[AkashS04]

Then I guess I should order Qian39 and TY Z32S and might be EM3 as well. 

 

[ozkan]

As much as I can for the Price, I'm exploring at the moment. Maybe better sound stage, nicer Bass ? Whats important is the same or similar sense of Vocals as the Monk+ & Isn't Harsh to the ear. 

http://www.head-fi.org/t/822327/diy-earbuds/30

 

[barbazz]

I've been a lurker for some time, but I guess it's time to say all of you: thanks!
 
It started out when I realized (for the 100th time) that my old AKG K309 was the most uncomfortable earbud ever. So, what should I buy to replace them? Google is your friend and I found Head-Fi. I read this amazing thread from the beginning and started to source some earbuds in order to understand what would be more suitable to my taste. After 11 earbuds (a couple more in the mail) I'm hooked. It's been a journey to listen and enjoy Monk+, Qian39, TY-32, E-808+, SHE3800, PT15, RX-1 and all others that I've learn from you and pair them with my favorite music. I even dived in the DYI world. I took 10 seconds to destroy my Awei ES10 when it arrived (tried to smooth the cable...) and today I recabled it! (would share a picture with you but I haven't permissions yet).
 
So, thanks, and let's find the next great earbud.

 

[LaughMoreDaily]

  I even dived in the DYI world. I took 10 seconds to destroy my Awei ES10 when it arrived (tried to smooth the cable...) and today I recabled it! (would share a picture with you but I haven't permissions yet).

Did you watch any videos somewhere to learn to re-cable an ear bud, or are you just naturally good with that type of thing and did it yourself?
 
What were your results like before and after

 

[flamesofarctica]

As much as I can for the Price, I'm exploring at the moment. Maybe better sound stage, nicer Bass ? Whats important is the same or similar sense of Vocals as the Monk+ & Isn't Harsh to the ear. 

I can only comment obviously on earbuds I own, but those that give me a sense of improvement over the Monk+ whilst retaining the qualities I like about it, are the TY HP320, TY HP400S, VE Asura 2 and Zen 2.

The Zen2 I'd say is quite unique in the way the vocals are somehow the focus without it all sounding upfront, and with it being used foamless is a bit of a unique experience in itself. The Asura 2 is good for being just good at everything overall and how it can keep up with complex music, it's not massively bassy but what it does it does perfectly.

The two TY earbuds are excellent and a bit less expensive than those two, I was really surprised when I first heard the TY HP320 just how much I liked it, and it's the least expensive earbud that I'd class as a definite upgrade. The TYHP400S is similar, a bit more bass, I really like it from what I've tried so far. Both give a great level of detail without being too 'up front' or 'in your face', quite laid back and very listenable, zero harshness whatsoever. Both have pretty gorgeous cables as well in my opinion, not massively relevant but nice :-D

Aside from those four, the TY HP650 is really impressive, a great all rounder and hard to fault in any area.

I'm not great at explaining the difference between earbuds, but just speaking as a big fan of the Monk+ above the other budget earbuds, who really isn't a fan of any harshness in any area, so who may share similar sound preferences.

All the above except the Asura 2 need a bit of power, I use them on the Walnut else use an amp. The Asura is by far the easiest to drive and will work well with pretty much anything, but shines further if amped.

 

[barbazz]

  Did you watch any videos somewhere to learn to re-cable an ear bud, or are you just naturally good with that type of thing and did it yourself?

It was a surprisingly easy task. I've just open the shells with a blade. The drivers were not glued so it was easy to work it out. I only had to check the color code for left and right cables as the original ones were both blue... If you have used a soldering iron before you are good to go (well, at least with these Awei, other earbuds might pose some other challenges.)

 

[waynes world]

  btw: I sleep w/ my Monk+, While my Apple Bud died after a Week.

 
And here I thought I was the only one. Somehow the Monks continue to survive my nightly advances 

 

 

[gobin]

And here I thought I was the only one. Somehow the Monks continue to survive my nightly advances :veryevil:  

Lol, thought I'm the lucky one. Been doing a considerable amount of time, still going strong. Though I'm more careful now. They've become too valuable for me.

 

[Joy Boy]

DBaldock9 earbuds are easier that what you listed so i think you would be okay doing it!

I'm happy to say though, my DIY CampFred is working beautifully... Need to try different cables with these drivers but not bad if i do say myself...

Hmmm.... Qfred also an advanced digi?

Lol Oh yeah I remember that now, these are/were pretty famous in Indonesia.

Sorry to bring up old topic. Ye, they used "advance" driver. Some local brand that pretty famous here.
But i must confirm here that, lets say there's 2 batch of this driver that sounds pretty different.
The first one that came up with advance vois (DAP) and because of high demand, they reproduced it massively (without DAP).
Unfortunately the second batch have bad QC and sounds not as good as the first one.
And i heard it too, some distortion at high volume level. That's why i'm not impressed before because i usually hear my set up loudly (at least 70% vol.lv).

And for the CF QC issue that i said before, i think it only happened on early batch. Never heard any complain or discussion about QC problem on latest batch. Maybe they fixed them and maybe i should give it a try at least one more time before decide that it's truly not the sound that i like

 

[DBaldock9]

   
Ear buds are easier than DB connectors soldering. The solder pads are further apart & don't require special-sized tips. I use 30watt mostly, and have used as high as 60watts but you have to be fast. IMO, it's one of the easier solder jobs to perform, just pre-tin everything first. Hardest bit is keeping the voice coils from separating while opening the bud, other than that the cost-benefit of cable-swapping is definitely worth it. Look for cable-wires between 28AWG to 24AWG and outer diameter less than 1.65mm (ideally less than 1.6mm).

