I'm back! Plus Koss Porta Pro...

Discussion in 'Modifications and Tweaks' started by Bill-P, Jan 21, 2017.

  1. Bill-P

    Bill-P Level 42 Mad Wizard

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    Back!

    And I promised folks I'd post things, so here's the 1st thing on my mind right now: Koss Porta Pro dynamat mod:

    1. Rip off foam/ear pads and you should see this:
    [​IMG]

    2. Cover it with dynamat like this:
    [​IMG]

    Also how to "improve" on dynamat: get regular dynamat and replace the stock aluminum sheet thing with metal foil tape material. Found here:

    Aluminum: (brighter sounding, somewhat harsh in the upper mid, but will work better with darker headphones, this is virtually indistinguishable from stock dynamat, me thinks)
    https://www.amazon.com/AMACO-ArtEmboss-Metal-4-Inch-16-Feet/dp/B000XAHG9K/

    Brass: ("bitey" sounding, but not bright. More relaxed than aluminum. My favorite as I find it best for dark-neutral headphones)
    https://www.amazon.com/AMACO-ArtEmboss-Metal-4-Inch-16-Feet/dp/B001684AKQ/

    Copper: (somewhat darker and "heavier" sounding than the other two. Best for HD600/800)
    https://www.amazon.com/AMACO-ArtEmboss-Metal-4-Inch-16-Feet/dp/B001685T1U/

    What do I mean by "replace"? Well, scrape the black goo thing off the stock dynamat piece and then spread them on to the metal foil tape and use it like that instead. Also, you may want to have just a thin layer of the goo instead of a super thick one like stock dynamat. This makes the piece much thinner, more compact, easier to slot in other places, and you can apply it on surfaces where applying stock dynamat as it is would not make sense.

    *Actual* or *real* improvements to sound? Well, who knows. But it's worth a try, isn't it? ;)
     
  2. HitmanFluffy

    HitmanFluffy Hoping to see real genitals someday!

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    Bill-P finally letting the foil tape mod into the wild. I could not really tell the difference with a HD600, but YMMV.
     
  3. TuenD

    TuenD New

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    wow =]]]]] , so amazing !!! =]]]]]]]]]]]
     
  4. CEE TEE

    CEE TEE MOT: NITSCH

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    I have some new limited edition Rhythm Beige Portapros in box and have not yet broken the seal...already thinking of mods and I haven't started wearing mine yet!
     
  5. gixxerwimp

    gixxerwimp Professional tricycle rider

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  6. DigMe

    DigMe Friend

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    The beige ones remind me of something you'd see in a school that would be purchased from a teacher supply catalog.
     
  7. CEE TEE

    CEE TEE MOT: NITSCH

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    TOTALLY. Stole them from the school library-look. Retro-cool.
     
  8. Decomo

    Decomo Almost "Made"

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    My PortaPro has currently Kramer Mod on it and sounds great. I wonder how this Foil Mod sounds different to Kramer modded one.. Would there be any chance to see the frequency chart graph after applying Bill-P's Foil Mod?
     
  9. Bill-P

    Bill-P Level 42 Mad Wizard

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    No frequency change! Or at least not as far as I can see.

    I think there may be changes in other places... similar to what Marv was able to record with another headphone. Dynamat isn't meant to mess with FR after all. (unless you intentionally want it to)
     
  10. Decomo

    Decomo Almost "Made"

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    Thank you..Have you ever had chance listen Kramer modded version? If so, what would be main difference between the two in terms of sound sig?
     
  11. landroni

    landroni Friend

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    What are the perceived deficiencies of the PortaPros? We know quite a lot about the HD650, but there's been quite fewer talk about the PortaPros.

    I've been thoroughly enjoying my PortaPros with the Modi Multibit + E12DIY (with NE5532 opamp) over the last couple of weeks, and now I'm confident to say that the PortaPros are very well an upgrade over the FiiO EX1. I'm not yet versed in the art of detecting audiophile subtleties, and sofar I don't detect much wrong about the PortaPros... Which is why I'm not sure why I should attempt this mod. ;)
     
  12. Bill-P

    Bill-P Level 42 Mad Wizard

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    Honestly, I haven't. I find the Koss Porta Pro to already have just the right bass punch and midrange forwardness, so I've been shying away from trying Kramer's mod. But maybe when I get an extra pair of Porta Pro, I'll try Kramer's mod and see.

    Mm... bass too blurry/distorted/hazy, I guess. Impact is decent (falls behind compared to my HE-5), and extension is quite good, though. This mod addresses a good amount of that, but Porta Pro is still not a bass monster to me. It's more like a neutral-ish on-ear headphone for me.

    Maybe some folks will wish for that very last bit of treble sparkle/extension, but I find the Porta Pro to have just the right amount of treble to me. Maybe a tiny little bit of extra sparkle would be cool, but I don't find that necessary.

    I do know what needs to be done for the Porta Pro to have that treble extension, though. Just debating on whether or not to post it, because I find that it brings with it some other issues.
     
  13. landroni

    landroni Friend

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    Some related comments from the cheapo comparo thread:
    The other instance I've heard of phones being described as "fun" was the Denon D7000...


    ````
    How do you do this? The only reference I know is this:
    [​IMG]
     
  14. Bill-P

    Bill-P Level 42 Mad Wizard

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    More experiments:

    [​IMG]

    Found that this keeps stock sound but does help quite a bit with clarity. For those who enjoy the Porta Pro's amount of bass and don't want to sacrifice that in the name of clarity.

    Not shown: I "coated" my dynamat pieces with a layer of black thingie. But rest assured: I did cover my Porta Pro in dynamat. I think Porta Pro responds well to dynamat, unlike some others. :)
     
  15. Decomo

    Decomo Almost "Made"

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    Yes, we drill holes :) Here is the demonstration video.

     
  16. Decomo

    Decomo Almost "Made"

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    What happens if we just do foam mod without Dynamat? Will it also help keep stock sound and help a bit with clarity? It is hard to get Dynamat where I live and also expensive to import (via eBay) hence, try to find a way without using dynamat. :)
     
  17. Bill-P

    Bill-P Level 42 Mad Wizard

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    You can try and report back. :)

    Sorry, I'm too lazy to rip off all of the dynamat pieces now. Hahaha.

    And I've ran out of dynamat, too, so I wouldn't want to rip any off lest I won't have enough to stick these things back on.

    But seriously, my favorite portable headphone currently is the Koss Porta Pro. When I got to play briefly with the EMU CAL clone thing, I liked it as well, but portability-wise, I still feel Porta Pro is king due to size advantage.
     
  18. Decomo

    Decomo Almost "Made"

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    @Bill-P Thank you for suggestion. My porta Pro has crushed over a month ago and just got new one. Instead of applying Kramer mod, I just applied foam hole mod and quite like it. Kept stock bassy sound but with more clarity. It sounds more open, too... Keen try dynamat mod to tame the bass slightly and improve clarity further.
     
  19. Decomo

    Decomo Almost "Made"

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    Tried to put more holes around the core to bring out treble & mid a bit more. So far I like it. I might get new pad and just apply one large hole on centre to see how it changes overall sound..
    [​IMG]
     
  20. Bill-P

    Bill-P Level 42 Mad Wizard

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    Yep! That's exactly how I have my pads right now. Wouldn't recommend large hole in the middle due to comfort reasons, but I think you can try to make more holes on the peripherals and see.

    The pad mod is one of the simplest things that you can do to the Porta Pro that nets some very substantial results.
     

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