Building YOUR Headphone Ideas! (DMS video official)

Looks awesome! I’ve always wanted to get the original, but too expensive… How do they sound? What other cans do you have to compare them with?

Thank you! Personally, I think they sound great, especially considering the cost to build them. Unfortunately, I don’t have any popular commercially available headphones at the moment to compare them to (I’m very deep in the DIY rabbit hole), but if I was to describe the sound, I’d say its a fun, laid back signature that’s easy for anyone to enjoy.

The bass is nice and present without being overbearing/muddy, the highs are adequeately detailed without being harsh, but vocals are a bit on the recessed side for my tastes. They render instruments like acoustic guitar beautifully though. These drivers are pretty easy to tune as well, the type of earpads used can make a big difference (so far I’ve been liking Dekoni elite hybrids).

From a technicalities perspective, they’re about average. The soundstage is at least beyond the ears a bit, and thankfully it avoids “three-blob” imaging. I think the one place the Tymphany HPD-50 drivers tend to struggle the most is with speed, as fast/complex bass lines can become a bit messy. Overall though, I think they could hold their own compared to $400-500 headphones (one Reddit user even said he liked them better than his Sundaras). I just wish the drivers were readily available, I picked the worst time to release this project apparently.

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Hi Cosworth! I’ve got a weird idea I’d like to try: making this out of wood.

I’ve got access to a shopbot, but to CNC this, I’ll have to separate your model into various pieces. Unfortunately, that’s kinda a pain given an STL file.

To make that easier for me, could you upload an uncompiled / non-mesh version of your model (if you have one), so I see the geometry separately? That could be a blender file, a fusion 360 file etc.

Thanks!

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Hey,

Sorry for keeping you waiting.
I love experimental things and I’m all for it.
I have attached a step file so you can see each part.

STEP File

Looking forward to the wooden cups!

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Hey, I am planning to make my own fakealis and stuck on what drivers to get. I’m debating on either the beryllium drivers or the peerless by tympany since they are now in stock again. Is there a noticeable difference and upgrade for the price difference and how did you tune them

Cool, glad to hear another person is trying them out! When it comes to the HPD-50 drivers by Tymphany and the 540 ohm Aliexpress beryllium drivers, I think the main differences are technical performance and ease of tuning. The Be drivers in my opinion have the edge on the HPD-50 drivers in technicalities, with the soundstage, imaging, and speed (especially for fast/technical bass) all being just a bit better. However, they took more time to tune and dial in than the HPD-50 drivers ever did, whereas the HPD-50 drivers just seem to be very flexible for a variety of applications and performed well from the get-go. The HPD-50 drivers are also easier to power with their lower impedance.

Ultimately, going with the HPD-50 drivers are a safe bet, as they’re affordable and sound great in the cups that I designed for them, with a sound signature that is very lively and engaging. They really don’t take much effort to perform well above their price point. But, if you’re willing to put the time and effort into tuning and adjusting the Be drivers, I do think they have the potential for greater performance, and the Be set I built is the set I will likely continue to perfect for my tastes/needs.

For tuning, there are a number of options that work for either driver. Pads of course are a big one, and so far I’ve found the Dekoni Elite Hybrid pads for Fostex TH headphones or Hifiman HE headphones to provide the most consistent results with both the HPD-50 and Be drivers. Plus, their dimensions just fit the design really well. Check Dekoni’s B-stock section, I’ve seen these pads come up regularly for about $50. Dekoni’s foam attenuation kit is also useful for some fine tuning. I have a different pad ring design as well for the Be drivers that I should upload to my Google Drive, as that’s what finally got the bass response of the Be drivers to a more enjoyable level. Finally, if you do decide to go with the Be drivers (I bought mine from NSC Audio Store), make sure to leave a note in the order asking for the paper tuning filter set. You can experiment with poking holes in the paper filter on the back of the Be driver, or replace it entirely with paper of a different density. I wasn’t getting very consistent or desirable results with poking holes, but your mileage may vary, and its nice to have backup filters in case you want to go back to stock.

kinda wondering what would happen if the back part is curved like sennheiser hd4.50 bt, and not flat?

i know im late to the show but i tried the closed back mod by cosworth(the one without vents) and used it on my hd6xx. didnt change anything except the 3d printed closed back mod. didnt change the pads, didnt put acoustical foams, dynamats or anything on the 3d printed closed backs.

on to the change in sound. the only thing i can say is everything sounded thin, which is what i expected. the bass and the mids are thin which kinda made it sharp? or bright?

now what should i do to make it less thin other than adding vents? would putting dynamats, foam or any other thing on the 3d printed closed backs help it less thin?

