Description
Features and specifications
- 50mm Titanium Diaphragm, original AKG product
- Sound style is very close to AKG 701
- See the FR (Frequency Response) in open space of this driver unit
Want to know more about the sound style? See YouTube video of AKG701
Package
1 Pair (2 pieces) 50mm Hi-End Headphone Dynamic Drivers
Introduction
The sound of this driver unit is very appealing. If you’re the kind of listener who revels in unpicking fine detail and wants to examine every note in a recording, these driver units are ideal ones for DIY.
Class-leading clarity, but lack fluidity They’re massively detailed and render the beginning and end of notes with class-leading clarity. The units do bass too, delivering deep notes such as those from Massive Attack’s Angel, with real power and drive.
Note: the dynamic drivers have been paired to ensure sound and quality fully balanced between right and left channels. Therefore we don’t offer single unit.
Soldering: overheated (>250 degree C) soldering iron or overtime soldering (>2s) may permanently damage the driver. Please managed down both in your DIY.
- Installation: the driver has Sintered NdFeB Magnetic inside with extremely strong attraction power. Damage may caused by attracting anything hitting the fragile diaphragm.
- Others: applying high-voltage, storing in high temperature/humidity environment… all may cause unrecoverable damage.
RW (verified owner) –
Let me start with – I was skeptical at first but decided to try these guys out anyway. Best 60ish dollars (after shipping) I have ever spent on HIFI gear. I had a pair of Audio Technica ATH AD700 headphones (had good reviews on Amazon?) which never sounded good to me from the day I bought them, so I never used them. I have a soldering iron and multimeter so I decided to replace the drivers in these headphones. I measured the old drivers and they were bigger than 50 mm but I thought I could make the new ones fit. It turned into a bit of an ordeal because I had to make cardboard strips that I epoxied to the driver’s edges and there was no metal cover on the new driver’s diaphragm. I finally got it all completed and tried them out. After a few weeks of listening I can only say I am absolutely thrilled with my purchase. I have Shure SE535s but use my new DIY Audio Technica’s everyday, the sound is excellent.
CSM (verified owner) –
I’ve been experimenting with drivers recently and got a pair of these to swap into some 50mm housings from some “Openheart” brand metal-body grado style cans, and they popped right in, no modifications needed. Soldered two leads (the drivers are marked with a red dot for positive) and reassembled and holy cow. With the big grado G pads on, these become dazzling detail monsters. Songs like Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody just jump around, with sounds feeling further away or closer. above you, below you, behind you, in front. The instrument separation is amazing.
They’re not bassy or treble-y, but if the song asks them to play bass, the extension is superb and they really let the mids SHINE. They’re relatively “dry” and analytical, which I wasn’t sure I would love, but all of my other headphones are fairly colored, so these are a really fun way to listen to things in a new way. They make music exciting purely through detail.
I will say they’re extremely picky about ear cushions (the grado S and L pads are not good, nor are closed sheepskin pads or vented leather ones – these drivers need some space to work their magic) and they DO NOT work in closed housings. All the bass turns to weird farting and cat noises being shouted at you through a tin can on a string. So like the other reviewer who put them in some spacious AD700 housings, make sure that you’re putting them in the right housing to get the most out of them. I can recommend the Openheart 50mm metal housing grado knockoffs to work flawlessly. Just tap the old drivers out from behind (no heat) and peel off the felt from the driver cover and back screen (both ends screw off)
Also big shoutout to earphonediylabs for their help in confirming the drivers would fit. They turned a $50 pair of cans into a $500 pair.