[robar]

There are a couple of new stuff at NSC store, which look interesting. Not sure if you've seen them or discussed them already. What do you think?

Small vise for holding speakers/cable parts for DIY
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4001123886620.html

Bell-shaped metal MMCX housing for 15.4mm speakers
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4001134395270.html

Metal MMCX housing for both 14.8mm and 15.4mm speakers
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4001123349490.html

5 pair of 19-21 32ohm red dot speaker for only 14usd (gosh, could have saved a bit money if this comes sooner)
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4001133273395.html

By the way, any opinions/experience with this cheap usb DAC? https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32842992046.html I really like my ES9018K2M but it doesn't work with my android phone, would be nice to have something with decent power and SQ that I can connect to it via OTG. It's from the same store (and maker probably) and the specs (especially the 2vrms + sabre dac) already look much more convincing than those realtek dongles that are all the craze nowadays, for the same price.

This build is my first attempt to assemble and tune small 10mm driver.

Wow really nice project, thanks for the detailed info. I'd totally start to make IEMs as well, if my ears wouldn't hate them to the core haha.

 

[furyossa]

There are a couple of new stuff at NSC store, which look interesting. Not sure if you've seen them or discussed them already. What do you think?

Small vise for holding speakers/cable parts for DIY
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4001123886620.html

Bell-shaped metal MMCX housing for 15.4mm speakers
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4001134395270.html

Metal MMCX housing for both 14.8mm and 15.4mm speakers
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4001123349490.html

5 pair of 19-21 32ohm red dot speaker for only 14usd (gosh, could have saved a bit money if this comes sooner)
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4001133273395.html

By the way, any opinions/experience with this cheap usb DAC? https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32842992046.html I really like my ES9018K2M but it doesn't work with my android phone, would be nice to have something with decent power and SQ that I can connect to it via OTG. It's from the same store (and maker probably) and the specs (especially the 2vrms + sabre dac) already look much more convincing than those realtek dongles that are all the craze nowadays, for the same price.



Wow really nice project, thanks for the detailed info. I'd totally start to make IEMs as well, if my ears wouldn't hate them to the core haha.

Instead of Small vise I bought some chip metal grips, you can find it in any hardware store.

About the shells, I already talk about theses. Red and Blue I use for beryllium 600ohm and graphene 400ohm and silver one but without mini mmcx for Berillyum 130ohm.
About DAC. I don't have USB stick DAC in my collection, just SonataHD dongle, iBasso DC01, and SMSL IQ which can be used with PC or Phone. This DAC's works ok
with Snapdragon processors. I sold my Huawei Mate 10 because SonataHD didn't works, SMSL IQ always turn off when screen is off. Now with LG G7 these DAC's works but
LG already has nice quad DAC system and I don't need any other DAC. Also all this DAC's drain battery very fast.

 

[uairekko]

You guys are awesome..!

 

[robar]

About the shells, I already talk about theses. Red and Blue I use for beryllium 600ohm and graphene 400ohm

You're right, I've found the post about those shells in the meantime, you've wrote about them in february. I forgot about them because it wasn't available in my go-to stores back then and the price was insane, like 15usd per pair. Now, we can get two pairs for less than that at NSC Quite an improvement I have to say haha, makes me think about trying those.

(About the dac: I would mainly use it with laptop, and sometimes with phone, it would be just a portable gear in my bag which I'm not scared to loose and fixes the very poor sound of those devices. I was checking the bluetooth dacs out as well but besides the fairly expensive btr4 and the shanling up2/up4, the other cheaper ones seem to be very weak for 3.5mm, maybe wouldn't even drive the titanium 64ohm properly. Same thing about those type-c dongles, I read in the reviews that 99% are anemic, weak and midcentric. The meizu pro seems nice but it's 40usd, certainly not in the throwaway category for me. This looks like a beefy little fella with decent output for a dozen bucks. Maybe better than my smsl x4 for my purpose which I could finally sell then for like 2-3 times more)

 

[furyossa]

You're right, I've found the post about those shells in the meantime, you've wrote about them in february. I forgot about them because it wasn't available in my go-to stores back then and the price was insane, like 15usd per pair. Now, we can get two pairs for less than that at NSC Quite an improvement I have to say haha, makes me think about trying those.

(About the dac: I would mainly use it with laptop, and sometimes with phone, it would be just a portable gear in my bag which I'm not scared to loose and fixes the very poor sound of those devices. I was checking the bluetooth dacs out as well but besides the fairly expensive btr4 and the shanling up2/up4, the other cheaper ones seem to be very weak for 3.5mm, maybe wouldn't even drive the titanium 64ohm properly. Same thing about those type-c dongles, I read in the reviews that 99% are anemic, weak and midcentric. The meizu pro seems nice but it's 40usd, certainly not in the throwaway category for me. This looks like a beefy little fella with decent output for a dozen bucks. Maybe better than my smsl x4 for my purpose which I could finally sell then for like 2-3 times more)

Audirect has some cool dacs. Now is a very debatable question between Fiio BTR (newest model) and Audirect Beam2 in the term of SQ.

