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Post by Deleted on Mar 22, 2010 23:05:08 GMT
Worth doing Mike, i am really impressed now, with the SQ from mine
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toad
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Post by toad on Mar 23, 2010 10:10:52 GMT
Hi everyone, So, a fully loaded Skytronics has a little less paper on the inside, a ring nest of aquarium filter under the layer of paper and some sticky sheet material on the outside? All that I can probably muster myself as long as there's no magic dust involved . Dave Hi Dave, Personally I only have 5 holes removed and no other mods. I have a nice balanced sound that has pretty good bass, lovely smooth warm mids and a nice sparkling top end. The highs took several days to really come on song but the mids and bass settled in a couple of days. The good thing is you can alter the sound by altering the number of holes in the baffle. Less holes = more bass and less highs. More holes = more highs and less bass. Mick is listening to cans I modded in this way with 5 holes and with no other additional mods. IMHO this mod lifts the Skytronics above anything I've ever heard bar the AKG K701s and even then it's a close run thing now. Through my Solo and Arcam DV135 the soundstage is fantastic. as good as the AKG K70s but slightly different. More depth and height but less width. I can even get a passable soundstage straight out of my Sony Walkman MP3 player with no amp. Throw in a Zigis CMoy and you'd think you were listening to a home based rig. I do worry that further mods will reduce the soundstage and that for me is a major reason why I like these cans so much. They produce sounds outside my head better than any other can I've heard bar the 701s. Try the holes on their own first and see how you get on with that. You can always add the other mods later. Ian
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toad
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Post by toad on Mar 23, 2010 10:11:33 GMT
Ian..... My "day off" tomorrow...... I'll dedicate it to the Skytronics Mike. I think you're in for a surprise Mike
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Post by Deleted on Mar 23, 2010 11:40:11 GMT
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Post by PinkFloyd on Mar 23, 2010 13:13:07 GMT
I must have an iffy pair Ian..... other than that, I am deaf I cut the holes out, had a listen and they sound even thinner than before.... erm, I will gladly send you these free of charge mate so you can have four pairs to play about with.... PM me your details. Mike.
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toad
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Post by toad on Mar 23, 2010 13:27:00 GMT
Cook them for a day or two Mike. If you still don't like them then let someone else have them. If you can't find a taker then I'll give them a good home
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Post by PinkFloyd on Mar 23, 2010 22:27:41 GMT
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toad
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Post by toad on Mar 24, 2010 12:23:12 GMT
Pics look great Mike but do you like the sound yet Obviously these are never going to have the bass of the HD250II but for classical and acoustic stuff they present a very nice image and sound. For me they're good for lighter rock too. Nirvana, Kings of Leon, Fine Young Canibals, REM etc.
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toad
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Post by toad on Mar 25, 2010 12:28:49 GMT
I tried packing the cups with foam but I lose too much of the excellent soundstage for very little SQ improvement so I've ordered some Aquarium Filter Wool off Ebay and will try that as it looks easier to vary the amount than with foam. Maybe I can find a happy compromise.
Will report back later.
Ian
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Post by puffin on Mar 25, 2010 16:35:53 GMT
I tried packing the cups with foam but I lose too much of the excellent soundstage for very little SQ improvement so I've ordered some Aquarium Filter Wool off Ebay and will try that as it looks easier to vary the amount than with foam. Maybe I can find a happy compromise. Will report back later. Ian That's because you don't have any of "Puffin's magic foam" No, I think I just hit lucky with the stuff I used. It is of the foam pipe lagging type, but much larger in diameter and has a sort of grainy texture to it. It also has a hole in the centre where it used to fit over a piece of metal similar in size to a pipe. I could send you some?
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toad
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Post by toad on Mar 25, 2010 18:17:16 GMT
I'll see how I get on with the filter wool stuff first Rob. If it doesn't work out I'll take you up on your offer Cheers Ian
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Post by Deleted on Mar 26, 2010 9:57:47 GMT
I'll see how I get on with the filter wool stuff first Rob. If it doesn't work out I'll take you up on your offer Cheers Ian These HP`s are starting to sound something special now(about 50hrs on them) the clarity is excellent, without being to bright at the top end. Ian let me know how the fish tank filter wool changes the SQ, in your opinion, as i think they are just about spot on without.
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toad
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Post by toad on Mar 26, 2010 11:09:48 GMT
Yeah I must admit, to me they are pretty good and believe it or not they get a bit better beyond 50 hrs. If I could just get a little more depth and impact in the bass then I'd be in Nirvana. I don't want to lose the excellent soundstage though, that's why the filter wool looks interesting as it should be easy to add a little at a time. I'm hoping a loose layer will add a little bass without ruining what the cans already offer.
