[music_man]

i did lisa's mod with the hd414 pads. i placed a nylon mesh(window) screen behind the drivers instead of the foam. then i recabled them. with auto-audio #24 ofc litz speaker wire to a mini xlr. other end of mini xlr goes to mogami balanced(stereo) 3 conductor wire then to a 1/8" monster gold jack.

i think these can almost hold their own with hd600 now(flame suit is on).
well at least i like them much better now

.

music_man.

 

[Lisa]

I have a bit of trouble picturing what they look like now, but I'm glad you like them.

 

[grignr]

Share a picture, please! Sounds interesting...

 

[RedLeader]

Hold their own? Could you tell us exactly how the sound improved, and how they compare?

 

[music_man]

i need a battery for the camera at the moment. and they are not really as good as hd600's. but for a total of $60 and considering the comfort they are nice. they are not as dark as the better senns. more bright actually. but they still do not have as much bass as i pictured the old px100 having. they are also more upfront then better senns. about like sr60. but not as much as better grados. the sound stage is no where as big and the imaging is no where as good as hd600 or hd650. still, for the price i'd say i made $150 cans for 60 bucks. i did this because i was getting sick of my k240's at the moment. and they are better than k240 now. and much more listenable and fun then hd280. but not nearly as engaging as better grados, like sr225 and above.

anyways, picture this. a wire(actually two wires together) comes out of each earpiece just like they come from the factory. they 'y' off at a mini xlr connector ala akg. then go to a rca style cable that terminates in a 1/8" plug.
they look just like they did from the factory but with much thicker wires. and instead of the 'y' being all one wire it is split by a mini xlr connector. hope that helps untill i get a battery for the cam.
also, the stuff i put behind the driver instead of the foam is just nylon window screen cut to size with an xacto knife. the xacto knife is what i used to open the earpieces too in case you were wondering. be carefull doing this though! the screen material put a lot more air behind them. from this experiment i can see what the screen upgrade from sr125 to sr225 does. to a lessor degree though.

well, i think they are certainly worth $100-$150usd. on the other hand isn't the hd600 like $300 something? i was getting a little carried away with that statement. still i like them because they are like between grados and senns house sound. not as dark as most senns. to me at least. they are what i imagined the k240's should be. so i achieved what i was looking for more or less. and they are the most comfortable phones i have ever worn. i don't even know there there. slept all night with them on.

music_man.

 

[sgrossklass]

Sounds like a pretty cool mod. I bet the screen mod could be implemented right at the factory for some kind of improved model. (Isolation would be even less then, but it's pretty low to begin with anyway.)

 

[kramer5150]

pics pics pics!!

threads like this make me want to join team senn.

IMHO portable cans all come OEM with crappy, "undersized" cables. Clearly manufacturers have placed portability over sonics. I recabled my SR40 and it made a world of difference.

 

[BigBadWolf]

Man, I keep hearing about recabled 'phones! It sure seems like they make a marked improvement in the sound dynamics department.

What grips me with fear is just imagining me taking an xacto and cutting the stock wires away from the drivers (in my case I have a PortaPro).... then what the hell am I supposed to do? I guess it's because I'm not an electrician and I've messed with too many things in the past to know not to screw with things that already work!

Oh well, maybe if I can find a how-to guide... then... I'd consider it

 

[DJ e]

Quote:

IMHO portable cans all come OEM with crappy, "undersized" cables. Clearly manufacturers have placed portability over sonics. I recabled my SR40 and it made a world of difference.

I agree 100%. I recabled my KTX-Pro1s (a pair of cans I thought sounded absolutely horrid) and they were almost a different breed.

 

[midlife]

I don't know about recabling, but changing the pads (so far I've tried it with Grado bowls) makes a remarkable difference. Much more manageable bass, with a nice smooth midrange and treble. the bowls don't really fit well, but they are all I had at the time.

I've ordered 414 pads and also PX200 pads which I hope will do something similar sonically and still keep the small, foldable profile of the px100's.

