"HAKAMICHIS" ( Semi-open 120 ohm SFI )
Dig the funky style! And they say the new HD700 looks like Star Wars.... Nakamichi HP-100 Monitors, FTW! These were originally purchased due to extreme unobtainium/rarity, and as a NOS (new, old stock) pair unused. Haven't seen this exact pair since, except a similar thrashed ITT 400 ohm pair with identical build I managed to grab. ( 2 dead drivers on that, too. ). To my dismay, these Nakamichis had a dead driver out of the box. Got about 20 seconds of use before the one side kicked out forever. CONSTRUCTION DETAILS OF FINAL BUILD ( Lost count after 25 or so different mod attempts. 3rd set of larger screws now )
These have been my nemesis due to a complex interior tapered baffle-mounting with a huge open seam surrounding the screwposts; it's semi-open, with a big reflecting area at the back and a slightly larger cavity than ideal for SFI's. Went from semi-open, to fully closed, back to sort-of-semi-open, to this final semi-open. Original wiring and leather tapered earpads used.
This final build consists of, if I remember correctly, a ring of thin dense black felt ( obtained from Rythmdevils ) directly covering the 4 back vents with some 3-layer Acoustifoam applied to the struts around the vents and center area, directly behind the exterior badging. The adhesive backing of the middle Acoustifoam seals the donut hole of the felt ring tight to the back over the vents. Interior side walls are lined with more Acoustifoam. Cavity is filled with slightly teased organic cotton balls---3 or 4 per side I think.
Driver is mounted to the baffle with a huge amount of the same same grey non-hardening putty for resonance control. Next, a donut of the same dense white felt used in the "Loop" mod, directly on driver back only leaving the center hole in the rear magnet free. It's secured around this middle hole with a ring of double sided tape. This is secured by a larger outer ring ( "donut" as it's usualy called ) stuck to the mass of putty surrounding the driver and securing the white felt tight to the driver back. This also helps minimize reflections off the putty.
Mounting the baffle and sealing it completely proved fun. A ring of putty around the entire perimeter of the area is placed such that the rear cup presses into to seal completely. That had to be readjusted every single time I tried a mod to make the seal again. Also, made sure to seal up the cabling entry and exit points.
Notice that the drivers have about a 15 degree front-to-back tilt towards the ears; this improved the soundstage.
Most difficult to drive out of the three due to being 120 ohm, and the lowered sensitivity from the mods.
GENERAL SOUND
In general: soundstage. That's what I think of with these. I do sense a somewhat overall darker nature ( but maybe not as dark as the Alder Woodies ), and this final build has had to fight and compromise between taming the generally boomy bass due to the cups, while trying to retain details in mids/highs. I do find the details are sufficient; highs are certainly not piercing or uncomfortable. Mids may be a bit recessed ( ? ). Maybe I feel that way due to the larger soundstage and perceived increased-space level, which could be why things seem a bit less upfront and a bit more distant overall. Cavernous isn't quite the right word and may be misleading. Good for songs that have things trailing off into the distance. Measurements
Dig the funky style! And they say the new HD700 looks like Star Wars.... Nakamichi HP-100 Monitors, FTW! These were originally purchased due to extreme unobtainium/rarity, and as a NOS (new, old stock) pair unused. Haven't seen this exact pair since, except a similar thrashed ITT 400 ohm pair with identical build I managed to grab. ( 2 dead drivers on that, too. ). To my dismay, these Nakamichis had a dead driver out of the box. Got about 20 seconds of use before the one side kicked out forever. CONSTRUCTION DETAILS OF FINAL BUILD ( Lost count after 25 or so different mod attempts. 3rd set of larger screws now )
These have been my nemesis due to a complex interior tapered baffle-mounting with a huge open seam surrounding the screwposts; it's semi-open, with a big reflecting area at the back and a slightly larger cavity than ideal for SFI's. Went from semi-open, to fully closed, back to sort-of-semi-open, to this final semi-open. Original wiring and leather tapered earpads used.
In general: soundstage. That's what I think of with these. I do sense a somewhat overall darker nature ( but maybe not as dark as the Alder Woodies ), and this final build has had to fight and compromise between taming the generally boomy bass due to the cups, while trying to retain details in mids/highs. I do find the details are sufficient; highs are certainly not piercing or uncomfortable. Mids may be a bit recessed ( ? ). Maybe I feel that way due to the larger soundstage and perceived increased-space level, which could be why things seem a bit less upfront and a bit more distant overall. Cavernous isn't quite the right word and may be misleading. Good for songs that have things trailing off into the distance. Measurements
Click on graphs image to download .pdf for closer inspection.