 

[robar]

By the way, do you plan to buy something earbud-related in the upcoming aliexpress sale?

Audirect has some cool dacs. Now is a very debatable question between Fiio BTR (newest model) and Audirect Beam2 in the term of SQ.

Thanks for the recommendation, I'll check it out

You guys are awesome..!

Welcome to the group! Feel free to share your DIY related experience if you'd like to, we're here to listen or help if necessary

 

[furyossa]

By the way, do you plan to buy something earbud-related in the upcoming aliexpress sale?


Thanks for the recommendation, I'll check it out


Welcome to the group! Feel free to share your DIY related experience if you'd like to, we're here to listen or help if necessary

In the last few months for my country shipping is very expensive: AliExpress Premium Shipping (37$) and DHL (47$ and 142$)

 

[captione]

I just pryed the driver off from my VE Monk Lites because I had nothing to do, and it was my most unused pair due to it's weird coherence, boxy mids that doesn't fit with the treble performance, the bass is just perfectly dosed for my tastes too. So I opened it up and just by looking at the driver vents you could really tell that they used a thin paper, as if they're increasing the sensitivity, at least that's what I learned in a headphone voicing article, I still have alot to learn.

So I cut off small pieces of horseshoe foam and put it on the vent holes (can't really put the whole foam because it won't really fit), and voila, boxy mids gone. I could finally include this in my rotation.

Spoiler: Pictures

 

[furyossa]

I just pryed the driver off from my VE Monk Lites because I had nothing to do, and it was my most unused pair due to it's weird coherence, boxy mids that doesn't fit with the treble performance, the bass is just perfectly dosed for my tastes too. So I opened it up and just by looking at the driver vents you could really tell that they used a thin paper, as if they're increasing the sensitivity, at least that's what I learned in a headphone voicing article, I still have alot to learn.

So I cut off small pieces of horseshoe foam and put it on the vent holes (can't really put the whole foam because it won't really fit), and voila, boxy mids gone. I could finally include this in my rotation.

Spoiler: Pictures

Next thing you can do:
- if you want more mids just punch one or two holes on thin paper (only in case of recessed mids)
- also can consider changing the cable (in case of bad microphonics or better clarity)

 

[robar]

I just pryed the driver off from my VE Monk Lites because I had nothing to do, and it was my most unused pair due to it's weird coherence, boxy mids that doesn't fit with the treble performance, the bass is just perfectly dosed for my tastes too. So I opened it up and just by looking at the driver vents you could really tell that they used a thin paper, as if they're increasing the sensitivity, at least that's what I learned in a headphone voicing article, I still have alot to learn.

So I cut off small pieces of horseshoe foam and put it on the vent holes (can't really put the whole foam because it won't really fit), and voila, boxy mids gone. I could finally include this in my rotation.

Spoiler: Pictures

Nice! Manufacturers often do like this with their cheap buds, that they only apply a thin layer on the speaker and leave vents open. I don't understand why, because the resulting sound will be almost always poor. (especially with these conventional type of shells). Simple tuning foam on the vents is often much better. I'm glad it worked out for you as well. I agree with @furyossa that you can tune it further by adjusting the white layer, if you find it necessary. I have a Qian39 which has the same shell, and I would totally mod it if it weren't my daily sleeping bud. Maybe these shells even accept PK-style speakers, I don't know. But it would be awesome to have an earbud with this shell and upgraded speakers/tuning/cable.

@furyossa Oh that's sad to hear, to my country shipping costs are fairly ok, some brands introduced 2-3usd fees for almost everything but many stores still offer free or very low shipping costs.

 

[captione]

@robar @furyossa Thanks for the tips! Will definitely take note of that when I mod my other prebuild earbuds!

The midrange is already fine with the tuning foam, since the whole signature is somehow mid heightened to begin, although very "resonant" and boxy, and I'm very glad that bit of foam can save it.

I'm planning to reduce the lower treble but I'm thinking I should preserve what's left of the original signature, since I don't want samey sounding buds on my rotation.

I'm planning to change the cable too, but VE's cable is surprisingly good for my boring utilitarian tastes (I just like white or black with no thick cables weighing down such a cheap earbud), so I'll just add a ballpen spring to the jack strain relief and its golden for a while! I'll add pics on this post when I'm done.

Spoiler: Picture

Monk Lites and a VE cabled EMX500, both with a ballpen spring strain relief.

 

[uairekko]

Thankyou..here is my newest work for mmcx wooden buds.

 

[uairekko]

And here is the chamber..

 

[captione]

@uairekko Dang! That's a beautiful one! Keep sharing your works!

 

[uairekko]

Thankyouu..

@uairekko Dang! That's a beautiful one! Keep sharing your works!