[SHAMuuu]

Anyone who has seen my quest to make DT48 woodied up and more music friendly, I present Prototype number 3 from Shamuuu Labs lol
From putting the drivers in Dt770 shell to Fischer Audio Wood cups, and now trying Fostex shell.

Don;t worry these were all spare/junk parts accumulated over the years, and reversible/ re-usable. I'm just documenting this... b/c well I don;t know anyone else who is trying to put DT48 into wood shells, but there are 2 other people modding the DT480 I know. So then I am the lone wolf in this game trying to make the most hated driver "loveable" again

TH-500RP frame from gutted one (cups were used on an open-back d2k I made w/ Alpha pads and Lawton mod...on driver magnet, and Lawton foam)
Rosewood cups given FREE (head-fier hooked me up with d2k on the cheap cheap and threw in Bamboo cups, and this Rosewood was damaged a bit so FREE)
DT48E drivers 25ohm, i've used in the DT770 and Fischer Wood, they've taken a beating but keep on tick'n
On ear pads to channel bass (similar to new pads with inner part of pad)
Sheepskin pads (these are being used on my d5k w/ Bamboo atm, so just for testing)

My past :

Anyway, I really do like the way these drivers play in woodies. But, this is not exactly the setup which I think will be best for what i want, but they sound pretty good believe it or not with EQ bump in subass and the reverberating wood. Unfortunately some of the parts I want are not easily available, so I will have to come up with some creative solutions for my final one. Deeper cups, and a chamber perhaps like on the JVC DX ones.

But that might be months or years away,

Anyway..................... DT48 + wood =

 

[furyossa]

For the summer, there is nothing more necessary than a lightweight model of headphones that does not create any discomfort.
Koss KPH30i is a very interesting model which, in addition to its cheap price and good sound, has the great possibility of modification.


Stock cable is ok but it's very thin and rubbery and it has mic/volume control which I never use. Because of that, I decided to add MMCX connectors to be able to use any cable from my collection. But first thing first, we need to disassemble the driver from the cup and unsolder stock cable. Driver and cup are connected on three places and there is a gap between them where this tool , screwdriver or tweezers can be pushed



Here we can see the front side of the driver. There are three rectangular holes where a small plastic part on the cup passes and connects to the driver.
In the top right corner (on image below) I marked as green small plastic part on the cup and the red is plastic face plate of the driver.
Place "screwdriver" tool in the gap (behind the driver) below the small plastic part and push up and then push the driver face plate forward.



On the back, along the very edge, there are small "needles" that hold the foam pad. During disassembly, some of them will probably be damaged,



For MMCX connectors, I used 40mm wire. To avoid vibration, I usually practice wrapping the wires with Teflon tape



This is how it looks after soldering. In this case, I added a shrink tube at the point of connection between the connector and the wire (not shown in the picture)



Before gluing, it is necessary to check how MMCX lies in the cup and remove the excess plastic with a file.



I can't say that stock pads are bad, but there are better solution out there like Yaxi or Grado pads.
For my model, I decided to try Grado pads. They are much more comfy than stock pads.
Because of their thickness, the ear is sufficiently separated from the driver.



As for the cable, I used a gray TRN 16-core balanced version that complement nicely with the color of the headphones
I would recommend this model to anyone who likes lightweight headphones, 100Hz bass and spacious sound

 

[thatoneheadphonedood]

Anyone who has seen my quest to make DT48 woodied up and more music friendly, I present Prototype number 3 from Shamuuu Labs lol
From putting the drivers in Dt770 shell to Fischer Audio Wood cups, and now trying Fostex shell.

