[Rauliki]

  The only cups I have right now is this one set and I'm going to be using them in my next build.
 

Lovely pair. You really make great cups!

 

[Rauliki]

   
There's a pair of nice looking zebra wood cups on Ebay at this time.  A few smaller other offerings too.  Winter tend to put somewhat of a hold on the wood lathing operations due to the cold and that most workshops are not built for full 4-season use out of the year.

I know. I'm looking for wood in Poland. And for someoine who could make them. It really seems its more of a hasle than I thought. 

 

[fleasbaby]

...try looking up local craftsmen...if you're lucky they are rather happy to try a new and unique project...and they bring an outsider's perspective to the whole Grado Modding thing that can be rather refreshing and bring about new ideas.

 

[wje]

Nothing new to add to the thread.  I'm just testing out IE 10 from work.  IE 8 was no longer compatible with the site revisions on Head-fi due to site upgrades on their part.
 
The good news?  I can respond to posts and PMs from work.  The bad news?  I sense an upcoming drop in work productivity.
 
In other news, I've applied various finishes to a pair of Padauk cups carefully crafted by a fine member of the forum here.  Initially, I went quite dark and thought I might like that option as it took the hue to a different level.  But, it also made much of the grain disappear.  I then moved towards sanding down the cups again and this time around, the sanding wasn't taken to the point of where all the color was removed.  The Padauk has an interesting color at this point.  A bit less orange, not really too brown, but sort of a "happy medium".  I've applied the satin poly last night and will spray a few more coats this evening to complete them.
 
Additionally, I found a very nice letter basket for use as new mesh.  It's not the typical cross-hatch pattern of mesh that is solid, but also has the typical pattern.  This newer letter holder has a much tighter weave, but it's also as durable, or more durable than the standard mesh that many of us have been using.  The previous tighter weaves of mesh used by other members and others who have been producing wooden cups, has looked good, but didn't seem too durable if one were to bump a finger nail on the surface of the mesh.  This other mesh I have is much more durable.  I found it at my local Micro Center for about $12.00.  The letter holder has about enough mesh for 6 to 8 pair of wooden cups.
 
Again, pics will be posted in a few days.  enjoy!

 

[Corleone]

wje, try out some nice stainless mesh from eBay. I posted about it here: http://www.head-fi.org/t/560806/sr60-mod-part-ii/3285#post_10178871

 

[wje]

I'll have to look into some other options, but here is what I have at the moment.  It's solid.  It has a tighter weave so it's a bit harder to look into the cups and see all of the details.  Plus, the Padauk cups had been refinished a few times and I believe I've found a wonderful color for my use which features a gentle satin finish over the exterior wooden surfaces of the cups.
 
More work this weekend will have building a cable and then finishing this pair off.
 

 

 

[Corleone]

Those are stamped metal sheets, which sadly are relatively air-flow restrictive and somewhat "less aerodynamic" than woven wire meshes. I will not guarantee the real benefits of this vs. yours, but as probably most of you know, moving air actually speeds up rather than slow down when it meets round objects (like the wire that make up mesh). The ones I linked to are the same type that higher end grado use, and you can choose how tightly woven it should be. I think a #20 mesh should be more than enough restrictive, but you can go all the way down to #400 which is more like a filter than a mesh. The effect of those neshes would actually be awesome to have A/B'ed and measured by some adventrous modders *ahem* ;D The only downside is that I think stainless steel can be quite horrible to finish with black varnish.
 
EDIT: I knew I forgot something: you've got some really nice looking cups there!

 

[wje]

  Those are stamped metal sheets, which sadly are relatively air-flow restrictive and somewhat "less aerodynamic" than woven wire meshes. I will not guarantee the real benefits of this vs. yours, but as probably most of you know, moving air actually speeds up rather than slow down when it meets round objects (like the wire that make up mesh). The ones I linked to are the same type that higher end grado use, and you can choose how tightly woven it should be. I think a #20 mesh should be more than enough restrictive, but you can go all the way down to #400 which is more like a filter than a mesh. The effect of those neshes would actually be awesome to have A/B'ed and measured by some adventrous modders *ahem* ;D The only downside is that I think stainless steel can be quite horrible to finish with black varnish.
 
EDIT: I knew I forgot something: you've got some really nice looking cups there!

 
I've been using the revised mesh in my other pair of Padauk PX100s for the past several days.  I really haven't noticed any sound difference - or issues from restriction.  The mesh is actually still quite open - yet, closed off enough so that it does conceal the rear side of the driver quite a bit better.  I think I'll be applying the mesh to all of my wooden cups at this point.  It's strong, and I seem to like the look quite a bit better.
 
