[wje]

Quote:

For $60 your getting the last 2% of the magic fomula that is SYNERGY. And when it clicks in and works its very cool isn't it. Think back to the first time you tried it three days ago-did you say out loud "this sounds great" or something similar??? I think I actually said "_uck yeah!!!".....LOL.
 

I think it's a bit more than 2%. 

  I'll equate the leap being equivalent to some of the mods that we've all performed on the Grados.  I think the only mod that gives back 2% is some Dynamat on the back of the magnet.  The other mods usually have a much bigger gain on performance.  

  However, I will agree with you on that word - SYNERGY.  It's ironic that I'm not getting the Synergy with my Sennheiser HD-555s, but the Grados, I am.  I thought my Sennheisers might also fare a bit better - but, they didn't.  For me, that's not a biggie because they are my "going to sleep" headphones and I'm not going to use an amp in that environment - especially since I can fall asleep most times before the first song is over.

 

[KneelJung]

Greetings and salutations Ed and welcome back...IEM's heh

 
Just curious wje is that your first amp?
 
Listening to Hope Radio by Ronnie Earl with the 225's...Mmmmmm.
 
Here's a taste for anyone interested...Kay My Dear

 

[eclein]

The percentage is not important its the fit of all the parts, I have had it with stuff a bunch of times and its neat and you can pretty much tell right away that something is radically CORRECT!!!....LOL..
Kneel....hey dude, yup IEM's are my best friend right now mostly because I have to try and walk as far as I can go everyday weather permitting to try and keep my self from getting into a wheelchair at 53...I can still do my original 6 -8 blocks but thats it for the day and usually I'm in alot of pain the next but I keep going- f__k that wheelchair, I am doing absolutely everything I can think off to not sit the rest of my life. IEM's make me motivated to walk, new sound gotta walk, new amp gotta walk, its gonna cost me alot---LOL--but I won't be in a chair and I'll have a boatload of info on a lot of different models!!!!
 
I go in Phases though, Winter comes I'll be modding my little ass off with you guys, thats why I'm not really doing it now, by winter time Bila will have some new ingenious stuff (I got the inside scoop on some of it, but don't tell him I said anything--don't read this Bila...LOL)
 
So do we have any new wild ass Grado mods lately???? I see the one manufacturer gentleman has some wild stuff, exotic shells and shapes!!!!

 

[JamesMcProgger]

I am ready 

 

 
Too bad I couldnt find any dynamat, the blu tack looks weird, but this cups can be open easy, looks like

 

[wje]

Quote:

Just curious wje is that your first amp?
 

It's my first headphone amp.  I've owned many amps in my system that I've utilized.   I think that what is being experienced is more than just a synergy.  While the Grados @ 32 Ohms are considered easy to drive, the current provided by a headphone amp delivers the necessary "juice" that they truly crave to unlock their true potential.

 

[wje]

Quote:

 
Too bad I couldnt find any dynamat, the blu tack looks weird, but this cups can be open easy, looks like

Nice stuff!  Don't let the Dynamat hold you back.  I'm sure the cups will be easy enough to get back open when you locate some.  In modifying the Grados, the Dynamat isn't the biggest area where the sound gets improved.  Plus, I'm kind of baffled that you found "blu tack" looks weird with all of your other color perversions.      

      

 

[JamesMcProgger]

Should have used red silly putty! and yes the cups can be opened easily, but to fit the driver in the first time i have to ditchthe cable, and that sure holds me back

 

[wje]

Quote:

Should have used red silly putty! and yes the cups can be opened easily, but to fit the driver in the first time i have to ditchthe cable, and that sure holds me back

I hear ya.  Too bad you're so far away - I'd be glad to get you some Dynamat to keep rolling on the assembly over the weekend.  Like you, I have my doubts about blue tack.  Sure, it adds mass to the magnet, which is part of the goal - but, I'm not sure if it would have the same longevity of Dynamat.  I'm sure the Dynamat that I have in my headphones will outlive me at this point.

 

[JamesMcProgger]

plus blu tak seems to get soft as it gets warm, not good is we are at 40C on summer.
Im gonna give it a try tomorrow and look in car audio shops, maybe they sell me a piece of the one they use.
 
on a side note, the cups are heavy, 0.7 pounds each (over 300 grams) guess i need to custom the headband and add it some extra pad

 

[wje]

James, that's what I did - hit the local audio shops.  The one I went to usually has a Dynamat license plate anti-vibration "kit", but they were out of stock.  Instead, they went into their back installation area and cut me some pieces from the bulk rolls and sold them to me instead.  I was happy with what I got.  Actually, mine isn't the Dynamat brand - but, it's the Stinger branded material.  Essentially the same stuff, though.

