[wje]

Here's some more information that I located on another site regarding the repair process that another individual performed:
 

Reattaching the Transducer’s Signal Wires (SR-60)
 
Method (Skippy): A voice coil wire broke underneath the diaphragm of my SR60, so I peeled off the diaphragm, and extendend the wire to repair the driver. The transducer consists of the diaphragm, the coil, the magnet assembly, and the big plastic cup part. The coil is glued to the diaphragm, and the magnet assembly is plastic cup. the magnet assembly consists of a circular magnet in the center, and a metal ring (more like a cup actually) surrounding the magnet. the voice coil sits inside the gap in between the magnet and the ring.
 
 
The diaphragm is stuck on to the big plastic cup part using glue. This glue isn’t too strong, around the same adhesiveness as scotch tape. I used a pin to separate the diaphragm from the plastic cup – moving very slowly and very carefully.  
I slowly peeled the diaphragm off, exposing the voice coil. Carefully, I unwound a loop of wire from the coil. Then I replaced the diaphragm back onto the transducer. The glue residue was still sticky enough to hold the diaphragm without using any extra glue. That part was hard, but it gets harder.
I couldn’t dissolve the enamel coating on the wire. Usually I scrape the stuff off, but the Grado wire is so thin and fragile that any scraping would rip the wire to shreds. Unfortunately, scraping the enamel was the only method I had left. I shredded the wire many times and almost had to remove the diaphragm again to unwind another loop, but I was finally able to scrape off the enamel without breaking the wires.
 
Soldering those wires is hard because they’re so thin and fragile. I couldn’t even hold them with tweezers without snapping them. I ended up using the tip of the soldering iron to control the wire. It actually worked very well.
 
Note: the wires that connect to the transducer are uninsulated. When the cord moves around the uninsulated wires brush up against each other, causing clicking sounds. A little electrical tape fixes this easily.

 

[GermanGuy]

normally you can use acetone to clean the wires!

 

[wje]

  normally you can use acetone to clean the wires!

 
Thanks for the excellent information.  Now I realize why I keep 2 cans in my garage.

 

[GermanGuy]

i usually have acetone "on stock" because it is the only solvent for super glue.

 

[GREQ]

i usually have acetone "on stock" because it is the only solvent for super glue.

Will acetone remove old dry super glue?

 

[GermanGuy]

yes!

 

[bluemonkeyflyer]

  Many thanks Wayne. Looks like I'll be doing some reading this evening...

 
That Grado driver looks remarkably similar to Beyerdynamic DT990 600 Ohm drivers: size, holes, clear diaphragm, copper voice coil in gap around the magnet, TINY wires with enamel insulation to solder plates...

 

[fleasbaby]

I smell an experiment in the works...what do the drivers look like when you get them? Do they look like a fully liberated Grado driver?

 

[bluemonkeyflyer]

I smell an experiment in the works...what do the drivers look like when you get them? Do they look like a fully liberated Grado driver?

 
Pretty much except a different color...white. Here are some photos...
 
 

Magnified 10X. There should be 3 plates. The one in the middle is inactive or an extra.
The one on the top came off from solder iron heat. You can see the 2 tiny driver wires
smaller than a single strand of hair.
 

New Beyer DT990's pop off from their baffles.
 
 

Driver has been removed from baffle and placed in vice for re-soldering the driver
wires. I managed to re-attach one but not the other.
 

 
The diaphragm looks very similar to Grados. They are held in place with the red glue.
Note the notch at the top where the coil wires exit the inside of the driver and connect
with the two outermost  plates. I managed to solder both these in place but they did not
work. I could not get the enamel off and did not know that acetone would work.
 

 
Diaphragm peeled back exposing the voice coil that's glued onto the diaphragm and
sits in the groove around the magnet.
 

 
Ear side of driver - diaphragm
 
 

 
Rear side of driver - magnet

 

[fleasbaby]

It would be interesting to hear a pair of those drivers lifted from their baffles and mounted in a pair of woodies designed for a pair of Grados...

 

[hemipowered007]

It would be interesting to hear a pair of those drivers lifted from their baffles and mounted in a pair of woodies designed for a pair of Grados...

YES!!! More grado and hifiman tinkering! I love the way modding is going these days

 

[wje]

  Many thanks Wayne. Looks like I'll be doing some reading this evening...

 
I wanted to approach this last evening on my Magnum v. 3.5 driver that was FUBAR with the solder tab yanked off.  Sadly, I didn't have any cut-off wheels for my Dremel. I then put on the RS1i headphones and listened to some music.  At 10:45 P.M., my wife woke me up to make it to the bedroom.  My head was no longer resting towars the back of the chair, but was bent forward a few feet as I slept.  No neck ache today, though.
 
I'll buy a cut-off wheel package on my way home from work today.

 

[bluemonkeyflyer]

It would be interesting to hear a pair of those drivers lifted from their baffles and mounted in a pair of woodies designed for a pair of Grados...

We're on the same page. I'm also interested in the Turbulent X drivers.
 
