Dekoni Audio Padcast! Episode 1 with guest Dave Friesema of Dark Matter Audio Labs and ZMF Headphones!

[Scarz]

Introducing the Dekoni Audio Padcast - Episode 1​

Understanding IEMs​

Guest: Dave Friesema - In-Ear Monitor Design Expert
​

We're kicking off the Dekoni Audio Padcast with a deep dive into the world of in-ear monitors-and we've brought on a true authority to help us do it right. Joining us is Dave Friesema, former Senior Engineer at Etymotic and Westone, now Chief Designer at Dark Matter Audio Labs and Acoustic Engineer for ZMF Headphones.

In this episode, we explore:

The origin of the IEM - How did they come to exist?

Design philosophy - What does it take to bring an IEM from concept to reality?

Why the price gap? - From $20 to $2,000-what are you actually paying for?

Driver debates - BA, dynamic, planar, or hybrids? How many is too many?

Connector chaos - MMCX or 2-pin, which termination is better?

Tuning and targets - How much does frequency response really matter?


Whether you're a seasoned audiophile or just getting into personal audio, you may learn something new about IEM design!

Catch the first episode, now streaming on youtube!

Next months guest is Axel Grell of Sennheiser HD600 fame and his namesake company Grell Audio!
We're featuring an AMA where you can submit your questions to be answered by the legend himself.

Send in your questions here for a chance to be featured on the next Dekoni Audio Padcast!
https://gleam.io/ZNDdq/ask-axel-grell-a-question

 

[castleofargh]

I've broken few MMCX plugs, but that's only because after rapidly breaking the first one, I tried to avoid them thinking the design was no good for our purpose. And yes, usually what broke was on the in ear side .
To be fair, I also struggled with 2 pin connectors sometimes, where one pin would break inside the IEM and I couldn't easily take it out and once the spacing between the pins was so wrong on an aftermarket cable, that it was as hilarious as unusable.
2 pins recessed with molded plastic male and female part to avoid being able to bend the pins, that's a stronger solution for the pins.
I fear non-detachable and connector with a strong locking mechanism, because when the cable grabs a door knob on the way out(always in a hurry), I really have to hope for the plug on the DAP side to easily come out, otherwise I get to test the breaking point of my own ear, and that's not a great experience.

And as many in the Etymotic thread can confirm, @AnyDave has long been one to inform and help when he could. He's not one of those marketing-engineers telling you how all your problems just happen to get fixed by their products. Not that I know anybody like that... "Any similarity to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events, is purely coincidental.”

 

[AnyDave]

And as many in the Etymotic thread can confirm, @AnyDave has long been one to inform and help when he could. He's not one of those marketing-engineers telling you how all your problems just happen to get fixed by their products. Not that I know anybody like that... "Any similarity to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events, is purely coincidental.”

Thanks @castleofargh, that means a lot to me. I may not always succeed, but I try to present info that I think is both helpful and accurate. I hope folks enjoy the podcast; I had fun participating in it.

 

[InvisibleInk]

Is this podcast Youtube-only?