I think they/we all fell asleep or got bored… Wolf is still modding and enjoying…

Open/modded 6xx SW fun…Man I love the HD58x 'n HD6xx can’s… Current listening config…

Couple of days later new cans in rotation, oh wait…same can’s different config lol… Yes, I may be crazy :crazy_face: lol.

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I got some he400i’s from 2016, and would like to know if you would make a vid modding them to become closed back?

Not a modder but open back planars would be harder to mod to closed back compared to DDs. Hence, that is why there are a few to no videos/mods of turning open back planars to closed back

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These are beautiful! A total game changer, would’ve never thought of turning my hd6xx into closed backs with just a simple cup swap. Also, do the vents necessarily have to be on the back of the cups or would it be possible to have it on the rims instead? I’m still very green to the hobby.

okay guys, its been a while but this thread isnt over. Making a new video because I put HD800S drivers in an HD6XX chassis.

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Just finished a pair of open backs with the Tymphany drivers. If you can get some drivers Id like to see your opinions on my design.


I made a write up already over on the headphones forum and I dont like to copy paste such a long post so have some links instead:
The write up:DIY Headphone Adventure - #9 by Pr0Xy - Do It Yourself (DIY & Mods) - The HEADPHONE Community
The Model:https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5482763
And lastly A rough FR graph from a shitty diy rig comparing it to my Sundara:

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Hi guys, I’m here to revitalize this thread with a bunch of questions!

I’ll start with saying that I’m totally new to the hobby (so new that i own 0 decent pairs of headphones for now lol).

I’m an Industrial Design Engineering student so I have been working for many years with 3D printers and i would really love to buy the HD6xx as my first pair of Headphones and enjoy a piece of the history of this Set.

But Since I’m a student and students are pretty broke by definition I will be able to afford only 1 pair of headphones and they must be able to serve me from home to university.

@Silver_Wolf I’m asking you directly because I can see that you actually tried making the closed back HD6xx, how good can the noise isolation get? I don’t really care about letting outside noise in, but I don’t want to bother others with sound leakage from my headphones.

If you give me green lights I will go ahead and purchase the 6xx and try making all kind of cups Design with a bunch of different materials (we have some pretty nice machines at uni) and then I can report back here with my findings (we might also have an headphones measurement rig here, but I’m not sure).

Thanks a lot for the work you’ve done until now, and i hope yo hear from you smart people very soon!

I might be able to answer that. I have printed his design for my 58X without the Helmholtz resonator and added some foam inside. Swapped to Sivga PII pads and made some comparative measurements with my desk mic. I measured the peak level from just the background then the headphone on my head playing loud music and then clicking and my voice as a comparison.
The values are:
0.000458 or -66,78dB for the background
0.001312 or -57.64dB with music
0.001862 or -54.60dB for just clicking my mouse
0.038635 or -28.26dB for talking into the mic
All that to say in an absolute silent room it is just audible, but with some background noises its easily drowned out as are most normally isolating headphones. My Other closed backs leak about the same. Your design will of course dictate how much it will leak. But the 6XX should work fine for what you are intending to do imo

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nice thank you very much for the answer, then I think I’ll have a lot of fun designing closed cups when i get my 6xx!

Would love to see how you accomplished this. I have a HD700 collecting dust that I would love to shove into a 600 body.

hey, sorry for interrupting everyone in this thread. i just found out about this thread and want to try this mod. however, the link isn’t working anymore. is there anyone who still has the files for this?

great project!