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Post by ukkisavosta on Dec 23, 2010 12:53:21 GMT
Hello everyone, I had to register on this forum to share my gratitude to all the knowledgeable folks on here.  I had seen the Superlux mentioned here and there previously, but never paid much attention before they were mentioned in a dedicated audio forum. Well, my HD681's along with a pair of AKG velour pads arrived today. What can I say, I'm as blown away as most people probably are. I will definitely apply the filter mod to the HD681's to tone down the high end, and I expect the sound to develop still, but it is clear from the start that these headphones have very much potential. So, I already ordered a pair of HD668B's as well.  Anyway, I'm just blown away. How can they produce such great sound for so little money? Have they just copied AKG or where is the know-how coming from? I have a Superlux microphone as well, but I haven't heard anything about the company before (only for a year or so). They must have some serious R&D people working for them, if they're not copying any designs. My primary cans are the Senn HD650's, and while the HD681's have much more emphasis in the lows and highs, there is a certain refinement in the sound as can be heard in the HD650's, and no hollowness or boominess at all. Thanks again for all the great info. |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 23, 2010 13:24:19 GMT
the drivers of the Superlux are their own development at least it's what they claim, perhaps they were once copied and improved. The drivers themselves look nor sound anything like the K240 or other AKG's They just share the design of housing, just like they copied the Beyer DT770 housing.  don't know if patents were breached but don't think so, otherwise they would not have continued making their headphones. the build quality of Superluxes is not as good as the originals but it's all about the sound.... and they do sound good.  Especially for the money and certainly once modded. |
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toad
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Post by toad on Dec 23, 2010 13:25:20 GMT
Welcome ukkisavosta. They do have rather a good sound to price ratio don't they |
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Post by ukkisavosta on Dec 23, 2010 13:40:33 GMT
Yes, I suppose that they would have been put out of business already, if they had just copied the designs directly. It's been a while since I last listened to any AKG's, so I was just assuming that from the top of my head. Anyway, a very noteworthy accomplishment by Superlux for making such great sounding headphones.
Thanks also for your detailed mods, solderdude/Frans! I actually didn't even consider getting the HD681's before reading up on your modifications and impressions. I'm glad I did!
I've also ordered one of the cheap tube amplifiers (Muse/Indeed/Bravo... mine is the Muse I believe) and noticed that there is a big thread on modifying them as well. Rock Grotto is a great forum with so many experts.
Now I need to source some components.
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Post by ukkisavosta on Dec 23, 2010 13:45:46 GMT
Thanks, toad - they certainly do! They complement my HD650's perfectly with the different sound signature. I can see myself listening to the Superluxes when I'm in the mood for some active sounds. I love the smooth, velvety refinement of the HD650's, but it's nice to have some options. Actually, I also bought a pair of Fostex T40RP mk II orthos recently, and they need some serious modding and padding to sound good, and they still sound boomy and hollow compared to the Superluxes. |
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Post by ukkisavosta on Dec 27, 2010 21:32:07 GMT
Well, after a week with the HD681's I can say that the bass is somewhat overwhelming.  For me, these headphones work great for casual listening of certain types of music (rock, electronic), but I can't seem to "ease" myself into their sound - I guess I'm subconsciously afraid of the next RRRUMBLE-N-BOOM. The highs are also a bit too much, but I'm expecting the filter to take care of that. Anyway, there's no point in taming down the bass, as I'm expecting the 668B's to arrive any day, so the HD681's will remain as my mind-blowing action cans. They're a total opposite of the Sennheisers in that sense. |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 27, 2010 22:07:48 GMT
Mount a filter to tame the highs and shove some wadding in the cups to lower the bass level.
tightens them up a bit too.
Don't overdo the wadding or you will kill all of the bass.
What the HD681 has too much (top treble and low extension) the HD668B has a bit too little.
Mids of the HD668B are better though
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Post by ukkisavosta on Dec 28, 2010 19:43:45 GMT
Yes, that's a good idea. I could try to add some damping into the cups. But I think I'll wait for the HD688B's to arrive first: it's nice to be able to select a headphone to suit one's mood instead of trying to make every pair sound the same.
On another note, I received a pair of Voskhod 6N1P tubes for the Muse amp I am expecting soon. I need to check out the suggested mods for that small amp as well.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 28, 2010 22:31:44 GMT
the 6N1P cannot be used in the Muse and similar amps.
the glowing current needs to be around 300mA for these amps to work, the 6N1P = 600mA so this one won't work unless you do the TSR-2465 mod or feed the heater from a separate power supply.