Ian
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Post by Deleted on Mar 26, 2010 21:17:57 GMT
All this talk of aquarium filter wool and pipe insulation foam gave me an idea. I visited the local pet shop and bought some very open pored plastic foam, again intended for filtering aquarium water but quite rigid, relatively speaking. The precise item was labeled 'Fluval U1 Foam Pad' and cost under £3. Looked at from the smallest face it's shaped like a Capital 'U'. I used a sharp knife and cut the two legs of the 'U' off at a thickness of about 4mm. This gave 2 rectangular pieces each of which was a comfortable fit under the driver, between driver and outer perforated shell. At the same time I took out 5 windows in the paper cover, as per previous recommendations. Result, to my ears: well developed, tauter, deeper bass with no effect that I could detect on the top end. TBH, for my liking, the bass may be a bit overdone now but I'll give them some time to settle down because they probably haven't got more than 5 hours usage yet. Because this foam is more rigid than the filter wool it is easier to handle and get a uniform thickness. I recommend this and would be interested in other opinions - I have lost some of my hearing at both ends of the spectrum, , so others may report a differing result. Hope this helps. Dave.
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Post by clausdk on Mar 26, 2010 21:34:00 GMT
All this talk of aquarium filter wool and pipe insulation foam gave me an idea. I visited the local pet shop and bought some very open pored plastic foam, again intended for filtering aquarium water but quite rigid, relatively speaking. The precise item was labeled 'Fluval U1 Foam Pad' and cost under £3. Looked at from the smallest face it's shaped like a Capital 'U'. I used a sharp knife and cut the two legs of the 'U' off at a thickness of about 4mm. This gave 2 rectangular pieces each of which was a comfortable fit under the driver, between driver and outer perforated shell. At the same time I took out 5 windows in the paper cover, as per previous recommendations. Result, to my ears: well developed, tauter, deeper bass with no effect that I could detect on the top end. TBH, for my liking, the bass may be a bit overdone now but I'll give them some time to settle down because they probably haven't got more than 5 hours usage yet. Because this foam is more rigid than the filter wool it is easier to handle and get a uniform thickness. I recommend this and would be interested in other opinions - I have lost some of my hearing at both ends of the spectrum, , so others may report a differing result. Hope this helps. Dave. Cool I can inspire some people.. I do not know that type of foam, but be carefull when chosing foam, some of the types are very closed in their structure, especialy those big blue mats for "HMF".. But if it is fairly soft it is all good.. I prefer the wool because I can vary it in density and trim it very precisely, just use a scale, to get the same portion in each cup.. The wool also have a habit of filling up the room when left alone for some time..
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Post by MaN227 on Mar 26, 2010 21:55:06 GMT
interesting on the damping ideas. all of them what is that you are using Mike? that is the one thing I can't place. the way it has the angles reminds me of REAL room wall damping material in a mini scale, sorta. I wonder if the spray on stuff used in the car stereo world would work?
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toad
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Post by toad on Mar 26, 2010 22:11:10 GMT
interesting on the damping ideas. all of them what is that you are using Mike? that is the one thing I can't place. the way it has the angles reminds me of REAL room wall damping material in a mini scale, sorta. I wonder if the spray on stuff used in the car stereo world would work? I'm guessing Mikes acoustic reflector is from the bottom of a polystyrene cup but I could be wrong
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Post by dean0 on Mar 26, 2010 22:15:52 GMT
looks like furnature feet protectors?
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toad
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Post by toad on Mar 28, 2010 16:31:05 GMT
OK I tried some of Claus' filter wool stuff.
First I tried about the amount that Claus said to use i.e slightly more than the cup size. The sounds moved forward. Bass was more pronounced and deeper but IMHO not as tight or real sounding. Mids were much more forward but lacked detail and some of their realism. Highs were again forward and very detailed and clear. However they were a little too in your face for my liking and possibly fatiguing for longer sessions? Soundstage suffered considerably with the cans sounding much more closed in.
I then tried halving the amount of wool so there was a loose packing of the filter wool in each cup. Soundstage opened out a bit. Bass was ok but again not as tight as with the open cups. Mids were better but still a little congested coampared to the the open cups. Highs had lost their extra detail and were less in your face. Soundstage was again closed in but not as bad as before.
Finally I tried halving the amount again for a VERY loose packed cup. The soundstage opened out a lot. The bass was again ok but again not as tight as with no filter wool. Mids were improved but still a little congested. Highs were more akin to the open cups.
So finally after all this I returned to wool free cups where IMHO.
Soundstage is excellent. Bass is tight and controlled with no bloat whasoever. Mids are smooth and extremly detailed. One of the best mid range sounds I have ever heard bar none. And Highs are clear and detailed if a tiny and I do mean tiny bit distant.
Live music and orchestral sounds fantastic on the open cupped modded Skytronics. Orchestral Brass has to be heard to be believed.
I hate to say it but these cans are now my favourite ousting my AKG K701s from top slot.
