[Bilavideo]

THE HUMBLE ROUGH AND TUMBLE OF MY FIRST HOMEMADE WOODIES
 

 
They say that politics and sausage are two things you don't want to see made.  If so, my woodies must run a close third.  To get a full shell, I created pairs of wood rings for each side, then glued them together.  I can now understand why every one of my high-end Grados came with sloppy glue drips aplenty.  
 

 
Like any construction site - or delivery room - the moment of birth is a drippy, disgusting, mess - but one that can be wiped with a rag and pushed further into the world.
 

 
I really like how these driver shells - plastic or not - slide right in like a hand to a glove.  Johnny Cochrane said, "If it don't fit, you must acquit."  But what if it fits like a pair of Bruno Maglis tracking through a rose bed?
 

 
I'll need to pull the drivers back out and sand, stain and lacquer these shells into something worth looking at.  I'd also like to drill them for mono jacks so I can make the cable detachable.
 

 
Right now, my expectations are modest.  I needed to know I could woody these SR60s.  Clearly, it's feasible, even with a drill and a pair of hole saws.  My next investment will be a vertical station, to make the cuts more precise.
 

 
All in all, I'm thrilled that I got results this decent from a few consumer tools and a few hours.  The last ring was the easiest.  By that point, I had made practically every mistake I could imagine anyone making.
 

 
With a little TLC, these could end up passably workable.

 

[jdkJake]

So, what do they sound like?

 

[Bilavideo]

 

Originally Posted by jdkJake /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
So, I have NOT built woodies, so, take what I say with a grain of salt.
 
I have, however, made many curves in wood. Mostly free hand. Think the opposite way. Build yourself a simple jig and use a router to go around the outside of a piece of wood. A poor man's lathe if you will. IMHO, much, much easier to control the end product. With something as primitive as a rotozip, you just put a post on the center of the right diameter and work the guide around the outside of the post. A perfect circle every time.
 
Just like sculpture, remove anything that does not look like a circle!
 

 
Awesome advice!  This is why I come here!  Thank you!
 

So, what do they sound like?

 
Considerably better than they look.  

 With all the modesty I can summon, f!@#ing awesome.  Green Day's Brain Stew doesn't sound like a garbage truck falling off a ten-story building.  It's dynamic and full and detailed.  I'm having an eargasm.  Switching to David Bowie's Blue Jean, it's like vinyl.  The bass is dynamic but the Grado grit is still there.  On Queen's We Will Rock You, the presentation is a little darker than I'd expected but the stomping and clapping is percussive.  That darker presentation may have been an issue of pad and placement.  I had to switch out the comfies (which no longer fit) to some stretched-out bowls (which came with the 225s).  Pulling the bowls a little, a similar dullness to Ride of the Vakyries was cured and is now much sharper, especially the brass.  I like this "pulled out" placement of the bowls.  Listening to My Chemical Romance's Disenchanted, the presentation was crisp.  
 
(Experimenting with the comfies, I placed them right on the mouth of the front grill - rather than trying to stretch them onto the shells.  It turned out to be surprisingly comfortable and with a slightly more "refined" presentation, probably because of the added ear/driver distance.  Evlis's Blue Suede Shoes sounded better with bowls reversed.)  
 
Going back to the comfies, there's something nice here, more euphonic than with the bowls (I'm not a fan of the bowls).  Billy Idol's White Wedding sounds slicker.  The Beatles' All You Need Is Love is thrilling in all its detail.  What a great recording!  Everything sounds natural.

 

[Bilavideo]

 

 
And since I didn't have an LCD-2 to compare it to, I brought the cream soda.

 

[jdkJake]

ah, man!
 
You should have MADE your cream soda....
 

 

[Mochan]

Have you found a way to get the refined sound of the MS Pro into an SR60 or SR80? I haven't quite figured it out yet.  DOes the silver recable do this?  I've heard silver-cabled TF10s and they make the TF10s sound more refined, almost like the UM3X. Can you compare the sound of your SR60 to the MS Pro and is the change in sound similar to that kind of jump in refinement?
Quote:

THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING
 
 
 
Grados mod like no other can.  Just with these few mods, the process has begun - at least with this little pair.  Whatever you can buy in a better Grado, you can build into the Grado you already have.
 

 

[Mochan]

Spoon method works better for me. The steam method might risk melting the glue on the drivers and cause them to fall out of the chambers.
 
Quote:

Oh man! I keep eyeballing my poor innocent 225i. I have ten thumbs, two left hands and the dexterity of an elephant trying to text message. I'd almost certainly destroy something.


The one question I do have is, wouldn't the steam used to open the rear housing damage the driver or wires in any way? I'd really like to woody mine and add a nice headband. Maybe Blu-Tack the back of the driver. A recable is out of the question.


Keep up the good work!

 

[Bilavideo]

If this is true, have you found a way to get the refined sound of the MS Pro into an SR60 or SR80? I haven't quite figured it out yet.

When you pay $79 for an SR60i, you're getting a good deal for the money but you could make it more of a bargain with a few worthwhile modifications.  Quarter-modding, or upgrading, the pads will open up the HF.  Venting the drivers will give you better bass.  Removing unnecessary obstacles - like the back grill and button - will improve the SQ.  Silver wire, purchased online, will give you surprisingly faithful sound (but without a cable that weighs more than you do.  On that same note, a shorter cable 4 or 5 feet instead of ten will reduce the signal path.  To the extent that upgrades are built into more expensive alternatives, buyers should consider whether they want to buy the more expensive headphone or simply upgrade what they have.

 

[EddieE]

[size=x-small]OK so this is what interests me most about Grado modding right now - the removing of the air-chamber walls.[/size]
 
[size=x-small]For Bilavideo, it works a treat, for Nickchen and Noxter it was disasterous and led to a thin sound.[/size]
 
[size=x-small]What are you guys doing differently to get such different results?[/size]
 
[size=x-small]Perhaps if you both outline your process in detail we can work out why it sometimes works and sometimes doesn't?[/size]

 

[Mochan]

It could just be that Bilavideo likes the sound, Nox and Nick don't. Preference plays a bit part in our subjective hobby.

 

[Mochan]

Quote:

When you pay $79 for an SR60i, you're getting a good deal for the money but you could make it more of a bargain with a few worthwhile modifications.  Quarter-modding, or upgrading, the pads will open up the HF.  Venting the drivers will give you better bass.  Removing unnecessary obstacles - like the back grill and button - will improve the SQ.  Silver wire, purchased online, will give you surprisingly faithful sound (but without a cable that weighs more than you do.  On that same note, a shorter cable 4 or 5 feet instead of ten will reduce the signal path.  To the extent that upgrades are built into more expensive alternatives, buyers should consider whether they want to buy the more expensive headphone or simply upgrade what they have.

Thanks for the input, but that didn't answer the question. What upgrades will give the SR60 a refined sound like that of the MS Pro? Will the silverwire do it? I know you mentioned how great the jump in sound was when you recabled with silver, but if you have heard the MS Pro could you compare if the jump in sound was similar to the jump from the MS1 to the MS Pro?

 

[EddieE]

Quote:

It could just be that Bilavideo likes the sound, Nox and Nick don't. Preference plays a bit part in our subjective hobby.

Well maybe, but I think it's worth going over to see if there is a difference in method. Subjectivity has a limit to that, especially when both parties like Grados, suggesting similar tastes.
 
 
 
Quote:

What upgrades will give the SR60 a refined sound like that of the MS Pro?

 
Given the considerable difference in price, I doubt any mod will give an SR60 the quality of an MSPro. But you certainly make an SR60 or MS1 a LOT better than stock using these mods.

 

[MDR30]

Another thing I discovered when modifying my SR60i (I'll post my work in a week or two) was that the silver lettering "THE PRESTIGE SERIES" - "GRADO LABS" on the cups actually is a plastic part by itself, a thin ring which probably can be removed if it's worn/ugly. Mine haven't reached that state yet, but if anyone feels like trying...
 
A metal ring of proper dimensions to replace it would probably enhance the looks of the Grados.

 

[reiserFS]

Subscribed.

 

[nickchen]

Quote:

[size=x-small]OK so this is what interests me most about Grado modding right now - the removing of the air-chamber walls.[/size]
 
[size=x-small]For Bilavideo, it works a treat, for Nickchen and Noxter it was disasterous and led to a thin sound.[/size]
 
[size=x-small]What are you guys doing differently to get such different results?[/size]
 
[size=x-small]Perhaps if you both outline your process in detail we can work out why it sometimes works and sometimes doesn't?[/size]

Indeed strange. I wouldn't say, must be nuts, as RS1, MS Pro & alike all run without sound chambers. Maybe it works with a small Grado, but definetely not with a MS1.