Modded my HD518's to be way less boomy and more neutral.

Discussion in 'Modifications and Tweaks' started by MF_Kitten, Jun 15, 2018.

  1. MF_Kitten

    MF_Kitten Banned per own request

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    This is the most obvious mod to anyone who has modded headphones before, but the implications are interesting. Basically, these headphones have the same drivers as the HD598, and the frequency response is VERY similar. The biggest difference that sticks out is the big mid bass hump in the 518's. I'm not a fan of it. However, simply putting cotton between the driver and grille will flatten that hump. The more you dampen it the more it flattens out. And most importantly: The sub bass doesn't suffer! I was doing measurements with my EARS, opening and stuffing etc, and found a great combination of cotton and foam that really flattened the mid bass and midrange. It looks like someone used an EQ to do a very wide Q cut there. I stuffed it so much I had to hold it squeezed shut while screwing it back together, because the foam would push the baffle off of the cup if I didn't.

    This brings up an interesting point about perceived soundstage... Have you ever noticed how headphones that sound really wide also have a boosted low mids/mid bass range? Well, that's because that's where we're the most sensitive to "width"! I've noticed this when mixing music too. It's a very interesting observation about human hearing. Anyway, I can't say I notice any differences, as I'm not a big "soundstage guy". But this is basically the opposite of the HD515 mod where people tear out some foam.
     
  2. vampula

    vampula New

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    dude, they practically have the same driver as hd558/598(555/585/569/599 etc exept 515) so its pretty clear that hd518 can perform way better than stock. :)
     
  3. MF_Kitten

    MF_Kitten Banned per own request

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    Not all of them actually, some of the middle ones have a different driver. This mod actually made the frequency response way more linear, which is super cool :)
     
  4. vampula

    vampula New

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    nope. same drivers, different demping.
     
  5. MF_Kitten

    MF_Kitten Banned per own request

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    I remember reading a thread about this where people opened them all up, and one of the 5xx series headphones has a different driver. No idea why.
     
  6. vampula

    vampula New

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    hd515. Its a well-known fact. Others are the same with minor differences in demping and added bass-port plug.
     
  7. MF_Kitten

    MF_Kitten Banned per own request

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    Yeah, that's the one!

    It's hilarious how good value the HD518 is, honestly. For some reason they sound 90% the same with a pad change too, unlike most Sennheisers. I have HM5 velour pads on this pair, and it works very well. Along with the heavy damping, these are very pleasant and neutral-ish cans!
     

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