[Cruelhand Luke]

That's actually a really good point about the added weight to the driver. I've known people that swore by adding bluetac (or modeling clay, silly putty, etc) to the stock driver's magnet made improvements (I assume due to the added mass, dampening, reduction in vibrations, etc).

I had thought about the mass acting as a damper as well. I am one of those people who swears by some putty around the driver on certain headphones (NVX SPT100 saw improvements...I'm told Boss Hifi B8 did not) but not all of them sit in the housing in such a way that there is anything to put the putty around...but the weight of the magnet might also reduce unwanted vibration.
Reducing unwanted vibration seems to be an overlooked area on lower tier headphones and this could be a (small) step towards reigning in that kind of thing.

 

[richard51]

If you look at some thread where people give a photo of their stack of gear, you will discover visually the point I want to make now : almost nobody is conscious the way vibrations plague all system,even pro-reviewer, It is of the utmost importance to isolate, and damp all piece of gear, power strip,power conditioner,dac,amp,speakers,headphone....The second most important modification is cleaning the electrical grid where all the audio system is embedded, this fact is more,way more unappreciated than the other... These 2 ,cleaning and damping all elements and the grid is the key to top audio experience, without throwing tons of money....My experience and 2 cents....

 

[kkl10]

That's actually a really good point about the added weight to the driver. I've known people that swore by adding bluetac (or modeling clay, silly putty, etc) to the stock driver's magnet made improvements (I assume due to the added mass, dampening, reduction in vibrations, etc).

Yes, same principle.

I did have blutak on the back of my drivers at the height of my modding efforts, however, it was mostly also just for gluing some tissue/felt disks behind driver (to cover the vent holes) to create a custom acoustic damping (it was earpad specific).

Don't think I heard much difference by virtue of the blu-tak weight alone. Might depend on the driver.... But to kill vibrations the material on the back of the driver should be relatively dense (heavy) and rigid, so magnets are much better in that regard.

 

[kkl10]

And that also gives me an idea - I've updated the 1st post in this thread with a 'running database' of magnets that work with various headphones. I'd love the database to grow beyond just my own headphones, so follow the guidelines in the 1st post to have your magnet data added to the database.

Great idea.

For those headphone drivers that lack a vent hole at the center, I would advise to not overlook cone magnets like below. Matching the smallest base of the magnet with the back surface of the driver would yield even more magnetic boost without increasing the height. Specific dimensions would be headphone specific, I guess. I'll try to get a pair of these soon (25mm x 13mm x 10 mm height) + maybe a few 25mm disks for my GMPs but I'm not sure they would fit inside the stock cups.

 

[Cruelhand Luke]

I can assure you that sorbothane works marvel....I damp my headphones and speakers with it.... Not only did he absorb vibrations but transform a part of them in heat... I use blutak only to glue something not for damping...

Great, now I have to buy super powerful magnets AND sorbothane! Thanks guys for opening up TWO new rabbit holes in one sitting.
I don't know how much stray resonances the 'cups' on my Phillips 9500s are producing, but I think some sorbothane thoughtfully placed and 2 or 3 magnets on the back of the driver could possibly take them to the next level. I already have some pads I really like, I am skeptical of the price/performance ratio of 'upgradge' cables...but I have been thinking about doing something to treat the cups themselves.
I want HD650/Fidelio/DT880 type sound for the LEAST amount of money, which is why I got the 9500s in the first place. I have come to the conclusion that certain headphones have the potential to sound just as good as much more expensive headphones you just have to pay attention to the details that the manufacturer skipped, round off some of the corners they cut. I have a set of Fidelio L2s to compare the differences between well thought out, 'luxury' level headphones ....and they already use sorbothane or something very similar within the design of the headphone. I have been semi obsessed with the stuff for about a year now! I kept thinking, THAT is the difference between my Fidelios and all my other budget/classic/vintage headphones...that attention to damping built into the housing.
So...I'm glad to find a couple of mods (cheap and reversible ones!) that could help bring my 9500s closer to the level of my Fidelios....and maybe save me from buying another set of headphones for a while longer. I don't need another set of headphones, I just want to hear my music and movies as good as I can as cheaply as possible. The better I make the headphones I already have, the tighter the margin of diminishing returns becomes and the likelihood of me spending more money diminishes. It's economics!

 

[richard51]

buy sorbothane duro 70... self adhesive... the thickness of your choice relatively to the free space where you will put it.... the larger thickness is the better,but too much thick is not always possible in a small housing space.... remember to isolate the cups from one another, it is improvement also to put sorbothane between the 2 cups not only inside each cups....

 

[Cruelhand Luke]

buy sorbothane duro 70... self adhesive... the thickness of your choice relatively to the free space where you will put it.... the larger thickness is the better,but too much thick is not always possible in a small housing space.... remember to isolate the cups from one another, it is improvement also to put sorbothane between the 2 cups not only inside each cups....

thanks. I have been reading the 'stax-sorbothane' thread for hours now.
I would encourage you to contribute to this thread:
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/the...l-your-full-sized-headphone-mods-here.867426/

 

[kkl10]

If your magnet can stick to the driver by two opposite sides (north and south pole), you might notice that one side exerts a stronger attraction than the other (the weakest might have an initial repelling effect that turns into attraction as it is brought closer to the metal). In my case, both sides stick and create very different sonic results. Joining the magnet to the driver by the strongest side benefits the sound as described before, but the weakest actually deteriorates sound quality. It makes my headphones sound underpowered and I think there's a big hit on frequency extension on both ends of the spectrum.