 

[timcwoo]

can someone make a how to guide to recable cheap low end phones? likw hat kind of cables to use, etc. it sounds pretty interesting. are the affects predictable? or is it just "experiment" and find out what you end up with?

 

[music_man]

well my cable sucked in the ergonomics department. the 414 pads with the hole in them made the new px100's too upfront and sibilant really losing the senn house sound. so here is what i did. i got a replacement cable for super.fi. it is a way better cable then comes stock on these. it is not a canare by any means but a full size cable cannot fit in these and really ruins the purpose of portability. i cut the connectors off the super.fi cables slipped off the clear plastic peice that makes them fit around the ear and soldered them to the drivers. then i replaced the pads with stock 414 pads.
they sound even better than before! maybe just due to the pads having no holes. i don't know because i did the cable and the pads at the same time. i also replaced the rear screen i made with paper thin speaker cloth. like pantyhose material. they have some isolation now too! these really are 'high end cans' without the high end price! i am likeing grados less these days even though in another post i said i was trying to collect them all. i probably will still collect all the grados but i am really liking these right now! they sound a lot like hd600-650 but more upfront and brighter. not as dark and smooth. and faster than the hd's. i know it is hard to beleive. ok, maybe they really aren't as good as $500 phones but for $70(not including my botched cable job) they are darn impressive. a whole heck of a lot more bang for the buck then sr60's or hd555's. but if you like those cans don't let me mislead you. grados are one sound hd's are another and these now are yet another sound. but i really really like them now! hooray! it feels good to get my moneys worth! when i get a battery from canon(might be a while) i can take pics. but there is really nothing to look at. they look just like lisa's for the most part without the holes now. oh, and did i mention how comfy they are? yeah they are darn comfy! don't even know they are there!
one word of note: if you try to open the driver housing you need to be crafts skilled and very carefull. they have a huge glob of thick glue holding them together. i could forsee someone easily trashing the fons or slicing themselves with the xacto. so be carefull. and even though it is only $70 worth of stuff you don't want to end up with $0 worth of stuff if you don't have the skills to pull this off. also, you must only use a 15 watt iron on these drivers with a micro beveled tip or you will melt the diaphragms.
i just mentioned this since some people in this thread seemed like novices at this task. i didn't want anyone to go out and but this stuff, ruin it and blame me. anyways, this made fons that were worth every penny of $39 into $200+ phones for $70. do the math. but once again it all depends if you like the sound. my rs1's and hd650's will be in the drawer for at least a while. and no more uncomfortable fons at the moment! i am slowly losing the notion that big time cans come with a big time price tag!

music_man.

 

[music_man]

i was just wondering does anyone know if the ends on the premade cardas hd6XX cable are small enough to fit in these? they look small in a picture but i have not seen them in person yet. it needs to be less than #20x2 wire to fit in these without tearing them apart. which i doubt is advisable since they are so small to begin with. anyways i might just quit while i am ahead a/b with my 650's they are brighter right now but i'd still classify them as much darker than grados. they have pretty good soundstage and over all aproach the hd6xx when the cost is factored in. if you just want the absolute best senn sound at any cost the hd650 still gets them good. but i wonder what they would be like if that cardas cable fit in them?


thanks,
music_man.

 

[fewtch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DJ e I agree 100%. I recabled my KTX-Pro1s (a pair of cans I thought sounded absolutely horrid) and they were almost a different breed.

Ahah! I was suspecting it's that rotten cable (worst I've ever seen) on the KTX-Pro1 contributing heavily to their poor sound... looks like I was right.

Wish I had the confidence (and cable lying around) to recable headphones, but no dice at this point.

Quote:

Originally Posted by timcwoo can someone make a how to guide to recable cheap low end phones?

I don't think that's really possible, as it will vary considerably between headphones. Probably best just to look for threads where someone has recabled a specific headphone.

 

[Eagle_Driver]

Cables, schmables. The thin cables are not the only ones to blame. Some of the thicker, stiffer-looking/feeling cables have extremely thin conductors, as well. (As in all thick, stiff insulation and barely any actual wire in them - all show and no go.)