HD800 "French Mod" aka "SuperDupont Resonator"

Discussion in 'Modifications and Tweaks' started by sorrodje, Jan 17, 2016.

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  1. TwoEars

    TwoEars Friend

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    I think there are something like 40.000 HD800 headphones on the market. So that's only about 39.940 headphones left to go.

    Keep it up, you're doing great. :bird:
     
  2. Johnny_Boy

    Johnny_Boy New

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    This thread is what got me to join SBAF, and I didn't know such forum existed before! Thanks for all the work that went into this! I don't even own a HD800, but now I am seriously thinking about it and adding one of these.
     
  3. TheloniuSnoop

    TheloniuSnoop Friend

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    I received my resonators yesterday. I've tried them with the rug liner mod (too veiled) and alone, and have decided that I prefer just the rug liner mod by itself.
    BUT, consider that my ears are 65 years young, I have tinnitus, and have high freq hearing loss, so take my comments with a big grain of salt.
    Like the ones they leave out for cattle.
     
    Last edited: May 22, 2016
  4. JK47

    JK47 Guest

    Installed my Super Duponts a few minutes ago and took some measurements

    Stock HD800
    HD800.jpg

    Super Duponted
    HD800SDR.jpg


    HD800 vs HD800SD left channel only
    HD800 vs HD800SDR.jpg
     
    Last edited by a moderator: May 17, 2016
  5. sorrodje

    sorrodje Carla Bruni's other lover - Friend

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    @JK47: did you take care to extend fully the resonator in the hole of your hd800?
     
  6. Serious

    Serious Inquisitive Frequency Response Plot

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    Looks like it. The results look pretty good and similar to what I got (Keep in mind that these measurements are SD vs SD upside down. SD upside down measures better than no resonator in the hole). Interested to see if my new resonator pair will measure even better. (I've put the old pair in and out so many times.)

    I think the shape of the rise from 3.5kHz to 6.5kHz matters more than the absolute difference between HD800 and HD800SD considering that we all have slightly different couplers and that our HD800 pads are in a slightly different shape.
     
  7. JK47

    JK47 Guest

    I pushed them in so that the top edge was slightly below the lip, then gently pulled up through the opening (not pinching, a hooking action) with a small set of "J" shaped tweezers, until the top was flush.

    My initial impressions are that the mod takes away the excessive bite of the treble and makes it smoother and more enjoyable.

    @sorrodje Do my measurements looks off? I seem to recall you had a mounting method posted, but have not looked yet ;)

    EDIT: I just gently pushed them in again, and teased them back up to flush. They measured identical to yesterday. I should have mentioned my HD800 is almost brand new, maybe 50 hours max listening time.

    Thanks again @sorrodje !!!
     
    Last edited by a moderator: May 8, 2016
  8. sorrodje

    sorrodje Carla Bruni's other lover - Friend

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    Your mounting seems fine ;) . on your meausrements it seems the 5khz is more tamed than the 6khz. that's why I asked. Bit it also seems my measurements showed a bigger 6khs peak.

    Btw, seems fine and the result is obviously positive.
     
  9. austinpop

    austinpop New

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    Hi @sorrodje

    Apologies for the delay in reporting my listening impressions. I received the SD resonators from you over a week and a half ago. But as you will read, there is a good reason.

    First of all - I do not have any measurement apparatus, so my impressions are purely subjective based on my own listening. Second - as baseline - here is my setup:
    Aries Mini streamer -- Cardas Clear USB --> Ayre Codex -- balanced Moon Black Dragon cable --> HD800 with Anax trapezoids (from Tyll's video)​
    Finally - my musical taste is predominantly classical and jazz, with a dash of 60s and 70s rock and prog rock. So mostly acoustic music that is typically well recorded. Also, 20-25% of my music is DSD, which I realize is atypical.

    When I first put in the SD resonators, my first impression was ... disappointment. It sounded a little too recessed. At least on my best DSD classical recordings. But on rock music, it rendered albums like Band on the Run (96/24), Crime of the Century (192/24), and Close to the Edge (16/44.1) actually listenable with my HD800's, whereas in the past these had been unbearably bright with unmodded HD800, and listenable with the Anax mod.

    So how to achieve a better tonal balance? First to go were the Anax trapezoids. These had been bothering me due to my ear geometry anyway - my outer ears would feel itchy due to the occasional contact with the circular ring. Not the mod's fault - just my shape I guess.

    Ok much better without the Anax, and just the SD. Initially, I would still at times find my classical recordings sounding a little too "smooth," but I decided to give it some time. And that did the trick.