 
Thanks for the info, and encouragement.
 
Is 1.6mm - 1.65mm the size of the opening in the earbuds?
So, if I'm twisting two wires (+) and (-) together, they need to be less than that size, in combined width / thickness?
 
On AliExpress, I'm seeing a variety of 7N Copper OCC wires, with different stranding and OD options.
Looks like the most strands I can find in a 0.8mm OD wire, is 48 (for a more flexible cable assembly), in this bulk wire from DIY Earphone Tribe Store [ https://www.aliexpress.com/item/shinning-colorful-7N-occ-copper-48core-OD-0-8mm-Price-is-for-6meters/32792411797.html ]
 
In one of the listings, I see this comment, "Normally 10m long bulk cable can custom 1pcs 1.2m 8wires earphone or headphone cable." - so I should need ~5m of bulk wire, to braid a 1.2m 4wire cable.
 
Just need to search for a source of quality 2.5mm TRRS plugs, at a reasonable price.

 

[purplesun]

@DBaldock9
Yeah, typical earbud's cable entrance diameter. So, halved that if you are braiding 2 wires into the earbud (<0.8mm). But if the cable is little too thick, just sand it down 2-inches from the ends. Or strip off 2-inch of the insulator & re-sleeve with thinner heatshrinks at the very worse.
 
Common strand diameters are around 0.05mm or 0.06mm. Typical strand-count for budget earbuds is 14. IMO, anything above 4N (99.99%) purity has negligible sound effect from improved purity.
 
Slightly thicker gauge than stock cable usually have noticeable effect (good or bad), but over-doing the thickness usually leads to imbalance of frequency response (usually bass bloats too much).
 
I wouldn't trust cheap china cable specifications as far as I can throw a stick. So, I would recommend just get 1 or 2 cable to test first before buying some more from the same seller. And QC variances between different batches of the same exact product can also add to the "fun" of DIYing with Ali/taobao parts.

 

[vapman]

   
Thanks for the info, and encouragement.
 
Is 1.6mm - 1.65mm the size of the opening in the earbuds?
So, if I'm twisting two wires (+) and (-) together, they need to be less than that size, in combined width / thickness?
 
On AliExpress, I'm seeing a variety of 7N Copper OCC wires, with different stranding and OD options.
Looks like the most strands I can find in a 0.8mm OD wire, is 48 (for a more flexible cable assembly), in this bulk wire from DIY Earphone Tribe Store [ https://www.aliexpress.com/item/shinning-colorful-7N-occ-copper-48core-OD-0-8mm-Price-is-for-6meters/32792411797.html ]
 
In one of the listings, I see this comment, "Normally 10m long bulk cable can custom 1pcs 1.2m 8wires earphone or headphone cable." - so I should need ~5m of bulk wire, to braid a 1.2m 4wire cable.
 
Just need to search for a source of quality 2.5mm TRRS plugs, at a reasonable price.

Gonna assume you have some decent gear to work with! I use a hakko 888 (not the digital one) and set it a bit below 750f/400c. you only need to contact the pad for a moment.
 
If you pre tin your wires you can be done in a few minutes. 

 
I also echo purplesun's suggestion to buy a few first and try them out, dimensions given are rarely totally exact... 
 
P.S. I bought some copper litz on ebay, $16 shipped for 100 feet. Also 0.8mm od, 48 strands. It is great wire, but needs protection as it's too delicate to not be reinforced. (it is the kind of wire that bends easily but is fine when protected) I will be happy to share the link with you if you want.

 

[luedriver]

after reading a few posts I feel like sharing that I too use my earpods that I got 4 years ago with my iphone 5 although I rarely use them
 
I have a pair of philips she2670 that were bought around the same time and I still use them as well but with full foams instead of the plastic oem cover, the cable has got a bit stiffer over the years
 
I just bought some awei es10 earbuds from ali, have no idea if they are good, when reading posts I always look up the earbud mentioned to know what is being talked about and saw that it was only a few AUD so I bought them
 
 
I also had bought some philips she3010, no reason why, on amazon it mentions that people frequently buy them with the philips she2100, that I also have, so maybe they complement each other, or maybe they have the exact same sound, idk, either way they cost me only 7AUD
 
other than that I also ordered a pair of nokia in ears as I have never heard how they sound, but that is a topic for another thread...

 

[notamethlab]

WORTH THE WAIT! Yinman 500 ohm finally arrived. Unboxing these was a delight for me, the wooden box and pouch are a nice touch. I've been listening to these for about an hour and they're very nice sounding buds. So much clarity, detail and separation. I find these similar to the edimun v3 but with more separation and a bit more forward mids. Bass has a nice punch as well, not basshead levels but it makes itself noted.

I am impressed with these ootb, excited to hear how these mature.

 

[ATi7500]

Then I guess I should order Qian39 and TY Z32S and might be EM3 as well. 

Philips SHE3800, 3$
Edifier H180
Qian25

I don't think qian39 is warm at all. It's detailed but kinda rough. Better for rock or old recordings than modern music.