Earbuds Round-Up

[numon]

from list owned earbud you gave ,you have viridis
so can you make mojito and viridis comperation in soundstage wideness,detail,resolutıon, seperation...?

thanks for detailed answer

The Maria IIs are brighter for sure, though still well balanced. They have a significantly larger soundstage in both width and depth than the Mojitos, with the soundstage having more width than depth. The Maria IIs have significantly more detail than the Mojitos. Perhaps most importantly, the Maria IIs have this ability to portray music with this delicate, etheral quality that makes certain genres come across in a very unique and special way, but for me they are a specialist earbud for sure. When I try to use them for general listening they are far too picky about which tracks they make sound amazing versus which tracks sound terrible...more than any othet earbud I have ever heard. It's worth keeping them around for that unique quality to their presentation though because when you listen to the music that they jive with it's a truly special experience.

 

[JAnonymous5150]

I don't have the FF3's yet, so I'm listening with the Nighthawks instead. I'm trying to get some work done, but I can't - this darned album is too good and requires too much attention! Good rec, thanks.

Edit: btw I see that this is from 2018, and that their most recent album is "Remember That You Will Die" (I'm not sure if it's out yet).

I didn't mean to put new. I was posting about a different album in another thread and I think I carried it over lol! I should have put that it's my favorite Polyphia album. I'm glad you like it though! It sounds great on pretty much any good transducer and it's got so much going on musically that it's just a real treat on something with good dynamic range and capable drivers.

When you get the FF3s listen to it again and let me know what you think. They have this massive, authoritative presentation that expresses each instrument separately with such dexterity that it just sounds effortlessly powerful and I was diggin' it. That's why I specifically recommended checking it out with the FF3s.

When there's great music happening work can wait! The album isn't that long...

 

[JAnonymous5150]

from list owned earbud you gave ,you have viridis
so can you make mojito and viridis comperation in soundstage wideness,detail,resolutıon, seperation...?

Sure can though it will have to be from memory because I went ahead and sold the mojitos. The Viridis have the Mojitos beat on soundstage size and separation for sure. The soundstage of the Viridis is possibly the widest I have heard on any earbud which helps with separation which is another strong suit. @WoodyLuvr calls the Viridis the King of Soundstage. As for depth of the stage, I think the Viridis is slightly larger there as well. The Mojito is no slouch though and it has relatively large soundstage as well.

For detail retrieval and resolution I would call it a toss up between the two. Both the Viridis and the Mojitos provide a very well detailed presentation. Maybe the Viridis have a touch more in the way of micro dynamics in the top end, but conversely the Mojitos may have a touch more detail in the low mid section. On most tracks you'd be hard pressed to tell the resolving power of the two apart which is why I think it's safe to call it a draw.

I would like to add that the Virdis do the holographic, "outside your head" presentation as well or better than any earbud out there. When I was first listening to them, I found myself looking over my shoulder multiple times to see where a sound was coming from before realizing that it was in fact in the music I was listening too. It's not very often you run into an earbud that has that kind of holographic realism in its presentation.

 

[samandhi]

Does anyone know of a bud that uses bone conduction? Seems like it might be a good way to give a the feeling of sub-bass.

If not then I might try and DIY one at some point with this driver.

Earbuds don't maintian contact with the areas/bones that I have seen bone conduction sets using. As a matter of fact, they don't touch anything but cartilage.

Edit: I'd be interested to see how you go about combining bone conduction with earbuds, though.

True, but IEMs don't usually make contact with bony areas either and there have been a few recently that have implemented them (though it's debateable as to whether or not they're effective).
I'd have to use some trial and error as the smallest driver I could find is Ø15mm which doesn't leave much room for a second driver to handle the actual sound. Maybe a BA?

I hate to be the logic of this scenario, and I certainly don't want to stop any progress that could be made in this area. I would love to see this happen.

