[ext23]

i've had my SR-80s for a couple of years but just recently started taking them seriously, i coupled them up with a nice home-made CMOY and some hi-bitrate files.
 
however, cause they are a couple of years old, they've been beaten around a lot and are starting to show some wear-and-tear. the pads have never been replaced (or even cleaned...ewwww), one feels much 'stiffer' and newer than the other, and the headband is a little warped (not noticeable unless you really study it, however). 
 
the most troubling issue, however, is that the left speaker sounds a little louder and clearer than the right speaker, even through different sources, and even if i swap/reverse the pads, and of course, even if i turn the headphones around 'backwards.'
 
this is probably something that only i will notice, because i'm sitting here really listening for it, but i think it's noticable. my bro, who knows way more about this stuff than me, says it could be because the drivers in my relatively inexpensive cans aren't identically matched, and a bit of variation from one to the other is probably inevitable.
 
sending them back to grado isn't an option because they were purchased in australia and they now reside in japan with me. so, my question to my fellow head-fiers is, how could i tweak/mod them to minimise this difference that i'm hearing?
 
i'm thinking that a set of the yellow sennheiser HD414 pads could help restore them a bit and at least have them looking somewhat newer, but it probably won't totally cure the sound issue. or should i just buy a new set of cheap (sub-$100) cans and forget about my old, beaten up SR-80s?
 
thanks for your help.

 

[power911]

recabling might help

it could be one of your wires are thinner than the other one due to internal wire snapping
 
this problem occurs on my IEM so imma guess it also affects full size headphones?
just a suggestion

 

[ext23]

ok, i would have no idea where to start with something technical/fiddly like a recabling. how much would this cost to have done professionally?
 
does anybody else care to weigh in? is there any chance the speaker itself is dirty/broken due to wear and tear?

 

[power911]

it should be easy to recable it yourself. go google around and you'll find tutorials about it
 
if you suspect the driver is the cause,give some deep bass tone(60hz) and listen to it
if there is some slight rattling then it must be some dust/sand/hair

 

[BobSaysHi]

get a multimeter and check the resistance between the left and right sides of the headphone. If the resistance is the same, then it is probably all in your head. I know that is what you need to do first.
 
Go to this thread, they will help you out more than these guys in here : 
 
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/508459/sr60-mod
 
Just post basically what you said in here, and someone with knowhow on the sr series will help you out.

 

[ext23]

thanks, i might try the bass tone and/or the multimeter.
 
the issue doesn't sound like something going on with the bass. it's just that the instruments in the left speaker (particular guitars and drums) seem to be more forward and crisp sounding.

 

[BobSaysHi]

Multimeter first. I highly suspect a short in your wire. Almost the exact same thing happened with my old sr80is. Go to the diy forum and make a thread and ask the people there for help. They know what they are doing, the people in the main headphone forum don't.

 

[ext23]

eep, this is all starting to sound very daunting. i have no experience with electronics or soldering or anything like that. i am probably more likely to break them even more than i am to fix them.
 
if you (or someone else) could provide me with an exact link to the of issue you're talking about that would be a huge help. i wouldn't know where to start in the DIY forum. i love music, but it ends there. i'm hopeless with electronics.

 

[BobSaysHi]

Ok, I understand. I was being intentionally vague in the hopes someone else would help you. Sorry about that.
 
1. You need a multimeter. (this is the one I use. It's cheap, but good enough for what we will use it for. http://blujay.com/?page=ad&adid=1770337&cat=4130000 )
 
2. Set your multimeter, if you have one, to measure ohms resistance. Here is the symbol for ohms : Ω. If you are using the multimeter I linked above, plug the two wires into the top two ports. they read 10ADC and VΩmA. 
 
3. Since Grados ideally have a resistance of 32 ohms, you will want to set the resistance on the dial as low as it will go.
 
4. Touch one prong to the ground on the headphone jack and the other to the left and right driver. If both drivers measure 32 ohms resistance, than your problem lies elsewhere.
 
If you can't do any of those, if you send your headphones to me I'll fix them for you. I'll PM you my email address, since you are a new member and have limited PMs.

 

[ext23]

hey thanks for those directions (and for your PM).
 
if i can borrow a multimeter i'll try that out myself. so you're saying if both drivers have the same resistance (even if it's not exactly 32 ohms), then it's not a short in the wires?

 

[BobSaysHi]

They should both be 32 ohms. If they are anything but 32 ohms, then your problem is either the wire or the driver. If the numbers are different, you will want to desolder the wires and test directly from the driver, that way you can be totally sure it isn't your driver at fault, however this will require you take apart your headphones. I highly suspect a short in either the top 5 inches of wire or bottom 5 inches.

 

[ext23]

sorry to resurrect the thread but i finally got around to testing my sr80s with a multimeter and as it turns out there is a 0.5 ohm difference between the two drivers. wasn't able to verify WHERE along the way this imbalance is occurring though. what would be the next step?