[mechavore884]

would you happen to have a link to the site? to said purchase.......

 

[DecentLevi]

This is a service from a local headphone modding expert from his home, so you would need to contact him directly to arrange the service. I myself have the one-and-only AM&R Mod so he would only be able to show you pictures of his other mods. Trust me, I've met him several times and done business with him thru the mail a few times too, and he's a top-notch genuine businessman! He's Armenian so excuse his occasional English errors... he's also quite humble but you can definitely take my word (and of the others who he had tried it) that this mod makes a very huge night & day difference compared to the stock HP 100 / 150. He's also quite flexible on pricing I'm sure, and is offering free shipping for the first customer.
 
Man I feel like the 'man on the moon' here being the only owner of this mod... let's not keep it this way for too long. 

 

 

 

[Packdemon]

  would you happen to have a link to the site? to said purchase.......

I'll have one made eventually, but for now I'll be doing everything through PayPal (I'll still be using PayPal for my site in the future too though, PayPal is awesome). Once I receive payment, I'll ship my headphones same day (next day if postal stores are closed) and give you the tracking number for your order confirmation.

 

[DecentLevi]

Fellow Head-fi'er @gzone3lement stopped by my place today for a 'mini-meet'. He tried my HP-100 Tru-Fi Speakers mod and was very impressed with the bass quality and said the highs are not piercing at all. We both semmed to agree that these are generally more intimate or front-row than the HD-650's... and he is an even more critical listener than I am! Anyway I'll let him tell you his version.
 
We also compared it to his Sony MDR-CD3000, and I for one thought the HP-100 mod was more neutral, in a good way.
 
I've been using this HP-100 mod on the Elise amp since receiving it as of yesterday, and I will tell you this pairing has been one of THE BIGGEST surprises of my entire audiophile life! Pristine lushness, impact to keep you comin' back, solid weight, expansive soundstage and just right amount of sparkle. Well of course a lot of this was due to the Elise itself, which is really a maverick of a tube amp. Astounding job @Packdemon you've really hit this headphone mod out of the ballpark and I hope this mod catches on... just as long as more people are 'brave' enough to try it!

 

[gzone3lement]

Thank you @DecentLevi for letting me check out your gear! It's been great listening to the modded HP-100 and the Elise amp.
 
Even though I had about 15 minutes to audition the modded HP-100, I'll do my best to describe its revamped sonic signature. I used Levi's source and brought my Luxman P-1 headphone amp as my reference audio gear.
 
Bass:
The bass is definitely V-shaped. The drum snares are considerably quick in recovery.
Least amount [- - - + - - - - - ] Most amount
U-shaped [ - - - - - - + - - ] V-shaped
 
Midrange:
 
When listening to Carl Douglas's "Kung fu fighting," I can easily hear the "t" sound from the word "fighting" on the CD3000. When listening to the HP-100, the "t" sound is slightly smoothed over.
Least amount [ - - - - + - - - - ] Most amount
Recessed [- - - - + - - - - ] Forward
 
Highs:
 
When listening to the flute or woodwind instrument from Carl Douglas's "Kung fu fighting," the highs were not bright at all.
Least amount [ - - - - - + - - - ] Most amount
Mellow [ - - - - + - - - - ] Bright
 
Soundstage:
 
The soundstage tends to be deeper than its width. I can easily pinpoint the vocals, the flute, and other instruments very well. Using my right channel as a reference, I felt that I can hear about a total of 150 degrees out of 180.
Shallow [ - - - - - - + - - ] Deep
Narrow [ - - - + - - - - - ] Wide
 
Thoughts:
 
@Packdemon did a great job modding the HP-100! While my time was super short with the modded HP100, I think I managed to pick up tight bass, smooth mids, and non-fatiguing highs. Although my CD3000 headphones was present, I believe that it would not be a fair comparison because they are two very different headphones. While casual listeners can listen to hip hop, pop, and some EDM, the modded HP100 would not be the ideal pair for bassheads. Based off from extensive research, there were two unforgettable headphones that immediately came to mind while auditioning: discontinued Denon AH-D1001 and Ultrasone Edition 8.
D1001 [ - - - - - - + - - ] Edition 8 (Note: I might be off by about one notch to the left or right)
 
I would recommend those who are looking for closed-back neutral headphones and want to have a little bit of fun at the same time. I'm not sure how much the modded pair would cost, but coming from a pair of $200 headphones with potential, @Packdemon did everything right to make it sound closer to Edition 8 that asks for a lot more dough.

 

[Packdemon]

Would you guys consider the Elise amp a neutral sounding amp, or does it have a slight bias somewhere?
 
(Edit): I tried to look up the specs, but it didn't have the output impedance listed.

 

[gzone3lement]

I think after burning in for about 5 hours, the Elise amp was very warm sounding. It complements with the HD650 very well because the highs were rolled off. When listening to the HP100, I remember hearing a fuller sound especially in the mids and the highs. The bass turns out slightly more U-shaped than my SS amp.

