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Samson SR850 free mods

S

spaceman

[H]F Junkie
2FA
Joined
Jan 7, 2005
Messages
14,959
Good headphones. Want to make them better for no $$? ok

So first thing I did was to take all of the material inside the cup that covers the driver. That should be a foam blanket and a sonic something or another piece of cardboard. You should be able to see the driver. If you are afraid of getting hair or what not on the driver just grab a bit of pantyhouse and stretch it over the driver. Cleans up the sound for better directional cues and just plain sounds bigger. I never bothered and am doing fine almost a year later.

What I actually did to mine was take a few strips of memory foam and tape them to the pads then taped some microfiber towel cloth that you can get at the dollar store. This puts the drivers a bit further away from my ear and gives the sound stage a bit more "air" while the comfort level and complete lack of sweaty ears is a real bonus.

DSC01995.jpg

DSC01994.jpg


Also, there s the sock mod

http://www.head-fi.org/t/470304/shure-srh840-earpad-mod

Enjoy! They are great for the $$.
 
Ghetto mods ftw son!

Looks like shit, sounds and feels like a dream.
 
That is ugly.

I have some of these on the way. I really don't want to make them look like dog crap though. I hope they are comfortable and sound good. :cool:
 
SonDa5 said:
That is ugly.

I have some of these on the way. I really don't want to make them look like dog crap though. I hope they are comfortable and sound good. :cool:
Click to expand...

Just do the sock mod then. It looks great unless you use pink socks lol.

I just prefer fabric earpads to pleather.
 
spaceman said:
Also, there s the sock mod

http://www.head-fi.org/t/470304/shure-srh840-earpad-mod

Enjoy! They are great for the $$.
Click to expand...



Have you ever tried pulling a sock over your mod? Would clean up the appearance a little and possibly improve sound.

The sock mod looks interesting.


As long as the pleather isn't putting pressure on my ear lobes I think I will be ok. My experience with pleather is that after using it awhile it breaks in and gets softer and works descent at creating a seal.

I might try the sock mod if needed or go to a crafts store and try my hand at sowing a mod together.

Also saw some vleour pads that might fit for around $30 online.
 
These headphones appealed to me because I tend to prefer the stage of open designs, but:

I'm a bit afraid of the reported "excess high-frequency energy above 5Khz" on these Samson/Superlux cans. I suppose I could create some passive filtering for them if it really bothers me.

There is that, and the 50hz and below bass rolloff on the sr-850 / 668b. I'm wondering if some mods could help with this issue... or if more EQ'ing is in order.

Interestingly, in the InnerFidelity review of the Superlux headphones, the FR of the Superlux 681 (cheaper, red-accented bass-heavy version), along with its bass distortion, appear to be better than that of the 668B. Still, the author preferred the 668B.

I'm tempted to just get the Fostex T50RP and mod the hell out of it...although I have no idea whether or not I'll like it, and I don't like any headphone enough to really take such risks.

Meh... this is the reason that I've defaulted to my simple Koss KSC-75's... cheap, I can throw them around, and they still perform acceptably. [I have 3 pairs of Ultimate Ears Triple.Fi 10's as reference phones + a veritable headphone graveyard]
 
The fostex has a really small soundstage and is great for music but sucks for gaming. That and they are really heavy.

I don't care what the specs say, there isn't an issue with high freqs or low. Of course, I am 38 so the high freqs might just be normal aging hearing loss. Still, the bass is there big time. I don't agree with that rolloff stat at all. Much more like 35-40 hz but the tanks in bf3 still RUMBLE as much as you could want them to.
 
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Alright then... I'm taking the plunge... purchased. I can always use a bit of filtering if I'm having trouble with it.
 
Archmage said:
Alright then... I'm taking the plunge... purchased. I can always use a bit of filtering if I'm having trouble with it.
Click to expand...

They are light as a feather. I have no issues with the frequencies on either end of the spectrum but I'm no spring chicken. My teenage sons have no issues with the sound quality either, however. The pleather takes a little getting used too (I too prefer velour) but its better than some and seems to soften a bit with use.
 
Mine arrived earlier today and played some music on them and some games. Very comfortable Extremely light weight.

They sound decent but I don't have a sound card of amp and I think they would benefit from either because they sound a little quiet. Supposed to be 32ohm but they sound like higher ohm. Probably going to get a cheap sound card with built in amp.
 
SonDa5 said:
Mine arrived earlier today and played some music on them and some games. Very comfortable Extremely light weight.

They sound decent but I don't have a sound card of amp and I think they would benefit from either because they sound a little quiet. Supposed to be 32ohm but they sound like higher ohm. Probably going to get a cheap sound card with built in amp.
Click to expand...

Yeah that will really help. Even a asus xonar dg will be a pretty good step up. I have a Xonar DX and they sound really decent straight out of that.

