[kAbUZi]

Especially if you only paid 12 euros for them!

 
Quote:

Any update on the pads and if you liked them?
 
Since I have two of basically the same headphone, I'm planning on a few little mods.  Going to try playing with a little plasticine in the cups and the foam removal mod.  With two of the same it will be easier to a/b and figure out if the mods do anything for me.
 

Well, I received the pads today from juno.co.uk (part no.: HPAEC750). As you said, they aren't flush but they don't come off on their own either. The main difference to the stock ones is the comfort, which is much, much better!
 
I also noticed slight changes to the sound:
- wider soundstage;
- rounder sound (IMO an improvement, as having removed the inner foam made them a little bit edgy);
- smoother, more pleasant bass.
The cups still don't seal very well and the isolation increase is negligible, but, overall, I recommend them for the slightly smoother sound and most definitely for the added comfort.
Thanks again, shadow!
Here's a pic:
 

 
The headphones are sitting on some fiber wool (used for cleaning fish tanks and as filters) that is going from the bag into the cups.

I saw this mod a while in the rockgrotto forums. That user was experimenting on a Superlux HD660 - he liked the changes to the sound. I can't remember what they were though (more forward mids, i believe), but, screw it, this stuff is cheap.

. So, let's see what it does to the HM3's.

 

[osssis]

I think I have to get new pads aswell. I had some problems finding the shure pads you guys mentioned. I'd have to find some place with cheap postage to Finland. Feels stupid to pay more for new pads than what the actual headphones cost . With HD681 the pads were atleast a few euros cheaper.

 

[kAbUZi]

If you like their sound, you should get the pads, even if they cost more than the actual headphones - yeah, I feel kind of silly writing this, but the price you paid for them to begin with is downright ridiculous.

 

[kAbUZi]

So, added effects to the sound after stuffing the cups with fiber wool:
 
- a hint of sibilance;
- decreased sensitivity;
- increased background white noise;
- increased detail.
 
Bear in mind that these are slight changes, the overall signature of the headphones remains the same.
Having said that, I'm not happy with this mod: the sound becomes that extra bit harsher on the highs and the white noise is unwelcome. The only benefit I detected was the detail and I can't quite explain but it seems to add firmness to the sound- maybe I could adjust the quantity of fiber wool inserted.
 
Moving on, I am really interested in trying to add bass extension to the sound. A couple of ideas: venting the driver, by poking holes in the paper (a la Grado SR mods), one of the holes already came poked in stock form.
 

 
Another option might be to cover the cups with the Blutak you see there on the background, however the cups themselves aren't that straighforward as they are made into two parts and the inner one has a vent that seems to be purposefully designed to affect the sound. Here's a couple of pics:


 
Which part would the most suitable candidate to put the blutak in and should I cover the vent?
If I poke holes in the driver cover will the bass become bloated?
I will eventually try something, I am just fishing for some ideas from someone more knowledgeable/creative.

 

[shadow419]

The outer cup just seems to be there for the adjustment bars.  I tried some plasticine inside the inner cup.  I forgot to take pics but I'll post tomorrow and update with pics.  I'll need some time to figure out if/how it makes any difference in the sound.  It definitely reduces the vibration of the housing a little because of the extra mass.  I'm a little wary to vent the driver any more.  The pads already boost the midbass a little, and I don't want the sound to get too sloppy.

 

[kAbUZi]

I guess you are right about the outer cup.
I just finished lining my HM3's with blutak.
I decdided to leave the vent open. On the same note, if you notice the only two poked holes (at least on my pair) align with the vents.
I see what you mean about venting the driver, I also would not want sloppy bass but increasing its extension would be great. I am gonna read up on the Grado mod thread to see if there's a hassle free way of resealing vented holes.

 
It's probably too early to tell, but the blutak seems to have tightened up the bass a bit.
 
Here's my handiwork (please excuse the markings of my greasy mits

).
 

 

[shadow419]

I hadn't realized that little square was a vent in the inner cup and covered it with the plasticine.  Maybe I'll remove it from one side so I can try and hear a difference between L/R.

