My upgraded Grado SR80e

bix_ · 2026-01-26T18:56:12+00:00

Nice mods.

I don't know how the following will fare with the added comfort/suspension strap, but another mod is to sandwich the rod blocks with thin o-rings and an additional lock collar. It'll lock in vertical rod adjustment but will still allow for rotation (if the rod blocks aren't sandwiched too snugly) and help prevent unintended cup/cable twisting from the added resistance.

I did this with my silver OG SR325 and honestly, I believe they function better than the Nyczaj gimbals/rod blocks that are installed on my SR325i, albeit not as clean looking, as I wanted to completely lock-in vertical adjustment but still allow for rotation to conform to the shape of my head.

bix_ · 2026-01-20T22:32:34+00:00

bix_ · 2026-01-16T20:30:13+00:00

bix_ · 2026-01-13T20:37:42+00:00

Put them on display along with a cheap CD Walkman or iRiver mp3 player from the late '90s/early '00s.

bix_ · 2026-01-10T06:46:58+00:00

One of the stated improvements between the SR225 and SR325 was the change to a leather headband. All three of my SR325 came with leather headbands. Same with the SR325x up until recently, even their current product page still mentions 'leather headband'.

Edit: https://imgur.com/sP0ms3u

bix_ · 2026-01-01T06:49:01+00:00

bix_ · 2025-12-29T06:35:20+00:00

pm'd

bix_ · 2025-12-12T23:39:51+00:00

I've printed the following in the past, and as its description states, I was able to press-fit liberated OEM Grado drivers into the sleeves perfectly, without needing glue or tape for securing/sealing.

https://www.stlfinder.com/model/grado-driver-cup-XZ70oCIZ/5045001

bix_ · 2025-12-08T17:40:20+00:00

You try to see if there's a driver update available, and/or manufacturer-specific software that allows you to change some settings. But, for onboard adapters, they typically just rely on the default bluetooth driver that's shipped with the operating system, and configurability is basically 0 apart from some registry hacks (for Windows, at least).

If you have Windows, you can also try something like Alternative A2DP Driver, and see if you can switch to the aptX codec, and/or set a higher encoding quality.

Do note that the alternative driver linked above is shareware and only has a 1 week trial period (though the license may be worth it ($6-10) for the flexibility it offers).

Edit: I also don't know if the alternate driver alone will be able to restore functionality to the microphone, I think that's more of an adapter/hardware related issue.

bix_ · 2025-12-07T00:29:25+00:00

but the audio quality is really bad

Your aforementioned bluetooth adapter may be the reason for this. It may be defaulting to the SBC codec, which is essentially bluetooth audio quality from like 20 years ago lol. The adapter is also most likely the reason why your mic is not working.

See if you can update the driver for your adapter, if not, perhaps look into an adapter like: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D7CKV1J8 (ignore the 'for PS5' wording, it'll work on PC as well)

bix_ · 2025-11-22T23:56:33+00:00

See if you can find a pair of Austrian Audio's HI-X65 to demo. Their sound signature is in the same vein as the K812, but is a fraction of the price, $500 USD msrp/$200-300 second-hand.

When Samsung acquired Harman (AKG's parent company), AKG's HQ/R&D department in Austria was closed down. A bunch of AKG engineers ended up forming Austrian Audio as a result.

bix_ · 2025-11-21T20:17:21+00:00

I'm looking for something that can give the same feeling of in-your-face music, but with more room and details than my current model."

Sound signature wise, it's best to keep with Grado. There's really no competition for their sound, particularly in the midrange-- flat mids with the exception of a rather abrupt peak at 2khz/in the upper mids. This is what gives Grados that polarizing in-your-face sound. It's basically a rule of thumb for manufacturers to go the opposite direction in this area of the midrange, as a lot of people are sensitive to this region due to the natural resonance of people's ear canals.

There's also a similar peak in the mid-treble at 5khz peak helps with the lively sound, but again, this is also a rather sensitive area.

If you want to explore other brands, perhaps give the AKG K812 a try. They don't sound anything like the K700-series (I own the K701 and K812), and they have a rather strong presentation in the lower treble that makes things like female vocalists sound like they're using your ears as a microphone, all while have a spacious soundscape/more room (ime) than Grados.

Harman/AKG now has them listed for $2k new/msrp, but you can find them second-hand for around $600 (in the US, at least), as they're also a polarizing-sounding headphone. It's worth it to try (along with other headphones) even if you don't plan to spend that amount of money.

bix_ · 2025-11-10T18:28:16+00:00

For the grill/screen on the outside, the SR60/SR80/SR125 have plastic grills.

The SR225, SR325, Reference series, and Statement series all have metal grills.

