[dhruvmeena96]

Ive been slacking, but have thoughts on at minimum replacing the driver sleeves with wooden ones. Need to get off my butt and buy a pair to take apart and examine. Betond the sleeves a driver upgrade should be possible too, and possibly (but not positive here) full wooden cups...that last one could be tricky though.

Man, I have tried woods, just for looking good and the slight 2khZ shifting, I cannot hear anything the wood has to offer. This time I fitted the drivers in cup and not blutack. @7keys done the experiment.... It is all same

Indian rosewood
Teak
Cocobolo

Were tested...

Major difference was driver, damping scheme and liberators till now.

@fleasbaby you are on etsy right

 

[seanc6441]

The grados in the GS series have atleast 20% of the back "closed" because of the back plate protruding over the inner edge. Thus would have atleast some backwave resonance right?

There's probably easier ways to tune grados than with wood, but even if the wood makes a slight difference (and you enjoy that change) it's probably worth it to many of you guys because it's gorgeous aswell.

 

[tansand]

I have 60e, the only thing that made them listenable was damping the actual diaphragm by removing the lioncloth and applying dots of elmer's glue cut 50% with water, applied with the blunt end of a 2.5mm bamboo skewer through each hole. Two coats, dry between. It's easy to dent the driver, and you don't want it drying that way, so suck on it from the front until it crackles after application when the glue is wet.

Similar to this..

https://www.diyaudio.com/forums/full-range/292082-ff105wk-3k.html

 

[fleasbaby]

Man, I have tried woods, just for looking good and the slight 2khZ shifting, I cannot hear anything the wood has to offer. This time I fitted the drivers in cup and not blutack. @7keys done the experiment.... It is all same

Indian rosewood
Teak
Cocobolo

Were tested...

Major difference was driver, damping scheme and liberators till now.

@fleasbaby you are on etsy right

If you cant hear it, then dont do it. Move on to other tweaks as you have. One thing I have noted making cups and doing mods for people is, there are some rules that apply most of the time but nothing is 100% the same for everyone. Each build is unique as is each listener.

Yes indeed, I am on Etsy, eBay and have a website.

The grados in the GS series have atleast 20% of the back "closed" because of the back plate protruding over the inner edge. Thus would have atleast some backwave resonance right?

There's probably easier ways to tune grados than with wood, but even if the wood makes a slight difference (and you enjoy that change) it's probably worth it to many of you guys because it's gorgeous aswell.

Its the wood"s density as well as its porosity, but these are just a small part of it. How Grado mounts the drivers in the cups (they use glue, as opposed to press-fir or foam-mount), plus the dimensions of the inner chambers, the outside shape, the hole in the outside face (as you noted), how you treat the suface of the inner chambers, the grill you use...all these things have a subtle touch. Some are more important than others.

Personally I love how using wood and making the cups by hand makes each build unique.

 

[dhruvmeena96]

If you cant hear it, then dont do it. Move on to other tweaks as you have. One thing I have noted making cups and doing mods for people is, there are some rules that apply most of the time but nothing is 100% the same for everyone. Each build is unique as is each listener.

Yes indeed, I am on Etsy, eBay and have a website.



Its the wood"s density as well as its porosity, but these are just a small part of it. How Grado mounts the drivers in the cups (they use glue, as opposed to press-fir or foam-mount), plus the dimensions of the inner chambers, the outside shape, the hole in the outside face (as you noted), how you treat the suface of the inner chambers, the grill you use...all these things have a subtle touch. Some are more important than others.

Personally I love how using wood and making the cups by hand makes each build unique.

I will try prepreg with inner and other non epoxy finish

Let's save some money for carbon fiber now

Its easy to build, just need to find someone with small autoclave

 

[dhruvmeena96]

@fleasbaby we did a blind test and and normal test

shocking result

wood do impart sound, but not that much... well we did a block of random wood, stock grado(Alessandro MS1), and walnut and cocobolo

in blind test....walnut and cocobolo sounded same, whereas stock grado ms1(Alessandro MS1) sounded brighter and cheap wood sounded(random) sounded of. Then i started actually reading about tone wood and how it affect sound.

its not about grain, but how the grain dampens the reflection due to surface area and how porous wood absorb and stiff wood reflects

more expensive wood has smaller region of stiff and porous grain like a 1K carbon fiber whereas cheap wood has bigger stiffer and porous zone. washed carbon fiber(non smooth surface) sounds equal as the weave is uniform whereas wood is not uniform thus imparting the sound. old wood starts to sound nice due to wood getting loose and porous as the age goes by(which thus dampens) but still retain its wood fiber arrangement whereas cheap wood gets spongy dampened and haywired reflection

so, we got to conclusion that expensive wood is not a good option, but right wood or custom tailored fiberglass or kevlar moulding with washed surface, where we can control surface area and shape more freely because cutting trees are bad

dont go above walnut, sound doesn't change that much and walnut is not exotic

 

[fleasbaby]

