[Saintkeat]

is Bila Bill active here lately? I just got back and discovered his cups never came.

 

[BossBorot]

No cups no Bila

 

[JamesMcProgger]

Quote:

is Bila Bill active here lately? I just got back and discovered his cups never came.

same here.
 
now that you are here, hello, could you please direc me to that cable you got some weeks ago? i believe it was a link from ebay, silver cable and kind of cheap. please?
 

 

[Armaegis]

Quote:

Sure ... if they're significantly modded.
 

While we're on that, I'd like to see how Alessandro measurements compare to regular Grados.

 

[BossBorot]

same here. I wish someone would test grado drivers under the same cabling and enclosure conditions but that seems a bit outlandish to wish for.

 

[Bigrock2150]

Quote:

They're two different beasts.  The original SR-225 Grados with the wooden cups that I have were cut by Bill and all 12 holes were poked out and new felt was installed along with Dynamat.  The new SR-225i "burls" have Dynamat installed, I'm not sure if any holes have been poked, the cups are larger in "area" and you have the "i" signature sound that changed slightly by Grado.  Plus, the SR-225i "burls" appear as if a new set were just taken and modded.  I'm not even sure of the break-in on these, yet.
 
The first set of SR-225 Grados that I have had for the past few months are very comfortable to use.  A while back in this thread, Ed and I were talking about the modified Grados and how they just fit and sound like a comfortable pair of jeans.  The SR-225i will take a bit of playing and adjusting so that I have the correct comfort level for myself.  The gimbals in the picture look like a light maple color, but in person the color is closer to the burl, yet still lighter.  The burl wood itself is beyond any words that can describe it.  It's just unique and beautiful.
 
I remember watching an episode on A&E's "Intervention" a few years back.  There was a guy who was a meth addict and all he'd do all day long is go out looking for burl.  It was like gold to him.  Hauling in several pieces after finding it meant a great pay-off for him.  I guess ever since that time, I've been more fond of burl - and, can appreciate the beauty of it.  I'm not sure what became of the guy and his addiction, though.
 
I won't have really any headphone time this evening.  We have 2 birthday parties to tend to.  I have some Mike's Hard Lemonade to answer to - fortunately, we'll be walking.  

 

Yes, the headphones that you received had less than 2 hours on them. I bought the original 225i and modded them right away to take to a meet, ever since they've just been boxed away.
 
Interesting that you caught that, you must know your grados!

 

[stratocaster]

Hey guys, I was just thinking if anybody around here knows of any alternative to the Grado headband-gimbal construction, not just the plastic claws but the complete construction with the headband. I was thinking of using a construction coming from other headphones that you could use to install the Grado shells on. I own several wood and aluminum shells I like to swap around with. As a matter of fact the Grado plastic gimbals break very easily and I am sure I don't have to mention the lack of comfort of the stock Grado headbands.

 

[Nightslayer]

Quote:

Hey guys, I was just thinking if anybody around here knows of any alternative to the Grado headband-gimbal construction, not just the plastic claws but the complete construction with the headband. I was thinking of using a construction coming from other headphones that you could use to install the Grado shells on. I own several wood and aluminum shells I like to swap around with. As a matter of fact the Grado plastic gimbals break very easily and I am sure I don't have to mention the lack of comfort of the stock Grado headbands.

The very essence of the Grados lie in their simplicity, in fact this is probably why they're so well modded. But if you can find a construction method which allows the shells to be easily swappable (e.g. easy removal of the driver assembly) then I'm sure people would be interested.

 

[wje]

Quote:

Yes, the headphones that you received had less than 2 hours on them. I bought the original 225i and modded them right away to take to a meet, ever since they've just been boxed away.
 
Interesting that you caught that, you must know your grados!

Yeah, I've owned a few Grados in my time.  However, I think that my family, friends and co-workers are staging an intervention on me to break me of the headphone and headphone modification addiction.  