They are rated at 32ohm but do much better with a bit of power. I use my receiver which has enough juice for anything I have listened to so far.

I did just try the 850s with my phone and they were really quiet compared to the receiver.
 
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I went with Sennheisers HD448's over these for $50. Very comfy. I heard good things about these, but people seem to mod them so much to get a good sound it makes me stay away from them...

Still, ugly is ugly. XD
 
Well i was just commenting on how comfortable velour pads are. My friend got a pair of orca's and i have to say those are very good headphones surprisingly enough. I have two complaints, One being they are large, I don't have a small head but i have to use them on the smallest setting and same for him. And two being the ring behind the pads is kinda sharp, But not very.
 
skeeder said:
I went with Sennheisers HD448's over these for $50. Very comfy. I heard good things about these, but people seem to mod them so much to get a good sound it makes me stay away from them...

Still, ugly is ugly. XD
Click to expand...

It's not to get good sound out of them. It's that the stock pads sweat your ears to death! After the headphones are broken in they sound fabulous as I love my 668B's.

(I agree these mods are fugly so I still sweat with mine.)
 
cageymaru said:
After the headphones are broken in they sound fabulous as I love my 668B's.
Click to expand...


How long is break in time?

I just got mine yesterday and they sound decent but they seem a little held back on mids and highs while the base seems to be the strongest frequency.

Very comfortable on my head.

I don't want to buy an extra amp or sound card till I get a taste of the "break in" sound.
 
SonDa5 said:
How long is break in time?

I just got mine yesterday and they sound decent but they seem a little held back on mids and highs while the base seems to be the strongest frequency.

Very comfortable on my head.

I don't want to buy an extra amp or sound card till I get a taste of the "break in" sound.
Click to expand...

Well some say break in is a myth and some swear by it. If i where a person who belived in that kinda stuff I would burn them in for 20 hours at least. Just listen to them on your favorite music and they will burn in.
 
mannyman said:
Well some say break in is a myth and some swear by it. If i where a person who belived in that kinda stuff I would burn them in for 20 hours at least. Just listen to them on your favorite music and they will burn in.
Click to expand...



Break in could just be a period where non conductive moisture on wires take time to dry out to improve conductivity. That is the only thing that I could think of which could possibly seem true.


These head phones are so close to sounding good to me. I feel like they are higher ohms than 32.
 
SonDa5 said:
Break in could just be a period where non conductive moisture on wires take time to dry out to improve conductivity. That is the only thing that I could think of which could possibly seem true.


These head phones are so close to sounding good to me. I feel like they are higher ohms than 32.
Click to expand...

Another possibility it stretching of the surround and spiders. Im not sure if headphone elements have either.
 
bluntspoon said:
I have these. They sound great, but my big complaint is my ears sweat like heck after a while.

I have ordered

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Replacement...S_Replacement_Parts_Tools&hash=item3a7828a220

to try and solve the problem.

I'll post after I have used them for a bit.
Click to expand...

Okie Doke. Earpads are in and fit fine. They feel "hand made". I can picture a family in China with an old sewing machine in their back room doing these one at a time. Not quite perfect circles and the join between the velour and vinyl backing is a bit off. If this effects the longevity I have no idea.

Interior space for the ear is a bit smaller also. I have ....large ears and can feel the difference.

There is a HUGE difference in comfort. Massive. Easily worth the $15 shipped.

Sound. At first I thought it wasn't that different. The more I listen to familiar songs however I think there is a real change. Highs are less pronounced and bass more so. Sounds a bit muddy? If that's the term. I will need to mess with equalizer settings a bit I think.

Overall I'm VERY happy to have these. Spend the $ guys. It's worth it just on the comfort alone.
 
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bluntspoon said:
Okie Doke. Earpads are in and fit fine. They feel "hand made". I can picture a family in China with an old sewing machine in their back room doing these one at a time. Not quite perfect circles and the join between the velour and vinyl backing is a bit off. If this effects the longevity I have no idea.

Interior space for the ear is a bit smaller also. I have ....large ears and can feel the difference.

There is a HUGE difference in comfort. Massive. Easily worth the $15 shipped.

Sound. At first I thought it wasn't that different. The more I listen to familiar songs however I think there is a real change. Highs are less pronounced and bass more so. Sounds a bit muddy? If that's the term. I will need to mess with equalizer settings a bit I think.

Overall I'm VERY happy to have these. Spend the $ guys. It's worth it just on the comfort alone.
Click to expand...



Those look comfy.

Could you post a picture of them on the SR850s?
 
Take the foam cover and the half moon piece of cardboard off of the drivers and the highs will return.
 
These are not feeling very durable. They still sound good though. Still lacking in the mid to high sounds. Just not as clear as I was hoping for. I really don't want to mod them either.


