[etteoh]

 
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I find myself going into Dollarama stores and staring at the strainers in the cookware section, imaging a screen mod for some Grados or Senns.
 
This is an amazing thread! It reminded me of when (about 12 years ago) I built RS-1 cups from scratch. I used SR225 drivers in those cups but in the long run, I ended up not really liking the sound. There an awful lot more to the RS-1 that wood.
 
Those hand made wood cups are beautiful!
 
 

Actually, as a former owner of an RS-1 (classic version with buttons), I can safely testify that my modded cans (SR325is) with cocobolo shells match the RS-1 all the way...and then some. A close friend of mine who owns the newer RS-1 (buttonless non-i) version brought his can over and we had a grueling shootout between the two that lasted no less than 5 hours. In the end, in total disbelief, we both concluded the cocobolo modded can had the edge. Having said that, we did however also discover that the cocobolo can exhibited more mid-bass than the RS-1. Not so much that it becomes a problem but it's noticeable when you start comparing. Other than that, I just couldn't fault the can...even up till today.
 
Before this, I have been looking to buy back a RS-1 (not a day goes by I fail to browse various For-Sale sites, including Head-Fi) but I am happy it never happened because all these mods paid off. The only thing I would think about next is a PS1000. Unlike Bill, I have not properly listened to a PS1000 to be able to judge / compare it fairly. I only had a brief encounter with it (perhaps less than 5 minutes) during a business trip and that was it. Initial impressions are that they are big and bold sounding whilst beautifully retaining the good ol' sweet Grado sound. I'd love to have the chance to listen to them again someday...
 
Till that day comes, I am going all out enjoying my resurgent SR325isc Bliss...

 

[yomomma1]

Quote:

 

Actually, as a former owner of an RS-1 (classic version with buttons), I can safely testify that my modded cans (SR325is) with cocobolo shells match the RS-1 all the way...and then some. A close friend of mine who owns the newer RS-1 (buttonless non-i) version brought his can over and we had a grueling shootout between the two that lasted no less than 5 hours. In the end, in total disbelief, we both concluded the cocobolo modded can had the edge. Having said that, we did however also discover that the cocobolo can exhibited more mid-bass than the RS-1. Not so much that it becomes a problem but it's noticeable when you start comparing. Other than that, I just couldn't fault the can...even up till today.
 
Before this, I have been looking to buy back a RS-1 (not a day goes by I fail to browse various For-Sale sites, including Head-Fi) but I am happy it never happened because all these mods paid off. The only thing I would think about next is a PS1000. Unlike Bill, I have not properly listened to a PS1000 to be able to judge / compare it fairly. I only had a brief encounter with it (perhaps less than 5 minutes) during a business trip and that was it. Initial impressions are that they are big and bold sounding whilst beautifully retaining the good ol' sweet Grado sound. I'd love to have the chance to listen to them again someday...
 
Till that day comes, I am going all out enjoying my resurgent SR325isc Bliss...

I did the cocobolo mod on my 225's and found them to be nowhere near my rs-1's in any range, they were no doubt improved and so much nicer to listen to (so much so that my friend won't give them back!) but as Beagle says, there is more to the rs-1 than a bit of wood. I can't comment on the 325's though (having not owned or listened to them) and am very surprised they can be better than rs1's with the simple woody mod?
 
Bill, once my friend has agreed to let me have his 80's I will get in touch and go through a few things with you regarding mods. I may buy some bravery pills and completely strip the 80's and pos even change the cable? Though that would obviously only ever be possible with your help. I want something completely different to my rs-1's so will prob go for an alu mod or hybrid. But again I'll go through that once I get them.
 
 

 

[kitesrfun1]

so i'm assuming i have to do a full liberation to take out piece of material thats been making the driver rattle and buzz. does anyone know if there is a tutorial for this? 
 
i went ahead and removed the outer plastic housing. i'm hesitant to continue dissecting in fear of ruining it completely, 

 

[yomomma1]

http://www.youtube.com/bilavideo
 
Have a nosey here matey, Bill has broke the deal with this vid. If you can't do it after watching this then something is wrong! It's even tempting me to liberate he makes it look so easy.
 
Quote:

so i'm assuming i have to do a full liberation to take out piece of material thats been making the driver rattle and buzz. does anyone know if there is a tutorial for this? 
 
i went ahead and remove the outer plastic housing. i'm hesitant to continue dissecting in fear of ruining it completely, 

 

 

[kitesrfun1]

ya i saw this and have completed this part of the liberation, but i have to go further in order for me find out what the problem is that's making the driver rattle and buzz.
 
i don't think dynamat will fix this as there is an actual piece lose in there. i think..
Quote:

http://www.youtube.com/bilavideo
 
Have a nosey here matey, Bill has broke the deal with this vid. If you can't do it after watching this then something is wrong! It's even tempting me to liberate he makes it look so easy.
 


