[BobSaysHi]

Quote:

pop holes where? and what do you mean plastic retaining ring? does sr60i has that?

There isn't a ring like there is on the 325i. The sr60 is made of plastic, so a plastic ring wouldn't really hurt the sound anyway. 

 

[dogwan]

 
Here's a pic of the holes in the back of my iGrado drivers. Same idea, I did the same on my 125's just didn't take pics. I used a standard Bic pen of the white with blue tip variety and the taper was perfect  for punching thru the felt but not allowing to reach the mylar of the driver. I liked  4 holes myself for the most bass response but still tight and articulate. Hope this helps.

 

[BobSaysHi]

Quote:

I looked at the driver...I wasn't sure what or where to poke the holes so I didn't do that mod yet...I'm going to enjoy this initial step first and then decide if I even need to do the holes.
 

Hold your drivers up to a light with the back facing you. you'll see a bunch of holes through the front. If you still don't understand I can take a pic, but there is a pic in the sr60 mod thread.

 

[ArmAndHammer]

I assume you are talking about the holes circled in red? So I just poke a hole through them? What are the holes circled in blue?
 

 

[ArmAndHammer]

And what happens if I just peel off that entire layer of cloth/felt,paper, whatever it is to fully expose all the holes? I know Bilavideo recommends punching all ten holes but just punching them out without removing any material won't open each hole to it's fullest, will it? 

 

[buffalowings]

Quote:

I assume you are talking about the holes circled in red? So I just poke a hole through them? What are the holes circled in blue?
 

the holes circled in blue don't have any damping material i think, the holes in red are the ones that do.

 

[BobSaysHi]

Quote:

I assume you are talking about the holes circled in red? So I just poke a hole through them? What are the holes circled in blue?
 

I wouldn't punch out all ten at once. do a couple at a time. The blue holes are on the back of the magnet plate, and their purpose is to release heat. You can cover this metal plate with felt or dynamat to damp it.
 
All of this is in the sr60 mod thread, if you'll read through it. http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/508459/sr60-mod

 

[ArmAndHammer]

Surgery complete...4 holes done on each side...now for a listen.
 
And yeah...I did start reading through a little bit ago but got sidetracked. 

 

[noinoi24]

any suggestions you guys on how to increase my highs, mids and lows? and by the way what is HF in one of Bilavideo posts mean?

 

[Majestic]

Just start on page one of the link. Right off the bat you will see the hole punch mod, felt removal and many other points of interest reguarding the mods you can do and the gains you can get subjectively.
 
Also don be afraid to read the entire post as Bill goes on to explain the difference he has had using wood and how quickly you may be able to reach higher grade Grado's with just the SR60 series. 
 
Oh, to add I purchased my 60's used from the forums here and they already had the hole punch mod performed, all ten and I like the bass. To me it is tight yet present. I can clearly here the sound of the Bass drum and the highs, neither canceling each other out. You can hear with a good rip the sound of fingers traveling down the strings of a guitar especially on acoustic recordings. 
 
Just my 2 cents worth.
 
 
 http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/508459/sr60-mod

 

[ArmAndHammer]

Yeah...I got four holes punched per driver. I actually used tweezers and completely and totally removed all the fabric so that the four holes are 100% clear and free. Bass is definitely better and enough better I really think I can stop at four. Any more and there might actually be too much bass. I love my Grados for their mids and highs and I don't want to even come close to taking a chance on mucking that up with too much low end, even though it is a very tight, controlled low end. There is a much better impact now...I am so happy I finally grew a pair and did these mods. Now I'm looking for the next one...lol...actually my eyes are set on woodie sound chambers.

 

[Bilavideo]

 

Yeah...I got four holes punched per driver. I actually used tweezers and completely and totally removed all the fabric so that the four holes are 100% clear and free. Bass is definitely better and enough better I really think I can stop at four. Any more and there might actually be too much bass. I love my Grados for their mids and highs and I don't want to even come close to taking a chance on mucking that up with too much low end, even though it is a very tight, controlled low end. There is a much better impact now...I am so happy I finally grew a pair and did these mods. Now I'm looking for the next one...lol...actually my eyes are set on woodie sound chambers.

Gotta love this guy.  He took tweezers and meticulously made what is probably the cleanest version of this anybody has ever made.  I thought the ball-point pen idea was elegant, but tweezers really bring it home.  My hat is off to you.

any suggestions you guys on how to increase my highs, mids and lows? and by the way what is HF in one of Bilavideo posts mean?