Don;t worry these were all spare/junk parts accumulated over the years, and reversible/ re-usable. I'm just documenting this... b/c well I don;t know anyone else who is trying to put DT48 into wood shells, but there are 2 other people modding the DT480 I know. So then I am the lone wolf in this game trying to make the most hated driver "loveable" again



TH-500RP frame from gutted one (cups were used on an open-back d2k I made w/ Alpha pads and Lawton mod...on driver magnet, and Lawton foam)
Rosewood cups given FREE (head-fier hooked me up with d2k on the cheap cheap and threw in Bamboo cups, and this Rosewood was damaged a bit so FREE)
DT48E drivers 25ohm, i've used in the DT770 and Fischer Wood, they've taken a beating but keep on tick'n
On ear pads to channel bass (similar to new pads with inner part of pad)
Sheepskin pads (these are being used on my d5k w/ Bamboo atm, so just for testing)

My past :








Anyway, I really do like the way these drivers play in woodies. But, this is not exactly the setup which I think will be best for what i want, but they sound pretty good believe it or not with EQ bump in subass and the reverberating wood. Unfortunately some of the parts I want are not easily available, so I will have to come up with some creative solutions for my final one. Deeper cups, and a chamber perhaps like on the JVC DX ones.

But that might be months or years away,

Anyway..................... DT48 + wood =

I switch headphone drivers in different throw away casings too! I did that with a pair akg k52’s and oneodio headphones. (Akg case and oneodio drivers) and it sounds decent (needs more tuning) but has a huge soundstage. I repainted it white and making it open back. Still in the works but its going well!

 

[jeremiahl]

Made some custom leather covers for my Grado GW100 V2 think it turned out quite well. Also ordered some blue leather ear pads from Beautiful audio which I will post once received.

Not too difficult to DIY, highly recommend to try if you like the look. I just bought some leather snaps to clip the leather in place.

 

[GREQ]

Made some custom leather covers for my Grado GW100 V2 think it turned out quite well. Also ordered some blue leather ear pads from Beautiful audio which I will post once received.

Not too difficult to DIY, highly recommend to try if you like the look. I just bought some leather snaps to clip the leather in place.

Doesn't covering the rear grills totally ruin the sound?

 

[jeremiahl]

Doesn't covering the rear grills totally ruin the sound?

So the GW100s are designed slightly different - Grado tuned them such that they are already significantly less 'leaky' than other headphones (I've only tried the hemps and by comparison they really sound a lot softer). In fact the right earcup is nearly completely covered by the Bluetooth receiver PCB. I found very little sound difference with the covering - though I made them friction fit just so I can easily remove when I'm not in a public place

 

[IvanDrago]

Denon D2000
painted with 2k matt clearcoat + blue metallic pigments
DT770 headband
Orion sheepskin leather pads from https://www.accessoryhouseglobal.com/fostex-replacement-ear-cushion/
3D printed cups

 

[PolloLoco]

I recently finished a mod using a set of Focal Elex with two broken drivers. I originally owned a pair of Elex which I enjoyed, but I ended up selling them since I didn't think they were a good compliment for my other headphones. But I always thought they were the most attractive headphones I'd owned. Last year I saw on EBAY this set of Elex, and decided to buy it for a project. My thought was to swap out the drivers with conventional ones, but was warned that it might be difficult due to the vents around the driver.

My first attempt failed miserably, but I used poor 40mm drivers from cheap headphones I tore into. I decided to try again with Titanium 40mm, 300 Ohm drivers off EBay and I'm glad I did. The link I used is below.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/255033489891?hash=item3b612e39e3:g:wWQAAOSwIYpdIG~J

The whole procedure was actually really straight forward, and I ended up with a pair of headphones that sound great. I apologize for not documenting better, but after the first attempt I didn't think I was likely to succeed with something worth sharing. These may be my favorite non-electrostatic headphones that I own. My initial thought was that they had harsh treble, but after about 30 hours of burn-in they seem to have settled down. My wife has better high frequency hearing (I'm 44) - and she thought these didn't sound harsh at all, but very very clear and detailed.

Tools: Small Torx Screwdriver Bits, Soldering Iron, Digital Multimeter
Disposables: Stick on Felt, solder, Blue-Tack
Disclaimer: Only try this if you have broken drivers, I don't take responsibility for further damage to your broken headphones. If they're under warranty - reaching out to Focal may be a better path.