Also, I've been going between the PX100 II and the Koss KTXPro drivers quite a bit in the past few weeks.  Both are mounted in the same style, shape of Padauk cups.  The Koss drivers seem to be a bit heavier in the mids - so for those who like a lot of mid-range presence, this particular driver might be of benefit to you.  But, the PX100 II drivers offer a very nice flavor of sound.  The mids don't lack, the bass is really quite good - I've never thought that a Grado-style headphone would be capable enough in this area, but I've proven myself wrong.  The highs are not overbearing.  While the Koss is a good driver - readily available for about $10.99 - if you have a local Sears store as they've been on sale for about a month.  I might still opt to try a pair of Grado Sr-60/80 driver just to see how the Koss driver might compare.  When siding the Koss against the Sennheiser driver, the Sennheiser driver seems a bit more accurate at producing the sound.  The Koss is not a weak driver and for anyone trying to narrow down one vs. the other, the prices are good enough that one could opt for both and run through tests to see which flavor one prefers over the other.

 

[morph2k4]

Finally got my new PX-100ii to replace my blown out drivers.  Here's some eye candy!
 

 

[morph2k4]

Upon further investigation of the blown out drivers, I noticed some interesting things.  
 
Firstly, the red ring on the inner circle of the driver membrane disconnected from the magnet.  I don't see anyway this could possibly be repaired.  It also makes me wonder just how much pressure/volume it takes to cause that separation.  Is the coil just glued onto the magnet in most drivers?
 
Second, there is a hole in the middle of the magnet, which does not go all the way through.  I don't know if this is a normal design for dynamic drivers:
 

 
Lastly, there is a clear plastic sticker/sheet on the back of the magnet.  I wonder if this is intended to have a damping effect, and if replacing it with dynamat would make an improvement.  On my original build, I put dynamat directly over it, not realizing it was there.

 

[kramer5150]

  Upon further investigation of the blown out drivers, I noticed some interesting things.  
 
Firstly, the red ring on the inner circle of the driver membrane disconnected from the magnet.  I don't see anyway this could possibly be repaired.  It also makes me wonder just how much pressure/volume it takes to cause that separation.  Is the coil just glued onto the magnet in most drivers?
 
Second, there is a hole in the middle of the magnet, which does not go all the way through.  I don't know if this is a normal design for dynamic drivers:
 
Lastly, there is a clear plastic sticker/sheet on the back of the magnet.  I wonder if this is intended to have a damping effect, and if replacing it with dynamat would make an improvement.  On my original build, I put dynamat directly over it, not realizing it was there.

The red ring is the voice coil.  Its not supposed to be touching or glued to the magnet.  Its supposed to be adhered to the diaphragm and suspended "floating" in the magnetic field.

 

[morph2k4]

  The red ring is the voice coil.  Its not supposed to be touching or glued to the magnet.  Its supposed to be adhered to the diaphragm and suspended "floating" in the magnetic field.

 
Very strange.  Only one of the two drivers from the blowout is malfunctioning.  Of the two drivers I pulled out, one has the ring disconnected and the other it is attached.  Could the attached one be the malfunctioning one?  How could it have become attached if it didn't start that way?

 

[kramer5150]

Hard to tell what the difference is between the two without macro images.  Can you post macro images.  But at any rate, a normal functioning driver will have the voice coil firmly attached to the diaphragm, with nothing physically attached to the magnet.
 
If the voice coil is attached to the magnet, touching it or scraping against it, that's not supposed to happen.  It will make a crackling, distorted sound, output sensitivity should also in theory be less than a healthy driver.

 

[morph2k4]

I don't think a picture will help, they look identical.
 
After further investigation, it appears that the driver is "stuck".  The good driver, i can touch the membrane lightly and it bounces back to shape with the coil off of the magnet.
 
On the bad driver, if I blow air from the back, it will reset to a position where the ring is not touching the magnet.  If I then touch the membrane lightly, it sticks when the ring contacts the magnet until I blow on it from the back again.
 
Any ideas?

 

[GermanGuy]

i had this problem one time with a grado driver and finally used my vacuum cleaner to really suck the complete membrane in one direction and vise versa (until the driver worked again and the membrane was in its original shape) by holding the flexible tube of the vaccum cleaner in my hand and moving the driver nearer and nearer until i saw the membrane completely moving. BUT avoid to completely touch the driver with the flexible tube not to damage the membrane. this really worked!