I am in search of a used set of PS-1000 drivers.  I wonder if there are any Grado ninjas who have information about the similarities and differences in construction, materials, and measurements (FR, etc.) of PS-1000 compared to lesser models. The PS-1000 just sounds "right" to me. 

 

[GermanGuy]

   
I am a Grado neophyte. I do not like the exaggerated highs from SR-80. I assumed All Grados were voiced the same until I heard PS-1000 which sounds wonderful to me.
 
I am intrigued by your Grado mods and have something in mind if I can get the sound approaching/matching the PS-1000 drivers without having to buy the complete headphone. 
 
Does anyone know which Grado driver the Turbulent X driver most resembles?
 
Many thanks!

 
i needed some time because your question is not that easy to answer. For the drivers, let's say it this way:
 
i made custom grados using sr80i, sr125i, sr225i and sr325is drivers and the turbulent x drivers using my filter rings, adaptors and wooden sleeves, so everything is related to this kind of modding.
 
while there is only one turbulent x driver, there are different grado drivers, so the turbulent x driver has to do it all at the same time, while the grado drivers are all have their one personality.
 
btw, i usually vent all holes, it gives you the best sound, soundstage, precision, bass, detail, have tested 2, 4, 6 holes vented with all drivers. but  of course with inner damping with foam rubber and/or wooden sleeves.
 
the sr80i driver is ok, best suited for warm sounding to bass pronouncing mods, but i miss precision, detail and resolution in comparison to the other drivers.
 
the sr125i driver is somewhat special, combining more bass like the sr80i with better highs like the sr225i, but not so high resolving. i made a very spacious, analytical sounding headphone with the sr125i drivers, dampened with cotton wool, really liked it, but accidentely damaged one driver .....
 
the sr225i driver for me  is how to say the most fine and audiophile sounding driver when it comes to pinpoint imaging and speed. i have one modded sr225i (not posted) with this sound properties, the presentation is more like my hd800, not so near, more distance all objects smaller, not sitting in the first, but in the 10th row.
 
the sr325is driver is superior when it comes to precision, impact, bite, but not that easy to get a good sounding mod as the driver has more bass than the sr225i so it is not that easy to find a good balance between highs and bass. if i had to compare the my sr325is mod i posted a picture of the sound signature is somewhat warmer sounding, interestingly very similar to the PS500, which i had the chance to listen to.
 
so for my grado style headphone you refer to the turbulent x drivers are doing a good job, but i slightly miss the imaging and presentation of the sr225i, maybe sitting in the 5th row would be ok.
 
to be honest, i always had the PS1000 in mind when designing and optimizing my "i called it final mod" grado , but .. i never had the chance to listen to the PS1000.
 
nevertheless bass and bass quality, soundstage width and depth (clearly wider and deeper than my hd800) are exceptional (i think) but i have the feeling to also get this imaging, localisation and presentation i want i have to try the sr225i drivers instead of the turbulent x drivers.

 

[bluemonkeyflyer]

G2, many thanks for the detailed reply. I am copy/pasting this to my Modification Folder.

i needed some time because your question is not that easy to answer. For the drivers, let's say it this way:

i made custom grados using sr80i, sr125i, sr225i and sr325is drivers and the turbulent x drivers using my filter rings, adaptors and wooden sleeves, so everything is related to this kind of modding.

while there is only one turbulent x driver, there are different grado drivers, so the turbulent x driver has to do it all at the same time, while the grado drivers are all have their one personality.

btw, i usually vent all holes, it gives you the best sound, soundstage, precision, bass, detail, have tested 2, 4, 6 holes vented with all drivers. but  of course with inner damping with foam rubber and/or wooden sleeves.

the sr80i driver is ok, best suited for warm sounding to bass pronouncing mods, but i miss precision, detail and resolution in comparison to the other drivers.

the sr125i driver is somewhat special, combining more bass like the sr80i with better highs like the sr225i, but not so high resolving. i made a very spacious, analytical sounding headphone with the sr125i drivers, dampened with cotton wool, really liked it, but accidentely damaged one driver .....

the sr225i driver for me  is how to say the most fine and audiophile sounding driver when it comes to pinpoint imaging and speed. i have one modded sr225i (not posted) with this sound properties, the presentation is more like my hd800, not so near, more distance all objects smaller, not sitting in the first, but in the 10th row.

the sr325is driver is superior when it comes to precision, impact, bite, but not that easy to get a good sounding mod as the driver has more bass than the sr225i so it is not that easy to find a good balance between highs and bass. if i had to compare the my sr325is mod i posted a picture of the sound signature is somewhat warmer sounding, interestingly very similar to the PS500, which i had the chance to listen to.

so for my grado style headphone you refer to the turbulent x drivers are doing a good job, but i slightly miss the imaging and presentation of the sr225i, maybe sitting in the 5th row would be ok.

to be honest, i always had the PS1000 in mind when designing and optimizing my "i called it final mod" grado , but .. i never had the chance to listen to the PS1000.

nevertheless bass and bass quality, soundstage width and depth (clearly wider and deeper than my hd800) are exceptional (i think) but i have the feeling to also get this imaging, localisation and presentation i want i have to try the sr225i drivers instead of the turbulent x drivers.