[TheVoicesAREinMyHead]

Just popped in to say hello and give mad props to all of you have made this thread a legend.

earlier this evening I decided to do a purely cosmetic button-removal mod (model#) to my SR-80. No reason other than I happen to like 'the Alessandro look.' Anyway, it became apparent that further twisting of the button might damage the grill, and that the glue would need to be softened from the inside. No problem - I've always wanted to take the Grado apart, anyway.
So i get inside the very easily disassembled cups and start using a hair dryer on the glue that holds the buttons (holds with the grip of death, apparently). Ahhh...I thought that the grill was an inexpensive metal. It's plastic! Interestingly, this plastic melted and disfigured before the button glue so much as thought about yielding. Damn, so now I need a screen mod, right? No problem! That really would complete the 'Alessandro look.'

Anyway, I'm off to Home Depot tomorrow to get a suitable screen. But I have to tell you that I'm listening to the screen-less SR-80 now, and it sounds...expanded. More air. I'm certain that this is a placebo, but then again, I know every detail of these cans and am convinced that there is a subtle difference, now. Either way, I'm not going to leave them screen-less. Just thought I'd throw that out there.

Anyway, I just wanted to swing by and thanks for all the inspiration and awesome photos.

 

[BoilermakerFan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheVoicesAREinMyHead /img/forum/go_quote.gif But I have to tell you that I'm listening to the screen-less SR-80 now, and it sounds...expanded. More air. I'm certain that this is a placebo, but then again, I know every detail of these cans and am convinced that there is a subtle difference, now.

It's not a placebo. As you go up the Grado family, the screen becomes more open. Visual differences may be subtle, but the percentage of opening per square inches increases and limits the reflection of the backwave for a sonic improvement. The higher level Grados do have painted aluminum screens, at least mine do.

 

[TwoTrack]

Quote:

Originally Posted by les_garten /img/forum/go_quote.gif [size=small]Mod'd SR225i Project [/size] Here's a SR225 project I just completed. Started out as a SR225i. Burned in well for about 300 hours to make sure it could cut the mustard. Then Stick it into Modsville! JMoney Headband, Cocobolo Cups and Pin covers. Neutrik XX-HE Blanced XLR connectors. Canare "DUAL" Star Quad Snake cable. Doped the back of the drivers with some Black Tar from some Dynamat Extreme. Sound incredible driven from a Audio-GD REFerence 1 DAC driving into a Audio-GD Phoenix Fully Balnced all the way thru. Just need some sharp Aluminum Rod Blocks to finish it out. Have Salad Bowls on them presently. I have distancers but have not tried them yet. Not sure I'll use them. So, I re-sampled the PIX down to BIG Thumbnails. Click on the PIC for the Hi Res PIC showing the detail, they are linked. . .

Wow, nice bowls.

 

[les_garten]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TwoTrack /img/forum/go_quote.gif Wow, nice bowls.

Thanx!

Sound awesome too!

 

[TheVoicesAREinMyHead]

Quote:

Originally Posted by BoilermakerFan /img/forum/go_quote.gif It's not a placebo. As you go up the Grado family, the screen becomes more open. Visual differences may be subtle, but the percentage of opening per square inches increases and limits the reflection of the backwave for a sonic improvement. The higher level Grados do have painted aluminum screens, at least mine do.

After having spent the evening with screen-less cans, I have to wonder if the screens on the SR-60, 80, maybe even the 125 (they look the same) are deliberately prohibitive so as to offer more audible reason/evidence to move up the product chain. I'm not saying that the cabling and drivers themselves don't get better - obviously they do - but the screens may just be a ridiculously inexpensive way for Grado to show a real jump in quality from one can to the next.
Often, tech companies will throttle a processor in a gadget just so the same model can "even faster" for the next upgrade cycle. That's sort of the principle I'm thinking, here.

If I could go back, I'd just remove one of the grills and run the same mono signal to each cup. Even then I might have concluded incorrectly due to placebo. Thing is...I wasn't expecting it. If I knowingly hear a $1500 speaker next to a $200 one, I'm going to expect that the former blow me away. In this case, I had just cosmetically destroyed my cans and had no reason to think they would sound better.