Sorry for the confusion.  "HF" is high frequency, as opposed to "LF" or low frequency.  Most people just say "bass" so there's not much currency in "LF" but "HF" is helpful when you don't want to separate mids from treble, especially at that juncture between high-mids and treble.  Grados, for example, do a great job with HF but the open-air principle leaks a lot of bass, forcing some kind of adaptation.  You can force airflow with the right amp, mute the HF with comfies or flats, or physically increase airflow by venting the driver.  I've found the latter to be the most practical because it lets me get more bass without restricting HF.  Improve the tonal balance and you also improve the quality of the highs because you're not cranking up the volume to get more bass.  Things smooth out in a very natural and hearing-healthy way.

 

[ArmAndHammer]

Ok...issues...I am getting some weird buzzing now. Could there be some vibration from the increased bass and the fact I did not re-glue the cups and sound chambers together? It seems to be happening on both sides. I was super careful with the tweezers so I am 99% sure I didn't damage anything. It is very irritating and possibly getting worse as I listen more. Or maybe I need to get some dampening on the back of the driver magnet? I'm listening to Dave Matthews Live At Luther College which is a fairly high energy acoustic set and the guitar especially is very buzzy and when Dave hits some of the higher ranges his voice is buzzing and distorted. I know this recording pretty well as it is my favorite and it is not supposed to be like this. Oi...if I ruined my 325's...

 

[Bilavideo]

 

Ok...issues...I am getting some weird buzzing now. Could there be some vibration from the increased bass and the fact I did not re-glue the cups and sound chambers together? It seems to be happening on both sides. I was super careful with the tweezers so I am 99% sure I didn't damage anything. It is very irritating and possibly getting worse as I listen more. Or maybe I need to get some dampening on the back of the driver magnet? I'm listening to Dave Matthews Live At Luther College which is a fairly high energy acoustic set and the guitar especially is very buzzy and when Dave hits some of the higher ranges his voice is buzzing and distorted. I know this recording pretty well as it is my favorite and it is not supposed to be like this. Oi...if I ruined my 325's...

Did you take out the drivers or just make some changes in back?
 
Let's roll through some possible issues.
 
1. Do you get this buzzing when the volume is moderate?  If you do, it's likely you have something, however small, that has gotten into your driver.  When venting is done, there's always the chance of getting some tiny dust or debris into the driver.  The fix for this is simple and effective.  Holding your cans with the driver side up, shake and rattle each cup, with an eye toward dislodging the debris and dropping it through the vented holes.  If you can easily pry the cups apart, blow on the backs in a manner similar to using an air hose to dust something off.  I have encountered this dust rattle before, usually right after the venting mod, and have found this basic maintenance to work wonders.
 
2. Does the buzzing only occur when the volume is high and, perhaps, the bass is up?  If so, you may be experiencing cone break-up.  The Mylar is extremely flimsy, so flimsy it's practically a miracle we get bass in the first place.  The thicker the Mylar, the more it can handle bass but the slower the driver will be because of the additional mass.  With only one driver, each headphone manufacturer has to decide where the sweet spot is.  The "veiled" sound of the original HD650 was a function of driver mass and the way Sennheiser handles its driver environment.  The 650 needed a lot of power to bring out the treble.  With Grado, it's the other way around.  It takes a bit of amping to bring out the fullness of the bass.  The venting mod lets you get there faster by improving airflow but it may also make it easier to max out the drivers' potential for bass handling before they reach cone breakup.  There was an issue with the GS1000, where people were cranking up the bass and complaining of cone breakup.  Grado's reply had something to do with designing the headphones for moderate volume levels, a reply that didn't exactly thrill the people complaining of buzzing when the beat got heavy.  The GS1000 has four holes vented but it's also a bass box.  I've noticed that the jumbo cushions leak so much that the volume has to be cranked up louder, which places more stress on the drivers.
 
The Grados with the most legendary status, when it comes to bass, are probably the PS1 and the HP1000 - both of which employed aluminum shells and flats.  These headphones had the smallest soundstage but their efficiency was unrivaled.  The Sennheiser HD800 boasts of unparalleled soundstage and "air," but it uses larger drivers with a center doughnut hole, specifically to avoid cone breakup.  Even so, people regularly complain that they just don't get enough bass slam off their HD800s.
 