@fleasbaby we did a blind test and and normal test

shocking result

wood do impart sound, but not that much... well we did a block of random wood, stock grado(Alessandro MS1), and walnut and cocobolo

in blind test....walnut and cocobolo sounded same, whereas stock grado ms1(Alessandro MS1) sounded brighter and cheap wood sounded(random) sounded of. Then i started actually reading about tone wood and how it affect sound.

its not about grain, but how the grain dampens the reflection due to surface area and how porous wood absorb and stiff wood reflects

more expensive wood has smaller region of stiff and porous grain like a 1K carbon fiber whereas cheap wood has bigger stiffer and porous zone. washed carbon fiber(non smooth surface) sounds equal as the weave is uniform whereas wood is not uniform thus imparting the sound. old wood starts to sound nice due to wood getting loose and porous as the age goes by(which thus dampens) but still retain its wood fiber arrangement whereas cheap wood gets spongy dampened and haywired reflection

so, we got to conclusion that expensive wood is not a good option, but right wood or custom tailored fiberglass or kevlar moulding with washed surface, where we can control surface area and shape more freely because cutting trees are bad

dont go above walnut, sound doesn't change that much and walnut is not exotic

Great you have a baseline for your work. Some of it echoes my findings (porosity and density do indeed matter, grain is just pretty). Some of it doesn't (I've gotten interesting results using other more dense woods like Mopani and Lignum Vitae and personally love Black Limba and African Blackwood), but no matter...thats the fun of handmade and DIY work...

 

[dhruvmeena96]

Great you have a baseline for your work. Some of it echoes my findings (porosity and density do indeed matter, grain is just pretty). Some of it doesn't (I've gotten interesting results using other more dense woods like Mopani and Lignum Vitae and personally love Black Limba and African Blackwood), but no matter...thats the fun of handmade and DIY work...

denser wood has more uniform porousity plus more smaller size rigid and porous zones which make reflection that all good to listen

try washed carbon fiber(non smooth carbon fiber) or fiberglass(not rigid) with 4HS 3K pattern

4HS means '4 over 1' or 4 harness satin and 3k means means 3000 strands per weave

it is a good material

fiber based cups have way more control

1x1 weave is squared uniform with small square(sounds uniform)
2x2 weave is twill pattern with different resonant properties(tighter bass)
4HS is explained(balance)
5HS is finer and more complex with lower bass excitation resonance(lower mid excitation)
8HS is like husk basket like weave which is hard to work but gives this nice controlled woody sound(over damped for some, critical damped for some)
4x4 twill is more damped in treble
UD is pure craziness and is like glass after washing(to smooth and not recommended)

UD, 1K, 2K, 3K, 6K and 12K available

i recommend smaller one... but those are expensive

you can try with fiberglass first and then go to carbon fiber

 

[fleasbaby]

denser wood has more uniform porousity plus more smaller size rigid and porous zones which make reflection that all good to listen

try washed carbon fiber(non smooth carbon fiber) or fiberglass(not rigid) with 4HS 3K pattern

4HS means '4 over 1' or 4 harness satin and 3k means means 3000 strands per weave

it is a good material

fiber based cups have way more control

1x1 weave is squared uniform with small square(sounds uniform)
2x2 weave is twill pattern with different resonant properties(tighter bass)
4HS is explained(balance)
5HS is finer and more complex with lower bass excitation resonance(lower mid excitation)
8HS is like husk basket like weave which is hard to work but gives this nice controlled woody sound(over damped for some, critical damped for some)
4x4 twill is more damped in treble
UD is pure craziness and is like glass after washing(to smooth and not recommended)

UD, 1K, 2K, 3K, 6K and 12K available

i recommend smaller one... but those are expensive

you can try with fiberglass first and then go to carbon fiber

Sounds like fun but I'll pass. I'm happy working in wood for now. Just finished a pair for a gent on Canada, and added a few extras to my sites. Nothing amazing or different, but fun nonetheless:

 

[Konstantin690]

Sounds like fun but I'll pass. I'm happy working in wood for now. Just finished a pair for a gent on Canada, and added a few extras to my sites. Nothing amazing or different, but fun nonetheless:

+1
I highly doubt that Carbon Fiber or any other composite will sound any different than cheap Grado plastic housings.

 

[7keys]

Sounds like fun but I'll pass. I'm happy working in wood for now. Just finished a pair for a gent on Canada, and added a few extras to my sites. Nothing amazing or different, but fun nonetheless:

I really like those.

 

[fleasbaby]

I really like those.

Thanks

 

[7keys]

What are you finishing your cups with these days?

 

[ChijiroKuro]

Greetings from Spain to all.

Sounds like fun but I'll pass. I'm happy working in wood for now. Just finished a pair for a gent on Canada, and added a few extras to my sites. Nothing amazing or different, but fun nonetheless:

You are a MASTER, Mr. Fleasbaby. Amazing work!!
Same question: Finish type?

Thanks a lot.
C.K.

 

[fleasbaby]

Greetings from Spain to all.

You are a MASTER, Mr. Fleasbaby. Amazing work!!
Same question: Finish type?

Thanks a lot.
C.K.

Thanks man . Just a few simple coats of Shellac...