[Netforce]

Been wanting some mad dogs for a while and these alpha dogs seem like they be super sick, can't wait to get a listen.

 

[zowki]

Time to sell my HD800s.

 

[audionewbi]

The 3D printing is it down at home? Are the material durable? Can they last as long as the conventional material used for headphone making currently?

 

[Kirisame Touko]

i wonder how good the margins are if you use a 3D print to produce this.

 

[a_recording]

Generally 3D printers print in ABS plastic, which is what most headphones are made of. I can't speak to the specific composition.
 
The margins of the best ABS printers right (Makerbot 2X) now are about 0.200 mm.
 
There is a printer, the Form 1, which prints at about 0.05 mm by using laser lithography - but the material it prints in is a resin similar to acrylic and may not be stable in sunlight.
 
The restrictions with 3D printing do not seem to be so much in terms of precision margins, but issues with inabilities in terms of printing objects with overhang etc.
 
It's quite obvious that once 3D scanners are up to a certain fidelity, people will simply start copying headphone parts and reprinting them / modifying them.
 
The revolution will be 3D printed.

 

[mrspeakers]

Quote:

The 3D printing is it down at home? Are the material durable? Can they last as long as the conventional material used for headphone making currently?

 
We are in offices these days, actually.  We outgrew the garage a while ago.  
 
3D printing uses ABS or PLA plastic.  There are different grades of ABS.  We're using a super-premium grade that is really durable.  We also treat it after printing to increase structural rigidity.  They're plenty tough.  In a rotation stress test the Fostex riser assembly broke before our cup.  

 

[miceblue]

The 3D printing is it down at home? Are the material durable? Can they last as long as the conventional material used for headphone making currently?

We are in offices these days, actually.  We outgrew the garage a while ago.  

3D printing uses ABS or PLA plastic.  There are different grades of ABS.  We're using a super-premium grade that is really durable.  We also treat it after printing to increase structural rigidity.  They're plenty tough.  In a rotation stress test the Fostex riser assembly broke before our cup.  

That sounds promising. I like the idea of having a reference-grade closed-back headphone at hand. Hopefully the cups will be durable enough to put in a backpack filled with books/laptop/other things of the sort.

This is probably way out of the scope of the production in the near future, but will other colours be available to purchase later on? A deep blue or purple colour would be something cool to see since I'm personally not a big fan of the dark cherry red colour.

 

[elwappo99]

Well done mrspeakers! Can't wait to see what you've concocted this time around. Always have been impressed with your work, and I really hope to get a chance to listen to these soon! 

 

[audionewbi]

We are in offices these days, actually.  We outgrew the garage a while ago.  

3D printing uses ABS or PLA plastic.  There are different grades of ABS.  We're using a super-premium grade that is really durable.  We also treat it after printing to increase structural rigidity.  They're plenty tough.  In a rotation stress test the Fostex riser assembly broke before our cup.  

Congrats on the growth, I am interested for sure, I like to see how it pairs with current balanced portable amps, hopefully the future cables can have RSA connections. All the best

 

[Niyologist]

Quote:

Generally 3D printers print in ABS plastic, which is what most headphones are made of. I can't speak to the specific composition.
 
The margins of the best ABS printers right (Makerbot 2X) now are about 0.200 mm.
 
There is a printer, the Form 1, which prints at about 0.05 mm by using laser lithography - but the material it prints in is a resin similar to acrylic and may not be stable in sunlight.
 
The restrictions with 3D printing do not seem to be so much in terms of precision margins, but issues with inabilities in terms of printing objects with overhang etc.
 
It's quite obvious that once 3D scanners are up to a certain fidelity, people will simply start copying headphone parts and reprinting them / modifying them.
 
The revolution will be 3D printed.

 
Nice breakdown there. 3D printing looks very credible for CIEMs. There's already laser scanning technology for scanning every bend and corner for the outer and inner ear. Combining that with the 3D Printer tech will very well revolutionize the way CIEMs are made. 

 

[EveTan]

I'm curious, will there be a prototype of the Alpha Dogs at the Bay Area meet this weekend?
 
Nvm, found my answer (yes).

 

[doublea71]

This looks really really cool - I think fans of Mr. Speakers are going to be over the moon for this. I'm really floored by how far this guy has come in such a short time - I kind of feel like he has earned a head-fi-wide standing ovation.

 

[Change is Good]

I was sold once he said Mad Dog owners can send their's in for upgrades...

 

[ToddTheMetalGod]

I was actually just considering purchasing a Mad Dog, but they probably wouldn't compliment my speakers very well since they are both neutral sound signatures. But this news really got me interested again. Dan, if you don't mind me asking, how much less distortion does the material itself produce compared to the stock plastic cup material? I love the set screw by the way, I'm sure it'll give a lot of people the little push they need to decide on your headphones.

 

[x838nwy]

Will definitely upgrade my Mad Dog to these, but may be in a while yet. Very very interesting development.