[mikaelmark]

I know; there are some already written pages about this, but here is how I´m doing it and my experiences:
 
First of all, I just bought a pair of used AKG K702 in mint condition. First of all, I took of the cushions and cleaned them in a ultrasound cleander with soap and detergent.
 
After that, I looked around at the web for a good affordable cable for them, and thought of a DIY Moon Cable Blue Dragon V3, as it seem´s to be a nice cable. But because I live in Sweden, the shipment should be around $40.
I also read that the OP OCC Nucleotide made from DHC was a very good cable. One tester claimed that this cable was the only one he tested that gave the phones more base and body. Altough it was Sennheiser, I think it will have the same affect at any phones, and I believe AKG K702 will benefit from this.
 
So I found this site: www.zombie-x.com/zxamateurcablesrev2/
I immediately get responce and was very accomodating and gime me a very nice proposition at a bargain, so I can solder the phono plus for myself and the wire´s directly to the can´s!
So meanwhile waiting for my cable´s (I also bought a second cable for my portable rig AKG K530), I this week was preparing my AKG K702 for the new Y-cable and unsolder the original cable. It was a little complicated to do; first the grid´s had to be taken off, and I used a pionted plier that I had bent the tips inwards. As you can see at the picture´s, there was some small scratches at the aluminium grid, that I cover with some paint.
Then, after taking off the two screw´s, I poked with a thin screwdriver inside the plastic cover to bent the locking hook inwards while I bent the cover outwards, and then taking off the two lockers for the headband.
Then I desolder all the wires inside the both can´s (the plastid housing get a bit burned, but as it is at the inside, I don´t think it will either be seen from the outside or have any affect at the sound) Maybe I´m gonna fill in some epoxy, have not decided yet.
 
I also cutted of the cable gland at the left side, as this will not be used any more with the new cable, and I used a mini-grinder and shaped the cutted off piece to fit in the hole with some epoxy-glue.
 
So at this time, I´m excited for the cable to arrive (it will take some day´s, because he had to order home more material)
 
Here are some picture´s i have taken:
 

 

 

 

 

 
 
I´ll be back (as Schwarzenegger said) with more photos and impressions of the new cable when I have made it burned in and listen pair with my modded Arcam CD192 aswell as my also modded Meier Corda Swing!
 
/ Mikael

 

[tdockweiler]

I wonder if there is any sound difference between dual entry (completely bypassing the headband signal) and single entry that involves replacing the stock wire? Anyone compared it?
 
I may recable my K601 and make it dual entry. Hopefully it's as easy as recabling the K240/Sextett.
 
I've tried upgrading the stock cable using the XLR jack, but never notice much difference due to the stock wires still being inside.
 
It's good you've decided to solder directly to the drivers. This seems like it would be the best idea.
 
Definitely NOT looking forward to drilling a hole in my K601.

 

[Head Injury]

Quote:

I wonder if there is any sound difference between dual entry (completely bypassing the headband signal) and single entry that involves replacing the stock wire? Anyone compared it?

If there was, with the stock headphone the driver without a cable directly attached to it would sound different, right? There's not enough difference between the response of Inner Fidelity's K701 and Q701 to suggest that. There's no more difference than between the drivers of an HD650, for example. Thanks to product variation you really can't confirm there's no difference, of course.

 

[HiFlight]

 
Quote:

I wonder if there is any sound difference between dual entry (completely bypassing the headband signal) and single entry that involves replacing the stock wire? Anyone compared it?
 
I may recable my K601 and make it dual entry. Hopefully it's as easy as recabling the K240/Sextett.
 
I've tried upgrading the stock cable using the XLR jack, but never notice much difference due to the stock wires still being inside.
 
It's good you've decided to solder directly to the drivers. This seems like it would be the best idea.
 
Definitely NOT looking forward to drilling a hole in my K601.

Unless you are planning to run a balanced setup, there is no audible difference between the dual-sided and single-sided phones.  
If you are planning to run balanced, you must use a dual-sided entry with separate leads for both grounds and positives, using either a 4-pin XLR or 2x3-pin XLR, whichever your source dictates.

 

[Zombie_X]

Thanks for the kind words mikaelmark
 
Also dual entry on the K702 should improve the sound a bit for the right driver. The headband assembly is made of steel I believe and is not the best conductor. So doing dual entry would bypass the metal in the headband and go straight to the driver. 
 

 

[mikaelmark]

There are three advantages to have the headphones doublesided with an Y-cord;
 
1. There will be no time errors due to different lenght of the cable´s to the driver (even though I don´t think this will be much noticed when listening)
 
2. The same material in the conductor´s all the way - an chain is not stronger than it´s weakest link!
 
3. The wire´s will be soldered, so there is no risk for bad connections due to oxide.
 
 
When I opened up my K530, there was soo thin wire´s, like those for in-ear´s. So my intention is to recable these too all the way.
 
As for drilling hole´s in the headphone, I will just drill in the cover´s, that will cost only a few $ to replace. Don´t know if it´s the same for K601?
 
Now I´m excited, cause I get noticed that the cable´s is underway and will be shipped soon!

