[ThurstonX]

  Anyone having trouble doing the bass-port mod? I'm trying to get the grill with "Q" on it off, but I can't seem to do so. Do I just need to twist harder? I'm not so sure I'm comfortable being rough with headphones I paid almost $200 for.

 
It does seem like some are more difficult to remove.  I used two smallish nails with nice pointed ends which fit into the grill holes.  I put them opposite each other (noon and 6 o'clock, let's say), and as close to the outer edge as I could.  Then, using two hands, I twisted counter-clockwise with firm, even force until it came loose.
 
I was a little nervous, too, but those grills are pretty tough, and it would also be difficult to damage the plastic housing.  Just use firm, even force, and they'll give eventually.
 
HTH.

 

[hobbang]

Thanks, maybe I just need to try some more. But the grill really feels like it's glued on or something and isn't budging at all

 

[Ashade]

Thanks, maybe I just need to try some more. But the grill really feels like it's glued on or something and isn't budging at all

The trick is on the tool. Find the tool. It will eventually come out.

 

[ThurstonX]

The trick is on the tool. Find the tool. It will eventually come out.

 
Just to be clear, he means any tool that works, not some specific tool designed for this task.  There have been plenty mentioned in this thread.  The key, as I'm sure you realize, is persistence.

 

[Androb]

I removed the q grill with my fingers lol. Just squeazed with my thumbs.

 

[i luvmusic 2]

  Anyone having trouble doing the bass-port mod? I'm trying to get the grill with "Q" on it off, but I can't seem to do so. Do I just need to twist harder? I'm not so sure I'm comfortable being rough with headphones I paid almost $200 for.

I used #6 4" wood screws it's long enough to get a better grip and the tip of the screw it go in deep in the grill and also you can put tape around the grills just incase you are worried about scrathing it (i don't think if  that easy to scratch) good luck.

 

[lsamod]

Can anyone do a video review on this?

 

[btarb24]

Bass mod -  I just gave it a try by only modding the left ear.  I then played a bunch of bass-heavy songs and kept sliding the balance from one ear to the other. There is subtle but certainly there. I'm running it through an e9 amp.  
 
I should note that i edited my response after i discovered that during the repair i had accidentally dropped the little circular piece of padding.  I couldn't tell a difference at all with the mod when the padding was missing.  Once i re-inserted the padding i could definitely hear a slight bit more bass.  While it's nothing major, it does sound a slight bit more full, so i will be doing the right ear now.  ..perhaps more padding will increase the bass further?
 
---------------
 
Headband mod -  Sorry, i didn't take any in-progress pics. Though, here is a walkthrough.  It was an easy process that only took about 15 minutes of work and some drying time.
 
*Use a razer to cut off the nubs on the existing headband.
 
*Cut a sock into a rectangle the size of the headband.  Then keep trimming it down until you have it roughly 1/4 of an inch of smaller than the width of the headband.  This 1.4 of an allows for some room to be able to glue down the leather beside the pad.
 
*Use the piece of sock you cut down as a template to make 3 more pieces that are the same size. You could change the amount of sock to however many pieces you want, but i found 4 to be pretty comfortable. 
 
*Stack the sock pieces so they line up and then sew them all together. This is to make it so you can glue the pad to the headband prior to attaching the leather.  Doing it all at once would be a pain and the pad may bunch up.
 
*Glue the pad to the headband. Take care to keep it centered.  I only waited about 10 minutes for the E6000 glue to dry and it was fine.
 
*Cut your leather so that it will have roughly 1 inch of overhang on all edges of the headband.
 
*Use a bit of sandpaper to rough up the 1/4 inch of exposed leather on the original headband to help with glue adhesion
 
*Smear on an ample amount of glue to the exposed and sanded 1/4 of headband. Be sure to go entirely around the pad on all sides.
 
*Place the leather piece over the pad.  Start on one side and press the leather down into the glue.  Use your fingernail to press tightly near the pad.  Go all the way around the pad, tucking the leather close to the pad as you go.  I went around the whole thing about 10 times.
 
*Let it dry for 5-10 minutes
 
*Go around with your finger and fingernail about 10 more times.
 
*The package says to wait 24-72 hours for the product to cure.  I only waited about 1 hour and it was fine.
 
*Use a sharp razerblade to cut the overhanging leather off.  Be patient and go slow so you don't cut yourself or hit any other parts of the headphones with the blade.  If you use a new blade then it cuts quite easily.
 
*Enjoy your comfortable headband
 
 
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0045SIOZQ
Here is the exact source of leather that i bought.  Looks like it was only $9.  It is incredibly soft and had absolutely no defects on it.  The back of the leather is fuzzy and soft like suede.  There was enough leather to do the mod close to 4 or 5 times.
 
http://www.michaels.com/E-6000%C2%AE/gc0181,default,pd.html
This is the E6000 glue i got from michaels.  It worked great. None of the edges are peeling up.. just be sure to scuff up the original headband to give it something to stick to. 
 
And here's a repost of one of the pictures for easier reference.

 

[lsamod]

What will happen if we remove bumps? Will it effect the fit?
Newer akg's doesn't come with bumps!