 

 

[wje]

Quote:

... and I am sure I don't have to mention the lack of comfort of the stock Grado headbands.

That's all part of the game.  75% of getting the Grados to fit comfortably, means some slight bending and moving of the metal within the headband itself.  Once you've achieved a series of small, but precise bends, the Grados will fit relatively well for most people.  Then, you have the remaining 25% - which is mostly aesthetics.  On the lower-level SR series, you have vinyl headbands that are OK - but, we'll leave it at that.  They tend not to be too soft or too comfortable to the touch.  This is where people come in with padded leather replacement headbands to provide that last bit of appearance "bling" and comfort while wearing the Grados.
 

 

[wje]

 
 
Here are some indoor pictures taken with the flash on with my Canon G2.  The weather outside is cloudy, so it's a bit hard for a more natural picture.  The reflection from inside the cups is that of the silver-backed Dynamat.  For the purpose of making adjustments to get these to fit for me, I've temporarily moved to the Grado comfy pads with the quarter mod performed on them and removed the stock bowl pads.  The flash has brightened the color of the burl a bit, but you can still see the beauty of them - even when placed on the contrasting wooden surface of my desk.
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
The picture shows quite a bit.  The burls, my SR-325i "goldies", spare bowl pads, my FiiO E11, LODs, connector cables and lots of headphone "junk".  However, I wanted the focus to be the burl Grados and the gimbals themselves.  I could have used the crop utility with my photo software, but I wanted to share a bit of my "environment" with all of you.  In this picture, you can see the gimbals which are a bit contrasting because of the maple material utilized along with the Australian burl.  Also, you can see the thickness of the gimbals themselves.  The gimbals are currently connected to the burl cups by pop-rivets that have probably been modified a bit by shortening the pin length a bit so they only go into the cups as far as necessary to get bonded into place.   
 
I'll actually refer to this picture as the "undoing of a doing".  Keeping in mind, the wooden gimbals were clearly a concept idea of techheromods and not the norm.  The norm being the use of the current Grado plastic gimbals and rods that adhere to the headphone cups with pressure.  The wooden gimbals provide many challenges.  Since they are thicker than the Grado plastic version, there is more limitation on movement that can be achieved.  Going for that closer to 100% totally "custom"  appearance does have a price.  As far as the "undoing of a doing" goes, I'm looking into taking the thickness of the wooden gimbals down some more to allow a bit more movement of them like the Grado gimbals.  Also, I'll look into some options for using a different method to pin the gimbals to the cups instead of the pop-rivets.  I'll have to work slow and mindful, because I do not want to hurt the burl cups with some of my approaches.  If I've worked with the maple gimbals and still haven't achieved what I've set out to do, I will then opt for a standard pair of Grado plastic gimbals and set them into place for use.  If the modifications to the maple gimbals seems like it's heading in a successful direction, I may just end up painting them a satin black.  The maple vs. burl contrast concept is pretty neat - yet, unique.  However, the satin black would offer some similar contrast opportunities - yet, allow me to cover up some of my reworking of the maple that could leave a few scars.  That's about all for now.
 
 

 

[KneelJung]

Quote:

Hey guys, I was just thinking if anybody around here knows of any alternative to the Grado headband-gimbal construction, not just the plastic claws but the complete construction with the headband. I was thinking of using a construction coming from other headphones that you could use to install the Grado shells on. I own several wood and aluminum shells I like to swap around with. As a matter of fact the Grado plastic gimbals break very easily and I am sure I don't have to mention the lack of comfort of the stock Grado headbands.

I've had the same thought strat. I always thought the Beyer configuration would work well but didnt know how to source just a head band. The concept of how the cups attach is pretty simple so fabricating something theoretically shouldnt be that hard. Thanks for putting this out there Hopefully it will generate some ideas.
 