 

[DecentLevi]

The sound of the Elise is completely customizable, depending on the tubes used. It's an OTL amp which uses both power and driver tubes, so the tubes impact the sound more dramatically. It's compatible with at least several dozen types of tubes, each of which have many brand / model variations, and all of which are mix & match-able, so there's gotta be thousands of different sound combinations. I've tried about 20 tube combinations in the past two days, and have found two variations of my truly perfect sound with this priceless marvel of an amp. It consistently competes famously well against other amps costing over $2,000, including the Zana Deux which I have also tried. And both myself and another user who own both it and the Liquid Carbon agree that the Elise creams it, and that's even with the LC in balanced mode! Needless to say, it appears to have become the crown jewel of all the 45 people who are lucky enough to have one so far.
 
And the Tru-Fi Modded HP-100 is one of it's best headphone pairings!

 

[Packdemon]

  would you happen to have a link to the site? to said purchase.......

This is the one for eBay. So many limits, but I finally worked around the issue and got it done: http://www.ebay.com/itm/282007942015
Every other transaction (direct PayPal transfers) not done through eBay will be 10% cheaper than the listed eBay prices (not as a sale, just because there is no eBay fees).
 
Cheers!

 

[DecentLevi]

That's stellar that you've set that up Packdemon! I'll tell ya, if I were to have demoed this headphone mod blind, I would have gladly spent $600+ on it. The sound I'm getting out of this mod with my LC amp and especially my Elise amp is really mind blowing. I'm enjoying electronic music with this more than ever in my life, and I would say that along with pop are what it's perfectly suited for: weighty controlled bass, mids immaculate and lush enough to eat, soundstage spot on, great details and impactful enough to satisfy the most discerning! And at $175 base model... a deal to be beat! 
 
I'm looking forward to reading reviews after some of you guys try it. And it looks like he's all ready to go! I genuinely think you guys would like it, and I would even venture to say he would be willing to tweak it more to your liking after receiving it if need be.
 
PS @gzone3lement - Ironically I already have the Denon AHD 1001 and it was hiding in the drawer below you all along. I just did another A/B comparison between the AHD 1001 and this Soundmagic mod, and you're right the sounds do vaguely resemble each other. The lush mids and FR are similar; with some VAST exceptions: on the modded Soundmagic you get much more intimate, intracite lushness in the mids (in a very good way), vastly improved impact, improved clarity, much improved tonality, and fuller bass with a nice subterranean extension. 

 

 

[DecentLevi]

With how pleased I am with this mod I am selling all my other closed headphones that I've had for years except one.
I am selling my Denon AHD 1001, modded Beyerdynamic DT 150 and (open) Beyerdynamic DT 880
I'm also letting my Project Ember and a dozen tubes go... feel free to PM me if anybody wants these

 

[gzone3lement]

  That's stellar that you've set that up Packdemon! I'll tell ya, if I were to have demoed this headphone mod blind, I would have gladly spent $600+ on it. The sound I'm getting out of this mod with my LC amp and especially my Elise amp is really mind blowing. I'm enjoying electronic music with this more than ever in my life, and I would say that along with pop are what it's perfectly suited for: weighty controlled bass, mids immaculate and lush enough to eat, soundstage spot on, great details and impactful enough to satisfy the most discerning! And at $175 base model... a deal to be beat! 
 
I'm looking forward to reading reviews after some of you guys try it. And it looks like he's all ready to go! I genuinely think you guys would like it, and I would even venture to say he would be willing to tweak it more to your liking after receiving it if need be.
 
PS @gzone3lement - Ironically I already have the Denon AHD 1001 and it was hiding in the drawer below you all along. I just did another A/B comparison between the AHD 1001 and this Soundmagic mod, and you're right the sounds do vaguely resemble each other. The lush mids and FR are similar; with some VAST exceptions: on the modded Soundmagic you get much more intimate, intracite lushness in the mids (in a very good way), vastly improved impact, improved clarity, much improved tonality, and fuller bass with a nice subterranean extension. 

 

Oh man, I wish I had listened to the AH-D1001 when I had the chance. Still, I'm glad you were able to testify and cross reference both headphones. Both the AH-D1001 and the modded P-100 headphones are great!

 

[Packdemon]

  With how pleased I am with this mod I am selling all my other closed headphones that I've had for years except one.
I am selling my Denon AHD 1001, modded Beyerdynamic DT 150 and (open) Sennheiser DT 880
I'm also letting my Project Ember and a dozen tubes go... feel free to PM me is anybody want these

You told me about your DT 880s before, I'm surprised that your selling them. It should be a simple fix to change out the faulty driver with a replacement.

 

[DecentLevi]

No thanks, although I was happy with them for years, it was after trying the likes of HD 650 that I realised how much the overall resolution, instrument separation and soundstage can be improved over the (Beyer) DT 880, plus these cause tinnitus with their harsh highs and I wasn't the only one to realise it

 

[Packdemon]

  No thanks, although I was happy with them for years, it was after trying the likes of HD 650 that I realised how much the overall resolution, instrument separation and soundstage can be improved over the (Beyer) DT 880, plus these cause tinnitus with their harsh highs and I wasn't the only one to realise it

Aside from the soundstage, I'm sure that the treble would be an easy fix. Though, I understand if you just want someone else (whoever buy them off of you) worry about fixing them instead of you.