    What I realized is that the treble boost in the 800 can give the impression of enhanced resolution and detail, but with extended listening I realized the info was all still there, and my ears had gotten trained to expect the treble boost. Over time with the SD mod, I really grew to love the tonal balance!

    So in summary - my new golden config is the HD800 with the SD mod and WITHOUT the Anax mod. I'm curious to see how others decide. Oh, one other thing, I did find that removing the dust covers does restore a smidgen more treble that can be welcome in really smooth recordings. I will very occasionally pull off the dust covers if i"m in the mood.

    Many thanks again @sorrodje for your brilliant mod. I am truly loving my HD800's again!

    P.S. What is a Rando? Apparently I am one!
     
  10. sorrodje

    sorrodje Carla Bruni's other lover - Friend

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    Thks for those complete impressions @austinpop . Very very much appreciated.

    Rando is the basic grade for people who didn't participate much here. Good content is rewarded by the title "friend"
     
  11. smithj

    smithj Acquaintance

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    Just posting to confirm that I've received and installed the resonators. Like most have said, the HD800 is still very bright but has lost the majority of that nasty edge that made it unlistenable in a lot of situations. It also seems to respond better to EQ since you don't have to deal with a huge peak at ~6khz.

    I did actually run into a bit of a problem removing the screen like in Tyll's video. Since my HD800 is pretty old (#2681), I think the glue might have congealed. I had to remove a fair amount to prevent it from falling into the driver. Does anyone know a good substitute adhesive to stick the screens back onto the plastic black frame?
     
  12. sorrodje

    sorrodje Carla Bruni's other lover - Friend

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    At this Point, I'd remove completely the Screen , remove all the glue to make it clean and indeed put another removable glue. Maybe I'd begin with School glue ... it"s washable and easily removable in case of.

    you could apply the glue on the grill under the screen but hang on the cup upside down. The Driver should always be up while you're working on the grill . Then Nothing would fall on it.

    Once the glue applied on the grill, I'd put back the screen and let it dry. Elmer's School glue should be Strong enough at least for a few times.

    Honestly, I saw mods where the screen was totally removed and maybe I'd choose to remove the screen completely as well. Dust covers ON shoud be safe enough. Dynamic drivers are not that fragile.
     
    Last edited: May 9, 2016
  13. smithj

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    Yep, while you were typing that post, I decided to try some washable non-toxic glue. I used a small hobby brush to paint brush the glue onto the spider. Works like a charm.
     
  14. Eric_C

    Eric_C Friend

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    Just installed the mod that @sorrodje made for me. It was really easy with all the instructions in the other thread! Works fantastic. Sounds like the way the headphone was always meant to!
     
  15. Med Stude

    Med Stude New

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    I find sorrodjeˋs work very rewarding worthy (@sorrodje thank you for your work).
    Are there people who happen to have both the HD800 with the SD mod and the HD800S and can tell what their experience is after having them for a while?
    What are you preferring, what are you using more for listening. What would you recommend?
    I am interested especially to know what you think about using either one for hearing mixed classical music and pop music of different kind for longer periods of time and both enjoying detailed resolution (for classical music for instance sound stage) and being able to listen to the music in a relaxed way.
     
  16. JK47

    JK47 Guest

    I know reading the whole thread maybe overwhelming, but most of your questions have been answered already. @sorrodje had the HD800S, ended up selling it, and keep the modded HD800...
     
  17. JoshMorr

    JoshMorr Friend

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    Our good friend Tyll also did a pretty comprehensive review and comparison of the two here: http://www.innerfidelity.com/conten...uland-french-diy-response#7sVrbqYY8hsGdCQF.97
     
  18. nephilim

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    Mod applied - finally "John Moriarty Trio - So Many Stars" became listenable. Thanks for the great mod!!
     
  19. TheloniuSnoop

    TheloniuSnoop Friend

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    I decided to give the resonators another shot, and will be keeping them in along with the rug liner mod.

    Chalk my original comments in post #563 up to variable hearing I guess. Sometimes my hearing is a
    bit flat. Not sure why; maybe diet or not enough water (I'm the worst about drinking water when I should).

    Many thanks to sorrodje for developing and manufacturing this. Maybe the single best HD800 mod out there.
     
  20. q2klepto

    q2klepto New

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    Is it better to completely remove the anax 2.0 mod with this installed? I removed the rug liner but kept the creatology foam. Should I ditch the foam and use the original cup liners instead?
     
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