@wje
 
Thanks for the impressions.  The thing that really jumps out at me is how much different the sound changed going from wood to plasric. Everything is smoother, more balanced, more natural sounding, and with the illusion of a little more soundstage. The 60's before they died on me sounded similar to the 225's but weren't as warm as the 225's. I think I'm going to pick up some igrado's and see what the wood does for them.
 
Listening to a little Blues at Sunrise by SRV this morning.
 
...I heard a woman scream, yeah, and I peeked through the door
Some cat was workin' on Annie with a, Lord with a two-by-four
Hey hey hey hey, alley's the roughest place I've ever been
All the people down there, livin' for their whisky, wine, and gin
I heard a pistol shoot, yeah, and it was a .44
Somebody killed a crap shooter cause he didn't, shake, rattle, and roll
Hey hey hey hey, alley's the roughest place I've ever been
All the people down there, killin' for their whisky, wine, and gin
 
 

 

[wje]

I've posted a request in the WTB section, but might as well post it here, too.  If anyone has a spare pair of Gimbal / Rods for the Grado SR series, I'd be interested in buying them.  I think I'm going to try the stock Grado gimbal method for my burls.
 
Thank you to those who can assist.
 
This picture shows the gimbal, rod, block and a thumb screw.  I don't need the blocks or the thumb screw - just the circular gimbals with the chrome rods attached to them:
 

 

[wje]

Quote:

@wje
 
Thanks for the impressions.  The thing that really jumps out at me is how much different the sound changed going from wood to plasric. Everything is smoother, more balanced, more natural sounding, and with the illusion of a little more soundstage. The 60's before they died on me sounded similar to the 225's but weren't as warm as the 225's. I think I'm going to pick up some igrado's and see what the wood does for them.
 
Listening to a little Blues at Sunrise by SRV this morning.
 
 

 
Yes, the Grado SR-225i changes quite a bit in going from plastic to wood.  I still have a slight memory of my SR-225i "stock" grados from a few months back and clearly, wood is the way to go in terms of sound.  I've now had some time between the SR-225 woodies and the SR-225i burls.  The woodies had all 12 holes poked out, but were recovered in felt.  The same was for the SR-225i - all 12 hole were opened, but all covered in felt.  The newer "i" signature meant for some tamed highs.  I cut back on some of the felt from the SR-225i burls so that 4 holes were now open.  This also mean that the highs were able to "breathe" a bit more, too.  I have Wynton Marsalis playing on them now with the FioO and the Walkman.  Using the comfy pads with the quarter mods is still allowing a good sound representation.  However, my goal with the gimbal mod is to get back to the bowl pads.
 
I think with my 4 Grados - not counting the SR-60s, but counting the next set when my cups arrive from Spain and I pair them with the SR-80i (or, maybe the SR-225i), I think I'll be set.  Then, that brings upon a sadness in me.  Because, I know I'll want to go further.  In this game, truly "finishing" should never be the ultimate resolution.  Sure, I'll take time to relax and enjoy the music, but my mind will be jamming with ideas.  

  

 

[chrislangley4253]

http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/508580/heavy-grado-modding-project
Quote:

Hey guys, I was just thinking if anybody around here knows of any alternative to the Grado headband-gimbal construction, not just the plastic claws but the complete construction with the headband. I was thinking of using a construction coming from other headphones that you could use to install the Grado shells on. I own several wood and aluminum shells I like to swap around with. As a matter of fact the Grado plastic gimbals break very easily and I am sure I don't have to mention the lack of comfort of the stock Grado headbands.

Quote:

I've posted a request in the WTB section, but might as well post it here, too.  If anyone has a spare pair of Gimbal / Rods for the Grado SR series, I'd be interested in buying them.  I think I'm going to try the stock Grado gimbal method for my burls.
 
Thank you to those who can assist.
 
This picture shows the gimbal, rod, block and a thumb screw.  I don't need the blocks or the thumb screw - just the circular gimbals with the chrome rods attached to them: