Making my Grado's sound even better-modding.

eclein · « **on:** 21 Jan 2011, 05:00 pm »

I bought some used Grado SR60's from a guy on Head-fi with all original parts, earpads etc..$45. I put them on and WOW..they sounded excellent, and then I saw this thread over at head-fi about modding Grado's to make them sound even better:
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/508459/sr60-mod

The guy who did these is Bill screename: Bilavideo : on head-fi, I have traded messages back and fourth with him about these mods and he is one of the nicest guys, and genuinely into showing folks how to do these mods. The mods are fairly easy to perform, cost very little if anything and thats only if you really want to change the cup etc...

First thing I did was replace the standard earpads with large cushion "donut bowls" from headroom but you can mod the foam and not buy anything. The stock ones cover the driver, like a thick foam grill cloth-and you know we don't like grill clothes. So you cut a hole in each pad big enough to open a hole to better sound like this:

Before:

After: The sound opens up even more, detail and clarity increase

I bought these:

Next...see the white linen covering the driver, more grill cloth...

The next part requires opening up the cups....a hairdryer, or heat gun works fine..and its alot easier than it appears...stay tuned!!!

mcgsxr · « **Reply #1 on:** 21 Jan 2011, 05:04 pm »

Looks like fun, I will perform some of these on my Alessandro MS1i's when they arrive. I bought them off Head Fi.

I also bought a set of those bowl pads Wednesday, I dropped into an audio shop I used to frequent when I was living in a different town, and they had those pads behind the counter. I tried to buy a used pair off Head Fi, but the shipping to Canada killed the deal.

As an aside, don't you hate it when you Paypal someone and then they take 3-4 days to advise you about the item shipping?

eclein · « **Reply #2 on:** 21 Jan 2011, 08:35 pm »

OK...the next step is to physically open up the cups where the driver is and make some changes. If you didn't already know by this step the Grado warranty is most likely void at this point, it says something about "no modifications..." yada yada....anyway the driver is housed in a cup that fits into another cup and is glued together with glue that will loosen with heat. So I took a hairdryer and applied heat for awhile and then pryed the two sections apart like this:

If you look at the part with the driver you'll see that the driver is surrounded by 10 holes that are covered with a thin translucent film of some sort. There are ten holes and if you open up those holes you increase the bass response, this is one of those things where temptation gets the best of some and they open all ten holes and find a bit too much bass afterward and then have to go back and cover them back up. I poked 4 holes in mine and got just enough added low end to start with. Here's a pic:

I just took a ballpoint pen and poked it through the film on 4 holes....here is a picture of Bill's after he poked all ten holes:

After you poke the holes put the driver and shell back together and listen to it, the glue residue will act as a makeshift adhesive, this mod has the most dramatic effect on the sound and if you do too many you can go back and cover them....so I did all these mods so far and I was really enjoying the changes. I also have a pair of Ultrasone Hfi-700 and after each mod I would compare the two phones. Up until this mod the Ultrasone's edged out the Grado's each time and this mod made me think-"maybe a wood shell is the ticket"....more to come.

eclein · « **Reply #3 on:** 22 Jan 2011, 02:21 pm »

Next step is "Cocobolo"....the big thing with Grado's is to change the material, contruction, resonant qualities of the shell that the driver nestles into. You even go as far as cutting the driver out of its current residence and contructing a new driver tray, shell, top, screen, headband, gimbles, pistons, cables of course and pretty much anything else you want-provided that somewhere you have the driver in a nice sound chamber of your choice. My choice "Cocobolo" wood, why?, the guys at head-fi said its the best (at least I'm honest). Bill who started this thread over at head-fi (SR60 Mods) and even did homegrown you-tube video tutorials showing each step also sourced a bunch of Cocobolo wood and figured out a way to make shells out of it. We talked, and some Cocobola is on its way:

So while I was waiting for the mail, I kept reading the thread and gathering up the cahones to try and do some of these mods, then I read about Dynamat which is a putty like damping material-thin with a foil backing. Where does that go??? See the picture above of the two black plastic halves, one with screen and one with driver/cable, see the round silver driver, you put a disk of this Dynamat there just covering the silver driver itself. This stuff is like No-rez in its damping qualities and can be used pretty much anywhere you can put it. I put a wafer thin dime size piece on the back of the driver and the headphones have been on my head for almost 12 hours straight. Listener fatigue is now zero, any trace of high end sibilance is gone, and these cans are a joy to listen to.........more to come.

eclein · « **Reply #4 on:** 23 Jan 2011, 07:03 pm »

So...while I'm waiting on my wooden shells to arrive to polish off these 60's, I got a package from a friend with some original SR125's in it and couldn't resist the urge to tweak them. The original owner didn't mesh with these and I think I know why, they are really, really bright, harsh, no wonder he gave up on them.
So first thing I did was compare them to the already partially modded SR60's and wasn't totally surprised when the 60's outperformed the 125's. So I got out the hairdryer..... The following tweak ended up being very successful...I stumbled upon a mod no one has done yet and its a Grandslam.

1) Hairdryer to cups and then pry apart, it takes awhile to heat and for the glue to loosen...once they are apart you completed the most difficult task.
2) I poked 7 holes in the lining this time in an effort to really tone down the high end harshness.
3) I put a disc of Dynamat on the back of the driver...

The SR60's are pictured but they are identical to the SR125's so the image is a good portrayal

Then I had an AHA moment!!!

When I took the cups apart and the glue was still soft I removed the plastic grill with the SR125 logo button on it and made sure it was in one piece. People are using all kinds of things to replace the screen so temporarily I wanted to fudge it....well....I found some dark gray foam about 1/32" thick-real thin stuff. I cut two circular pads out of the thin foam that were sized just slightly larger than the inside dimension of the shell. I took the screen with the button attached and layed it on top of the foam inside the cup- the button faces outward and pushes up the foam slightly for effect. So I have a driver in a plastic tray over here and the plastic outer shell which now houses a slice of foam lining its circumference with the plastic screen and button directly behind it holding it secure as the two halves come together...like this:

So I created a little chamber with the back of the driver on one end and a plastic mesh screen over foam on the other, just enough air to keep the open sound Grado's are known for and now because of this little chamber the low end is solid, defined and dynamic....I listened to them all night last night, this morning, now.... they sound excellent and with all the more options available to mod...changing the screens density, adding dynamat or other damping to parts of the plastic screen to tailor the sound all without being seen or cluttering up the look.......yesterday was a very, very good day!!!! More when the wooden shells arrive...

Noseyears · « **Reply #5 on:** 26 Jan 2011, 12:20 am »

Great job man! i have been checking often the headphones section of the forum...and lately i have found lots of good stuff. Im sure this mod will help to our friends who own grados...and want a different sound signature!

eclein · « **Reply #6 on:** 26 Jan 2011, 05:17 pm »

I gotta say....I'm astonished at how good these 125's sound now. I got them and did mods Sat. afternoon 1/22 and its Wed. 1/26 and I find myself looking for a reason to wear them, like, "its noon, time for headphones!!"..."8 am-headphone time"....LOL.

I'm awaiting arrival of the Cocobolo shells for the 60's and in the mean time I've been experimenting with including a pair of the EVS ground enhancers I have on each negative terminal inside the earcups...so far I haven't fried myself or the 60's and can't definitively say whether adding them sounds better-its a gerry rig setup to listen to them with the enhancers installed (think holding them in and hoping they stay connected while I listen). I think I gotta try them just because I "can"...if I go up in a puff of smoke, its been a pleasure!!!

charmerci · « **Reply #7 on:** 27 Jan 2011, 07:03 pm »

Quote from: eclein on 21 Jan 2011, 05:00 pm

I bought some used Grado SR60's from a guy on Head-fi with all original parts, earpads etc..$45. I put them on and WOW..they sounded excellent, and then I saw this thread over at head-fi about modding Grado's to make them sound even better:
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/508459/sr60-mod

The mods are easy? Reading that thread is almost too complex for me!

At least the 69 pages will keep me occupied for a while.

I have an old pair of SR125's buried somewhere. Maybe someday I'll risk doing some mods on them.

mcgsxr · « **Reply #8 on:** 9 Feb 2011, 05:42 pm »

I have a set of SR60i's incoming off Head Fi, and this AM I went out and bought a chunk of bubinga to use for DIY shells. I will build off this thread too!

Sam-fi · « **Reply #9 on:** 16 Feb 2011, 09:30 pm »

I have done the "quarter mod" and pulled off the screens so I have less between the driver and my ears. It has helped tame some of the high frequencies and added some more detail and openness to the sound.
It took less than ten minutes and cost me nothing

Sam

mcgsxr · « **Reply #10 on:** 17 Feb 2011, 01:11 am »

I have received the sr60i's, and done the simple mods.

I opened the cups up, punched 6 holes, put blu-tack on the rear of the driver, and have removed the white screen from the front of the driver. I have played around with stock cush-s pads, quarter modded cush-s pads, and cush-m (bowls). I like the bowls with the mods so far, as they increase the soundstage, though you lose some of the phatness of the bass.

I have found a local set of the cush-L pads, so I am working on getting those, just to experiment.

In 2 weeks, at a Toronto based Head-Fi gathering, I will have my 60's recabled there at the meet, by the guy who built my Millett Max for me. Just a simple replacement of the stock cabling with a slightly shorter version, using Mogami 2534 starquad, and a Vampire 1/4 plug.

I have purchased the hole saws need to create the rear cups for the phones, but have not yet made any sawdust. This weekend maybe.

As an update to how things sound, it is pretty simple to describe.

When I listened to the sr60i vs the MS1i stock, the Alessandro MS1i were the obvious winner with better balance, and a smoother forward presentation. With all the mods to date, the sr60i's are absolutely better. Increased clarity and balance, much better soundstage.

I am keeping the MS1i stock for now, and later once the 60's are complete, will have to decide if I sell them, or mod them too.

Good affordable fun, and the best sound I have heard out of my modded Bolder SB3.

eclein · « **Reply #11 on:** 26 Feb 2011, 07:23 pm »

The mods work...I took my Sr125's that JohnR sent me with to the hospital for the journey and on Friday I had the head PT guy put them on and listen to what I had been listening too while there and he was floored at how good they sounded. The best phones he ever heard he said " and quite honestly put".
Bill (Bilavideo)from Head-fi is sending me two sets of wooden shells so I can shell both the SR60's I have and the SR125's JohnR sent me so we can see if the difference is there between the model numbers. I may have the first set by Monday and I will also being installing those EVS Ground Enhancers in my 60's just to see what happens...this is so much fun and so very easy to do once you get past the whole fear of opening them up...which really isn't that hard, I use a hairdryer and have yet to melt them and I actually tried to at one point to see how much heat they would take.
Hey mcgsxr!! do the MS1's have metal screening?
I'm going to leave the mod I made to the 125's with the little chamber I created but inside a wooden shell if possible... fun fun

eclein · « **Reply #12 on:** 27 Feb 2011, 04:11 pm »

My wood shells are coming tomorrow...Bilavideo from Head-Fi makes these shells I posted a picture of and sells them for like $50 plus shipping and my first set arrive tomorrow. he and I have struck up a friendship and he is sending me another set and I think they are a bit different and we are going to compare both sets modded the same way and see how much difference there is. I need ideas on the top piece?? I could do screen mesh of some sort or whatever?? any thoughts you guys??
If anybody wants wood shells let me know via PM and I'll give you Bills info or a way to contact him. I'm not getting a cut or anything and I'll tell you guys straight up if they make a difference and to what degree. I'm pumped..JohnR if you lived closer i would send these back to you and floor you with the changes that were made. If anybody wants me to mod a pair for them I'd be glad to give it a whirl...for fun, no money...just fun!!!

mcgsxr · « **Reply #13 on:** 27 Feb 2011, 05:25 pm »

I have to agree with eclein, there are lots of free ways to change the audio profile of the Grado's, to suit your preference for bass etc.

I would also say that $50 for a set of basic wood cups represents a pretty good value - in looking to build my own, I hesitate to suggest what the hole saws, wood and other items have cost me - and I already owned the drill press, the sandpaper, the drill bits, the variable circle cutter etc.

The MS1i do have a metal screen - it appears to be identical to the SR series mesh, but the button was never attached, it just has a clean appearance back there. I am keeping those stock until I get the SR60i's perverted into what I want.

I will be receiving a set of the bagel pads this week, I will be interested to see what soundstage changes those make - I have 6 (of 10) holes per side already, and I know that pads with more space will tip the scale towards treble, so I may go all the way with the holes, if I like what I hear with the bagel pads - I suspect I will like the around the ear fit.

Next weekend, my 60's will get the Mogami cable and vampire 1/4 attached, that will clean up how they interface with my Millett Max Hybrid amp.

eclein · « **Reply #14 on:** 27 Feb 2011, 06:22 pm »

I'll post pics of the wood shells when I get them and let everyone know if they enhance the sound. I'm in talks with Alex at Wywires about recabling my 60's with his cable, so wood shells, Wywire and mods will most likely blow me away and I'm throwing in those EVS Ground enhancers for kicks....FUN< FUN

eclein · « **Reply #15 on:** 28 Feb 2011, 09:18 am »

Update- I decided to try and hear what they sound like when you punch out all ten holes...so I started with the SR125's JohnR sent and the sound is fuller more defined not overwhekming at all. The low end definition is better and more present but not boomy in anyway...so I punched ten holes in the SR60's that await todays Cocobola wood shells to arrive and the difference is awesome, I could stop right now and be happy everyday I put them on and it cost me nothing as a kind guy from head-fi hooked a bunch of us up with his extra dynamat and punching holes requires a ballpoint pen and some minor stress when pulling the shells apart. It only happens once and your done as I just use clear tape to line the edge and make a tight fit when they are returned to original position.
Easy!!!...man these sound good with large pads from headroom that were $23ish when I bought them...I just transfer them from can to can as I only have two ears to use at once...LOL....so now I wait for the mail....

eclein · « **Reply #16 on:** 28 Feb 2011, 09:24 am »

Some links I'm using alot..
The SR60 Mod thread at head-fi
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/508459/sr60-mod

Headroom where I got the large bowl pads not the huge ones...
http://www.headphone.com/accessories/grado-earpads-large-pair.php

Hairdryer:
http://www.amazon.com/Andis-33805-Micro-Turbo-Voltage/dp/B0009XH6V4/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&qid=1298884982&sr=8-13
My roomates and he's bald so its used for mods...LOL..hey we get old!!!

Guys add any links to stuff your using..Dynamatt etc..post them so we can go for it...

eclein · « **Reply #17 on:** 28 Feb 2011, 09:53 pm »

i got the wood shells and they are excellent..!!!!

mcgsxr · « **Reply #18 on:** 28 Feb 2011, 11:49 pm »

Nice look - these are with the plastic front cups I assume, not with liberated drivers?

I see you are using bowl pads, how do they sound with the stock pads?

I like the thickness of the cups - wish someone would have answered my questions about what OD hole saw to buy, I ended up with a 2.5 inch, but those appear to be close to 2.75 inch from the wall thickness

eclein · « **Reply #19 on:** 1 Mar 2011, 12:25 am »

I'll take a picture of the inside of one for you so you can see the lip he has, there is a slot around the perimeter to fit the plastic cup in,,thicker than I thought they'd be and Bill put the screen in he made them notched for the cable and assembly was like 5 minutes. They are bright, not too bright but close with some stuff..its too soon to really judge them as some stuff is perfect, other stuff is a touch bright.
I'll take them apart and snap some pics for ya to get a better idea, and I'll measure what they are if that helps. I love the color and I got into taking photos of them...LOL.

i like the large pads, they are easy to wear for long periods of time, I wore them in the hospital like 24/7 with no fatigue. I'll try the other pads I have and yes its for the plastic tray as I'm not about to risk liberating them, Big Bill over at AudioKarma who is really vareful with stuff brick his...so I'm not trying it until we find a safe way...these are definitely nice, a tweak or two and they will be even better I think...