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DIY Earbuds
Mar 27, 2019 at 7:20 PM Post #826 of 4,718
Ended up using two of Qigom CM5 16mm drivers in a MX760 shell, had to glue them on then use a pair of rubber rings to cover the join. Sound fantastic, I prefer them without foams.

20190327_231706[1].jpg
 
Mar 27, 2019 at 8:41 PM Post #827 of 4,718
During this current AliExpress Sale, I'm ordering ~24x 3.5mm / 2.5mm DIY cables, to get some of my earbuds assembled more quickly. :ksc75smile:
I still have a box full of wire, to braid into earbud cables, as well... :wink:
 
Apr 1, 2019 at 6:21 AM Post #830 of 4,718
HungryPanda said:
Ended up using two of Qigom CM5 16mm drivers in a MX760 shell, had to glue them on then use a pair of rubber rings to cover the join. Sound fantastic, I prefer them without foams.

Click to expand...
Nice, we are lacking of MX760 mods those days (generally speaking), maybe I will make one once I will settle with all my MX500 shells mods :)
 
Apr 1, 2019 at 2:32 PM Post #832 of 4,718
Apr 3, 2019 at 3:38 PM Post #833 of 4,718
Some of you might be interested in the mod I just did.

I call it the X6 shell mod on RW-9.

I have received the yincrow RW--9.

Compared to the X6 (both using donuts foams), the RW-9 stock do have a wider soundstage and better separation BUT I found them to be lacking a bit too much in the lower mids department.
True, they sound cleaner than the X6 but the they are slightly on the shrill side of things with too much upper mids emphasis compared to the X6. I wasn't satisfied, I just wish they had slightly more lower mids even with some added midbass like the X6 had.

some argued that the X6 had too much midbass bleed but I preferred them in tonality compared to the RW-9, although the RW-9 are more competent technically with more depth and better separation.

I tried adding full foams instead of donuts, they gained in bass and the upper mids/lower treble weren't as prominent anymore but I lost in detail compared to the X6 (with donuts foams)

I tried double donuts on the RW-9, thinking it will add more bass to counteract the upper mids, but it didn't work out and they were still too prominent against the rest of the sound sig for me...

Long story short I was thinking of punching the backfoam on the RW-9 shells to allow for more venting thus adding more midbass but before I did so I decided to swap the shells keeping their back foams respectively. So I am using an X6 backshell with the RW-9 drivers
The X6 backfoam allows for a better back venting bringing back a bit of warmth and lower mids. So far I prefer the sound

IMO they sound better then RW-9 stock. Having better tonality not lacking lower mids as much anymore

Maybe some of you would like to try the switch. IMO it's worth it.
I might consider tweaking the back foam on the RW-9 shells later and see if I can attain more control compared to the X6 shell used with RW-9 drivers but for now it will do.
 
Apr 3, 2019 at 4:26 PM Post #834 of 4,718
ForceMajeure said:
Some of you might be interested in the mod I just did.

I call it the X6 shell mod on RW-9.

I have received the yincrow RW--9.

Compared to the X6 (both using donuts foams), the RW-9 stock do have a wider soundstage and better separation BUT I found them to be lacking a bit too much in the lower mids department.
True, they sound cleaner than the X6 but the they are slightly on the shrill side of things with too much upper mids emphasis compared to the X6. I wasn't satisfied, I just wish they had slightly more lower mids even with some added midbass like the X6 had.

some argued that the X6 had too much midbass bleed but I preferred them in tonality compared to the RW-9, although the RW-9 are more competent technically with more depth and better separation.

I tried adding full foams instead of donuts, they gained in bass and the upper mids/lower treble weren't as prominent anymore but I lost in detail compared to the X6 (with donuts foams)

I tried double donuts on the RW-9, thinking it will add more bass to counteract the upper mids, but it didn't work out and they were still too prominent against the rest of the sound sig for me...

