This thread seems to be getting very general of late, so I thought I might not be out-of-line to seek some advice about modding my Q701s. There's a protective plastic "grill" of sorts in front of the driver and I am thinking of removing it to see if it will affect the sound: my thinking being that the fewer the obstructions between the ear of the listener and the surface of the diaphragm the better. However, as this would be a non-reversible procedure, I'd like to ask you (much) more experienced folks if there is any reason I should not do this (aside from an increased risk of driver damage), so speak now or forever hold your peace, cause my choppin' hand is getting itchy!

See attached picture for a graphical representation of the proposed procedure.

You are right, that in general changing the grill shape can effect sound depending on what designs we are talking about.  You need look no further than to Sennheiser's own research and implementation of this fact in the 558 and 598.  I think I was the first one to point this out for the 558/598 on H-fi a few years ago when I was modding all my headphones.  Here's a pic:



Point is, if both designs sounded the same, a corporation as big as Sennheiser wouldn't have gone to the trouble of designing and producing a different grill for the 598 as it would go unseen by the end user.  So yes, their is actual direct and anecdotal evidence that changing the grill design can make a difference in audible performance.

One reason you might not want to do it is perhaps the driver could be tuned to the acoustic impedance or damping provided by the grill design and if you remove it perhaps you will dislike the resulting sound more?  IME, potential issues could be a sharper or tizzier treble and reduced bass body.  I don't know the 701 driver that well so I'm just guessing.  Or it could just sound more transparent, airy and freer sounding.  In the 701's pictured, it seems to me the grill is just there to protect the driver from physical contact with the ear is my guess.

Keep us posted.   

Quote from: Armaegis on October 02, 2014, 04:59:43 PM

I've been making my own burgers all season. Ground beef or bison, caramalized onions, fried mushrooms (usually tossed in near the end with the onions), pepper, salt, a touch of cumin, a few flecks of miscellaneous herbs from the garden, maybe chopped up bacon, some breadcrumbs, egg, and some shredded zucchini.

Personally I've never been a fan of breadcrumbs and egg as binder in a burger.  Comes out too meatloafy for me and neuters the flavor of the meat a bit.  If I were to do it, I'd take the egg out and replace it with a fried egg on top with a runny yolk.  Probably yank out the zucchini and just grill a few strip and lay it under the burger over the bottom bun.  Grilling will bring out more of that zucchini flavor and keeping it whole brings a texture I like personally.  Maybe replace the shredded zucchini with carrots to keep the texture crunch if that's what you are after in the patty, plus it would add a little sweetness.  If you like cheese, try adding a slice of Sargento Muenster.

Woohoo.  All purpose thread!!

Yeah gotta be careful with how much egg/breadcrumb of course. I try to be very sparing with it. Too much crumb (or sometimes I'll use a bit of oatmeal flour) isn't too bad, but too much egg is weird. I never measure, but I think I use maybe a quarter cup per 2 lbs of meat. Maybe half an egg. Or sometimes I forget those entirely so just don't have any.

What do you use for binder?

I've tried egg on top but it isn't for me. I like it on corned beef though, but that's not exactly a bbq thing.

The zucchini is just for some moistness and light texture, not crunch. Again, used very sparingly. (I have a bad habit of getting distracted from the grill... so uh, the extra moisture is a good thing sometimes). I've actually never tried carrot; will try to remember that for next time. Unfortunately bbq season is practically done now.

Grilled zucchini is fantastic in a garlic cheese bread though. Mix in along with the aforementioned caramalized onions and mushrooms, delicious.

reduced bass body

You hit the nail right on the head. Damn. The effect (in regards to the bass) is small but noticeable to me. The Q701 is bass shy to begin with, a trait I had recently ameliorated via the "bass port mod", and so any detraction in low frequency performance is quite keenly felt. Prior to this mod I was satisfied with the bass (thanks to the aforementioned "bass port mod"), and though I still am, as it is still in my opinion 'better' than it was stock, the removal of the grills has taken away just a little bit of the punch that was there before. Bass lines fade a little into the background, kick drums kick just a tad softer, etc. In short, would not recommend.



All claims made in this paragraph are subject to change without notice.

Quote from: Armaegis on October 03, 2014, 03:55:24 AM

What do you use for binder?

I use meat.   

Meat is so meaty that it enhances meat. Hamburgers...

Indoor grilling and smoking of ingredients can be very tasty indeed.