 

[Bilavideo]

I've been shelling this weekend, shelling like it's 1999.  JamesMcProgger suggested I post some of the docu-photos, as a mini-tutorial on making a GS1000 "and love out of nothing at all."  (I wonder if Bonnie Tyler is a Grado fan.)
 
In weather news, somebody just had a total eclipse of the heart.  (More Bonnie Tyler jokes are available in the book, Bimbo Anthems of the 80s.)
 

I was feeling board so I thought I wood lumber through this piece.
 

The Aztecs would have had more time for dominoes if they had had a tool like this to steal a few hearts.
 

I've come to realize that the best way to know if you're sawing into cocobolo isn't the looks of the wood - which has variations and other contenders with similarities in appearance.  It's the shred left behind and the distinctive smell.  Cocobolo is fierce and feisty fighter, leaving heavy, oily, shavings.  I've had overheated embers catch on fire, though they burned slowly and quietly.
 

It all starts with a wooden hockey puck.  I used to cut the inner hole earlier on in the process, but decided to delay that part of it until I'd put the puck on the lathe.  If you want a decent pucking mushroom top, you need a claw - one of those 3-or-4 piece, self-adjusting jaws - to keep your piece centered.  You can get a cheapo version of it but a decent one will cost more like $70 to $100.  If you're not made of money, you can minimize your pucking problem by cutting the hole last.
 

A good place to start, when lathing is to take a flat chisel (or whatever it's called in woodworkerese) and smooth the surface.
 

I like to start by beveling the top corner.
 

One challenge is to know the proper dimensions.  There's a logic to the beveling.  Certain proportions apply.  A good way to reference, without pulling out a slide rule, is to cut some of the center hole.
 

Laying down the center hole is a bit like laying down the rhythm track in the studio.  Everything else builds on it.
 

Once the front beveling is set up, it's time to start whittling away at the bottom of the shell.  If nothing else, doing so delineates the front and back halves as well as deciding how thick the mushroom top will be.
 

While the lathe is capable of removing the unneeded layers of wood, I've found that using the different sizes of hole saws makes certain rough chores a bit easier.
 

One way to handle this is to cut a 2" groove into the wood in an effort to get that slip-on grip.
 

I've found that a hollowed-out inner (the plastic ring minus the driver cage) is helpful for gauging depth and making sure the inner sinks deep enough into the groove to reach to the little plastic indentations that prevent the plastic from being inserted past a certain point.
 

At this point, we're not done yet but we're clearly getting somewhere (while getting sunburned).
 

Lathing down the bottom half establishes a top and bottom to this slip-on.
 

The shape is coming into its own, though at some point we'll want to remove the center plug.
 

Looking at it from this angle, you start to see the layers and the proportions at work.
 

Once you have the exterior lathed out to your satisfaction, then and only then should you remove the center plug (unless you have an industrial claw that can center your work without any wobble).
 

There's still work to be done on this piece, sanding and lacquering it to bring out its best, but we've come a long way from Puckville, Population: It.
 

This was the same piece after a little sanding and a coat of lacquer.

 

[etteoh]

That shell looks friggin' awesome Bill!

 

[chrislangley4253]

Quote:

The percentage is not important its the fit of all the parts, I have had it with stuff a bunch of times and its neat and you can pretty much tell right away that something is radically CORRECT!!!....LOL..
Kneel....hey dude, yup IEM's are my best friend right now mostly because I have to try and walk as far as I can go everyday weather permitting to try and keep my self from getting into a wheelchair at 53...I can still do my original 6 -8 blocks but thats it for the day and usually I'm in alot of pain the next but I keep going- f__k that wheelchair, I am doing absolutely everything I can think off to not sit the rest of my life. IEM's make me motivated to walk, new sound gotta walk, new amp gotta walk, its gonna cost me alot---LOL--but I won't be in a chair and I'll have a boatload of info on a lot of different models!!!!
 
I go in Phases though, Winter comes I'll be modding my little ass off with you guys, thats why I'm not really doing it now, by winter time Bila will have some new ingenious stuff (I got the inside scoop on some of it, but don't tell him I said anything--don't read this Bila...LOL)
 
So do we have any new wild ass Grado mods lately???? I see the one manufacturer gentleman has some wild stuff, exotic shells and shapes!!!!

I'm getting ready to get some silver cables and some rosewood cups.. Nothing wild to the thread but my friends and family sure as hell think I'm crazy!
 