1) Remove the earpad, and then the plastic cover underneath by carefully removing 6 small torx Screws. Set the earpad aside.
2) Cut or unsolder the two wires from the broken drivers.
3) Remove 3 torx screws to release the driver assembly as shown in the Focal picture. This will separate the driver assembly from the plastic cover.
4) Remove 3 torx screws to release the "motor" - set it aside, you won't be using it again.
5) Remove the driver and "surround" from the basket. You may have to tear the rubber surround from the basket. Clean away any torn rubber.
6) Press Fit a replacement driver into the Basket - a 40mm driver will be a tight fit where the Surround once lived. You might need to carefully press against a flat surface to fully seat it. Make sure the driver is facing the right way.
7) (Optional) - The press fit should be enough, my first failed attempt stayed together this way. But around the driver you'll see a "channel" between the plastic edge of the driver and the basket. I filled in this channel with blue-tack, you can barely see it in the pics below. I figured it might kill resonance from an imperfect seal between driver and basket.
8) Using a Multimeter and a 3.5mm headphone cable, confirm which Focal wire is positive and solder the 2 wires to the Driver terminals. The Titanium driver I bought was clearly labeled + and -.
9) Bolt your new driver assembly back onto the plastic cover.
10) Carefully move the wires out of the way as you reassemble the plastic cover onto the earcups. This might be the hardest step.
11) Use stick on felt to completely cover the vents as I show in the pictures below. This greatly improves the bass. Without this step, I thought these headphones sounded similar to my old Grados.
12) Replace the earpads.

Sound is subjective, but I'm really happy with my project. I don't have any measuring equipment but these headphones look and sound great to me. While I think they're more analytically balanced, after I blocked the vents I'm regularly impressed by bass notes I can FEEL. I will probably eventually see if I get deeper bass by replacing the stock elex pads with solid leather ones. Let me know if you have any questions.

 

[dougms3]

I recently finished a mod using a set of Focal Elex with two broken drivers. I originally owned a pair of Elex which I enjoyed, but I ended up selling them since I didn't think they were a good compliment for my other headphones. But I always thought they were the most attractive headphones I'd owned. Last year I saw on EBAY this set of Elex, and decided to buy it for a project. My thought was to swap out the drivers with conventional ones, but was warned that it might be difficult due to the vents around the driver.

My first attempt failed miserably, but I used poor 40mm drivers from cheap headphones I tore into. I decided to try again with Titanium 40mm, 300 Ohm drivers off EBay and I'm glad I did. The link I used is below.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/255033489891?hash=item3b612e39e3:g:wWQAAOSwIYpdIG~J

The whole procedure was actually really straight forward, and I ended up with a pair of headphones that sound great. I apologize for not documenting better, but after the first attempt I didn't think I was likely to succeed with something worth sharing. These may be my favorite non-electrostatic headphones that I own. My initial thought was that they had harsh treble, but after about 30 hours of burn-in they seem to have settled down. My wife has better high frequency hearing (I'm 44) - and she thought these didn't sound harsh at all, but very very clear and detailed.

Tools: Small Torx Screwdriver Bits, Soldering Iron, Digital Multimeter
Disposables: Stick on Felt, solder, Blue-Tack
Disclaimer: Only try this if you have broken drivers, I don't take responsibility for further damage to your broken headphones. If they're under warranty - reaching out to Focal may be a better path.

1) Remove the earpad, and then the plastic cover underneath by carefully removing 6 small torx Screws. Set the earpad aside.
2) Cut or unsolder the two wires from the broken drivers.
3) Remove 3 torx screws to release the driver assembly as shown in the Focal picture. This will separate the driver assembly from the plastic cover.
4) Remove 3 torx screws to release the "motor" - set it aside, you won't be using it again.
5) Remove the driver and "surround" from the basket. You may have to tear the rubber surround from the basket. Clean away any torn rubber.
6) Press Fit a replacement driver into the Basket - a 40mm driver will be a tight fit where the Surround once lived. You might need to carefully press against a flat surface to fully seat it. Make sure the driver is facing the right way.
7) (Optional) - The press fit should be enough, my first failed attempt stayed together this way. But around the driver you'll see a "channel" between the plastic edge of the driver and the basket. I filled in this channel with blue-tack, you can barely see it in the pics below. I figured it might kill resonance from an imperfect seal between driver and basket.
8) Using a Multimeter and a 3.5mm headphone cable, confirm which Focal wire is positive and solder the 2 wires to the Driver terminals. The Titanium driver I bought was clearly labeled + and -.
9) Bolt your new driver assembly back onto the plastic cover.
10) Carefully move the wires out of the way as you reassemble the plastic cover onto the earcups. This might be the hardest step.
11) Use stick on felt to completely cover the vents as I show in the pictures below. This greatly improves the bass. Without this step, I thought these headphones sounded similar to my old Grados.
12) Replace the earpads.