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Post by ukkisavosta on Dec 28, 2010 22:47:44 GMT
Ah, that's true. I noticed the higher current requirement, but I didn't realize the difference was so high as to render it unusable with this amp.
Anyway, thanks again solderdude. I am also expecting a 6DJ8 Sylvania tube, so I'll try that one first for tube rolling.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 4, 2011 20:18:36 GMT
I was playing with my HD681 and SR850's filters again to get the sound closer to the SFI's.  Since the bass quantity of the HD681 is a bit over the top and it could do with a little less and some tightening I had put wool inside the cups. This wool 'obstructs' free airflow somewhat and thus lessens and tightens the lows as these are affected most by this. The HD681 has deeper bass (lower extension) but the SR850 is tighter/more contolled but has less extension. The most obvious difference between these two headphones is the hole arrangement on the back grille. Being in an experimantal mood I swapped the HD681's backgrille with the SR850's as the amount of air that can travel through them is quite different and the smaller holes of the SR850 appeared to me to have a similar effect as the wool.  Guess what... the SR850 had deeper bass (not much more extension) and the bass of the HD681 got less and more tight and lost a bit extension. The treble and mids remained virtually unchanged but the bass 'switched' cans. Now to have HD681 bass 'in between' these 2 levels would be ideal. This was quite easy to do and could even take out the damping wool.  If you want less bass and have it tightend up a bit too ... simply cover one or more of the 8 holes in the back grille.  You can easily hear the effect by closing 2 holes with your fingers while listening. Post your findings, curious to see if it works for other owners too |
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Post by ukkisavosta on Jan 5, 2011 7:09:54 GMT
Great finding! I am going to try to cover some of the holes with tape or felt to see if it makes a difference. I also received my HD668B's and Muse amp yesterday. I haven't had the time to burn them in or even give them a short listen as of yet, but I'm going to check out whether the cups are different in the HD668B's as well. Still haven't found the time to sit down and order the filter components for my HD681's and Muse amp. Too much work gets in the way of hobbies these days. |
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Post by utajum on Jan 24, 2011 21:20:14 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jan 24, 2011 21:51:54 GMT
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pjc68
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Post by pjc68 on Jan 24, 2011 22:13:02 GMT
The velour ones are more comfy (on 240) not to sure about superluxes, imagine would be the same comfort. paddy |
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Post by scappers on Mar 11, 2011 17:53:10 GMT
First post ! Just wanted to say I bought the HD681s and am well impressed. Seem to have just as much detail as my HD25-1s, better treble than my Sony XB700s, and the bass isn't overpowering at all. In fact it seems 'weak', maybe that changes (although the XB700 do have huge bass). Can't compare to my DT770/250s as I never wear them as they are sooo uncomfortable. A total bargain for the price. And a total bargain at a much higher price too. Won't bother with the treble mod as I have crap hearing anyway.
Anyway, great recommendation !
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Post by Deleted on Apr 17, 2011 18:32:13 GMT
A mans work is never done... a lot of users (including me) find the bass of the HD681 over the top but like the extension (subwoofer type lows). The 'hole closing mod' does decrease the low extension and makes the bass 'tighter' this way. It isn't ideal though and only alters the extension which is not what I really wanted. So I got out the soldering iron again (have to honour my alias) and decided to lower the bass LEVEL electrically leavinng the extension as is (really like that). Now the bass is lower in LEVEL but NOT in extension. So real deep bass but not as overblown as it is stock or filter modded. Addition to the original filter: a 22uF bipolar non polar electrolytic cap and a resistor for each channel. The HD681 now sounds much more open and better balanced. This bass mod has a downside. The higher the output impedance of the amplifier driving it is, the less the bass filter works. It does work excellent on portable gear and low voltage headphone amps (Neco portable alikes). The HD681 really takes yet another few steps up the ladder and opens up in the mids considerably, still has high details and DEEP subwoofer alike lows yet not overblown anymore but nicely balanced, more towards HD250 presentation as it were. Ofcourse the obligatory velours pads help in the smoother sounding and nicer feel department too. Here are the schematics:  Some values have changed slightly in the last iteration. For the correct values download the pdf file below. This is where a higher resolution pdf can be found: www.mediafire.com/?pdkiijey07v9ai4 |
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Post by anttirr on May 2, 2011 6:50:53 GMT
Hello all. This is my first post here. Just wanted to give small hint for all about changing pads. AKG pads costs app 17€ nad posting is about 10€. You can make velour pads very easily yourself if you just have sewing machine.  These are DIY velour pads. Costs about 1 euro to do! Some critical measures FYI: Velour pieces are 30 x 9 cm sized and "leather" part that comes around the cup is 5 x 30 cm, Inside leather part i put elastic ribbing tape. For Filling i used pillow stuffing (Ikea pillow, costs few € ) Some more pictures of my superlux 668b mods.  Cable used is Canare L-4E6S. Plug is Neutrik ("China")  Ive made also another pads from leather. Sound is more intimate and different from velourish version. Headstrap is also "updated" to single type and made from leather. Phones are much more comfortable to use than with the original ones. Great Phones for the prize and very easy and fun to mod! |
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Post by vodka on May 2, 2011 22:49:37 GMT
These are *amazing*!! I'll definitely be doing some for my SR850.