Also for being open design they sound more on the closed side to me. When I put them on they do block more ambient sound than what I expected.
 
SonDa5 said:
These are not feeling very durable. They still sound good though. Still lacking in the mid to high sounds. Just not as clear as I was hoping for. I really don't want to mod them either.


Also for being open design they sound more on the closed side to me. When I put them on they do block more ambient sound than what I expected.
Click to expand...

You are currently listening with a thick foam pad and a piece of cardboard covering the driver.

Take that crap off and then listen.

Also, move the headphones around a bit on your head until you find the sweet spot for listening. You need to get your ear in the right spot in regards to the driver too. Not just for this one but for every full sized headphone.

Oh and durable? lol Mine sure as hell are. I am rough with them as they are my cheap gaming cans. They have been knocked off the desk and had the cord yanked, been modded and defiled .... Still, after a year they work fine.
 
spaceman said:
Also, move the headphones around a bit on your head until you find the sweet spot for listening. You need to get your ear in the right spot in regards to the driver too. Not just for this one but for every full sized headphone.
Click to expand...

This usually involves putting the back of your ear flush, or close to, the inner ring of the pad. This lets the drivers point at your outer ear and let it do work by helping to give positional cues. Ultrasone and some others like Audio Technica that use angled drivers don't really apply here.
 
bluntspoon said:
Okie Doke. Earpads are in and fit fine. They feel "hand made". I can picture a family in China with an old sewing machine in their back room doing these one at a time. Not quite perfect circles and the join between the velour and vinyl backing is a bit off. If this effects the longevity I have no idea.

Interior space for the ear is a bit smaller also. I have ....large ears and can feel the difference.

There is a HUGE difference in comfort. Massive. Easily worth the $15 shipped.

Sound. At first I thought it wasn't that different. The more I listen to familiar songs however I think there is a real change. Highs are less pronounced and bass more so. Sounds a bit muddy? If that's the term. I will need to mess with equalizer settings a bit I think.

Overall I'm VERY happy to have these. Spend the $ guys. It's worth it just on the comfort alone.
Click to expand...

Update.

Less happy. The inner "hole" in these pads is smaller than stock. My ears don't really fit inside fully anymore. It's uncomfortable to the point I'm going to try something else. If you have smaller ears this may not be a problem.
 
not exactly free, but still pretty cheap, some nice pics/tutorials to make your own earpads:
http://www.head-fi.org/t/486173/custom-ear-pads-pics
http://www.head-fi.org/t/562891/request-custom-earpad-tutorial-for-fullsized-cans

I can vouch for the method in the first link, by taking the old pads apart and using the same attachment ring for the base of your custom earpad, makes re-installing easy and final fit/finish looks super clean

if you don't want to make new earpads from scratch, you could always un-sew the current earpads and stuff more foam/cotton balls/polyfil and sew it back up, that works quite well too
 
bluntspoon said:
Update.

Less happy. The inner "hole" in these pads is smaller than stock. My ears don't really fit inside fully anymore. It's uncomfortable to the point I'm going to try something else. If you have smaller ears this may not be a problem.
Click to expand...

Lol do my "mod" then. the inner ring stays the same and your ears are further from the drivers giving them a larger sound stage. Looks stupid I know. So does my 5.1, but they both work great.
 
SonDa5 said:
How long is break in time?

I just got mine yesterday and they sound decent but they seem a little held back on mids and highs while the base seems to be the strongest frequency.

Very comfortable on my head.

I don't want to buy an extra amp or sound card till I get a taste of the "break in" sound.
Click to expand...

You have the HD 668B? Mine started off really bright; to the point that the highs drowned out the bass. Then after a few days of me leaving them playing at a pretty low level smothered under a towel so it didn't bother me, they became more neutral in their sound. I don't know if it's the surround that needs to be flexed something else, but it definitely changed the signature of the sound. Was it a HUGE change? No. But it became more musically balanced without a doubt.

Someone else was talking about a cardboard piece inside the headphones? I've only removed the ear pads to clean them and the foam pad that is held in place by the ear pads. Is it in the HS 668B also?

Thx!
 
cageymaru said:
You have the HD 668B? Mine started off really bright; to the point that the highs drowned out the bass. Then after a few days of me leaving them playing at a pretty low level smothered under a towel so it didn't bother me, they became more neutral in their sound. I don't know if it's the surround that needs to be flexed something else, but it definitely changed the signature of the sound. Was it a HUGE change? No. But it became more musically balanced without a doubt.

Someone else was talking about a cardboard piece inside the headphones? I've only removed the ear pads to clean them and the foam pad that is held in place by the ear pads. Is
it in the HS 668B also?

Thx!
Click to expand...


I had the SR850 but my ears were not happy with the sound and I exchanged them for AHT-AD700 which are less harsh on my ears.
 
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