HD650 KISS mod

Discussion in 'Modifications and Tweaks' started by purr1n, Dec 6, 2016.

  1. Taverius

    Taverius Smells like sausages

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    Ah, it was just nervosa!

    Thank you for clarifying.
     
  2. abisai2

    abisai2 Friend

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    So it turns out a had some Dynamat in my garage after all from my days of car stereo shenanigans. I don't miss working with this stuff. :\

    Anyway, picked up some Creatology foam this morning and went to work. To make dealing with the Dynamat easier I also picked up a set of shears for thick fabric. I attached the Creatology foam to the Dynamat and cut a sheet about the size of letter size paper. To keep the shears clean I used some WD40 sprayed on a paper towel, wiped the the blades clean, and cleaned any excess. I then cut a strip the size of a 12" ruler and made the final cuts from that strip.

    At first I was only going to try Dynamat without modifying the spider. Once I had things taken apart the spider went as well. The strips and foam we're applied per instructions. Overall a fairly trivial mod as long as you reference the the instructions and available YouTube videos.

    Overall I'm pleasantly surprised with the changes. My initial thoughts were "Wow, this sounds like an HD600 but, without some of the treble spikes!" Obviously that's a fairly simplistic description but, that's what my ears are telling me.

    At the moment I am using my office setup PC>Eitr>Loki (bypassed)>Modi Multibit>Magni3. I'll spend time this weekend listening from main system as well.

    Thanks to @Marvey for the thread and thanks to @captkirk for the Dynamat offer. I'm going to go listen to the The Cars now. :D
     
  3. redrich2000

    redrich2000 Facebook Friend

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    Here's my effort, my first ever proper mod. The trickiest part is getting all the spider cage ends off.
    Apart from that it's not too difficult, even for the inexperienced. I used the second skin headphone modding kit. I thought I needed one of those for each side, so bought 5 to make sure I had plenty. I used 1. I couldn't find self-adhesive foam in Sydney so super-glued the foam onto the damper.

    It's worth noting for newbies, the damper is not that difficult to use. It's not as gooey as I expected and you can reposition it if needed.

    I haven't had my 6XX very long, so not hugely experienced with their sound. I was expecting to plug them in and go meh, barely any different. But that bass! I also feel they sound more spacious, I guess that's because of improved speed and detail.

    Such an amazing resource, thanks to @Marvey and all the others who posted pictures and tips in this thread.

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Jan 3, 2018
  4. gixxerwimp

    gixxerwimp Professional tricycle rider

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    Great pics. You may want to consider embedding smaller versions next time. I'm still waiting for them to download as I type this.
     
  5. redrich2000

    redrich2000 Facebook Friend

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    I wanted to post big pics because the other big pics were helpful to me. But maybe too big, I've made them a bit smaller.
     
  6. gixxerwimp

    gixxerwimp Professional tricycle rider

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    As for getting the spider off cleanly, I remember just grabbing each "leg" with needle nose pliers and twisting back and forth until snapped off, pretty cleanly. Not even sure if I had to trim it off with a knife.

    Glad you're enjoying the tighter bass!
     
  7. redrich2000

    redrich2000 Facebook Friend

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    Yeah that might be a better approach. I used wire cutters, which left a small piece that I either pulled off or cut with a blade.
     
  8. JustAnotherRando

    JustAnotherRando My other bike is a Ferrari

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    The only thin, adhesive foam I could find locally came with glitter. Aesthetically, it turned out... better than expected.



    I now have excess materials if anyone needs some (contributors, friends). I'm based in Asia but postage costs are trivial (I'll cover it, but it might take a week to get to a post office).

    I can confirm this, needle nose pliers made getting the spider off very, very easy. Just a single twist detached each leg with no need to further trim.
     
    Last edited: Jan 12, 2018
  9. redrich2000

    redrich2000 Facebook Friend

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    If any Aussie folks are keen, I've got a couple of spare small sheets of the Second Skin dynamat stuff you can have if you pay postage or meet me in Sydney somewhere.
     
  10. spoony

    spoony Spooky

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    That looks positively fabulous.
     
  11. obsiCO

    obsiCO Thai Fish Experiment Gone Wrong

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    Beautiful modding! I bet it sounds really sparkling compared to stock.
     
  12. shanchandi

    shanchandi Acquaintance

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    I've been getting more curious about this mod and have come really close to pulling the trigger on a sheet of dynamat... If someone could clear up a few concerns I had that'd be great!

    Can anyone recommend it to someone that wasn't a fan of the HD650M?
    And is channel matching much of an issue if the mod is done in pretty decently?
     
  13. sheldaze

    sheldaze Friend

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    Sure, but can you be more specific - in what way did you dislike the HD650M?

    I have been a fan of the HD650, though noting the darkness of the stock headphone. I was quite impressed with the upgrade in the HD650M, and would have been satisfied with it. However I do recognize the HD650K as probably a better modification, with a similar tightening of the driver enclosure, but having a better treble to bass balance.

    I have two friends who have been fans of the HD600. At a recent meet event, one friend heard HD650K and HD600, side-by-side. He still prefers the HD600. Though he also prefers the HD800, stock! My close relation, who admittedly has better ears than I do - she at least understood the HD650, but kept with the HD600. She recognized my HD800S (prior to mods) as being a little bright. The HD650K is the first headphone she says would be a suitable substitute for her favorite HD600 (though still likes the option to pop on the HD600 for very specific songs).

    Not sure this makes sense? The answer to your question - it basically depends. How far to the treble side do you lean? If you are an HD600 and HD800 "stock" listener, no - HD650K will not do. But if you are more moderate listener, HD650K is a more moderate modification than the original HD650M.
     
  14. shanchandi

    shanchandi Acquaintance

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    I think the added bass made it seem like the mids were sucked out. Havent had my HD650M since 2016 so I dont wanna say anything I can't be sure of. But I think

    Judging from the FR measurements though the HD650K seems like a much better fit for me, and more balanced like you said. I think I'll start with the non-permanent mods first
     
  15. gixxerwimp

    gixxerwimp Professional tricycle rider

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    You can control the amount of bass of both the "M" and "KISS" mods by putting more or less foam over the magnet hole. Other benefits of the mods remain more or less the same.
     
  16. Elnrik

    Elnrik Super Friendly

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    More foam = less bass, I assume?
     
  17. gixxerwimp

    gixxerwimp Professional tricycle rider

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    Yup. I found "full gape" to be too boomy. Mine had 2 layers of back foam and 1 of those other the hole is just right for me. I think some HD650s came with 3 layers of foam inside the spider. Assuming they're the same foam, just cut to different thicknesses, then you'd have more granularity for bass tuning. If mine had 3 layers, I'd probably go with 2 rather than a single layer. I still get some mid bass hump and a smidge more foam would probably reduce it a bit. Though this would probably result in more roll-off in the sub-bass.

    Full disclosure: Other than putting 1 layer over my magnet hole, all of this is conjecture on my part.
     
  18. DaemonSire

    DaemonSire New

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    Is there somewhere you can buy the foam that was inside the spider cage? I originally did this mod before KISS came out and tossed the foam! :(
     
  19. famish99

    famish99 Friend

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    I found the back foam to be the same consistency as the inside foam in front of the drivers.
     
  20. Mdkaler

    Mdkaler Friend

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    That's right.
    Do the coin mod carefully, and you will have foam to cover the driver.
    Or buy some new foam.
     

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