[alphones]

Hi wje,
 
Thanks for the compliment.  The alum is not from the 325i's but sourced locally.  The wood is integrated throughout the inside of the shell.  I have fully liberated the driver so that it sits inside the inner wood housing.
 
Cheers,
Al
 
 

 

[eclein]

So I went from this:

 
to:

These are like wearing my favorite jeans, my favorite sweater, they sound wonderful and laid back.
 

 

[kitesrfun1]

 
Quote:

Hi everyone,
 
Decided to change up the design and came up with this.  Introducing the monkey ear edition...
 

 
Still keeping with the hybrid tradition of wood/alum.
 
Cheers,
Al

Gorgeous al! what wood is that? 

 

[BobSaysHi]

Bill's previous generation.

 
you can ignore the two y2s,

 

[wje]

Quote:

 
Gorgeous al! what wood is that? 

It appears as if it's Oak to me - with a bit of stain.  I may be way off on this one, though.
 

 

[sml1226]

What kind of lacquer, stain, finish, oil, etc are you guys using for these cups? I'm especially interested in whatever people have done and liked in oak as it's involved in a little side project here unrelated to the phones themselves. Mainly because it's the only thing I can get thin enough and it won't affect anything but cosmetics.

I believe I have access to both red and white oak around here so if you have used either, and wouldn't mind telling me what you used (red/white oak and stain/varnish/lacquer used) and showing me a pic of it, I'd really appreciate it.

 

[JasonD]

 
Quote:

So I went from this:

 
to:

These are like wearing my favorite jeans, my favorite sweater, they sound wonderful and laid back.
 

I love that final product.  Super classy look, especially with how well the leather matches the wood's tone pretty well. Big thumbs up =]

 

[alphones]

Kites & Wje,

The wood is actually cocobolo. Use a 30 spray sheen lacquer to bring out the depth and usually apply 8 coats with a light pull sand and wipe in-between each layer.

@kites: really sweet job man! Love that new aluminum screen you're using.

@eclein: love how your project has come together. Have you incorporated that negative terminal audio quest mod? I think I'm going to try it on my next set of phones.

 

[KneelJung]

Quote:

These are like wearing my favorite jeans, my favorite sweater, they sound wonderful and laid back.
 

Very nice Eclein, what kind of wood is that?
 
And that head band looks awesome.
 
 

 

[Bilavideo]

 

Hi everyone,
 
Decided to change up the design and came up with this.  Introducing the monkey ear edition...
 

 
Still keeping with the hybrid tradition of wood/alum.
 
Cheers,
Al

This is exactly what I had hoped for: free men unleashing their creativity - in public.
 

 

[eclein]

Thanks you guys that means more then you know!!!!!! right now......
 
Bill tells me the wood is LIMBA wood...its a tonewood used in instruments and sounds like it, these sound like your hearing music being played from like a super old vintage Martin guitar or equivalent type classical instrument.
 
The head bands are straight from Big Bill and his guy...I just ordered the same color Big Bill showed in the picture he posted that day.
 
The EVS ground enhancers have come off, in the end they made the last ones they were in which were the cocobolo shells a bit bright and not as natural sounding.
So these were the SR125's that were given to me so my total investment in materials was $80......If I was a rich guy and paid a couple grand for a pair of headphones and these were it, I'd be really happy.
The shells really, really make a huge difference, I've played with the shells I have here and just swapped in and out different shells for the past couple days and listened to each set and its quite amazing how much effect the shell
and the little bit of area they take up have on the sound...
 I have my SR60's yet to mod, actually they are modded and just need some tuning and I think I'll sell them to someone who is completely freaked about taking their Grado's apart so they to can hear the difference these simple mods can make.
 

 

[kitesrfun1]

Quote:

Kites & Wje,

The wood is actually cocobolo. Use a 30 spray sheen lacquer to bring out the depth and usually apply 8 coats with a light pull sand and wipe in-between each layer.

@kites: really sweet job man! Love that new aluminum screen you're using.

@eclein: love how your project has come together. Have you incorporated that negative terminal audio quest mod? I think I'm going to try it on my next set of phones.
 

very nice craftsmanship! i will definitely try this method, but my cocobolo cups don't have nice pinstripe looking grain like yours. thanks for the tip 
 

 

[KneelJung]

Quote:

Thanks you guys that means more then you know!!!!!! right now......
 
Bill tells me the wood is LIMBA wood...its a tonewood used in instruments and sounds like it, these sound like your hearing music being played from like a super old vintage Martin guitar or equivalent type classical instrument.
 

Interesting, apparently Gibson used it on their flying V back in the day.
 
LINK
 
Limba (a.k.a. Korina)
Back in the fifties, Gibson® introduced a couple of space age looking guitars: the Flying V, and the Explorer.  Both were made from white limba, which for some reason Gibson referred to instead as Korina (maybe limba didn’t sound sexy enough).  Guitarists might drool at the mention of guitars made from Korina, but if you go to a lumberyard and ask for Korina, most managers will respond with a blank stare, followed by a comment like “Never heard of it….” Limba comes from Africa, and is somewhat difficult to come by here in the states (again, Limba is not the same thing as African mahogany).  It produces a beautiful, warm rich tone, similar to mahogany, but with maybe just a touch more resonance.  It’s my personal favorite for guitar bodies and necks.  The tone is great and it’s  lightweight. Limba is usually classified as either black limba or white limba, depending on the coloration of the grain.  Black limba looks much more interesting, is slightly more lightweight, and is easier to find for sale; while white limba is the traditional choice.  The distinction between the two is not a matter of different species, like the difference between Philippine and Honduran mahogany.  It’s simply the difference in grain pattern caused by mineral deposits. Black Limba is generally from older trees.  I’ve heard opposing opinions as to which sounds better, but in a blind tone test, I doubt anyone could recognize any difference. 
 
Interesting perhaps Bill was going for something with similar tonal qualities to Mahogany ala the RS1 but had a little something something extra.

 

[Majestic]

Little hard to see since I used the PC camera but I've started the process of cutting the cups similar to what Bill already did. The plank is not thick enough so I need to glue an additional 1/4 piece on before I cut the next ones. This was a test fit and they came out alright. Just need some tweaking. These are single pieces.
 
 
 

 

[Bilavideo]

 

Little hard to see since I used the PC camera but I've started the process of cutting the cups similar to what Bill already did. The plank is not thick enough so I need to glue an additional 1/4 piece on before I cut the next ones. This was a test fit and they came out alright. Just need some tweaking. These are single pieces.
 
 
 

 

Nice job, man!  The plot thickens!