 

 

 

[yomomma1]

Right! Well I'm sure Bill will come up trumps for ya, good luck
Quote:

ya i saw this and have completed this part of the liberation, but i have to go further in order for me find out what the problem is that's making the driver rattle and buzz.
 
i don't think dynamat will fix this as there is an actual piece lose in there. i think..


 

 

 

[lawrywild]

 

[yomomma1]

Very nice. Pics of the install when ya do it?
 
Quote:

 

 

[lawrywild]

Sure. My plan of action is to first try it as is with jumbos and bowls, then I'll de-anodize it (it's a nice colour but not really my thing for a headphone, raw aluminium preferred) with some oven cleaner. If it sounds good I'll keep it like that otherwise I'm going to chop off the threaded part as I showed somewhere on the previous page and mount the driver as is normally done, it definitely seems like that's possible.
 
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Very nice. Pics of the install when ya do it?
 


 

 

 

[Big Bill]

Quote:

Congrats Lawry!

 

[Big Bill]

 
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 I'm thinking maybe if I put a strong magnet on the back plate the extra magnetic field will be strong enough to pull the voice coil back to the proper position?

That's not quite the way it works............... I have a feeling one or both of the voice coil lead wires were severed during the process of liberation. I also think pressing on the back of the basket is bridging the break in said lead or leads. In order to be sure I recomend you test the voice coil (with the basket unstressed) for electrical continuity utilizing a multi-meter (DMM or AMM).
 
Best of luck, Bill!

 

[etteoh]

Quote:

I did the cocobolo mod on my 225's and found them to be nowhere near my rs-1's in any range, they were no doubt improved and so much nicer to listen to (so much so that my friend won't give them back!) but as Beagle says, there is more to the rs-1 than a bit of wood. I can't comment on the 325's though (having not owned or listened to them) and am very surprised they can be better than rs1's with the simple woody mod?
 
Bill, once my friend has agreed to let me have his 80's I will get in touch and go through a few things with you regarding mods. I may buy some bravery pills and completely strip the 80's and pos even change the cable? Though that would obviously only ever be possible with your help. I want something completely different to my rs-1's so will prob go for an alu mod or hybrid. But again I'll go through that once I get them.
 
 

Great sharing dude! I just want to be clear that I am not in any way putting down or bashing the RS-1...nobody in their right mind would. The RS-1 is what it is. A timeless legendary in its own rights. I owned one in the past and I am still proud of it. Over here, people still flinch when you tell them you have (or had in my case) a RS-1   The difference between the RS-1 and my Cocobolo 325 is not night and day. Remember that my buddy and I took 5 painstaking hours before making the impartial decision and we're both die-hard RS-1 fans alike.
 
Now, even as stock cans, the SR325is already does one or two things better than the RS-1 thanks to its aluminium shell and extended or prominent highs if you will. To me, what it lacked then was the smooth organic mids, the depth and lows of the RS-1. With the hole punch mod, it levels things up by quite a jump and top that with cocobolos, the missing organic piece is achieved. Aside from tracks that has stronger emphasis on the mid bass, the cocobolo 325 matched the RS-1 all the way. I don't know if the cocobolo is doing its job (and I think it is) but it just has better bass slam and depth compared to the RS-1. However, yes, however, there is still this magical note on the vocals the RS-1 make that is still somewhat superior. The thing is, right now, if I had to choose between a RS-1 and my cocobolo 325, I will honestly tell you that the RS-1 is no longer a choice I would make although, glamor sake aside, I would still want one for that occasional magic touch on the vocals which only the RS-1 has. I believe if you take the RS-1 drivers and have them fitted to cocobolo shells, they could just very well be perfect! 
 
Like you, I cannot say if the same is achieved using a SR225i as base. If anything, the 225 was the only Grado in the Prestige line-up that I have not owned / listened to. So, it's zero experience for me when it comes to the 225. People smack me for that as they say the 225 is probably the finest Prestige can. That's really debatable since sound is very much a subjective thing. Still, from what others have told me, I won't form a judgement on the 225 until I have listened to them for myself.
 
Off the record, I even had the 325 goldies and those were even more prominent in the highs. Me ears bleed I tell you...and they bleed bad. Grado had it tamed down, if ever so slightly, with the newer IS models. Heh, your friend is a lucky guy to snag your cans off you. Cocobolo 225! Christmas came early for him eh?
 

 

[lawrywild]

I installed my jaben cups, installation was quick and easy. These cups really have been made to precision, everything slots together very neatly. My first impressions from the 5 minutes I've had them on is that with the jumbo's the weight isn't an issue other than the whole phones sliding off your head if you tilt too far forward or back. To my surprise the amount of bass has increased by a lot but the highs are WAY too sibilant, maybe that can be remedied with felt around the distancer, I'll try that in a bit. I'll upload the installation pics later but for now here's some pics of me, lol. The cups are a bit less red than my webcam makes them look, unfortunately, they look an amazing colour in the pics lol. They're also super wide as you can see..
 