So, 30x9cm for the earpad and 30x5cm for the leather part... I don't have a sewing machine but I can do something with some thread and a needle..
How much pillow stuffing have you used? I mean, how plump should the pads be? Also, what's your technique for sewing them? Just wrap the velour around the pillow stuffing and then sew it as if it were a "tube", then bend it as to form a circle and sew the ends, making the pad?
Thank you.
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Z
Fully Modded
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Post by Z on May 2, 2011 23:30:04 GMT
Hello all. This is my first post here. Just wanted to give small hint for all about changing pads. AKG pads costs app 17€ nad posting is about 10€. You can make velour pads very easily yourself if you just have sewing machine. These are DIY velour pads. Costs about 1 euro to do! Some critical measures FYI: Velour pieces are 30 x 9 cm sized and "leather" part that comes around the cup is 5 x 30 cm, Inside leather part i put elastic ribbing tape. For Filling i used pillow stuffing (Ikea pillow, costs few € ) Some more pictures of my superlux 668b mods. Cable used is Canare L-4E6S. Plug is Neutrik ("China") Ive made also another pads from leather. Sound is more intimate and different from velourish version. Headstrap is also "updated" to single type and made from leather. Phones are much more comfortable to use than with the original ones. Great Phones for the prize and very easy and fun to mod! hey, how do you cut the foam anyway? i bought this foam crap to make my own pads for the dt770 and never could figure out how to cut it without getting tiny fibers all over the place. |
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Post by vodka on May 3, 2011 2:13:54 GMT
I tried making one pad now with a 30x9cm piece of cloth (filled with pillow stuffing) just to practice.. I couldn't make it bend like a circle, I mean when I finish sewing the "tube" and then proceed to sew its ends to turn it into a pad itself, it doesn't bend as it should, it's like it breaks into smaller pieces. I don't know how should I sew it to keep it from behaving like that..
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XTRProf
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Post by XTRProf on May 3, 2011 2:55:33 GMT
[/img] [/quote] Hi there, Ah, those reminded of my pillows and bed cover comfort. Excellent DIY there! |
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elysion
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Post by elysion on May 3, 2011 3:19:49 GMT
Hello all. This is my first post here. Just wanted to give small hint for all about changing pads. AKG pads costs app 17€ nad posting is about 10€. You can make velour pads very easily yourself if you just have sewing machine. These are DIY velour pads. Costs about 1 euro to do! Some critical measures FYI: Velour pieces are 30 x 9 cm sized and "leather" part that comes around the cup is 5 x 30 cm, Inside leather part i put elastic ribbing tape. For Filling i used pillow stuffing (Ikea pillow, costs few € ) Some more pictures of my superlux 668b mods. Cable used is Canare L-4E6S. Plug is Neutrik ("China") Ive made also another pads from leather. Sound is more intimate and different from velourish version. Headstrap is also "updated" to single type and made from leather. Phones are much more comfortable to use than with the original ones. Great Phones for the prize and very easy and fun to mod! Really great DIY!  |
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Post by anttirr on May 3, 2011 6:07:21 GMT
Hi all and thanks for questions. I will try to make later today step by step guide for DIY velourpads! Hope that it will give you all answers |
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Post by anttirr on May 3, 2011 20:57:07 GMT
Hi all and thanks for questions. I will try to make later today step by step guide for DIY velourpads! Hope that it will give you all answers Ok. No DIY posts today. I made new pads to my friends Grado's but now i need some sleep. And pads are not so good as i wanted them to be. but i have all the screens / pics now available for use. Good night. Later... |
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Guess what... the SR850 had deeper bass (not much more extension) and the bass of the HD681 got less and more tight and lost a bit extension. 
