[Taphil]

I've re-discovered my EX70's after huge disappointment and bitterness with them. I tried the foam mod but to no avail. I found them to still be screechy and scratchy. Then after reading this I decided to try some mods again. I used 3M Scotch Safe Release Painter's Masking Tape (blue color, very expensive compared to regular masking tape), taped over the opening, then used a needle to precisely poke a small whole. And woah......they suddenly sound pretty decent, slightly better than my MX400. The harsh treble is gone, and taping the three holes on the back make them sound good. So now instead of wasting $50 on the EX70's that used to sound like $5, now they sound like they cost $25.

 

[Joe Bloggs]

A sticker might be too thick and damp out too much sound?

 

[Taphil]

I've been listening more to my EX70's with masking tape mod and they are great! I'm still totally amazed that with just a piece of masking tape over the canal opening the sound is completely different. Too bad I didn't read about it before or think about it before. I had tried regular scotch tape but that didn't work. With this mod I don't even need to stuff foam down the tube. In some ways, I think they sound noticably better than my Senn HD497.

 

[Sol_Zhen]

I was a bit disappointed with the ex70s at first. Then I found that tape on the back three holes improved the sound drastically, the posters at the minidisct.com forums referred me to this forum to look for this post. This looks like an interesting forum with lots of useful tidbits and discussion.

Red,
I'm looking forward to trying your silver mod this weekend.

I'm hoping that it will be a positive experience.

Thanks for the tips.

BTW - I have several older pair of cheap headphones to cannibalize the foam from. Should I choose more dense or lighter variety? Did you find a preference?

 

[redshifter]

sol_zhen,
i've tried both dense packing foam (open cell) and softer foamies from some cheapo headphones, and prefer the softer. if you do not like the sound after the mod, you should be able to reverse it with a little glue. good luck!

 

[Sol_Zhen]

I was a bit apprehensive about removing the little felt circle and stuffing it with foam, but it worked great! (Y)

We had a slightly thinner Nashua foil tape for duct work (compared to the one you recommended) in the storeroom at work and I borrowed some.

It took some trial and error with the length of foam to roll, and I might adjust that further tomorrow. However, the sound is much improved.

 

[a1leyez0nm3]

i used plain silver duct tape but i had to make 2 holes in each to make it not sound to dark. also, i think that putting even a small hole in the back brings back too much boom, but maybe i should use the same type of tape and try... the ex70s are a kinda warm but otherwise it works great.

 

[redshifter]

i need to update this mod. alleyez, i did something similar. before i put the silver tape on put it on a business card and poked 4 tiny holes in it (the card kept the holes the same size). the 4 tiny holes vs. the one larger hole gives a much smoother treble. i also went back to just covering the 3 holes on the back.

sol_zhen,
great, i'm glad it worked for you.

 

[a1leyez0nm3]

oh ok. i have 2 holes in mine but they sound good to me. do you still use your ex70s even though you have the er6? i am really curious. did you go to the WOH tour in seattle in july?

 

[redshifter]

yes, i still use the ex70 and er6. when i want hi-fi sound i plug my er6 into my amp and head out (my er6 is modified as well). when i want something quick i'll grab the ex70, and sometimes use them at bedtime. now that i fixed the clamping problem and broke in and washed the earpads, the d66 has really become my portable heapdhone of choice. it has a nimble, warm sound that has grown on me. next month, who knows?

if it sounds good to you, there is no need to put more holes in. that is the point of using the metal tape, you have a lot of control of the bass:treble ratio depending on the size & number of holes. the reason i used four smaller holes is with fewer larger holes there was some sibilance at very specific frequencies. the sound from the ex70 will never be perfect, but with a little tinkering they can actually sound pretty good. anyone trying this ex70 mod should use whatever size and number of holes that sounds best to their ears. i wish there was a way to get behind the silver metal cups on the ex70. i have an idea for sound and resonance dampening that might just fix the boomy bass.

i wanted to go to the woh tour, but was very ill at the time. i'm feeling much better now, though. did you make it?

 

[leon]

redshifter,
Thanks for posting the mod! Haven't got the appropriate tape yet but I'm going to try it.

Ooh, the D66...so is your D66 unmodded?

Too bad the popular opinion seems to be that it doesn't isolate much

Even the ER-4 can be too little isolation sometimes (on a bus).

 

[redshifter]

well, if you can call bending the headband and washing the pads modified, it is. i tried a few different mods but decided in the end i like the way they sound as is. right now i'm listening to bach through them and they have a delicate sound that works well with classical.

 

[leon]

Thanks redshifter, I'm becoming interested in the D66...

... and sorry for asking some very obvious questions (in retrospect), I only did my research after I posted

 

[PhoenixIgn]

the ex70s sound better than the mx400s, in my opinion, and i have both. i dont like any mods so far, just burn them in well.

 

[Sol_Zhen]

I should have posted pics of what my modded phones look like months ago.

Here they are. It's a pretty neat job that isn't noticable from distance.