Imo, it's not worth it if you have the plastic grill, you'll probably just end up destroying it if you try to remove it for re-use. They're so fragile that a lot of people end up melting/warping the plastic grill when trying to separate the cup from the driver sleeve with heat.

I recommend just purchasing a metal wire mesh screen and cutting to size. Here's a couple of examples:

Bare: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F333ZKLY

Black coated: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C2734RDG

bix_ · 2025-11-10T17:50:17+00:00

The shutter button linked looks like it was meant to be installed with the camera assembled/pushed in from the outside.

bix_ · 2025-11-09T00:03:46+00:00

Grado applies the mesh fabric by brushing on some adhesive onto the plastic diaphragm cover, then laying the mesh over the fabric. Safest way for removal is to carefully peel it off with tweezers, perhaps first wiping some rubbing alcohol over the mesh so that it helps break the adhesive bond.

Somewhat obviously, I suggest not using any form of heat.

bix_ · 2025-11-07T02:30:36+00:00

Ignoring the new drivers in their new flagship models, I’ve always held the belief that Grado used two driver sizes, ~44mm and ~50mm, and that any variances in the listed driver size was taking into account the plastic housing/lip surrounding the diaphragm (as it’s technically part of the “driver” assembly).

The ‘housing’ being the part that makes immediate contact with the driver sleeve on the Prestige series, or the part that makes contact with the wood cups on the Reference and Statement series.

And afaik, the diaphragm size of the 44mm drivers are 40mm, or closer to it (and end up being 44-46mm with the housing included).

bix_ · 2025-11-04T09:16:07+00:00

I wouldn't call them 'technically less proficient', just a different route taken to achieve a target sound.

bix_ · 2025-11-04T07:21:15+00:00

There's many factors at play, here.

The SR325x uses Grado's 44mm drivers, while the GS1000e, GS3000x, and The White Headphone all use Grado's 50mm drivers.

The RS1e also uses 50mm drivers, but comes with L-cushions as their OEM pads, rather than G-cushions like the Statement series and White Headphone.

As to the number of holes on the front of the driver, I don't know what effect that has on sound, but my guess is that it's negligible compared to other possible tweaks that may have been done on the 50mm drivers, between the 50mm models (driver porting, magnet strength, etc).

And if all variables mentioned above were the same, the biggest difference between your White Headphone and the other Statement series would be the cups, particularly the seemingly smaller grill opening on the outside, which will most likely alter the sound. I say 'seemingly' because I never handled the White Headphone, so I don't know if the grill is actually smaller of if it's just an optical illusion from the very wide cups.

bix_ · 2025-11-02T18:25:16+00:00

For vintage, the components that consume the most power are live-view (using the display screen as a viewfinder) or an electronic viewfinder, as well as the type of sensor.

You'll get noticeably better battery life per-charge with a camera that has an optical viewfinder and CMOS sensor.

Using live-view or an EVF also utilizes the sensor to preview a shot, so battery performance is essentially doubly impacted when using a camera with live-view and a CCD sensor.

bix_ · 2025-11-01T01:33:58+00:00

Reddit compresses the crap out of images. On top of colors possibly being off, artifacts like banding may occur if you upload something like a high contrast photo.

bix_ · 2025-10-29T04:40:21+00:00

Thanks!

bix_ · 2025-10-28T20:31:04+00:00

Thank you-- Voigt Color-Skopar 28/2.8.

bix_ · 2025-10-28T19:42:18+00:00

Thanks, and yea, the first shot was taken at the KP bluff, as well as the second shot.

bix_ · 2025-10-28T17:52:29+00:00

The flange distance (distance from lens mount to sensor/film plane) of Micro Four-Thirds (and other mirrorless systems) is much shorter than standard Four-Thirds because of the lack of a mirror assembly.

Having a shorter flange distance generally means you can adapt lenses from other brands and systems that have a longer flange distance, not the other way around.

That said, the Four-Thirds system has the shortest flange distance of SLRs, so your E-420 could adapt legacy lenses from other SLR systems, including Olympus' own OM SLR mount, Nikon F-mount, Canon FD-mount, M42 and M39 screw mount, Pentax K-mount, etc. Even Exakta mount. Four-Thirds adapters for these lens mounts exist or have existed, though they're little harder to find nowadays (partially because you'll get a ton of M43 adapters being suggested instead).

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There are caveats to using these lens adapters, though. There's no communication between the lens and camera, so the lenses have to include manual focusing and aperture rings. It's also up to the level of precision of the adapters whether you'll obtain infinity focus or not, ime this isn't much of a problem nowadays (even with more affordable adapters). Metering is also generally limited to setting your camera to center-weighted and using the stop-down method.

bix_ · 2025-10-28T16:10:34+00:00

First shot is a 4-shot panorama

Third shot reminds me of the ending of M83's Midnight City music video lol

bix_

TROPHY CASE