[mlantinen]

Wow! +1

 

[maverickronin]

I'm going to build some wooden cups out of stacked discs for my T50RPs.
 
Given that I'm just after sound and don't care about looks are there any recommendations about the type of wood, natural or engineered, to use?  I was thinking MDF since that's what a lot of speaker enclosures are made of.  These 'phones might not have exactly the same physical requirements though and since I'm not using a ton the cost per unit can be higher as well.  There are other engineered woods to consider as well; different densities of fiberboard, particle board, OSB, and plywood of various quality and composition and I don't know enough about their properties to say what would work best for a headphone enclosure  I also noticed a few different types of natural wood sold in small planks when I was at Home Depot today; good quality pine along with red oak and cedar and I'm sure a real lumber yard would offer more variety if SQ is at stake.  Pretty much anything else that's cheap for a big-ass sheet or easily available in small quantities is up for consideration as well.
 
Another brainstorm I came up with today was the possibility of layering different types of wood, juxtaposing rigid and soft types.  I don't know if that would do anything useful or just end up as a poor imitation of some existing type of engineered wood.  I'm thinking that something soft like pine would have abortive qualities similar to the R10, but this just basically idle speculation at this point.
 
Anyone try this yet or am I blazing a new trail?

 

[mrspeakers]

MDF is used for speakers for many reasons, including that it's cheap, rather inert, and easy to cut.  It's not that it sounds better than hardware, it's really a cost and manufacturing consideration.  
 
Good hardwoods are often denser and have more mass, and equal or better damping and so they're generally better for enclosures.  I suggest you stick with a closed grain hardwood, like Maple, Walnut or more exotic dense woods.  Avoid soft woods like pine, or bamboo, of course.  
 
The idea of layering probably won't make much difference in a phone, there's not enough energy in the air in the cup to really ring the wood. A speaker, especially a sub, is different, because of the mass of driver and air in motion relative to the enclosure, but in a headphone, the power levels are so low... 
 

 

[maverickronin]

Quote:

Good hardwoods are often denser and have more mass, and equal or better damping and so they're generally better for enclosures.  I suggest you stick with a closed grain hardwood, like Maple, Walnut or more exotic dense woods.  Avoid soft woods like pine, or bamboo, of course.  
 

Does that apply to the baffle as well?  I read somewhere that all but the densest hard woods (like ebony or something) would ring in that sort of application but I don't remember where...

 

[leeperry]

So I received my woodied T50RP today, and I've been playing around with the damping scheme. So far I think I have something I really like in the mids and treble, but there's kind of no bass.

I know someone else who's recently got a TP off smeggy, and he also finds it utterly bass shy...to the point that he will soon get rid of it. I wonder what's up w/ that? he used poor amping, maybe that's the problem...you need a lot of current to let the T50RP drivers sing IME.

 

[rehabitat]

The main purpose of a woodied t50rp, or Thunderpants, is to eliminate cup vibrations that are prevalent in plastic cupped phones. Hardwood is used in preference over soft for the same reason. Layering is a great idea, especially if you don't have access to a lathe. Mixing materials, as in "constrained layer damping", is commonly used for replinthing vintage turntables. Imo this may be worth pursuing for headphones. Materials used are mdf and baltic ply.

 

[joelpearce]

I know this has been covered, and I still have my drivers in the stock cups, but if you don't have bass with this configuration, there's probably a problem in the build:
 
1. The vent is getting blocked/covered
2. There's too much air leaking out somewhere
3. **most likely** you don't have a good seal at your ears

 

[Teejaay]

Quote:

I know someone else who's recently got a TP off smeggy, and he also finds it utterly bass shy...to the point that he will soon get rid of it. I wonder what's up w/ that? he used poor amping, maybe that's the problem...you need a lot of current to let the T50RP drivers sing IME.

probably not a problem with amping, mine sound just as bass heavy on my udac as they do on my b22

 

[sbradley02]

I have smeggy Thunderpants and I have no issues with the bass, and I am going from the Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro 80s which have a reputation of being bass monsters on head-fi (I think they are slightly bass heavy but not as much as is often said here). The Beyers have a bit more bass than the 'pants, but it is not a large difference, the 'pants have plenty of bass.
If it matters, I am using the black O2 pads and a Leckerton UHA-6S amplifier, both desktop and portable.
 
Quote:

I know someone else who's recently got a TP off smeggy, and he also finds it utterly bass shy...to the point that he will soon get rid of it. I wonder what's up w/ that? he used poor amping, maybe that's the problem...you need a lot of current to let the T50RP drivers sing IME.

 

 

[Ikarios]

No one read my actual post I know I'm not getting bass because of the seal, but does the seal really bring out that much bass? The DT770/80's drivers are wholly capable of pumping out the bass, even in an open-back configuration. I know orthodynamics are different but I'm skeptical that it can bring out that much sub-bass.

 

[Br777]

Quote:

No one read my actual post I know I'm not getting bass because of the seal, but does the seal really bring out that much bass? The DT770/80's drivers are wholly capable of pumping out the bass, even in an open-back configuration. I know orthodynamics are different but I'm skeptical that it can bring out that much sub-bass.

 
it is hard for me to envision exactly what you are describing.. and yes i read your post.. but i can tell you that with my thunderpants when they were fully assempled and bass ported - if i did not have them perfectly sealed to my head the bass diminished A LOT.  even the slightest gap caused this.   and once they WERE sealed properly, if i covered up the bass ports, i could hear a signifigant drop in the bass.  The bass ports will make a big difference if you are getting that proper seal.  if they are not.. you may have an indicator that the seal is not there.
 
another thing to consider ya'll.   Smeggy makes Thunderpants in a very specific way.  He has been at this for a long time, and he has openly admitted that although he shares a lot of his secrets, he does not share them all.  To get the sound that he has achieved, you would have to use the exact methods and materials that he does, and even then the sound is going to differ from can to can. 
 
For all of you who are making your own and finding them not to produce enough bass, I would say this.  there are MANY factors involved in getting the sound you desire.  cups, pads, damping, materiels, amping, and many more that i'm not aware of.   These cans should be able to produce what I as a basshead myself would call TONS of bass.  I wish i had heard some beyers for a comparison but i havent.
 
one last note.
 
EQ... these cans are very eq friendly..  if you cant seem to muster the correct sound, or bass level, dont be shy.  Equalizing is what brought my TP's from Great, to AMAZING.  People often have issues with, or simply underestimate how powerfull an equalizer can be.  It can do more than buying a new dac, a new amp, and even a new set of cans if you know what you're doing.
 
good luck everyone.

 

[smeggy]

Hey all
 
I'm in the process of looking into the reports of bass lacking in some thundies as I'm not sure what's going on there. Hopefully they'll arrive here so I can get to the bottom of it. I have tested the two I have just built against my LCD2 and these have as much/more bass and a bit more treble sparkle so I don't know what's what with them but I do want to get to the bottom of it. I don't want to guess at this point but if there is a problem I'll fix it.
 
Anyway, yes, the pads make a huge difference. The stock pads actually give the best seal, even better than the O2 pads as they are very soft and conform well to your head. Any significant pad leakage will kill the bass so velour pads are a big no with these as they simply can't seal well enough, well, with the way I make mine anyway. I can't speak for others construction but suck it and see is a good way to go. Sealing the baffle to the cup and the pads to the baffle is also a good idea for keeping the various air volumes where they should stay. What I do might be overkill in some instances but I like to be sure. There should not be a lack of bass in them though. I don't normally head for bass monsters when I make mine, just what I consider to be a balanced amount that tries to approach speaker bass in how it's presented. That may be more or less than some other phones but I'm not in a contest for what can make the most bass, however, they can rattle fillings if you want them to make them that way.

 

[apatN]

DT770 pads sound very warm and bassy, yet they are velour pads. Just thought I'd be the smartass.

 

[Br777]

Quote:

DT770 pads sound very warm and bassy, yet they are velour pads. Just thought I'd be the smartass.

 
that may be the case, but you're talking about those pads being on beyers, not TP's... completely different scenario.
 
 

 

[sbradley02]

Based on some comments here, I am going to clarify my post as I may have given a wrong impression. Between the two (Thunderpants and Beyers), the 'Pants are more neutral and accurate (there is a reason I upgraded to Thunderpants). The Beyer 770-80s measure with a 3-4dB peak at qround 80Hz and they sound like it. I just never thought the peak was as bad sounding as people often said, more of a slight emphasis in the mid-bass, and not "thump thump" bass like say the Dr Dres, and I don't like to EQ, so I lived with it. My point was that the 'Pants hold up well in the bass to a set of phones with a decided bass peak, maintaining similar impact. The 'Pants are more neutral in the bass and also in the mids and highs, and are superior in a number of other areas, including sound stage and smoothness in the all important upper mids. When I went to the Portland Head-Fi meet, I wasn't looking for new phones, I was quite happy with my Beyers (and I would still recommend them in their price range). I listened to a number of headphones at the meet, including some very expensive and well regarded models. Only the Thunderpants made me HAVE to get an upgrade, as I liked them that much more than the Beyers (and many of the other high end phones I tried were open design, which doesn't work for me). I am thrilled with the 'Pants, one of the best audio investments I have ever made.
 
I hope this better defines my earlier post.
 
Quote:

I have smeggy Thunderpants and I have no issues with the bass, and I am going from the Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro 80s which have a reputation of being bass monsters on head-fi (I think they are slightly bass heavy but not as much as is often said here). The Beyers have a bit more bass than the 'pants, but it is not a large difference, the 'pants have plenty of bass.
If it matters, I am using the black O2 pads and a Leckerton UHA-6S amplifier, both desktop and portable.