Having said that it is not possible to have a true bone conduction IEM or earbud, unless you have another driver that contacts outside the ear (read, something like the jawbone or the like) because there are no bones on the outside of the ear for bone conductor drivers to contact. In fact, there are only 3 (tiny) bones in the ear at all, and they are in the middle ear, which means there isn't a way to contact these bones at all.

This is also why when you look at the old school bone conduction headphones you will see they don't even go into the ear at all. But, using a piezoelectric driver (normally associated and/or mistaken for/with bone conduction) can also make sound waves due to vibration. The difference in the implementation is that you still need to hear it with your ears. All those IEMs that are calling their product "bone conduction" aren't technically lying because the driver used in it is what they make bone conduction sets out of. So, it IS a bone conduction driver, but the way they have implemented it is NOT.... It is a "gimmick" to get people to buy the product (IMO).

There is a good test for this if you want to know how true or not their statements are. Put them between your teeth and press play. That's it! If you can't hear them, then you know it is not true bone conduction. I tested the Raptgo Hook-X this way because on some places I see piezoelectric driver, and others (including the box) it says bone conduction. Sadly, they are not. This doesn't stop them from sounding amazing (to my ears) though.

Bone conduction headphones are SUPER cheap and easy to make (DIY). Just do a search and you will see just how easy they are. Basically, a motor, a jack for your source, and a rod (and some fiddling; not the kind with a bow). You can listen through your teeth..

Fun fact: Speaking of teeth, did you know that true bone conduction has been around for a really long time? Did you know that Beethoven was able to finish some works that normally he wouldn't have been able to by the use of bone conduction? A rod between his teeth allowed him to hear through the bone what the piano was doing (to a limited degree). It wasn't until the 20's-40's that it was decided that bone conduction could be used in or as hearing aids because it allowed people to hear what they previously might not have heard otherwise (those with diminished hearing, not total deafness).

 

[mt877]

Just finished this easy build. PK1 two slot rear vent shell, 14.8mm 150Ω red film drivers, nice 3.5SE cable, factory tuning, couldn't be easier. Very engaging buds to say the least.

 

[Eduardiofilo]

Spending time with the boys
White Lotus (Hiegi Foams)
Monk Plus (Full Foams)
Monk Lite (Thin Foams)
DIY BG 150omh (Full Foams)

 

[samandhi]

Just finished this easy build. PK1 two slot rear vent shell, 14.8mm 150Ω red film drivers, nice 3.5SE cable, factory tuning, couldn't be easier. Very engaging buds to say the least.

Dang! I really love the looks of that cable.

 

[baskingshark]

I hate to be the logic of this scenario, and I certainly don't want to stop any progress that could be made in this area. I would love to see this happen.

Having said that it is not possible to have a true bone conduction IEM or earbud, unless you have another driver that contacts outside the ear (read, something like the jawbone or the like) because there are no bones on the outside of the ear for bone conductor drivers to contact. In fact, there are only 3 (tiny) bones in the ear at all, and they are in the middle ear, which means there isn't a way to contact these bones at all.

This is also why when you look at the old school bone conduction headphones you will see they don't even go into the ear at all. But, using a piezoelectric driver (normally associated and/or mistaken for/with bone conduction) can also make sound waves due to vibration. The difference in the implementation is that you still need to hear it with your ears. All those IEMs that are calling their product "bone conduction" aren't technically lying because the driver used in it is what they make bone conduction sets out of. So, it IS a bone conduction driver, but the way they have implemented it is NOT.... It is a "gimmick" to get people to buy the product (IMO).

There is a good test for this if you want to know how true or not their statements are. Put them between your teeth and press play. That's it! If you can't hear them, then you know it is not true bone conduction. I tested the Raptgo Hook-X this way because on some places I see piezoelectric driver, and others (including the box) it says bone conduction. Sadly, they are not. This doesn't stop them from sounding amazing (to my ears) though.

Bone conduction headphones are SUPER cheap and easy to make (DIY). Just do a search and you will see just how easy they are. Basically, a motor, a jack for your source, and a rod (and some fiddling; not the kind with a bow). You can listen through your teeth..