3. Believe it or not, the Mylar is amazingly resilient.  It wrinkles if you look at it wrong but it won't tear unless you poke something through it.  It's possible that you hit a heavy beat, something the flimsy Mylar wasn't prepared to deal with and ended up with a driver crinkle.  The easiest way to fix this is to "suck it."  Put your mouth on your de-cushioned front grill and gently inhale until you get a "click."  I've had this happen when wearing my Grados outside and a gust of wind decided to add some percussion of its own.  Make the clicking sound and - nine times out of ten - all will be well again
 
4. If worse comes to worse, you may have loosened one or more spots along the surround where your diaphragms are glued to the plastic basket.  This doesn't happen every day but it can happen.  Ask yourself whether you've been really pounding the bass.  If the answer is a resounding, "yes, yes, yes," there may be a case for removing the driver and reinforcing the edges of the surround, which can be sealed in tighter to prevent all this.  The bad news is this is the one situation in which you could wreck your drivers, if you are not careful in removing them from the plastic cage in which they are incarcerated.  The good news is twofold.  First, when you have them out of the cage, you're able to use the tape mod to do plastic surgery on the driver and remove every wrinkle, no matter how small.  Second, you're in a position to "woody up."  While many after-market shells provide only a second-stage slip-on, wood works best when it replaces the plastic up front, where the vibrations are strongest and the most change can be effected.  A first-stage set of wooden underpants is worth more than a second-stage "woody" on the back.  That's why the HF2 and the PS1000 start out in mahogany and end in aluminum.
 
If you get to this point, and you need a removal and some wooden undies, let me know.  I'll help you where I can.  I can remove the driver, if you need it.  I also have some wooden underpants you can have, if you need 'em.
 
5. If you're hellbent for leather and you just have to have as much bass as humanly possible, to the point that cone break-up is an ever-present danger, there are ways to dope the cone to fight this problem.  You may have noticed, from listening sessions or Headfi comments, that the HF2 and PS1000 are slightly "darker" than the RS1 and GS1000.  There are mixtures you can use to add a little mass to the cone, to make it more resilient to the trauma of a heavy bass attack, but there's a cost at the upper end.  Some people don't like the HF2 and the PS1000 because they feel that these drivers are "too dark" when compared to the RS1.  Ironically, the GS1000 struck me as being a tad sibilant, making it a prime candidate for a little cone reinforcement.  These mixtures wash off but applying and removing them would require access to the driver that can only happen if it's removed from its plastic cage.
 
6. That said, there's a less-invasive approach involving the quality of felt applied to the back of the driver.  Short of actually removing the driver, you may want to do all you can to damp the plastic basket.

 

[ArmAndHammer]

I did not remove the drivers. I only popped the case apart and worked from the rear of the driver. I wasn't even sure how to go about removing the driver so I didn't try nor did I have reason to.
 
1. The buzzing seems worse at lower volumes and lessons or even goes away at high volume, but too high to safely or comfortably listen to the music. I'll see if I can shake some dust out too. I suppose it can't hurt.
 
2. I don't think that there is that much bass...not enough to cause problems. It did increase with the vent mod, but not a huge amount. But if the drivers are that delicate, perhaps what bass increase there was with the mod IS a lot of bass to the Grados. On my Little Dot, I have to turn the volume up to between 8:30 and 10:00 to get enough volume with the jumbos. With the L-cuches, slightly less but I still get the buzz with them as well.
 
3. I'll see if I can see anything and try your fix idea just in case. 
 
4. I have no been pounding the bass...but I am not sure what pounding the bass would be considered in relation to the Grados who obviously were not designed as bassy headphones. I would still say no because they music I listen to just is not bass heavy to begin with and one of the aspects I love about the Grados is that they DON'T have a lot of bass, so I would not purposely "pound the bass". If the other ideas don't work, I'll search up a how to on removing the drivers, if there is one, and I'll check them out for damage or if you are offering, send them to you if it looks like something I am not comfortable doing.
 
5. Nope...I don't want that much bass. 
 
6. I will certainly give this a try. Do you think there is any advantage to using a different material such as foam or rubber over the felt? I ask because I was looking at the felt discs at the store the other day and saw that they also had the little clear rubber skids and little grey in color foam pads and it got me wondering if they would be better or not or impart some different sound over the felt. In any case, I will get something on the back of the driver to dampen it sometime today.
 
7. Thanks so much for your help and all your insight on what the issue(s) could be. I will start playing around and see what comes of it and will certainly report back if anything works or not.