 


Quote:

plus blu tak seems to get soft as it gets warm, not good is we are at 40C on summer.
Im gonna give it a try tomorrow and look in car audio shops, maybe they sell me a piece of the one they use.
 
on a side note, the cups are heavy, 0.7 pounds each (over 300 grams) guess i need to custom the headband and add it some extra pad

over here the car audio shops give the leftover dynamat to the customer. However, there is a good chance that one of the fellas working there has some laying around from their own personal installs.
 
 


Quote:

I've been shelling this weekend, shelling like it's 1999.  JamesMcProgger suggested I post some of the docu-photos, as a mini-tutorial on making a GS1000 "and love out of nothing at all."  (I wonder if Bonnie Tyler is a Grado fan.)
 
In weather news, somebody just had a total eclipse of the heart.  (More Bonnie Tyler jokes are available in the book, Bimbo Anthems of the 80s.)
 

I was feeling board so I thought I wood lumber through this piece.
 

The Aztecs would have had more time for dominoes if they had had a tool like this to steal a few hearts.
 

I've come to realize that the best way to know if you're sawing into cocobolo isn't the looks of the wood - which has variations and other contenders with similarities in appearance.  It's the shred left behind and the distinctive smell.  Cocobolo is fierce and feisty fighter, leaving heavy, oily, shavings.  I've had overheated embers catch on fire, though they burned slowly and quietly.
 

It all starts with a wooden hockey puck.  I used to cut the inner hole earlier on in the process, but decided to delay that part of it until I'd put the puck on the lathe.  If you want a decent pucking mushroom top, you need a claw - one of those 3-or-4 piece, self-adjusting jaws - to keep your piece centered.  You can get a cheapo version of it but a decent one will cost more like $70 to $100.  If you're not made of money, you can minimize your pucking problem by cutting the hole last.
 

A good place to start, when lathing is to take a flat chisel (or whatever it's called in woodworkerese) and smooth the surface.
 

I like to start by beveling the top corner.
 

One challenge is to know the proper dimensions.  There's a logic to the beveling.  Certain proportions apply.  A good way to reference, without pulling out a slide rule, is to cut some of the center hole.
 

Laying down the center hole is a bit like laying down the rhythm track in the studio.  Everything else builds on it.
 

Once the front beveling is set up, it's time to start whittling away at the bottom of the shell.  If nothing else, doing so delineates the front and back halves as well as deciding how thick the mushroom top will be.
 

While the lathe is capable of removing the unneeded layers of wood, I've found that using the different sizes of hole saws makes certain rough chores a bit easier.
 

One way to handle this is to cut a 2" groove into the wood in an effort to get that slip-on grip.
 

I've found that a hollowed-out inner (the plastic ring minus the driver cage) is helpful for gauging depth and making sure the inner sinks deep enough into the groove to reach to the little plastic indentations that prevent the plastic from being inserted past a certain point.
 

At this point, we're not done yet but we're clearly getting somewhere (while getting sunburned).
 

Lathing down the bottom half establishes a top and bottom to this slip-on.
 

The shape is coming into its own, though at some point we'll want to remove the center plug.
 

Looking at it from this angle, you start to see the layers and the proportions at work.
 

Once you have the exterior lathed out to your satisfaction, then and only then should you remove the center plug (unless you have an industrial claw that can center your work without any wobble).
 

There's still work to be done on this piece, sanding and lacquering it to bring out its best, but we've come a long way from Puckville, Population: It.
 

This was the same piece after a little sanding and a coat of lacquer.
 
 
Thanks for sharing. Looks good!

 

[Bilavideo]

 

plus blu tak seems to get soft as it gets warm, not good is we are at 40C on summer.
Im gonna give it a try tomorrow and look in car audio shops, maybe they sell me a piece of the one they use.
 
on a side note, the cups are heavy, 0.7 pounds each (over 300 grams) guess i need to custom the headband and add it some extra pad

James, I'll be happy to send you some Dynamat.  I've got enough to spare.  That offer is good for anyone who needs enough of it to damp a couple of magnet plates.  It won't break the bank to send you a hunk of it in a small envelope.
 

 

[Hennyo]

Quote:

I'm getting ready to get some silver cables and some rosewood cups.. Nothing wild to the thread but my friends and family sure as hell think I'm crazy!

 
Yea, they think I'm crazy too. We'll see who has the last laugh when my Silvered BilaGrados arrive! MUA-hahaha
 
Quote:

This was the same piece after a little sanding and a coat of lacquer.

Woo-woo! Looks great Bill... It gives me wood.