Long story short I was thinking of punching the backfoam on the RW-9 shells to allow for more venting thus adding more midbass but before I did so I decided to swap the shells keeping their back foams respectively. So I am using an X6 backshell with the RW-9 drivers
The X6 backfoam allows for a better back venting bringing back a bit of warmth and lower mids. So far I prefer the sound

IMO they sound better then RW-9 stock. Having better tonality not lacking lower mids as much anymore

Maybe some of you would like to try the switch. IMO it's worth it.
I might consider tweaking the back foam on the RW-9 shells later and see if I can attain more control compared to the X6 shell used with RW-9 drivers but for now it will do.
Click to expand...
You can usually achieve a low mid bump by getting the driver closer to your ear. This means you can tune the earbud to sound best with thin or no foams, and by using it without thick foams in theory you will get fuller mids (the bass will also sound warmers and less extended as you are reducing seal and increasing airflow most likely. But the low mids from 200-800hz definitely sound fuller to my ears.

I'm also someone who enjoys the right amount of low mid emphasis so that the sound is full, contrasting with brighter upper mids makes a richer sound.

This trick works for me.
 
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Apr 3, 2019 at 8:16 PM Post #835 of 4,718
seanc6441 said:
You can usually achieve a low mid bump by getting the driver closer to your ear. This means you can tune the earbud to sound best with thin or no foams, and by using it without thick foams in theory you will get fuller mids (the bass will also sound warmers and less extended as you are reducing seal and increasing airflow most likely. But the low mids from 200-800hz definitely sound fuller to my ears.

I'm also someone who enjoys the right amount of low mid emphasis so that the sound is full, contrasting with brighter upper mids makes a richer sound.

This trick works for me.
Click to expand...
I used the foams that came with them, I didn't have any thinner foams on hand, also using thinner foams might reduce the seal I get with the buds thus reducing bass. you are right though if one could get them closer against the ear the mid bass and part of the lower mids would be more prominent. but it's a balance act as always with buds.
 
Apr 3, 2019 at 10:17 PM Post #836 of 4,718
ForceMajeure said:
I used the foams that came with them, I didn't have any thinner foams on hand, also using thinner foams might reduce the seal I get with the buds thus reducing bass. you are right though if one could get them closer against the ear the mid bass and part of the lower mids would be more prominent. but it's a balance act as always with buds.
Click to expand...

You're right in that the perceived mid bass increases as the sub bass drops more dramatically than the mid bass with thinner less sealing foams.

That's why my main criteria for modding earbuds these days is: Good bass response (deep and punchy without too much bleed into mids) and good low mid quality (linear and full sounding). The upper mids and treble are more easily balanced with foams and different dampening. Good bass and low mids are really hard to tune right without the driver having the quality to begin with.

I don't know the exact science behind it but regardless of seal the FR does get more trebley the further you move it from your ear.

But the perception of mid bass vs low mids can be confused sometimes. I try to listen to male vocal or deeper string instruments to determine how the low mids are placed.

Some drivers can deliver extremely impressive low mid quantity regardless of position (ourart ti7 for example which has the driver recessed 2+mm yet delivers very full low mids) but most mx500 earbuds need to sit pretty close to the ear to deliver what I would consider a neutral low midrange.

That's why I tend to tune earbuds to work well with thin foams if they need to sound fuller, or thicker multi hole/donut foams if they could use less low mid quantity (more rare, but an example would be the shozy bk)
 
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Apr 6, 2019 at 8:22 AM Post #837 of 4,718
For those interested, I'm sharing my links for usual various tests when I finish each of my DIY projects :
Enjoy :)


btw, any recommendation about your best PK1/2 drivers ? I would like to try another drivers into my PK shells.
Something between 32 and 150 ohms max. I have a preference in V-shaped presentation (so excellent subbass and bass, not recessed mids if possible, and much details in high frequency).
 
Apr 6, 2019 at 9:52 AM Post #838 of 4,718
Apr 6, 2019 at 11:06 AM Post #839 of 4,718
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