' contributions would be greatly appreciated

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/history-of-orthodynamic-planar-magnetic-headphones.963276/

 

[Philimon]

This thread is a gem. Almost 2k pages of pure orthodynamic-focused posts. At this point, I don't even know how many pages I've read.

I've had this idea for a while. This idea to create a thread that would be focused on orthodynamic headphones history. More importantly, I want to keep it updated so people don't have to follow for dozens of pages.

However, I need some help. I've done my research, but I know that there's always more. This thread has the most knowledgeable people when it comes to orthodynamic headphones and their history. If you know a model and its release date (and any other valuable information), please let me know, I want to make sure that I get the most complete image of their history as possible. Your guys' contributions would be greatly appreciated

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/history-of-orthodynamic-planar-magnetic-headphones.963276/

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/orthodynamic-roundup.111193/#post-1301583
U welcome.

Wualta’s old posts are and will continue to be the definitive edition.

While the scale of this thread makes it impenetrable for some, its also what makes vintage ortho interesting for me. This thread is not just a history on ortho tech, but also a story of how they were rediscovered as well as a manual on how to refurbish.

I wish you good luck on your ambitious thread though Im 99% sure youre not serious and really just self promoting.

 

[Philimon]

Yesterday I was too thrifty and bought an old AKAI ASE-40.

Someone’s awesome slideshow of ASE-40 disassembled.:


And attached are @takato14 ’s thoughts and measurements of Victor HP-D50 which appears to be the same headphone just rebadged. (thank you T.)

ASE-40 has a serpentine trace like Fostex, but a magnet more akin to Yamaha but single sided. The singled-sided magnet is interesting as Ive only seen a few planars do this. Im guessing the theoretical pros would be less reflective surfaces between drivers and ears, however the ASE-40 uses a pretty dense grill which kindve negates the whole point…

The other one-sided magnet planars Ive owned are Hifiman HE-4 and Hifiman HE-4XX. Its hard to say if there are shared and unique sound traits in single sided magnet because there are other variables like diaphragm tensions and magnet strength etc. But I would guess disadvantages are higher distortion and weaker dynamics due to lower magnet strength, which HE-4 and 4XX seem to have in comparison to their brothers.

I am curious to test and mod but dont think I will keep. Someone PM me if want to buy. I paid $60 shipped.

Like with a bunch of vintage orthos, much of the driver surface is covered by the pads. I am wondering if I can find a good substitute pad.

edit: btw I have a 4XX as its my favorite amongst all the cheap HFM. And Ive been looking for an HE-4 again for a couple years now (@me if selling pls).

 

[voja]

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/orthodynamic-roundup.111193/#post-1301583
U welcome.

Wualta’s old posts are and will continue to be the definitive edition.

While the scale of this thread makes it impenetrable for some, its also what makes vintage ortho interesting for me. This thread is not just a history on ortho tech, but also a story of how they were rediscovered as well as a manual on how to refurbish.

I wish you good luck on your ambitious thread though Im 99% sure youre not serious and really just self promoting.

I assure you that my intention is nothing of that nature.

I've been holding onto this "idea" for almost 2 years, and my intention is (and always was) to provide a readable and easy to follow history of orthodynamic headphones.

I would never put myself anywhere close to people who have contributed to this thread. While I am serious about it, I wouldn't call my self serious when considering the contributions of you people on this very thread. As far as I'm concerned, I'm a newborn. Almost 2 years ago I dedicated a month or so of my time to research planars and their history, and what I published in my thread is the result of that. I read this very thread to get some information, but since it was so long ago, I don't even know how many pages I've read. You guys have contributed to this thread for over a decade. For this reason, calling myself serious would be beyond disrespectful to everyone here.

I wouldn't even call my thread a summary of this thread. My only intention is to provide an accurate timeline that follows the history of orthodynamics in the most readable and convenient way.

Apologies if I gave the wrong impression. My aim is not to take anything away from this thread.

 

[Philimon]

That would be sweet @voja .

Im not sure if the work will be worth the effort. While there is good value to be had in vintage ortho much of the best stuff has long gone to crazy prices that makes the value proposition very low considering the risk of buying antiques. Most of this thread’s value now is for collectors and flippers as opposed to the beginning of the thread when vintage ortho was exceptional value because headphone options were way more limited.

Part of the impression I got of you not being a friendly hobbyist is because you put your business email in your signature.

I dont consider myself responsible for any great info here. I mostly post my experiences in appreciation to those who came before that took risks and contributed information.

 

[khbaur330162]

If you know a model and its release date (and any other valuable information), please let me know, I want to make sure that I get the most complete image of their history as possible. Your guys' contributions would be greatly appreciated

Check here:
http://20cheaddatebase.web.fc2.com/list.html

Translate from Japanese to English and you should glean tons of info. I would look through this thread for various models and then look them up via the manufacturers list on this database. Many release dates are included along with other pertinent info.

GL. One hell of a task to tackle here.

 

[Philimon]

Akai ASE-40