 
/ Mikael

 

[mikaelmark]

Quote:

There are three advantages to have the headphones doublesided with an Y-cord;
 
1. There will be no time errors due to different lenght of the cable´s to the driver (even though I don´t think this will be much noticed when listening)
 
2. The same material in the conductor´s all the way - an chain is not stronger than it´s weakest link!
 
3. The wire´s will be soldered, so there is no risk for bad connections due to oxide.
 
 
When I opened up my K530, there was soo thin wire´s, like those for in-ear´s. So my intention is to recable these too all the way.
 
As for drilling hole´s in the headphone, I will just drill in the cover´s (named lid by AKG), that will cost only a few $ to replace. It´s have pos. 22/ 23, left/ right in the exploded view.
 
Link to all AKG:s headphones: http://www.akg.com/site/powerslave,id,7,nodeid,7,_language,EN,cat,11.html
 
Now I´m excited, cause I get noticed that the cable´s is underway and will be shipped soon!

 
/ Mikael

 

 

[mikaelmark]

There are three advantages to have the headphones doublesided with an Y-cord;
 
1. There will be no time errors due to different lenght of the cable´s to the driver (even though I don´t think this will be much noticed when listening)
 
2. The same material in the conductor´s all the way - an chain is not stronger than it´s weakest link!
 
3. The wire´s will be soldered, so there is no risk for bad connections due to oxide.
 
 
When I opened up my K530, there was soo thin wire´s, like those for in-ear´s. So my intention is to recable these too all the way. Think this one will gonna sound nice, as it did already (have done a mod for them, by cutting off the platic lid in front of the driver´s - really don´t know why AKG choosed to have them, cause they block the sound to the ear!?)
 
As for drilling hole´s in the headphone, I will just drill in the cover´s, that will cost only a few $ to replace. Don´t know if it´s the same for K601?
 
Now I´m excited, cause I get noticed that the cable´s is underway and will be shipped soon!

 
/ Mikael

 

[mikaelmark]

T
 
Tjohoo!
 
Today the cables arrived, only five days with USPS to Sweden!
All looked very nice and fantastic well made - see picture. This was a really good deal I´m really happy about it!
Now I have to solder and finish the installing, then the burn-in process can begin.
I´m gonna write more after that, and tell about the sound!
 
Please hold on until that!
 
Cheers!!

 

[Zombie_X]

Yo,
 
How is the installation going? If you need any help or advise please let me know.

 

[mikaelmark]

Thank´s for asking - both headpjhones has just been mounted with the new cable´s, and everything was fine until the end.
But when I measured each side´s of the K702, the left side had no contact/ resistance between + and -.
So I had to opened up everything at that side, and was chocked when it had a buckle on it (see picutre)!
But I could not see anything else wrong with it, the thin wire´s was intact as I could see.
May it bee dameged due to the buckle, and how did it apperaed??
Don´t know what i should do really, maybe just get a new driver!?
 
, 

 

[liamstrain]

I don't know why that would show a no load/resistance - the buckle shouldn't affect load on the voice coil... I've seen small buckles like that fixed by gently tapping on a sticky tape (duct tape) and pulling it back up - then burning them in a bit again... 
 
 

 

[mikaelmark]

Thats what AKG service also just told me, this indent will NOT affect the sound.
I have tried to easy push it with a cotton tip (as for ears), but it will go inwards again. I remember my dad have had a speaker with the same problem for the midcone, and I take a sticky tape, at that came out well.
It´s strange, cause I have not made any violence to the driver, and did not touch it. May it been there from the beginning, have not seen it before?
And still, why is the driver dead? No sound and no connection with an Ohmmeter directly to the drivers pins?
I can´t see anything wrong with the thin wires at the driver, so it must be something faulty inside.
Don´t know if the warranty will be available for this, or if I have to buy a new driver, think it will cost around $70 + shipment.
 
Thankful for any tips/ idea!
 
/Mikael
 

 

[mikaelmark]

[size=medium]Hugh!![/size]
 
[size=medium]Yesterday it went really strange; When I soldered the thin wires from the driver directly to the nailhead, the driver start to work. But when I mounted it in the phones, it died again. So once again, I repaired it, but it died this time to.

[/size]
[size=medium]Then I did´nt have any wire left at one side, so I cut in the membran with a knife at the side, and the I take the soldering iron and a drill to open up an hole in the plastic baffelhousing, and solder a wire directly to the wire inside the driver, and finished with some epoxy glue.[/size]
[size=12pt]It does not went nice, and the membran have a indent – but do you know what; I sounds quite fine! I can´t hear a big difference between left and right side, maybe just a little weaker bass at this side. But I could hear, I really like the sound from the phones. So now it´s on burning in-progress.[/size]

 

[Chris_Himself]

Oh man are those DHC/ZXAC plugs? I love those things! Big ol' barrel to fit the sleeving I use on them.
 
I just did a pair of dual entry K701's... I think from a physics perspective it'd make that other channel sound better, but for the most part it's a pain in the ass to rout wire the entire length, plus like if it's 26AWG, it's a lot to stuff in there haha.
 
Good luck with fixing your problem man, K701's are very receptive to cable upgrades.