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The MODDED Sennheiser HD 580 appreciation thread.
Dec 13, 2009 at 10:56 AM Post #46 of 72
Hi guys, I came across a post on a different forum where someone suggested taking the foam covering the front of the driver and putting it behind the grills instead. I tried it on my pair and don't really know what if anything it's doing to the sound althought I like that now there's less opportunity for dust etc. to go in through the grills.

I can sort of understand putting foam behind drivers in closed phones but is there any point to doing this in open phones (isn't the point to have as little as possible obstructing the rear of the drivers? Even the mod guide on the APS site shows the little foam disc behind the driver being removed)?

(Also trying to find some stockings to do the nylon mod. I'm having trouble finding the original guide, any tips or tricks to it?) EDIT: Nevermind, found it!
smily_headphones1.gif
 
Dec 13, 2009 at 10:38 PM Post #47 of 72
I've done two HD580 experiments this evening.

Firstly I blind tested with and without the plastic grilles and found that I could consistently hear the difference, without is more airy.

The other experiment was that as I have rather old pads which need replacing I stuffed the back of the pads with polyester loft (like light polyester cotton wool) to reintroduce some distance between ear and driver but also to angle the driver a little. I haven't got new pads or unstuffed old pads to blind test these against, so take my impression with a grain of salt - the effect seems not huge but positive. It's worth playing around with if you have some old pads that would otherwise be junk.
 
Dec 13, 2009 at 11:29 PM Post #48 of 72
Quote:

Originally Posted by lecky /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Firstly I blind tested with and without the plastic grilles and found that I could consistently hear the difference, without is more airy.


I'm glad to read that someone else has noticed this as well. I was thinking it might have been in my mind but I felt quite certain when I was doing this myself a few months ago. That's why I'm wondering if the HD600 grills may have a similar effect as removing the grills, but it seems nobody hears a difference so I don't know.

I keep my grills on just because of the protection it offers (not to mention, they look extra ugly without the grills).
 
Dec 13, 2009 at 11:56 PM Post #49 of 72
I guess it's more likely that the 600 grilles sound somewhere between 580 grilles and no grilles, but closer to the 580 grilles than none, and as such are not a significant improvement.

I think I'll take off the grilles for late night listening when there's no chance of damage, and put them back on after use and for daytime use.
 
Jun 8, 2013 at 6:08 PM Post #51 of 72
Quote:
lecky said:
I guess it's more likely that the 600 grilles sound somewhere between 580 grilles and no grilles, but closer to the 580 grilles than none, and as such are not a significant improvement.

I think I'll take off the grilles for late night listening when there's no chance of damage, and put them back on after use and for daytime use.
Click to expand...

I think what happens is the thicker 580 grill reflects more bass and mids back toward the driver giving the 580 that darker tone than the 600. The more open 600 grill would widen the sound stage a bit, have a little bit lighter bass and bring the highs out more because of that. I used my 580s for a few days with no grill on them at all so I could put them back on and hear the difference they made. It was pretty noticeable. I'm still waiting on my 600 grills to come in the mail. They've been back ordered 4-5 weeks out. I have no patience for that! hahaa
 
Jun 8, 2013 at 6:13 PM Post #52 of 72
Holy cow, I got my HD650 cable in the mail to upgrade from my stock 580 cable, and it sounds so much better. I never thought a different cable would make this big of a difference, I see people talking about it all the time, I just never believed it. It seems to me like I can hear more of the high notes more clearly, and that the mids are..closer to me? I have to do more listening, but right off the bat I can tell the difference. Now, something I still don't believe is CABLE BURN IN. Yeah, how can conductivity of materials in the cables change? Or whatever people claim happens.. I guess I'll have to use this 650 cable for a while and order another one to really see if there's a difference. It isnt an expensive experiment, the cable only cost me like $12. <3 you Sennheiser.
 
Jun 28, 2013 at 2:51 AM Post #53 of 72
I wanted to get some HD600 grills but Sennheiser is now charging $24 each plus $9 shipping. I think that's a little high for something that is more or less cosmetic. So, I converted my HD580 grills to look similar to the HD600 and 650s. I have yet to paint them, I just finished assembling them. I have to get some black spray paint still. I think they turned out pretty good considering I only spent about $10 on supplies.
 

 

 

 

 

 
The dark line around the mesh is where that little elevated edge was, I sanded it down flush like the 600 grills.

Almost final product. just need that splash of black paint and they'll be looking nice again :)

 
Jul 11, 2013 at 3:05 AM Post #55 of 72
I posted this in the HD580 Appreciation thread also, sorry to those who have seen this twice.
 
I didn't find time to get out to get some blue tac for the mod, I worked 60 hours this week. About an hour ago I did cut some strips of electrical tape and applied them to the the inside of the cups covering the lower half of the metal screen to get the same effects as the blue tac would achieve. So far, the bass is MUCH punchier. It isn't overwhelming, but it brought back the darkness that the HD580 grills created. The sound stage is still very good, maybe just a tad smaller. The mids are nice, they're just a tiny bit closer and the highs are still clear, I can't hear any change there. I'm going to leave the tape there until I get some blue tac, I'm going to try to find some that's black so I can put it on the backside of the screen and it still not be noticeable. If you want your 580s to have a little more bass try this out!

 
 

 
And this is just a wallpaper I made for my iPhone 5 :D

 
Jul 12, 2013 at 10:49 PM Post #57 of 72
Having the putty covering only 2 of the big holes, one on the top and one on the bottom sounds much better than when I had the tape blocking out all of the holes on one side. The sound stage is back to being pretty wide again, and the bass is still very strong. I think it sounds punchier now, and that is probably because the tape isnt as firm. The putty is pretty solid. (still easy to remove too) These sound fantastic now. Sennheiser should have kept these in production. Amazing sound at a much more affordable price than the 600 and 650. It would have been really popular, probably being one of the best headphones in the <$300 price range. 
 
Mar 13, 2014 at 2:28 AM Post #58 of 72
peterek said:
Having the putty covering only 2 of the big holes, one on the top and one on the bottom sounds much better than when I had the tape blocking out all of the holes on one side. The sound stage is back to being pretty wide again, and the bass is still very strong. I think it sounds punchier now, and that is probably because the tape isnt as firm. The putty is pretty solid. (still easy to remove too) These sound fantastic now. Sennheiser should have kept these in production. Amazing sound at a much more affordable price than the 600 and 650. It would have been really popular, probably being one of the best headphones in the <$300 price range. 
Click to expand...

Dang Casper! Do you still have these?
 
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