[GreatDane]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aynjell /img/forum/go_quote.gif After a couple of days with them, and now that the new toy fad has passed, I can safely say I reccomend the TTVJ flats. THey dim the highs just enough, bring in the bass just enough.... and offer just enough sound stage to set the SR325i apart from other cans.

I'm glad you like them. I've been comparing my bowls & flats with 325i recently and I prefer flats for most music.

If you wash them gently they should become softer.

 

[Bilavideo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by K_19 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I know the costs of the flats would scare anyone from doing a mod for it, but for anyone who dares and find the stock flats too warm and muddy, try this mod (Got this idea from one of the previous owners who did it): cut about 5mm of the foam out in a circle from the inside so that the hole is bigger. This will release bit more of the detail in the highs and the upper mids and IMO, give the flats a bit better balance. With this mod it's easily my favourite pad for my RS1 classic.

I just tried it. I don't know if it's a reflection of a mismatch between balls and brains, but I cut two millimeters out of the inner ring and any muddiness in the presentation disappeared - but without sacrificing that hard-slamming bass. The mids are too present to say this is just like having the spacious jumbos, but for Grado lovers who miss the mids in jumboland, this is an improvement over both the jumbos and the bowls. It's got the fullness of the jumbos and better bass than the bowls. In fact, I can't think of a better treat than slamming bass and sparkling highs, with lush mids to boot.

I'm sold.

 

[MacedonianHero]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bilavideo /img/forum/go_quote.gif I just tried it. I don't know if it's a reflection of a mismatch between balls and brains, but I cut two millimeters out of the inner ring and any muddiness in the presentation disappeared - but without sacrificing that hard-slamming bass. The mids are too present to say this is just like having a new-and-improved version of the Grado jumbos, but for Grado lovers who miss the mids in jumboland, this has got to be the next best thing. I've got thumping bass and dazzling sparkle. What more could I want?

More sound stage?

That was my only issue with the flats. I do like them to change up things every now and then.

 

[Bilavideo]

The flats with that mod sound better, at least on my HF2. To be fair to those who complained of muddiness, I heard it, too. Cutting out two millimeters from the inner ring opened up enough HF to give these babies a crunchy, crisp sound. Certain groups that usually don't sound as clear - like Motley Crue - are just awesome. It's still an intimate sound. The soundstage won't be expanded by moving closer to the driver, but the added HF makes it a much better sell. This is the best it's going to get moving closer to the driver. I suspect that were the situation reversed, and I were to move away from the driver, I'd have to do just the opposite and soak up some of that excess HF that would result from better dispersion.

One thing I tried, before irreversibly modding my flats, was to cut out the core of a pair of jumbo pads, which reduced them to something similar to the bowls. Considering them a tad sharp for my tastes, I cut the pads in half. In the process, I discovered that the jumbos not only mix hard and soft layers, but that they sound better when the top layer (soft but concave) is reversed. This limited HF dispersion, effectively restraining the sibilance. When I tried it out, this bowl-mod turned out to be amazingly satisfying.

So, if anybody has bowls, what I'm suggesting is to reverse them but in a somewhat unconventional way. Cut them in half and flip the top half over, so the ear is confronted with a flat (rather than concave) surface. The result should be less sibilant and more like the modified flats, even with the additional ear/driver distance.