[bravobs]

  But ... there's only one way to find that out.

Update us if its a worthwhile mod.

 

[Incipit]

I tried to take off the white felt from my 2050's - no changes for the better, maybe sound became a little more open (and more tinny as well), but bass disappeared completely. So i return them to factory state and forgot about any possible mods.

 

[Bobby S]

Thanks for the input.
It seems to support more the claim that the drivers are identical to it's closed design cousin, the pro 80's
In that respect sealing the headphone (as opposed to opening it up) sounds more suitable.

 

[Spiculus]

  I tried to take off the white felt from my 2050's - no changes for the better, maybe sound became a little more open (and more tinny as well), but bass disappeared completely. So i return them to factory state and forgot about any possible mods.

you can tell what better: M50 or hi2050? Thanks!!

 

[MrEleventy]

Thanks for the input.
It seems to support more the claim that the drivers are identical to it's closed design cousin, the pro 80's
In that respect sealing the headphone (as opposed to opening it up) sounds more suitable.

I've haven't tried opening it up but I have sealed it and much prefer the "open" variant. Closing it narrows the stage even more to the point where it's the audio equivalent of tunnel vision. I stuffed cotton down the opening and sealed the other end with a few layers of electrical tape. Haven't tried just more dampening w/o obstructing the port hole yet tho. It's been a while since I've touched it.

 

[Incipit]

 
you can tell what better: M50 or hi2050? Thanks!!

HD6000

 

[Claus-DK]

   
I see you have quite a collection of Beyers and from that perspective I can understand your preference for the Takstars.
I tend to gravitate more towards the AKG Kx01 and Sennheiser HD6xx sound, and from that perspective the Somics and Superluxes are more appealing for my ears.
But nonetheless the Takstars are a lot of headphone for the money.  Build wise they're far better engineered than Superluxes are for example, and I have owned more expensive headphones which were built more poorly and/or sounded worse.
 
In terms of modding I want to give the 2050's a few more days to settle in and for me to get used to their sound.
One thing I am inclined to try is drilling some vent holes in the rear side of the cup (where I've put the red dots) to make the Takstars fully open-backed headphones.
 

 
Some in this thread say that 2050 and pro80 shares drivers, the houses are very alike, so what you are doing is transforming  pro 80 into 2050, or am I totally wrong here ???

 

[Bobby S]

No, I have the 2050 and my intention was to open up some vents in the cup (where I put the red dots), so that the 2050 would become a fully open design.
But I already ruled that out, since just removing the dampening felt from the cup decreases significantly bass response and resonances inside the cup become prominent.
 
I too think that 2050 and pro80 are remarkably similar. Not just in sharing identical drivers but also almost identical housings. The difference being the pro80 has sealed the round vent in the back and instead of a metallic grill they've put a solid plastic cap on the outside of the cups.
From that point of view I expect the sound of these headphones to be different flavors of the same juice and up for personal preference which tastes better.
 
 
As to the actual modding of the 2050 I will go in a bit detail in a subsequent message, so it's easy to follow.

 

[Claus-DK]

Ahhh sorry my bad it is 2050 on the pictures, I saw them as pro80....
 
You can also do a big difference with the filtermaterial for aquariums, I do not know the english name, but in danish it is called "PerlonVat" it is the stuff inside teddybears also, it does a lot to remove resonans and will also calm down aggresive treble and it is so easy to do...

 

[Bobby S]

OK, so ... after a few days of listening with the 2050's I think  I've got a bit more used to their sound.
There are some aspects that I like and some that I don't like.
The focus of my dislike with these headphones lies mainly in the soundstage presentation. Each time I used them I get the impressions I'm listening to closed headphones, not semi-open ones.
The sound is more panned out left-right, with a rather faint center stage. The don't seem to be able to project a continuous virtual plane, with a good focus in the center. 
On the other hand they have good clarity and openness in the sound, which I expected to result in better imaging.
 
I'm also not impressed by the midrange of these headphones. The overall tonality is a bit to U shaped for my liking, and there's not enough weight in the lower midrange to really make it happen.
To give an example, on a music like Jordi Savall's "Les Grandes Eaux Musicales de Versailles", recorded in a very spacious and lively venue, the 2050's tended to sound a bit shouty an hollow.
Violins in particular had an artificial sheen and zinginess to them which I didn't like.
 

 
 
 
And the more I listened the more I started to dig out as much information as I could find about them and their close related cousins - the pro 80's.
 
First I'll start off with a waterfall plot of the pro80's. As the drivers and housings are virtually identical to the ones on 2050, there are some clues in there which may explain some of the shortcomings I'm hearing.
 

 
There are a couple of resonances centered around 10Khz (the dominant one) and around 6khz. This might explain some of the artificial sheen and fuzziness I hear in 2050's treble.
The pro80 plot also shows a lot of stray energy in the lower midrange and towards the bass. That's probably more specific to the pro80, being a closed design there is some extra acoustic reinforcing coming from the housing.
The 2050 sounds quite a bit more recessed in the lower midrange than I imagine the pro80's do, but I do think it shares some of the resonances in that region due to the similarity of the drivers and housing.
 