 

[btarb24]

After i removed the bumps i used the headband in that condition for about a week.  There was a big improvement from just the bump removal.  Nothing noticeable changed with the fit.. it was purely a comfort change by not having the hard bumps driving into the top of your head any longer.  With the bumps removed your head will touch about 3-4 inches of surface area on the headband instead of roughly only about 1 inch of surface area if you only count the tips of the bumps.  If you don't feel like doing a more involved mod like i did, then you can just cut off the bumps and you'll see a big improvement from just that.  It's not very pretty, but i don't think very many of us bought the headphones for a fashion show anyway.

 

[Ashade]

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

Bass mod -  I just gave it a try by only modding the left ear.  I then played a bunch of bass-heavy songs and kept sliding the balance from one ear to the other. There is subtle but certainly there. I'm running it through an e9 amp.  

I should note that i edited my response after i discovered that during the repair i had accidentally dropped the little circular piece of padding.  I couldn't tell a difference at all with the mod when the padding was missing.  Once i re-inserted the padding i could definitely hear a slight bit more bass.  While it's nothing major, it does sound a slight bit more full, so i will be doing the right ear now.  ..perhaps more padding will increase the bass further?

---------------

Headband mod -  Sorry, i didn't take any in-progress pics. Though, here is a walkthrough.  It was an easy process that only took about 15 minutes of work and some drying time.

*Use a razer to cut off the nubs on the existing headband.

*Cut a sock into a rectangle the size of the headband.  Then keep trimming it down until you have it roughly 1/4 of an inch of smaller than the width of the headband.  This 1.4 of an allows for some room to be able to glue down the leather beside the pad.

*Use the piece of sock you cut down as a template to make 3 more pieces that are the same size. You could change the amount of sock to however many pieces you want, but i found 4 to be pretty comfortable. 

*Stack the sock pieces so they line up and then sew them all together. This is to make it so you can glue the pad to the headband prior to attaching the leather.  Doing it all at once would be a pain and the pad may bunch up.

*Glue the pad to the headband. Take care to keep it centered.  I only waited about 10 minutes for the E6000 glue to dry and it was fine.

*Cut your leather so that it will have roughly 1 inch of overhang on all edges of the headband.

*Use a bit of sandpaper to rough up the 1/4 inch of exposed leather on the original headband to help with glue adhesion

*Smear on an ample amount of glue to the exposed and sanded 1/4 of headband. Be sure to go entirely around the pad on all sides.

*Place the leather piece over the pad.  Start on one side and press the leather down into the glue.  Use your fingernail to press tightly near the pad.  Go all the way around the pad, tucking the leather close to the pad as you go.  I went around the whole thing about 10 times.

*Let it dry for 5-10 minutes

*Go around with your finger and fingernail about 10 more times.

*The package says to wait 24-72 hours for the product to cure.  I only waited about 1 hour and it was fine.

*Use a sharp razerblade to cut the overhanging leather off.  Be patient and go slow so you don't cut yourself or hit any other parts of the headphones with the blade.  If you use a new blade then it cuts quite easily.

*Enjoy your comfortable headband


http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0045SIOZQ
Here is the exact source of leather that i bought.  Looks like it was only $9.  It is incredibly soft and had absolutely no defects on it.  The back of the leather is fuzzy and soft like suede.  There was enough leather to do the mod close to 4 or 5 times.

http://www.michaels.com/E-6000%C2%AE/gc0181,default,pd.html
This is the E6000 glue i got from michaels.  It worked great. None of the edges are peeling up.. just be sure to scuff up the original headband to give it something to stick to. 

And here's a repost of one of the pictures for easier reference.

Greatly appreciated. Now I only needed a little bit of that super plastic.

 

[lsamod]

I think we should do the headphone mod without removing the bumps, so we can undo it when we sell it!

 

[ThurstonX]

I think we should do the headphone mod without removing the bumps, so we can undo it when we sell it!

 
That's an idea, but you might run out of head room... 

 
I find that after removing the bumps, then adding thin foam and a bandana there isn't much room left.  Thus, if you have a big head, a mod with the bumps still there might be too much.  YMMV, of course.  Also, it seems to me that btarb24's mod could be considered an upgrade.  You could certainly present it that way, if you're trying to sell.

 

[btarb24]

With my average-sized head i still have about 3/8 to 1/2 of an inch of play left in the headband.  If i had left the bumps there and added the same amount of padding in my mod then i may well have ran out of space up there.  
 
Aside from the space concern, if you're going to try to retain the bumps so you can revert the mod later then you do not want to use the E6000 glue since it's a permanent glue.  Rather, you'd want to use something like rubber cement or anything else that you can peel away easily.  One downside to using a temporary glue is that the mod may peel off during normal use.
 
Also, you may want to put little pads between the bumps so that you end up with an even surface.  Those bumps are so horrid that i'm sure you'd be able to feel them even through 4 layers of sock.

 

[lsamod]

That's an idea, but you might run out of head room... 

I find that after removing the bumps, then adding thin foam and a bandana there isn't much room left.  Thus, if you have a big head, a mod with the bumps still there might be too much.  YMMV, of course.  Also, it seems to me that btarb24's mod could be considered an upgrade.  You could certainly present it that way, if you're trying to sell.

I'm a lazy guy,so I always try to do things easily.
And i have an answer to the headroom problem! I saw a video on youtube "akg q701-how to make it more comfortable" you will find the solution in that video. Cheers!