 

[les_garten]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheVoicesAREinMyHead /img/forum/go_quote.gif After having spent the evening with screen-less cans, I have to wonder if the screens on the SR-60, 80, maybe even the 125 (they look the same) are deliberately prohibitive so as to offer more audible reason/evidence to move up the product chain. I'm not saying that the cabling and drivers themselves don't get better - obviously they do - but the screens may just be a ridiculously inexpensive way for Grado to show a real jump in quality from one can to the next. Often, tech companies will throttle a processor in a gadget just so the same model can "even faster" for the next upgrade cycle. That's sort of the principle I'm thinking, here. If I could go back, I'd just remove one of the grills and run the same mono signal to each cup. Even then I might have concluded incorrectly due to placebo. Thing is...I wasn't expecting it. If I knowingly hear a $1500 speaker next to a $200 one, I'm going to expect that the former blow me away. In this case, I had just cosmetically destroyed my cans and had no reason to think they would sound better.

You're just figuring this out! Why do you think he Finally removed the button off the RS-1i? Take your hands and put them some distance from your cups and move them slowly to occlude the cups. You'll be amazed how far away you can be and change the sound radically. There have been tests ib the MS1000 thread that show the best sound comes from no cups at all.

.

 

[TheVoicesAREinMyHead]

Quote:

Originally Posted by les_garten /img/forum/go_quote.gif You're just figuring this out! Why do you think he Finally removed the button off the RS-1i? Take your hands and put them some distance from your cups and move them slowly to occlude the cups. You'll be amazed how far away you can be and change the sound radically. There have been tests ib the MS1000 thread that show the best sound comes from no cups at all. .

Oh, I knew that the open design was responsible for the sound...just that what should be a sonically porous grill actually is not. Sigh...yes, I had placed my hands on the cups before

But no, I only just joined head-fi and have not read all of the threads as of yet.

 

[robjrock]

Wow there are some amazing mods on this thread.
My mod is defintely the lamest, but IMO it does improve the SR60i sound.
I just took some foam from an old pair of ear defenders and cut it so it sits underneath the coin modded flats. The extra distance really helps tame the highs and extends the bass.

Wish it looked a tad less ghetto. I'm tossing up between selling these & buying some MS1i's, or taking a punt on some HD414s.

Anyway, thats all from me. Mod on people!

 

[les_garten]

Quote:

Originally Posted by robjrock /img/forum/go_quote.gif Wow there are some amazing mods on this thread. My mod is defintely the lamest, but IMO it does improve the SR60i sound. I just took some foam from an old pair of ear defenders and cut it so it sits underneath the coin modded flats. The extra distance really helps tame the highs and extends the bass. Wish it looked a tad less ghetto. I'm tossing up between selling these & buying some MS1i's, or taking a punt on some HD414s. Anyway, thats all from me. Mod on people!

Get some dye and dye it black FTW.

.

 

[cavedave]

Here is a picture of my Grado 225 with fatman v3 headband and larger ear cups made joning two grado cups together and yes they do sound better and look cooler.

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Quote:

Originally Posted by robjrock /img/forum/go_quote.gif Wow there are some amazing mods on this thread. My mod is defintely the lamest, but IMO it does improve the SR60i sound. I just took some foam from an old pair of ear defenders and cut it so it sits underneath the coin modded flats. The extra distance really helps tame the highs and extends the bass. Wish it looked a tad less ghetto. I'm tossing up between selling these & buying some MS1i's, or taking a punt on some HD414s. Anyway, thats all from me. Mod on people!

Quote:

Originally Posted by les_garten /img/forum/go_quote.gif Get some dye and dye it black FTW. .

And maybe get wood cups engraved while you're at it.

 

[les_garten]

Quote:

Originally Posted by HeadphoneAddict /img/forum/go_quote.gif And maybe get the wood cups engraved while you're at it.

If he just sanded off the tops of the Letters it would accomplish the same effect and still appear totally factory.

.

 

[| Scorpio |]

I did my first Grado mod a couple of days ago! I replaced the plastic screens on my SR80i with shiny metal ones

. Here's some pics:

You can see a bit of the hot glue around the edge of the screen in the second picture. I'll probably get rid of that sometime, as I can easily take these apart now. I still think they look great though!

 

[les_garten]

Quote:

Originally Posted by | Scorpio | /img/forum/go_quote.gif I did my first Grado mod a couple of days ago! I replaced the plastic screens on my SR80i with shiny metal ones . Here's some pics: You can see a bit of the hot glue around the edge of the screen in the second picture. I'll probably get rid of that sometime, as I can easily take these apart now. I still think they look great though!

That screen looks like it breathes pretty good, where did you get it?

.

 

[| Scorpio |]

Quote:

Originally Posted by les_garten /img/forum/go_quote.gif That screen looks like it breathes pretty good, where did you get it? .

Yeah, I actually feel like it improved the sound. All in all, it just sounds less "plastic-y" and more airy and natural. There's a strong possibility that this could be placebo, though. I got the wire mesh at Home Depot. I had to buy a pretty huge role of it, which cost around $9.