So i got a pair of ah-d2000 second hand at a very very cheap price point (€50) but i knew they needed some tlc.
I modded them pretty much straight away.
I did see the review of Z of the lawton cups and mods of the fostex cans. And they are available for these as well. But the price was a bit steep.
So the lawton dampening mod i figured out myself which is quite simple…
But the cups…
I have alot of tools so i just started. I measured the old cups en guessing at the clearence for the biggest possible cup size.
I had a nice peace of solid oak and started milling. It all worked out perfectly the cups give alot of width along with the zmf atticus pads which i got laying around the result is amazing. Bassy but clear and tight. And the soundstage improved bigtime. (still not the widest thing but still) the highs did get a bit up there, i guess the pads are to blame, but a piece of felt kinda fixed that but not enough to my taste. So maybe some different pads in the future of modding these very solid sounding headphones.
Very cool. Have you applied a finish to the wood in the time since you’ve posted this? I’m actually looking to purchase a Fostex for the purpose of completing a Lawton mod. The custom cups drew me in!
These cups should fit the fostex as well. In de pics i posted i didn’t finish them, i got a mat clearcoat over them now.
The lawton mod is not that hard to do yourself. It’s mostly dampening of the backside of the driver. The cups are a bit more difficult but if you are handy and have some tools like a router and dremel you could.
I do really like the oak finish of mine i’m planning t9 mod the headband further which is needed since it is second hand and got a bit of wear and it’s a bit loose.
I was looking in making cups for others since the lawton mods and cups are pretty expensive.
So I know someone who lawton modded is th900’s and they sound great. Look super nice.
I personally have th900mk2 drivers in a fostex tr-x00 purpleheart body, with lawton pads. So basically it sounds like a th900 but the bass is better. Slightly less detailed though, but close
Edit: he has the black african ebony cups, converted detachable cable, and the lawton pads on them
I spoke with Mark, he was very informative. I’m looking to get some EI Rosewood cups. He’s having some difficulty with the finish on the pair he’s currently working on. I’m on a wait to see if he’s able to complete them. I haven’t purchased the headphones yet, my build is contingent on those cups!
Yeah, I’m aware. They’re massive, but I don’t mind the size/weight. My daily drivers are LCD-X’s, and those are pretty beefy. The Rosewood cups are gorgeous imo, and I use to have a classical guitar with a similar Rosewood back and sides that sounded amazing. Hopefully he can get the finish on those done.
So, his are more neutral after the mod, but still great to listen to, and almost sound more detailed and natural. Mine are way more v shaped and punchy, but that’s how I wanted them to be
I could get them at a great deal second hand, so it was a “why not” let’s just see what happens. But they are comfortable af a bit hot in the summer but very nice clean sound.
I’m currently using the lawton pads which I find pretty comfy. I haven’t really considered changing since they work so well for me. Also seems to enhance the soundstage and imaging over the stock tr-x00 pads. I also like them better then the stock th900 pads.
I had to have a friend that owns the th900mk2 order them for me. I think he said that the only way you could order them was by having a serial number. He was also the one who did the swap since I don’t trust myself lol. He just said he would help me out and he did (I paid for them of course), so I don’t know exactly how he did it.
), how did you get the drivers from a TH900?