 

[Bilavideo]

I did the cocobolo mod on my 225's and found them to be nowhere near my rs-1's in any range, they were no doubt improved and so much nicer to listen to (so much so that my friend won't give them back!) but as Beagle says, there is more to the rs-1 than a bit of wood. I can't comment on the 325's though (having not owned or listened to them) and am very surprised they can be better than rs1's with the simple woody mod?
 
Bill, once my friend has agreed to let me have his 80's I will get in touch and go through a few things with you regarding mods. I may buy some bravery pills and completely strip the 80's and pos even change the cable? Though that would obviously only ever be possible with your help. I want something completely different to my rs-1's so will prob go for an alu mod or hybrid. But again I'll go through that once I get them.

I'm not challenging your ears but may I ask what pads you used.  One thing I've discovered is that when you go cocobolo, you outgrow the comfy pads.  Depending on how much you vent the driver, you may have to move to bowls or jumbos.  The differences between cocobolo and mahogany are not linear differences of quality.  Mahogany has an advantage over cocobolo in range, in the sense that it boosts bass and treble where cocobolo does a better job of boosting bass but boosts only the bass.  Whatever mod you make, you have to consider it a tweak requiring a recalibration of other elements in order to get best results.  With aluminum, Grado got an edgier HF (faster, more detailed, more spacious) but needed to scale down the pads (to flats) in order to get the right bass.  With mahogany, Grado got a warmer sound, with better bass, but needed airier pads (with more soft foam on the sides) in order to get more sparkle.  With cocobolo, you're getting a darker, more impactful, bass but that does effect the tonal balance.  I've found that my cocobolos, with comfies, need more transparency and distance from the cushions.  Otherwise, you lose some sparkle.  The same holds true of Brazilian rosewood, Bolivian rosewood, East Indian rosewood, bubinga, zebra wood and African paduak.  In modding, as in algebra, if you change one side of the equation, you have to change the other side as well.  I found an easy fix in doubling the comfies, which then gave the presentation tons of sparkle, even to the edge of sibilance.  A better tweak is to cut a second comfy in half and to lay each half on one of the untouched comfies.  This will give you more space without going too far.  The major difference between the comfies and the bowls is not merely the hole in the middle of the bowls; it's the amount of soft cushioning on the side.
 

so i'm assuming i have to do a full liberation to take out piece of material thats been making the driver rattle and buzz. does anyone know if there is a tutorial for this? 
 
i went ahead and removed the outer plastic housing. i'm hesitant to continue dissecting in fear of ruining it completely, 

Originally Posted by kitesrfun1 /img/forum/go_quote.gif

 

ya i saw this and have completed this part of the liberation, but i have to go further in order for me find out what the problem is that's making the driver rattle and buzz.
 
i don't think dynamat will fix this as there is an actual piece lose in there. i think..

 
You likely have a foreign object inside your drivers.  That object may be a hair, a little bit of dust or even some remnant of the felt you punctured in order to vent the driver.  If you hear it at any volume, you've got an object inside your driver.  If you hear it only when you crank up the sound, it's possible you have loosened the Mylar surround.  If you're worried about it, and don't want to take a chance, you can send it to me and I will look at it for you.  With your permission, I am willing to fix the driver so it doesn't buzz.  This is not a commercial offer, just a service I'm willing to lend to you as a fellow headfier.
 

Those cups are gorgeous.  You must be very pleased.
 

 

[Bilavideo]

Just out of curiosity, has anyone ever had a problem where their driver won't work unless they press really hard on the back of the magnet plate? I liberated my drivers, and I'm having that problem now. It's quite annoying because everything seems to look perfect! Only thing I can think of is that the voice coil is, for some reason, too far away from the magnet now. If I push hard on the magnet plate the voice coil moves closer to the magnet, and I can hear sound once again. I don't know how the coil could have been pushed too far away though, because it looks perfectly lined up. Any ideas for possible fixes? I'm thinking maybe if I put a strong magnet on the back plate the extra magnetic field will be strong enough to pull the voice coil back to the proper position?

 
One of two things is going on.  First, it's possible that you have a short circuit and your finger is actually providing part of the connection.  I hope that is not the case, but thought I would get that possibility out there first.  To test this, insulate the finger (surgical glove, tape on the finger, etc.).  If it continues afterwards, you may have a loose voice coil.
 
Here's how you fix it (believe it or not).  Gently press against the Mylar and push the voice coil back in.  I know it's as gross as touching your own eye but if you do this gently, you won't hurt anything.  If you used tape to pull out little crinkles in the diaphragm, you could have pulled the voice coil out along the way.  It happens.  As elsewhere, be gentle and use an abundance of common sense - but don't be afraid to touch the diaphragm if you need to put the voice coil back into place.  Nothing is holding it to the gap between the magnet and the magnet wall.