Fun fact: Speaking of teeth, did you know that true bone conduction has been around for a really long time? Did you know that Beethoven was able to finish some works that normally he wouldn't have been able to by the use of bone conduction? A rod between his teeth allowed him to hear through the bone what the piano was doing (to a limited degree). It wasn't until the 20's-40's that it was decided that bone conduction could be used in or as hearing aids because it allowed people to hear what they previously might not have heard otherwise (those with diminished hearing, not total deafness).

Good info!

Though I've tried one or two pure bone conduction audio gear and the sound fidelity is not very good TBH.

Even those with added bone conduction tech (eg MEST MK2) that I tried, if you told me it used conventional tech versus bone conduction added, I genuinely would not be able to tell the difference that this was added.

I think in the audio arena at this current point in time, these bone conduction tech are still undergoing refinement and evolution, and ain't the finish article yet.

 

[christianfps]

I would like to add that the Virdis do the holographic, "outside your head" presentation as well or better than any earbud out there. When I was first listening to them, I found myself looking over my shoulder multiple times to see where a sound was coming from before realizing that it was in fact in the music I was listening too. It's not very often you run into an earbud that has that kind of holographic realism in its presentation.

Viridis added to cart hahahaha sounds good for gaming!

 

[o0genesis0o]

Viridis added to cart hahahaha sounds good for gaming!

Btw, Tanchjim is releasing a retuned OLA called OLA bass. Any space in cart?

 

[baskingshark]

Btw, Tanchjim is releasing a retuned OLA called OLA bass. Any space in cart?

The OLA is quite a technical IEM tuned to the HRTF curve, in fact it is has one of the better technicalities under $50 USD.

Unfortunately, the fit is hit or miss, due to the too short nozzles and round shell. This causes discomfort, and bad fit also equates to bad seal which can affect bass response. Even when fitted well, the upper mids/treble are a bit too boosted and they give a nasal timbre and can be fatiguing.

Even if they did boost the bass to counteract the upper frequencies, I hope they have fixed the fitting/comfort. No point something sounding heavenly if you can't tolerate the fit for more than a few minutes.

 

[JAnonymous5150]

Has anyone else here had a helluva time trying to get a good fit with the VE Sun Dice? So far I have spent more time fiddling with the fit than actually listening on the two occasions I have sat down with the intention of doing a demo session with them. I'm too worn out from drumming so much lately to have the patience to deal with it so I put them down for the second time in favor of listening with something else. From the little I have heard, the Sun Dice seem like they have some massive potential too.

 

[o0genesis0o]

The OLA is quite a technical IEM tuned to the HRTF curve, in fact it is has one of the better technicalities under $50 USD.

Unfortunately, the fit is hit or miss, due to the too short nozzles and round shell. This causes discomfort, and bad fit also equates to bad seal which can affect bass response. Even when fitted well, the upper mids/treble are a bit too boosted and they give a nasal timbre and can be fatiguing.

Even if they did boost the bass to counteract the upper frequencies, I hope they have fixed the fitting/comfort. No point something sounding heavenly if you can't tolerate the fit for more than a few minutes.

I mentioned OLA because @christianfps and I know each other online due to OLA for FPS games. Personally, I don’t need much stuffs thanks to FF3.

My soldering irons, filters, drivers, and shells has arrived at the local post office as well. If things go well, I wouldn’t need to buy commercial IEMs and buds for a while

 

[o0genesis0o]

Fiio replied to me that they have no news to share about FF5 yet, but they hope to release it before the end of the year. Maybe we have scared them

 

[mt877]

Dang! I really love the looks of that cable.

I have a couple different cables, but those were the only ones that would fit through the smallish cable pass-through in the shell. It's a nice cable and very cheap at $1.83 per cable. See the shopping list if you want to roll your own.

Spoiler: Build your own DIY Yuin PK1 shopping list

Original YUIN PK1 Red Film 150Ω speaker unit 2 pcs
DIY PK1 shell 3 pairs
3.5mm Jack Audio Wire Cord Cable