I Got My Headphones!!!!

[Alonzo]

Box was waiting on the stoop when I got home from work.  Takes about an hour or so to put together.  I apologize now, I used some Tantalum instead of stock ( I tried Rikens but they were too big).

My regular headphones are Senn 650 and I'll do an A to B comparison later this weekend.  But for now, these are sounding good, I think "great" is just 50 or so hours away...
Thanks Doc for the kit.  I wanted some closed back phones for my bedroom Crack, this seems to be perfect.
Alonzo

Now where's that DAC I'm needing...

 

[Grainger49]

Pictures, please post pictures!

 

[Doc B]

Thanks Alonzo! They do get better with some play time on them.

 

[Alonzo]

Grainger,
Sorry for the delay, the weather was b e a u t I f u l, so the wife and I took a drive down to Monterey and just kept going.
I didn't take any assembly pictures.  I tried to make it look as close to the manual as possible.  But here are some assembly notes I remember. 
I hate the wool felt, spent most of the assembly time trying to separate the felt from the paper backing.  Half the time I just pulled it off and used my own glue dots.
I also added another layer of heat shrink for looks.  The adhesive heat shrink pushes glue out when contracting and it cools down to a whitish color.  I just covered it to keep the plugs neat.
A chop stick makes a great "burnisher" for the metal tape.
My stock resistor's weren't matched.  The ones I used as replacements were a little closer to the manuals value.
Here's a phone pic of the finished product.
Alonzo

 

[Grainger49]

Nice work!  The cable looks substantial yet it coils easily. 

Congratulations on the first Bottleheadphone build.

 

[Kris]

Congrats Alonzo. Looks cool. Waiting for the comparison you mentioned in your first post.

Out of curiosity... How do you like techflex over Mogami cable? I remember a while back I built headphone cable with techfelx and couldn't stand the "scratchy" sound from techflex every time I moved while listening.
Maybe now-days they make better/different techflex. I'm sure Doc wouldn't go for something that negatively affects sound quality in his design.

Cheers,
Kris

 

[Doc B]

I don't notice any noise from the techflex on these and I haven't in the past with other techflex covered cables. PB does. I suppose that mostly means I sit more still when I listen than PB does. I tend to use headphones for monitoring while recording or for editing video, so I'm not moving around a lot.

It's DIY. So if you don't like techflex, simply leave it off.

 

[Grainger49]

Dan... we are both older than PB.

 

[Doc B]

Yes, but it's not about hearing loss. I am capable of hearing the sound that is being discussed. I just don't happen to move around or lay the cable in such a way that it is generated. By the very nature of the way they are applied directly to our head and ears headphones are a very personal thing when it comes to fit and comfort. It's almost impossible to get two people to agree about the fit of a pair of cans. PB and I happen to be at opposite ends of the scale, and we laugh when we pass a pair of cans back and forth. I shrink them down as small as possible because my ears are relatively high on my caveman skull and PB expands them all the way to fit around his huge brain.

 

[Paul Birkeland]

My stock resistor's weren't matched. 

Not to pick on Alonzo, but just for reference, but the worst case scenario for having mismatched resistors (+10% one way, -10% the other) is just over 1dB of difference, which is generally a lot tighter than the actual pair of drivers used in most headphones.

-PB

Edit - they are actually 5% parts, so I calculate a worst case scenario of 0.7dB.

 

[Alonzo]

Ok, I didn't associate resistor value to actual audio difference, my miss.  I'm used to you sending resistors that are usually only .1 or .2  or so off from the value in the inventory list. 

 

[Paul Birkeland]

0.1 or 0.2 Ohms of difference would mean a very low value of resistor.  For a 220 Ohm resistor, a 1% part would give a range of 217.8-222.2.

Having a 220 Ohm that was 0.1-0.2 Ohms off would mean 0.1% tolerance, which is obtainable, but pointless in terms of design goals.

-PB

 

[Alonzo]

You take EVERYTHING literally don't you    Someone please remember to turn the Engineer off when leaving the building... ;D
They weren't near 220 as I remember and I had replacements in my box.

 

[Paul Birkeland]

It's more that threads heading this direction can lead to lots of e-mails asking for new resistors, so I'm attempting to provide some clear information on the topic so our customers can make a well informed decision.

 

[mcandmar]

Just measured mine and they are a few ohms under 220, but only .8ohms from each other.  Nout wrong with that..

 

[Dallas]

@ Alonzo

How do you like the sound? What can (s) do you have for a point of reference? This looks like a fun project, to go with my Crack w/SB. I presently have  HD-650's and LOVE the sound but would also like a nice closed can.
Thanks!!

 

[Alonzo]

They are good, for me they are a keeper where you need a closed back headphone.  I like the emphasis they give to mids and bass. Still need some break in time for the upper registers (when compared to my everyday can's HD-650's).  This may be just because I normally listen to open back cans, we'll see.  I plan on giving these a good month before deciding to "gift" them to a son or not.  I was surprised at how good they isolate you from other noise.  My wife is listening to a bad copy of South Pacific now and I would know it if I didn't have to turn on the amp for her.
My can collection:  SENN- 150, 598, 650  Grado 225i, a pair of Beats, Beyerdy DT 770.  I prefer open back now but these will stay connected to my Crack w/SB in my bedroom.  The only complaint would be that I have a big head and big ears, these aren't as comfortable as the DT770 for extended listening.