[Hayang]

Flysweep, would you kindly give us a step-by-step tutorial on how to put this dampening on the FA-003s?  Noobs like me are afraid to try and pry stuff open.  Pictures would be awesome.
 
Also where do you buy dynamat for cheap?
 
 

 

[eimis]

I'm in euphoria now.
Music: The Beatles - Abbey Road (mfsl vinyl rip, 96/24)
Setup: Win7 > J. River MC > WASAPI > Yulong D100 > 002w-LBR
 
Everything sounds just perfect. I've found the best software combination for my setup. IMO, J. River with WASAPI kills foobar with WASAPI/KS/ASIO in SQ.

 

[yann3804]

How can an audio/media player kill another player in terms of SQ, aren't they using the same outputting method? Maybe J.River is coloring the music itself?

 

[BobSaysHi]

Wow, is sticking dynamat on these unheard of until now? That surprises me. I've had mine for a couple weeks and did that the day I got them. First and foremost, remove the foam directly behind the driver. Search HD580 mod in google and you'll see what I'm talking about. This is reverse-able. Then add dynamat like the poster said, hitting all the areas including the back of the driver (not over any holes) and on the sides. Lastly, cut a circle of felt out and tape/glue it on top of the dynamat directly behind the driver.
 
This will improve the headphone beyond what you would think. Highly recommended.
 
Also, if you buy woodies, they are not all the same. Those of you who cheaped out, you should have spent extra for denser wood, you would have noticed a bigger difference.
 
EDIT: the keyboards at school suck, so this is the short version. If you guys have questions, I'll be happy to answer them.

 

[FlySweep]

I'll try adding dynamat to the back of the driver too.. good recommendation.. what purpose does adding a layer of foam on top of the redampened driver serve?
 
I'm kind of glad I got the cheap woodies.. I didn't like the added weight so I'd be pretty bummed if the more expensive ones sounded awesome but felt as heavy as they do.. 

 

[yann3804]

What is the difference in sound between stock and dynamat, it's interesting but buying dynamat  here it not easy
 
Would it be possible to do woodies + dynamat combo?

 

[eimis]

yann3804, No, it's not coloration. It's wider soundstage, more details and sound is 'closer' to my ears when compared to foobar. Sounds like bitperfect?

 

[c61746961]

How about we put this to work?
Just record the analog output from both programs and compute the difference.

 

[yann3804]

I see no difference between Foobar2000/Wasapi and JRiver + Wasapi... you must be doing it wrong... I just tested it with the free version

 

[Hayang]

Is opening the cups of the FA003 just a matter of putting your nail into that little opening right behind the hinged connection to the headband, and forcibly prying it open?  It doesn't give very easily so I want to make sure before I make some stupid mistake.  No screws to undo beforehand, by any chance, and no cables attached to the cups?
 
And Bob, can you kindly show us some pictures of what you did?

 

[yann3804]

No, there must be some kind of screws, no? When they shipped me my LBR FA002 they included the FA003 cups and some screws to install it
 
If there's none, then I would say give it a go

 

[FlySweep]

Rotate the pads on the cup 90 degrees to the right and you'll see they slide off effortlessly.. unscrew the 4 screws that hold the driver housing to the cups.. you'll have access to the inside of the cups and back of the driver.
 
No need to remove the screws on the headband to disengage the cups so they're easier to work with.. the cups can be safely snapped off from the two brackets which clip onto the sides.

 

[BobSaysHi]

Quote:

Is opening the cups of the FA003 just a matter of putting your nail into that little opening right behind the hinged connection to the headband, and forcibly prying it open?  It doesn't give very easily so I want to make sure before I make some stupid mistake.  No screws to undo beforehand, by any chance, and no cables attached to the cups?
 
And Bob, can you kindly show us some pictures of what you did?

Well, no. I have no camera. If someone will post a pic of the inside I'll draw something up in photoshop about what to place and where. Preferably of the interior of the cup and inside side of the driver.

 

[FlySweep]

Tools needed:
 
 
-scissors (I used a Leatherman micra's scissors which cut through the dynamat with much more ease than conventional scissors).
-jewelers' screwdriver (phillips head)
-a little patience and attention to detail
 
 
The cups can be disconnected from the headphone bracket with ease.. simply pull up on one arm until the cups can be removed.  Rotating the ear pads 90 degrees to the left (or right) will allow them to slide off the cup/driver housing:
 

 
The cups have four screw holes.. unscrew with get a jewelers screwdriver (phillips head).  Don't lose the screws! :
 

 
Since I've already replaced the felt damper with the dynamat, I'll show you how the back of the felt damper is attached to the cup.  Simply work your way at any part of the felt's edge so you can get a good hold and peel away (it should come off fairly easily).  Note, the adhesive used along the edges (seen below) loses it's stickiness after getting pulled off so if you plan on reapplying the felt dampers, be prepared to make a run to the store to get some kind of adhesive:
 

 
Use the foam dampers as a stencil to cut out a matching pair from your dynamat:
 

 
Line your cups with the dynamat, make sure there aren't any parts with air bubbles between the dynamat & cup.. the dynamat should be flush with the cup along it's entire surface area:
 

 

 

 
Reassemble the driver housing with the cup, reattach to the headband bracket.. and you're done!

 

[eimis]

c61746961, allright, I'll do that today. Keep in mind that I'll be using cheap integrated audio card for recording and a cheap cable...
 
Nice tutorial FlySweep
 
Update:
Done. I used Audacity for recording. jriverwasapi.wav was used as reference.
Outcome and input files: http://tinyurl.com/3suwsvm
I'm not sure if I did it right...