[sysfail]

So basically no mods are necessary anymore?

 
Well now I only have partial liberation inside cocobolo shells (when I receive them) and a very thin layer of dynamat on the back of the drivers. Took a lot of it off. Hopefully I'll love the sound when I put everything together. I think I had too much dynamat and it choked the life out of the sound of my SR80i's.

 

[chrislangley4253]

Quote:

Whoa whoa whoa.
Still I think he's raaaathaa tastee!
...

Erm, wrong line. Back it up one line (if you get the reference).

I will admit in terms of brightness and sparkle, my 225i's lost a bit when I placed them in my Sapele. But...that was fair exchange for the additional extension and texture down low, lushness as I called it. I guess if you really wanted that "in-your-face" Grado sound...then perhaps wood, dynamat, and venting are all along the wrong mod pathway for you...I mean...the change for most of us has been quite nice. And I'm no fan of placebo. Let alone sonic degradation. What I'm saying is perhaps it's a personal preference in sound sig? I dunno...Then again, I'm not really a rock guy. I mostly listen to jazz, acoustic, and orchestral music, so maybe that's why I loved the change so much.

Kojaku

 


Quote:

So basically no mods are necessary anymore?

 
Well now I only have partial liberation inside cocobolo shells (when I receive them) and a very thin layer of dynamat on the back of the drivers. Took a lot of it off. Hopefully I'll love the sound when I put everything together. I think I had too much dynamat and it choked the life out of the sound of my SR80i's.

ahhh! That came out wrong.. I was talking only about the dynamat, not the wood! I'll edit. 
 

 

[Kojaku]

Aww. No one got the reference 8(.

Kojaku

 

[chrislangley4253]

in related news, I got my sr80i portable edition almost complete.. All I need to do is shorten the cable. The 225 cups look great! They sound pretty good too, still a touch too much bass. But, they are nice nonetheless.
 
 
So, I decided to switch around the chips in my Sparrow and I came to a pretty big realization, source makes a BIG difference.. Just switching the chip in my amp changed the sound signature drastically, it got MUCH warmer. I much prefer the AD1852 to the WM8740 (the warmer, more colored one). If something as simple as changing my source that much can make such a difference I can't imagine the differences between whole other amps and dacs.. Suddenly, I want to buy another source, a more expensive one, just to find out what differences it holds. A NFB 12 is tempting, but I hear those are pretty smooth. Not sure if it would be up my alley or not..
 
Anyhow, sources matter, big time.. The different results we get with overall sound signature can probably be attributed to the different sources if not different ears. 

 

[chrislangley4253]

I think there is a tube amp setup of some kind in my future... Like next summer. I could totally get into tube rolling. Might even look into trying to make my own, if I don't wind up having wrist surgery. Time will tell. 

 

[sysfail]

Quote:

 



ahhh! That came out wrong.. I was talking only about the dynamat, not the wood! I'll edit. 
 

Oh ok. Well I still have a very thin layer on mine, it's hard to take it completely off, sticks on real well.
 

 

[chrislangley4253]

Quote:

Oh ok. Well I still have a very thin layer on mine, it's hard to take it completely off, sticks on real well.
 

put some more on there.. and then rip it off real quick, Like a band-aid.. The dynamat will stick to itself over the metal plate if you give it the chance

 

[chrislangley4253]

also, the song.. and the quality(obviously).. But, the music itself makes such a big difference.. The answer is simple.. Buy all the headphones.

 

[Kojaku]

It was from Aladdin...x(
 
I have something cooking in my head for some cosmetic improvements. But they're costly...so I'll be saving up till about november...or christmas xD
 
Kojaku

 

[Astrozombie]

Still undecided between the 60s and 80s but it i think i'm going with the 60s after seeing all these mods! I can't wait to get into it, buy low and mod high right? Just like i did with my KSC75

 

[sysfail]

I forgot. What was the dynamat supposed to do for the Grados anyways?

 

[Albedo]

Dynamat that has an even, hard surface?
 
I don't know... I find it more sensible to use a tar like substance that one can make small dents in like a B&W bassport or as seen with golfballs. BTW here's some more info. about the reason to damp -> http://www.head-fi.org/t/119314/post-your-grado-mods/1200#post_6853434

 

[Kojaku]

I forgot. What was the dynamat supposed to do for the Grados anyways?

It's meant to smooth the sound out a bit by adding extra mass. This reduces the excess vibration of the mylar after it has stopped a sound (aka stopped vibrating). This excess vibration can add a granular quality to your sound (what we might call muffling or static sound, depending on the severity), which is supposedly why higher-end Grados sound more earthy, with a less cluttered timbre. The problem is, I don't believe us as a modding community know enough about the fine-tuning in terms of the chemical make-up, density, and dampening specs on the substance Grado actually uses. This, I presume, is the reason why we have so much trouble using dynamat or stickytack as an alternative. It's just not close enough.

Also, the whole bassport thing has nothing to do with the dynamat. The dynamat should not affect airflow, otherwise it's being counterproductive. It's about the actual vibration of the membrane, not the resultant airflow (at least in this case). And I know what you mean. I actually own a Zeppelin Air. It's fantastic

Kojaku

 

[Albedo]

Concerning bassport and dents.. the speed of sound and reflections makes the use of bitumen for me a low cost option when venting.

 

[Jables280]

Just got my MS1i back from warranty! I can finally get some burn in and head time with these again before they go in the sapele cups! It feels good to have them back