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The Orthodynamic Thread


spritzer

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...evening out of frequency response [makes] perceived bass less, albeit much, much better.

Yes, and sometimes, as when the manufacturer neglected to damp the vents (the Pro 30 is a case in point), throwing felt around can actually increase bass quantity as its quality improves.

The headphones you have to be careful with are the ones that sound almost okay out of the box. For example, it's easy for an overzealous feltist-- the kind who's into the exotic stuff, man-- to overdamp the HP/YH-1. A little bit, ie, craft felt, does it, and more is not necessarily better. Other headphones require Uber Felt, and then there are a few that need The Felt of Deadly Force, a special-order material known only to certain leading ninjas. Those headphones are difficult to overdamp and as such are the most fun to work with but also the most time-consuming, addictive, and frustrating.

It's best for a virgin orthonewbie to start with an HP/YH-1 or -2. If you can't get one of those, a Pro 30 is a good starter too, since it's both rewarding and easy to work on.

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We've found them to be highly variable. That is, one might sound like an HP/YH-1, the next one will sound extra-bassy like a YH-100, and the tuning potential varies accordingly, so it's what has come to be known as the HP/YH-3 Lottery. You pays yer moneys and takes yer chances.

We haven't found the HP/YH-1 and -2 to vary as much from sample to sample, so if you're feeling unlucky, better stick to the 1 and 2.

Another way to put it is to say that the 3 uses the 2's driver but with looser quality control.

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The orthodynamic cans were the most exciting part of the NYC meet for me this weekend. Thanks deepak and faust for introducing me to them.

As promised, I will now proceed to drive up prices worldwide. ;)

I was really hoping to hear them at the meet as well but I missed to meet due to the damn ice storm. I guess I'll have to wait for a while till the prices come back down again.

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Smeggy, want the stock HP-1 cable I have kicking around here? It will work better than no cable, but that is about it.

Thanks a bunch Steve.

What does the ortho snob cognoscenti think of YH-3s? There's a pair on the 'Bay that I have my eye on.

I like my YH-3 and HP-50A, though the guy I loaned the YH-3 to feels they arnt nearly bassy enough. He much prefers the Fostex T20, though he hasnt touched the damping I had in either headphone, which makes a big difference. My YH-3 and HP-50A are both extremely heavily damped, using what we have come to know as the HP-3 bass heavy scheme, with thick wool felt and cashmere. The transients are incredible.

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The orthodynamic cans were the most exciting part of the NYC meet for me this weekend. Thanks deepak and faust for introducing me to them.

As promised, I will now proceed to drive up prices worldwide. ;)

Vincent it was awesome meeting you and Faust3D. People did seem to really enjoy the Yamy HP-1 and pretty much all were taken back by how little they cost :)

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Vincent it was awesome meeting you and Faust3D. People did seem to really enjoy the Yamy HP-1 and pretty much all were taken back by how little they cost :)

I had a blast talking to people and listening to gear as well. Deepak and Monkey were as cool as they are on the forums ;)

Deepak's HP-1 were a nice conversation starter as people liked them a lot. My YHE-50A were a surprise to a lot of people as they looks like toys and sound like big headphones :cool:

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I had a blast talking to people and listening to gear as well. Deepak and Monkey were as cool as they are on the forums ;)

Deepak's HP-1 were a nice conversation starter as people liked them a lot. My YHE-50A were a surprise to a lot of people as they looks like toys and sound like big headphones :cool:

Your YHE-50A on powerful amps sounded very good. In my opinion the HP-1 on a good amp like the high end WooAudio amps exceeds the performance of the Grado HP-1000 as far as detail and midrange transparency goes.

I got my Fostex T20v2 over the weekend, but no electricity here to test them out :(

Are replacement pads available for them?

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Your YHE-50A on powerful amps sounded very good. In my opinion the HP-1 on a good amp like the high end WooAudio amps exceeds the performance of the Grado HP-1000 as far as detail and midrange transparency goes.

I got my Fostex T20v2 over the weekend, but no electricity here to test them out :(

Are replacement pads available for them?

I also got to hear the Fostex (thanks Faust) and really liked these, are these still available and do you need an amp for them?

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Production of the Fostex T20v2 that you heard was stopped in 2006, though you can still get them. I bought 3 off of a studio in PA, almost got another 6 dirt cheap from another studio in Annapolis, MD. There is a current production T20, but it is much less desirable, and has a completely different driver, though still an ortho. They definitely need an amp. I have put up to 1/8w into mine at loud, but still listenable levels.

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I'm doing a little preresearch for my upcoming SFI woody. The drivers are small enough that two could be used per side, and I'm wondering how that might work. I'm kind of thinking one above the other. The idea would be to damp one for the best bass responce and damp the other for best mids and highs, thus creating a pseudo two way.

Any one want to chime in with their thoughts?

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A few of us have tried 2 and even 4 per side with little success so far. They seem to lose way too much bass, though I do have an idea I've worked on that I need to try when time allows, but just a pair on a baffle with a normal circum pad doesn't work well at all. My idea is a compromise design that, hopefully, will allow two drivers and a smaller pad to keep the bass. I'm still in the process of refining the idea but I think it may work. I'm sure you could make it faster than me so I can throw the idea your way later if you like and see what you think.

Oh, it also uses two separate chambers which are independently tunable.

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A few of us have tried 2 and even 4 per side with little success so far. They seem to lose way too much bass, though I do have an idea I've worked on that I need to try when time allows, but just a pair on a baffle with a normal circum pad doesn't work well at all. My idea is a compromise design that, hopefully, will allow two drivers and a smaller pad to keep the bass. I'm still in the process of refining the idea but I think it may work. I'm sure you could make it faster than me so I can throw the idea your way later if you like and see what you think.

Oh, it also uses two separate chambers which are independently tunable.

Do you have pictures of your four driver per side beastie :o

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I'm not saying it's not worth pursuing, we need to find a winning formula instead of the fail we've had so far. I still think it can work.

Deepak, the four driver wasn't one of mine. It was a cool perspex thing but it's buried in the 600-odd pages somewhere over there.

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