Orthodynamic Roundup

[vid]

  Like doing an entire headphone transplant 

 
The HD 600 had it coming either way. Had to bend out one driver-holding clip on each side to get the HOK driver to fit well, so that's the resale value pummeled as well.
 
The HOK in their original cup with the same physical mods and the same overall EQ was like that:

 
So a good tradeoff in the end.

 

[GREQ]

 Square pads are hard to find, and especially with a proper inner diameter. 

Yeah... that's my second idea - remember my rectangular Watson Mod.930 and Universum clone?
I've got another one called "Maeden" "something"... anyway - they've got big rectangular pads and if it's the right size I think this one might be up for the chop.
 
For now I'll research how plasti dip works on fabrics, or if it can at all.
 
I'm planning to get a decent size piece of lambskin anyway because I want to make a set of leather pads for my HE-500. I'm sure there'll be some left over so that's an option too.
 

The HOK in their original cup with the same physical mods and the same overall EQ was like that:

So a good tradeoff in the end.

Do you have another graph of the final result without EQ (for science!)?

 

[GREQ]

nick n - have you tried plasti dipping straight onto a piece of foam?
 
That takes the fabric out of the equation, should have better adhesion and hopefully only need one coat allowing for better flexibility. 
Thoughts?

 

[vid]

  Do you have another graph of the final result without EQ (for science!)?

 
Not much to see except less upper bass and more energy in the lower treble.

 

[GREQ]

 

Do you have another graph of the final result without EQ (for science!)?

Not much to see except less upper bass and more energy in the lower treble.

Well that answers my question either way.
The EQ is therefore more for fine-tuning rather than a significant sound modification. 
 
Would you say the HOK cups are too small and closed for a decent mod, or were you simply trying to squeeze the most out of them? (for science?)

 

[vid]

  Well that answers my question either way.
The EQ is therefore more for fine-tuning rather than a significant sound modification. 

 
You'll see from the EQ image that it's a significant modification to the frequency response, and you'll find from studies that the frequency response is a significant contributor to people's perception of sound quality (assuming a blind test), hence the EQ in this case is used for significant sound (quality) modification.
 
The curious thing about the HOK is that it doesn't really matter whether the drivers are in the cup or out in the open; they sound about the same either way. The baffle on the HD 600 cup seems to work better for them, though.

 

[MDR30]

  Like doing an entire headphone transplant 

 
I'm hoping I can cure the biggest problem of the U70 without much difficulty. 
My theory is that by either fixing or suitably replacing the completely degraded ear pads, I won't need to take such drastic measures to achieve something enjoyable. 
One idea was to re-coat the ear pads with 'plasti dip' - which is a spray-on, removable rubber-based colour finish for cars. 
 
Anyone tried something like this before?

 
Original pads, very rare, on the verge of disintegrating.
 

 
 
Custom made pads.
 

 
 
Pads from cheap, illsounding U70 copy, shamelessly manufactured by WESC.
 

 

[GREQ]

.

 

[nick n]

  Yeah... that's my second idea - remember my rectangular Watson Mod.930 and Universum clone?
I've got another one called "Maeden" "something"... anyway - they've got big rectangular pads and if it's the right size I think this one might be up for the chop.
 
For now I'll research how plasti dip works on fabrics, or if it can at all.
 
I'm planning to get a decent size piece of lambskin anyway because I want to make a set of leather pads for my HE-500. I'm sure there'll be some left over so that's an option too.
Do you have another graph of the final result without EQ (for science!)?

Maeden Sound they are called

There is a few other brands  like that. Exact same headphones.
 
I'll see about dipping some foam into  the Plasti-dip stuff next time then check back in.. It slowly thickens up so maybe best to let it sit a bit before so it's not as watery and sticks on the outside better. Pretty nasty stuff though proper ventilation is extremely important.
I need to buy the pourable version soon anyhow.

 

[GREQ]

double-post

 

[GREQ]

  Maeden Sound they are called

There is a few other brands  like that. Exact same headphones.
 
I'll see about dipping some foam into  the Plasti-dip stuff next time then check back in.. It slowly thickens up so maybe best to let it sit a bit before so it's not as watery and sticks on the outside better. Pretty nasty stuff though proper ventilation is extremely important.
I need to buy the pourable version soon anyhow.

Yeah, I know of at least one other name for those rectangular headphones. Trade secret though 

About the plastic-dip; that's great, I didn't think anyone here was using it - there is very little information on the interwebs about it other than cosplay outfits/props and cars.

 

[nick n]

hmmm well my square versions start with the same letter your secret ones do. Trade secret is safe between us

.
They were/are a real pain to damp, I was actually just thinking about trying something again. 
 
Cars , what do they use that for on cars?

 

[GREQ]

Usually changing the colour of small decorative parts like chrome or entire alloy wheels - but in theory you could re-spray the entire car.
Apparently it's car-wash safe and I've seen the videos of them peeling it off to prove that it's reversible.  Looks like pretty cool stuff. 

 

[jeffrocc]

Plasti- dip is real hit or miss. Very difficult to coat evenly, Shake Shake shake!!!! For minutes on end to get smooth. Extremely light coats and very long set times. It will take on fingerprints for hours if not days. On the upside it peels off easily until it really hardens. It's kind of marketed as a rubbery coating for tool handles ( hence the "dip"as in dip the handle to coat it). I suspect it would be relatively uncomfortable as a pad coating as it is very "grippy" when dry and hardened.

 

[bluemonkeyflyer]

I bought Plasti-Dip from Amazon in aerosol and non-aerosol cans. The aerosol comes out in large globules and is very difficult to get a smooth coat. I've used the non-aerosol to repair small tears on pads and headbands using a toothpick and it worked pretty well.

I saw a similar product at Home Depot in 6 oz. bottles and 5 colors for less than $5.00.

I bought some clear spray on rubber sealant made by Rustoleum that works about as well as Plasti-Dip.