Ian
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Post by clausdk on Mar 28, 2010 17:07:31 GMT
OK I tried some of Claus' filter wool stuff. First I tried about the amount that Claus said to use i.e slightly more than the cup size. The sounds moved forward. Bass was more pronounced and deeper but IMHO not as tight or real sounding. Mids were much more forward but lacked detail and some of their realism. Highs were again forward and very detailed and clear. However they were a little too in your face for my liking and possibly fatiguing for longer sessions? Soundstage suffered considerably with the cans sounding much more closed in. I then tried halving the amount of wool so there was a loose packing of the filter wool in each cup. Soundstage opened out a bit. Bass was ok but again not as tight as with the open cups. Mids were better but still a little congested coampared to the the open cups. Highs had lost their extra detail and were less in your face. Soundstage was again closed in but not as bad as before. Finally I tried halving the amount again for a VERY loose packed cup. The soundstage opened out a lot. The bass was again ok but again not as tight as with no filter wool. Mids were improved but still a little congested. Highs were more akin to the open cups. So finally after all this I returned to wool free cups where IMHO. Soundstage is excellent. Bass is tight and controlled with no bloat whasoever. Mids are smooth and extremly detailed. One of the best mid range sounds I have ever heard bar none. And Highs are clear and detailed if a tiny and I do mean tiny bit distant. Live music and orchestral sounds fantastic on the open cupped modded Skytronics. Orchestral Brass has to be heard to be believed. I hate to say it but these cans are now my favourite ousting my AKG K701s from top slot. Ian Did you cover the holes in the plate that holds the driver ?? The amount of wool is quite hard to describe, because of it's density, but not packed or pushed toogether and rolled into a ball it would be about the same size as a golfball..
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toad
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Post by toad on Mar 28, 2010 18:59:42 GMT
Did you cover the holes in the plate that holds the driver ?? The amount of wool is quite hard to describe, because of it's density, but not packed or pushed toogether and rolled into a ball it would be about the same size as a golfball.. I presume you mean the holes I'd cut out in which case no I didn't cover them. TBH Claus I think these are possibly the best cans I've ever heard now. At the moment I like them more than my AKG 701s so I don't think I'm going to get a better sound out of them only a different sound but not necessarily a worse sound. I'd love to be proved wrong but my experiments so far have been a bit uninspiring. However, I am tempted to keep trying the filter wool so I end up with one set of more closed sounding cans and keep the other as more open, similar to the AKG K701 sound. I have a spare pair that I haven't modded at all so far, so I could try the filter wool with those after I've bedded them in for a few days. Ian
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Post by clausdk on Mar 28, 2010 21:35:15 GMT
I had a suspesion about that. I do think that the two different mods will counteract eachother, only a guess.. But if your mod is working by letting the backside of the drivers speak, the wool will have a negative effect on that, as it dissipates the sound and prevent it from hitting the back "walls" and return from there, which really hurts the short waves of the high notes and let the longer waves from the bass pass more freely.. Just like long radiowaves travel through brickwalls and the shorter lightwaves are stopped.. I also have a suspesion that you can tailor the soundstage to whatever you wish, by putting up a wall inside the backside of the chamber, this way the echo will reach your ears a bit earlier and make a smaller soundstage, if you want a bigger one it could possibly be made by expanding the size off the cup, however there will come a point, where it will become clear that it is an echo we are hearing.. I also think that it would be possible to give a bigger amount of bass by putting a sticker over the holes in the outer wall.. I got a shitload of ideas for modding and after I am sort of finished with my hd660, the Skytronics could be up next ;D ;D I might also return to my closed c-JAYS, but that is an entire different story.. To many projects and not enough time.. Last but not least you are in my little black book, but should I not make a headband for the Skytronics instead ?? That could prove to be a fun little project ;D ChaZ has already made the groundwork with his rubberbands
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Post by MaN227 on Mar 29, 2010 0:33:51 GMT
I've just now bought 1 1/2 inch wide black elastic banding cut down on both ends. Picture a luggage tag that has a strap on both ends. I will take the thinner 'strap' and simple tak in on with some black thread after looping through the two holes. I may investigate also a simple buckle to make it adjustable, perhaps. The "fabric lady" told me that the banding should not fray or such when cut, we shall see. but... alas I have more plans for the ST's, that I will have to get to as well first lol. I need to find some motivations here lately, hard to get going.
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Post by clausdk on Mar 29, 2010 0:57:18 GMT
your thoughts is very much along mine about a headband.. I will get rid of the "paddles" to get more space for some rubberbands and a leather piece.. Rubberbands on the ends in exchange of the springs, then some brown leather/skin to match the cups But only if Ian wants one..
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toad
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Post by toad on Mar 29, 2010 8:15:57 GMT
I'm fine on the Comfort levels of the Skytronics Claus so don't worry about a headband for me. Give it to someone that finds them uncomfortable. Likewise I find the modded HD681s comfy so I don't need a headband for them unless it's purely for looks in which case count me in Ian
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