When magnets are forced together by the same pole they lose magnetism. Not what we want here. So always make sure to stack magnets on the drivers with the correct pole orientation (side that pulls the strongest).

Before getting a cone (or some other assymetrical shape) magnet, you may want to figure out which pole of the driver's permanent magnet is facing the back metal plate.

 

[Slater]

If your magnet can stick to the driver by two opposite sides (north and south pole), you might notice that one side exerts a stronger attraction than the other (the weakest might have an initial repelling effect that turns into attraction as it is brought closer to the metal). In my case, both sides stick and create very different sonic results. Joining the magnet to the driver by the strongest side benefits the sound as described before, but the weakest actually seems to deteriorate sound quality. It makes my headphones sound underpowered and I think there's a big hit on frequency extension on both ends of the spectrum.

When magnets are forced together by the same pole they lose magnetism. Not what we want here. So always make sure to stack magnets on the drivers with the correct pole orientation (side that pulls the strongest).

Before getting a cone (or some other assymetrical shape) magnet, you may want to figure out which pole of the driver's permanent magnet is facing the back metal plate.

Yeah, good point on that issue. Thanks for pointing this out. I'm sorry I didn't clarify that in my original mod.

It's very easy to distinguish when using the magnets with holes. The hole on 1 side of the magnet is chamfered (ie open wider like a funnel). This side goes UP when you attach the magnet to the driver. You must be more careful to get the correct pole orientation when using solid magnets (ie magnets without holes).

The correct way (when using a magnet with a chamfered hole) is just like this photo:



I have yet to find any headphone where it needed to be oriented the other way. Because of this, I believe all headphone drivers have their stock magnetic poles oriented the same way.

But exactly as you mentioned, when you stack the magnet the wrong way, it will briefly repel the extra magnet as you are coming closer to the driver magnet. This tells you that you're putting it on backwards.

 

[Slater]

I'll also add one final PSA to be aware of when searching for magnets.

Make sure you get axially-magnetized magnets. This means that one of the flat sides is N and the other flat side is S. Think of it like a coin, where the heads side is N and the tails side is S. The vast majority of round disc magnets are axially-magnetized.

But I mention this because there DOES exist diametrically-magnetized magnets (although they are rarer). These are like a pizza with half and half toppings - the half with mushrooms is N and the half with sausage is S. You do not want this type of magnet.

Here's a photo illustrating the difference (you want the one on the left):



Finally, here's a link with more information if you're interested in the differences, how to tell them apart if you are unsure of which type you have, etc: https://www.kjmagnetics.com/blog.asp?p=magnetization-direction

 

[Cruelhand Luke]

I'll also add one final PSA to be aware of when searching for magnets.

Make sure you get axially-magnetized magnets. This means that one of the flat sides is N and the other flat side is S. Think of it like a coin, where the heads side is N and the tails side is S. The vast majority of round disc magnets are axially-magnetized.

But I mention this because there DOES exist diametrically-magnetized magnets (although they are rarer). These are like a pizza with half and half toppings - the half with mushrooms is N and the half with sausage is S. You do not want this type of magnet.

Here's a photo illustrating the difference (you want the one on the left):



Finally, here's a link with more information if you're interested in the differences, how to tell them apart if you are unsure of which type you have, etc: https://www.kjmagnetics.com/blog.asp?p=magnetization-direction

so I guess if I ever run across the fellas from the ICP I will refer them to you, because when they ask me, "magnets, how do they work?" I'll tell them @Slater knows the answer.

 

[Cruelhand Luke]

I just ordered 10: 15mm rings and 20: 12mm rings both N52. from Gearbest...with the cost of shipping, minus some points I had the total was $10.00

 

[Slater]

I just ordered 10: 15mm rings and 20: 12mm rings both N52. from Gearbest...with the cost of shipping, minus some points I had the total was $10.00

Nice! Let us know how it goes once they arrive and you are able to do some magnet modding!

I just finished up a modded Akai Project 50X tonight - converting it to open-backed (and adding a stacked magnet of course). You can kinda see the magnet right behind the grille:

 

[Cruelhand Luke]

Nice! Let us know how it goes once they arrive and you are able to do some magnet modding!

I just finished up a modded Akai Project 50X tonight - converting it to open-backed (and adding a stacked magnet of course). You can kinda see the magnet right behind the grille:

I have an Akai 50X that will be getting the magnet treatment....how is it as an open back? I might be interested in doing that to mine.

 

[Cruelhand Luke]

Nice! Let us know how it goes once they arrive and you are able to do some magnet modding!

I just finished up a modded Akai Project 50X tonight - converting it to open-backed (and adding a stacked magnet of course). You can kinda see the magnet right behind the grille:

also? I KNEW the 50X would look cool as an open back!