And then I came across this interesting mod of the Pro80:
http://www.mcfrede.dk/projects/takstar_pro_80_headphone_mods/takstar_pro_80_headphone_mods_01.shtml
Essentially he coated the inside of the cups with car undercoating spray, which functions as an acoustic dampener of the housing itself. That should reduce resonances inside the cups themselves by quite a bit.
After trying it myself on the 2050's I noticed immediate improvements in the lower midrange and mid-bass, which have been tilted a little bit. The tonality also shifted a little bit towards warmer.
The highs on the other hand have remained largely the same, probably a different approach is needed in that department.
It's possible some of the resonances come from the driver unit itself or the baffle it's mounted on.
I'll give the headphones a bit more time to settle in (or for me to get used to them more).
Probably I'll keep experimenting further with dampening different elements of the baffles, maybe different pads.
I'll keep you posted if I make any progress.

 

[Incipit]

Originally Posted by Bobby S /img/forum/go_quote.gif
And then I came across this interesting mod of the Pro80:
http://www.mcfrede.dk/projects/takstar_pro_80_headphone_mods/takstar_pro_80_headphone_mods_01.shtml
Essentially he coated the inside of the cups with car undercoating spray, which functions as an acoustic dampener of the housing itself. That should reduce resonances inside the cups themselves by quite a bit.
After trying it myself on the 2050's I noticed immediate improvements in the lower midrange and mid-bass, which have been tilted a little bit. The tonality also shifted a little bit towards warmer.
The highs on the other hand have remained largely the same, probably a different approach is needed in that department.
It's possible some of the resonances come from the driver unit itself or the baffle it's mounted on.
I'll give the headphones a bit more time to settle in (or for me to get used to them more).
Probably I'll keep experimenting further with dampening different elements of the baffles, maybe different pads.
I'll keep you posted if I make any progress.

How did you damp your 2050's? Maybe you can make some photos? I can't understand that clearly, because on your link above there is no damping at all, in result. Also, i tried to pull off all the native dampening in my 2050's but sound dissapointed me.

 

[Bobby S]

The mod from the link is straight forward: spray a sound deadening solution on the insides of the cups.
This is the page where it's presented in detail this (simple) process:
http://www.mcfrede.dk/projects/takstar_pro_80_headphone_mods/takstar_pro_80_headphone_mods_03.shtml
 
Only difference in my case was the choice of coating. I didn't use a spray, but this instead (simply because that's the only sound deadening compound I have around the house).:
http://www.amazon.com/GT-Liqui-Damp-Automotive-Sound-Dampener/dp/B009PP2TVY/ref=sr_1_3?s=car&ie=UTF8&qid=1394705501&sr=1-3
 
I just coated the cups with about 1mm thick gooey stuff, using a brush.
 
The actual dampening of the headphones (the white foam/felt) I haven't touched. I am considering replacing it with something else of different density (wool, cotton, etc).

 

[Incipit]

  The mod from the link is straight forward: spray a sound deadening solution on the insides of the cups.
This is the page where it's presented in detail this (simple) process:
http://www.mcfrede.dk/projects/takstar_pro_80_headphone_mods/takstar_pro_80_headphone_mods_03.shtml
 
Only difference in my case was the choice of coating. I didn't use a spray, but this instead (simply because that's the only sound deadening compound I have around the house).:
http://www.amazon.com/GT-Liqui-Damp-Automotive-Sound-Dampener/dp/B009PP2TVY/ref=sr_1_3?s=car&ie=UTF8&qid=1394705501&sr=1-3
 
I just coated the cups with about 1mm thick gooey stuff, using a brush.
 
The actual dampening of the headphones (the white foam/felt) I haven't touched. I am considering replacing it with something else of different density (wool, cotton, etc).

Thanks for explanation! I'll try to coat plastic with spray, and also replace white felt to foam rubber.

 

[spyder25000]

Dam regret ordering the 2050's after reading this thread, then i read more of the thread then glad i did.
Ahh it's the worst.
Guess i'll wait till i hear em, after all people love the AKG Q701's and i really am not a fan.
 
I guess if i don't like them i could get the 671's later and use my AD700's until then, throw them to where my Superlux 669's are
 
The way i see it anything is better than my AD700's 

 

[Incipit]

  Dam regret ordering the 2050's after reading this thread, then i read more of the thread then glad i did.
Ahh it's the worst.
Guess i'll wait till i hear em, after all people love the AKG Q701's and i really am not a fan.
 
I guess if i don't like them i could get the 671's later and use my AD700's until then, throw them to where my Superlux 669's are
 
The way i see it anything is better than my AD700's 

Burn in, good sound card and good quality records - with all of that 2050's will be useful phones. Not for all genres, but nevertheless they're quite good for its price.