Grado SR-325 Mod using the Sennheiser HD-570 headband

Basically I'm using my Grado SR-325 and modifying it to fit another headphone band, the Sennheiser HD-570.

Well the Grado headband was wearing out and never has fit well on my head. It is also so flimsy. I really dislike the fact that the cans rotate and the cord gets all tangled up.  Also I would constantly have to readjust the fit every time I put the headphones on. I added some silicone tubing to help fix that problem which you will see pictures of later. 

Recently the sound on the left side would cut out intermittently. Probably due to the spinning of the earpiece over time. I have to repair the wire anyway so I started thinking about modifying these headphones. I prefer a headphone that has only one wire attached to one can so I really wanted to rewire it that way. I have had the Sennheiser HD-570 for years and have never liked the sound but have always found it extremely comfortable so why not merge them together and have the best of both worlds.

I've also changed the original ear pads that were falling apart using the Sennheiser H-19545 Foam Earpads that are for HD 414 Headphones. I like the yellow color. Currently B&H are selling them at the cheapest price I've found. Much cheaper than buying replacement Grado pads. I won't be showing how to do that as there are plenty of resources out there for that. It's extremely easy anyway. You just cut a smaller hole than the earpiece and put them on backwards.

I really didn't plan this to be an Instructable. I really only took some pictures so I would remember how some of the pieces looked before I made major changes. After I was about half way did I think this might be a good Instructable.

Hopefully it will turn out good - The Instructable I mean. I already know how the headphone mod turned out :)

Step 1

This project came together quite nicely and only took a couple of evenings to get most of it done. Be sure you are prepared to ruin a perfectly nice pair of headphones before you attempt this. I am not responsible for you ruining an expensive pair of headphones. Attempt at your own risk.

---Ok lets get started ---

Tools you'll need are :

Very small flat head screw driver
Phillips head screw driver
Soldering iron and solder
wire cutter/stripper
Gloves - a must when holding hot parts
Hot glue gun
Heat gun or hair dryer to soften glue
Drill and a bit 
X-ACTO knife or razor blade
Metal file and/or a dremel tool
220 grit sandpaper
Band aids... Oh wait, that was for me. Lets hope you won't need them.

Gently pry the ear pads off the Sennheiser HD 570. There should be some screws to remove using a Phillips head driver. Now try and remove the plastic casing on the backside. Slide a small flat head in there to pry it off. I didn't take pictures of this process or the teardown of the Grado unfortunately. 

You should see a small angled plug attached to the driver. Unplug it and remove the ear piece from where it swivels. You could just snip the wire with some cutters if you wish. The left side will have the stereo plug. Leave intact. Remember which is the left channel and which is the right channel. Also at this time you should mark which wire is positive and which is negative.

Comments

[Ekloef]

this is really cool! I will definitely try it out on my own headphones (with alternate brands of course, since I do not own either in the i'ble). The headband of my pair is both uncomfortable and slides off my head constantly.

Also, (how) did you make those funky ear-cushions?

[mutantferret]

Glad you liked this project. I did this to show that you can improve headphones to suit your own needs and be a little stylish at the same time.

The ear-cushions are made for Sennheiser headphones but not for the model I had. They fit the Grado quite well but they fit even better if you modify them. You just cut a hole in the middle to make them into a donut. Now all you do is put them on backwards. Be sure to make the cut smaller than the can so they fit snug. The model number of the pads is H-19545.

[Arctos]

I did a similar thing with my Sennheiser 428s. Except I modded the Grados to be over-ear instead of on ear by taking the Grado drivers and throwing them inside the Sennheiser "cases". Obviously cutting a hole in the middle so that they keep that awesome acoustic sound.

This instructable is awesome :D

[mutantferret]

I wondered how I could do just as you described but opted to keep it the way it is especially since one of the foam pads from the Sennheiser was lost. I'd love to see how you did it or see some pictures.

Thanks

[PSPerson]

Beautifully done. I completely agree with you about having the wire only on one side. I would look into a ControlTalk cable like what comes with Beats headphones. By far my favorite cable.

[mutantferret]

Thank you. The ControlTalk cable looks interesting but I don't think you can buy it separately. Also my headphones aren't really intended to be portable and I just have them plugged into my headphone amp.