 

[kAbUZi]

I think they are... Look forward to hearing your impressions. cheers

 

[shadow419]

Definitely a vent.  Recessed mids galore with it covered since the sound goes even more V shaped. The bass seems a little tighter with it covered, but I didn't like the overall sound compared to it open.
 
Edit: I can see why these wouldn't isolate as well as an HD 25-1 for example.  Light clamp + thin housing + vent = meh isolation

 

[aidenn]

Hello,
 
I removed the foam after using the headphones for half a year and the difference is big. It kinda doesn't change the signature, but on the other side it kinda does. It's still warm, but the position on the spectrum moved much more closer to neutral.
 
Now the overall sound is similar to DBA-02 with pronounced and detailed mids and highs. The bass also got a bit diluted, but not much and still kicks hard and deep if needed. Another plus is that the phones finally became EQ-manageable. Before the mod I couldn't modify them using EQ in any way since any change I made made them lose the fun. Now I can make small changes without any problem.
 
So, to sum it up:
 
If you like acoustic music, jazz, classical etc. - definitely do it! Now! Go and tear the foam, seriously.
If you like rock, metal, industrial, indie - depends on how you like your music and the specific genres, but it doesn't lose a lot of warmth so it's mostly better on all fronts. Still, better check whether you like highs a'la Grado, since some people can find them irritating. It's not completely Grado-ish, but there's a bit of aggressive crunchiness/sparkling nevertheless.
If you like electronic music - yes! depends on the specific genre/album too, but IMO even trance and dubstep benefit a bit from this mod and IDM, breakcore, EBM etc. are much better.
If you like Lady Gaga - no! The only thing that sounds like crap with this mod is Lady Gaga.
If you're a basshead - no. Just no.
 
Now if only I could mod DBA-02 so they'd have a kick like this...
 
BTW, quick question - I loved FA-004 since I bought it, but the only thing I hate is that the pads hurt my ears after a couple of hours. Also, now my ears rest against the driver that's not foam-covered and I believe that after a few hours I'll feel that too. Are there any remedies to this?

 

[kAbUZi]

Get the Shure SRH750DJ pads, they're thicker so your ears will be a bit farther from the driver. Also, the cloth/foam that covers the driver is thicker than stock. No major sound changes though, a bit more sub bass and soundstage.
 
Nice to hear you've done and like the mod. I like it too, although I have to admit that sometimes, depending on the music, there is indeed sibilance.
 
Now fill those cups up with some blutak for somer tighter bass.

 

[aidenn]

Thanks, I already read about the Shure pads, I just thought that in the meantime I'd mod it myself somehow. Thanks for the Blu Tack info, I didn't even know that something like that existed. A while back I though about filling them with foam to improve soundstage, is it a much worse idea than using BT... Yeah, English is not my native language. You were talking about cups and I meant pads. Anyway, I don't know if I want to mess with the cups yet. Still, is foam in the pads a good idea for a quick fix of moving the driver away from the ear?
 
I haven't heard any sibilance yet; I tried some songs that are a bit sibilant on my DBA-02, but they were just fine. Maybe that's a question of source, I listen to DBA-02 on my Clip+ while FA-004 is connected to the PC. As a side note, I gotta get a ZO2 one of these days, mostly for DBA-02, but I think that it could improve the FA-004 a bit too.

 

[bowlofsoup]

Sorry if this has been covered earlier, but can I run these sufficiently out of my iphone 4? I'm looking for something that I can take with me without an amp basically

 

[skafle]

Quote:

Sorry if this has been covered earlier, but can I run these sufficiently out of my iphone 4? I'm looking for something that I can take with me without an amp basically

They should work fine out of an iphone 4, I run them unamped out of my sansa fuze, droid incredible and macbook and they still sound good.
 

 

[bowlofsoup]

Thanks for the help! I'm hoping they are a significant upgrade to my old JVC HA-M750's. I loved those things, but i recently gave them to a family member