slotcutter
New Head-Fier
Ok, a few words about TDS-16-40 Echo.
I got three pairs of these locally, all of them sealed in plastic and boxed. I had a chance to pick the pairs i wanted and I selected those with softer cable insulation and not entirely "deflated" pads.
I tried replacing the pads with modern soft leather foam filled cushions and the results were sad, the headphone lost all the character, drive and bass.
After a series of experiments with different materials I realized the only way to keep that peculiar sound with its bizarre charm was to keep using the original pads. They were flat and wrinkled and tough to the ears, so I tried filling them up with different types of foam and I always failed to get the sound i wanted. Finally I figured a way to restore the stock pads without losing that very special sound signature.
I bought a soft transparent plastic tube (the kind you'd find in a shower hose or whatever you call it). I cut it lengthwise, then I made a circular cut in the back of the pads, opened them, took the remains of the old foam out and inserted one half of the tube along the outer perimeter of the original pads and another one along the inner perimeter, filling these halves with foam and leaving some air between these halves. The soft plastic is soft enough not to hurt the ear but strong enough to raise the pads' surface to the design height.
Unscientific it may seem, the result was to my complete satisfaction, both in terms of sound and in terms of comfort.
I also experimented with different damping materials in the cups and settled with keeping the stock foam discs (which are in good shape, really) adding 1 mm felt discs on top of them on the plastic cups' side.
I don't know If anyone would want to do all these weird manipulations but it really worked for me, for all I know.
The sound of this headphone is rather balanced now, with punchy bass, attractive mids and rather extended treble. The music has a lot of air to it, too, and the drive is fantastic.
Suffice to say I sold my Audeze LCD 2 Classic, posh, comfy, precise, detailed and all that happy stuff but just boring in comparison with TDS and Yamahas. None of the statements and allegations above intend to serve as recommendations, instructions, advertisement or anything but my truly humble opinion and kinky listening tastes.
Here are some pics:
p.s. The headband is terrible imitation leather, rigid and crooked after all these years. I cut a length of soft leather belt and clipped to the underside of the original band. Very comfortable and soft, doesn't change the original looks.
I got three pairs of these locally, all of them sealed in plastic and boxed. I had a chance to pick the pairs i wanted and I selected those with softer cable insulation and not entirely "deflated" pads.
I tried replacing the pads with modern soft leather foam filled cushions and the results were sad, the headphone lost all the character, drive and bass.
After a series of experiments with different materials I realized the only way to keep that peculiar sound with its bizarre charm was to keep using the original pads. They were flat and wrinkled and tough to the ears, so I tried filling them up with different types of foam and I always failed to get the sound i wanted. Finally I figured a way to restore the stock pads without losing that very special sound signature.
I bought a soft transparent plastic tube (the kind you'd find in a shower hose or whatever you call it). I cut it lengthwise, then I made a circular cut in the back of the pads, opened them, took the remains of the old foam out and inserted one half of the tube along the outer perimeter of the original pads and another one along the inner perimeter, filling these halves with foam and leaving some air between these halves. The soft plastic is soft enough not to hurt the ear but strong enough to raise the pads' surface to the design height.
Unscientific it may seem, the result was to my complete satisfaction, both in terms of sound and in terms of comfort.
I also experimented with different damping materials in the cups and settled with keeping the stock foam discs (which are in good shape, really) adding 1 mm felt discs on top of them on the plastic cups' side.
I don't know If anyone would want to do all these weird manipulations but it really worked for me, for all I know.
The sound of this headphone is rather balanced now, with punchy bass, attractive mids and rather extended treble. The music has a lot of air to it, too, and the drive is fantastic.
Suffice to say I sold my Audeze LCD 2 Classic, posh, comfy, precise, detailed and all that happy stuff but just boring in comparison with TDS and Yamahas. None of the statements and allegations above intend to serve as recommendations, instructions, advertisement or anything but my truly humble opinion and kinky listening tastes.
Here are some pics:
p.s. The headband is terrible imitation leather, rigid and crooked after all these years. I cut a length of soft leather belt and clipped to the underside of the original band. Very comfortable and soft, doesn't change the original looks.
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