Sound is subjective, but I'm really happy with my project. I don't have any measuring equipment but these headphones look and sound great to me. While I think they're more analytically balanced, after I blocked the vents I'm regularly impressed by bass notes I can FEEL. I will probably eventually see if I get deeper bass by replacing the stock elex pads with solid leather ones. Let me know if you have any questions.

Cool mod.

How did you mount the driver to the headphone? Do you have pics of how its mounted?

 

[dougms3]

Replaced the driver wire in my Final Audio Sonorous III with Mundorf 24awg silver/gold wire and solder.

Replaced driver wire in Focal Clears to Mundorf 18 awg silver/gold wire and solder and desoldered and resoldered the voice coil wire with mundorf silver/gold. The left driver went dead and I had to desolder and resolder the voice coil to make it work again. I didn't want to do the other side but there was too great a channel imbalance with whatever Focal uses, balance fixed after solder replacement.

 

[PockyG]

Very simple mod for a HE400se. Pretty good out of the box, but the treble was a bit peaky and the sub-bass was too subdued for my preference. Used 3D prints for mounting 3rd party earpads. These are the ZMF lambskin oval pads. After trying quite a few pads and damping mods this was a good and simple combination of increasing soundstage and subbass. It's a wonderful and simple headphone at about $170 when all said and done.

 

[dougms3]

Very simple mod for a HE400se. Pretty good out of the box, but the treble was a bit peaky and the sub-bass was too subdued for my preference. Used 3D prints for mounting 3rd party earpads. These are the ZMF lambskin oval pads. After trying quite a few pads and damping mods this was a good and simple combination of increasing soundstage and subbass. It's a wonderful and simple headphone at about $170 when all said and done.

Very cool, what did you use for damping material?

 

[PockyG]

Very cool, what did you use for damping material?

I initially glued some speaker cloth on the grills. The damping did seem to help warm the sound a bit but it also added too much congestion, so I removed them. After using the leather pads, it helped smooth the treble a touch and bumping up the subbass so the damping was not really needed.

 

[Miiksu]

I like this thread idea but why are the modifications not in the first post? It's a bit messy trying to find something specific.

 

[furyossa]

I recently decided to “freshen up” my old pair of Sony MDR-570LP. They are nothing special, sound wise, but I always like their “retro” look and lightweight design.

Out of the box, they sound muffled, mostly because of pad's design.
The foam ring is connected to the baffle by double-sided adhesive tape and then coated with perforated faux leather.



Here we can see stock tuning. It's very simple, in a good way of course

MDR-570LP's are labeled as closed back headphones, but still they have large rear vents behind black foam filters.
I noticed they are lucking a bit of bass, and I was planning to try GRADO pads, so I made two small filters with a 2 mm hole to reduce airflow.
Also to reduce parallel reflection of back sound wave, I placed a little piece of “sandpaper tape” right behind the driver bass port which has the role of a diffuser.


Next, the fun part. This is the basic acoustic treatment of the cup.
First, I filled big pockets of the shell with TRULEX cloth.
Also, I replaced the black foam filter on baffle vents with porous foam and add mass loading on the back of the driver.


The rest of the exposed plastic area is covered with felt, and I sealed the small cable hole with Teflon tape.
BTW ... cable is nice and soft and I decided to leave it as it is.


These are some tuning filters which I tried.
At the end, I combined several filters into one “sandwich” filter.


The sound without filters is too bright, with “thin” sounding vocals and no bass.
For “sandwich” filter, I used foam pads, added a piece of perforated fabric and felt which also symbolize left and right side.
White tuning paper (Y3) covers center hole on driver grill.


And this is the final look.