LTS Headphones Project thread - Freely accessible modular headphone platforms

Also, there's now a dedicated LTS V3 thread with reviews/impressions/measurements/discussions started by @Marvey , in case someone missed it, that's most likely where the majority of the discussions regarding that model will happen in the future.

There's also some news regarding the V2 model, there's now a V2 Basic configuration available, which is a V2 model but with glass beads reinforced PA headband sliders instead of CNC aluminium ones, which drops the cost of the headphone by a nice chunk, and doesn't influence the sound, comfort or functionality in any way, it just doesn't look or feel quite as luxurious as the metal pieces do, but it's not a big deal and a good way to make the headphone a bit more affordable.

The second change on the V2 Basic is the baffle, which is printed in a single piece instead of having a removable filter frame. This is significant because it allows the now more massive component to be printed out of a slightly less rigid (and slightly more affordable) glass beads reinforced PA material, instead of the carbon fiber reinforced one, without impacting the sound in a noticeable way. What is the drawback? For people who want to do more extreme modifications to the headphones (think replacing drivers or significant changes to the sound tuning), the process will be less straightforward and it won't just be a matter of replacing the filter frames, but instead different acoustic mesh pieces will have to be removed and glued onto the baffle directly. So the possibility to modify remains, it's just not gonna be as easy. However, the standard tuning is identical to other V2 models, and the rubber plugs for the baffle are identical as well, so there's still a pretty wide range of adjustments available out of the box, significantly more than on most headphones for sure. So for someone who just wants the headphone, and not necessarily modify it too much in the future, it's the most affordable way to get their hands on it.

Here is one such model with Brainwavz Hybrid pads (which is an option, standard Beyerdynamic T1 pads are available, it's just a matter of whether someone wants a slightly warmer sound with the Hybrid pads):









Note the two silver filters on the baffle, these a bit more transparent than black filters, they reduce the bottom end to compensate for the warmth of the Brainwavz pads a bit.



This particular model was built for a happy client who wanted an upgrade for his HD650 for mixing purposes in a studio, it's good to know the V2 works well in that environment too.

 

A few more pics of some of the more interesting builds, such as @Walderstorn custom V3 with a gunmetal matte finish.







This is the standard V3 metallic black high gloss finish example:

 

And some V2 Standard models with a matte black finish and two kinds of pads:







You can notice the V2 Basic from above and the V2 Standard here look identical in all ways other than the CNC machined headband slider, and sound basically identical as well with the same pads and tuning, I wouldn't bet on being able to discern between them in a double blind test myself to be honest.

 

Wow, that looks sweet - what kind of additional cost (percentage wise) do custom options like this cost?

 

Depends on whether it's matte or high gloss. Matte finishes don't cost extra regardless of color, while all high gloss finishes are +40€ due to several hours of extra work involved for wet sanding and polishing.

 

Wow! Awesome project. Big thanks for sharing your hard work.

May i ask you some questions?

1. Your CAD files are no longer available. Could you please upload them again?

2. Where do you get those 50 mm Peerless drivers? It seems that they sold out everywhere

3. Did you position the driver like Neumann did with his NDH20. A little bit offcenter in Z axis (about 5-10 mm). And if so, what are your thoughts?

keep up this awesome work!

best regards,
Peter

 

Digikey now have some 40mm biocellulose drivers you can buy ( driver 1 , driver 2 ) and I picked up a couple pairs,
Getting a 50mm to 40mm adapter for LTS v2 printed and will see how they fare in it, hopefully you can get usable response when used open-back but can't go wrong for the price.

Initially wished for 50mm options but not really sure it matters a whole lot.
For whatever a smaller driver loses in bass capability and power handling it probably has to gain some treble quality or speed from the smaller, lighter diaphragm.
HD650 uses 42mm driver after all.

Also, this was 2nd time buying drivers from Digikey and 2nd time having them arrived damaged but funnily only one pair came with protective cover and these were the damaged ones, had to have been damaged before it even entered the cover.

 

I can see why people like biocellulose drivers.
They are so raw and punchy, like everything is run through a compressor except without the compression.

Could change after time/break-in but I prefer the cheaper OWR driver above, both seem to work ok open-backed.

Most obviously, the OWR has better top-end air, articulation and speed. bass doesnt have as much nuance but it's quick and doesn't interfere with the top-end too much.
BFC is sweeter and lusher, better bass but neither are great in bass department, probably has in edge in detail retrieval overall but because of a lack of refinement I find it gets tiring to listen to after a while.
I find that OWR is tuned better, in a way that draws attention towards its strengths and away from it's flaws, maybe more appropriately for a 40mm diaphragm.

The OWR sounds leaner on the same LTA V2 baffle, but for OWR the sound improves with more resistive baffle, sound becomes fuller, more balanced and efficiency is increased, BFC just gets muddier. The OWR always maintains that leaner, lighter character but it suits it.

There is a 50mm version of OWR driver according to their site, significantly lower bass THD than 40mm, I bet it's pretty good.

I wish these manufacturers would make high impedance models and tap into high-end and DIY HP market, however small that market is it still must be trivial enough to manufacture.