[FranQL]

This thread in particular has been invaluable in my journey in getting good earbuds. I only have a couple of DIY buds thus far. All the rest are store bought, but I am pretty happy with (most) all of them at this point.

The DIY sound is excellent for my ears, obviously I make them to my liking and it's easier that way, the prefabricated sound of well-known brands has lights and shadows, but it's all part of the hobby, so if anyone manages to get the sound they like he likes it one way or another, and at the price he thinks is fair, he'll be fine.

However, the price that I mentioned seemed outrageous. That's all.

 

[Danneq]

However, the price that I mentioned seemed outrageous. That's all.

But peanuts compared to the price of TOTL IEM:s...

 

[JAnonymous5150]

You could have always done what Rudy did?! Go to St. Mary's (which was much cheaper)... LOL

Yeah the music scene was decent there, but there weren't any decent recording studios (besides garage) unless you went all the way to Indy.

Spoiler: off topic

Indy's Music House (which apparently has closed up shop now) is where my band got our first gig (like I mentioned before, was a lifetime ago; something like 30+ years ago). Two of our members were taking lessons there and they put together a (large for us) 200-400+ person concert where all the students would do something in a park nearby. I was so nervous I thought sure everyone would see my legs shaking and make fun of me... ROFL Of course I "whiffed" it for my first gig... LOL We did three of our original songs, and I pretty much choked on all of them (mostly). We had very little practice time together as a band before this event.

There was also some really good local scenes in Indy, and there were some regular bands that played there that even now are remembered by those that got to see them. Such as Schoolboy Crush (their OG CD is going for hundreds of dollars for collectors). They went on to make two more albums IIRC. Their subsequent album(s) were more mature. The drummer Rusty Scutt was a family friend and I met him through his dad that used to fish Lake Michigan with my dad...

Anyhow, not the greatest production, but not terrible for a shoestring budget either.

And they DID get better over the years as heard on this single from 2011(and after getting rid of the OG singer Rance Crane, who wasn't bad, just not the best):

It is simply put a fantastic album. It has pretty much everything going on, and I love it. I couldn't find Anchor Drops Redux to buy digitally (through my normal channels), so I just ordered the CD(s) from Amazon... I guess they have like 11 albums. I think I would like to try the heavier one next (the one that your friend that rec'ced them mentioned in one of his posts). Either way, I will be listening to this over and over until I run out of head gear to test them on.... LOL

This is especially good on the FF3 (for instance) because of the amount of slam they have, which plays well with the drumming style seen here (which is also the type of rhythm that just gets my juices flowing, kinda' like old school anthem rock used to, or slower but meaty/heavy metal).

Congrats on your new shiny BTW!

You could have always done what Rudy did?! Go to St. Mary's (which was much cheaper)... LOL

Yeah the music scene was decent there, but there weren't any decent recording studios (besides garage) unless you went all the way to Indy.

Spoiler: off topic

Indy's Music House (which apparently has closed up shop now) is where my band got our first gig (like I mentioned before, was a lifetime ago; something like 30+ years ago). Two of our members were taking lessons there and they put together a (large for us) 200-400+ person concert where all the students would do something in a park nearby. I was so nervous I thought sure everyone would see my legs shaking and make fun of me... ROFL Of course I "whiffed" it for my first gig... LOL We did three of our original songs, and I pretty much choked on all of them (mostly). We had very little practice time together as a band before this event.

There was also some really good local scenes in Indy, and there were some regular bands that played there that even now are remembered by those that got to see them. Such as Schoolboy Crush (their OG CD is going for hundreds of dollars for collectors). They went on to make two more albums IIRC. Their subsequent album(s) were more mature. The drummer Rusty Scutt was a family friend and I met him through his dad that used to fish Lake Michigan with my dad...

Anyhow, not the greatest production, but not terrible for a shoestring budget either.

And they DID get better over the years as heard on this single from 2011(and after getting rid of the OG singer Rance Crane, who wasn't bad, just not the best):

It is simply put a fantastic album. It has pretty much everything going on, and I love it. I couldn't find Anchor Drops Redux to buy digitally (through my normal channels), so I just ordered the CD(s) from Amazon... I guess they have like 11 albums. I think I would like to try the heavier one next (the one that your friend that rec'ced them mentioned in one of his posts). Either way, I will be listening to this over and over until I run out of head gear to test them on.... LOL

This is especially good on the FF3 (for instance) because of the amount of slam they have, which plays well with the drumming style seen here (which is also the type of rhythm that just gets my juices flowing, kinda' like old school anthem rock used to, or slower but meaty/heavy metal).

Congrats on your new shiny BTW!

I love the first gig story! The first gig I played was with a punk band I was in my freshman year of high school and it lasted about 20 minutes in the basement of a local punk venue before our lead singer decided to hang from a water pipe on the ceiling above the stage which promptly broke, shorted out amps and PA gear, and flooded a good bit of the basement with water lol! I still hear that story pretty frequently when I go home. It's funny how many people tell me they were there because I only remember like 20 or 30 people showing up!

I will check out the Schoolboy Crush stuff and get back to you. As for the FF3s with UM, it was precisely that low end presence and slam that I was thinking of when I said I thought they'd go well together. Qobuz has a lot of UM's studio and live albums for purchase/download or streaming if you're still looking. The heavier album dude was talking about in the other thread is called Similar Skin and it's definitely a good album to check out. He's totally right about how different they can sound from one album to the next while still being awesome.

 

[samandhi]

But peanuts compared to the price of TOTL IEM:s...

Yes, but still very high. I, for one would never purchase DIY for $600. On the other hand, I would not buy store bought earbuds for that much either. The most I have spent on a set is $400 (Maria II).

 

[JAnonymous5150]

I’ve got to play and record in some of those studios! Berkeley is a very cool place in general and has one of my favorite piano shops anywhere. I’m a sucker for rare and rebuilt pianos when they’re are really well rebuilt. I’m sure you, more than most, understand that phenomenon. I need to head back up there.

Berkeley is definitely one if those places you go to that seems like it's a world all it's own. Even in the bay area, which is a notoriously different place, Berkeley manages to stand out.

I was big into punk music in high school (still love it and listen a lot) and when I finally got to go up to Berkeley and watch shows and play at some of the legendary venues up there like Gilman Street where Operation Ivy, Rancid, Green Day, etc played I was so psyched!

As for recording studios, the Bay has a ton of really cool small, but historic and well known studios and I loved the time I spent up there. My band actually did a few sessions in SF for our last album and I loved being back there.

 

[4ceratops]

Have a nice day everyone. I would like to ask if anyone else besides user JANOnymous5150 has experience with the 80ohm LCP version of NSC audio earbud. If so, I would be pleased if he would share his impressions. For better identification I am adding a link to Ali.

https://m.nl.aliexpress.com/item/10...u_2001941475688.0&gatewayAdapt=gloPc2nldMsite

 

[samandhi]

I love the first gig story! The first gig I played was with a punk band I was in my freshman year of high school and it lasted about 20 minutes in the basement of a local punk venue before our lead singer decided to hang from a water pipe on the ceiling above the stage which promptly broke, shorted out amps and PA gear, and flooded a good bit of the basement with water lol! I still hear that story pretty frequently when I go home. It's funny how many people tell me they were there because I only remember like 20 or 30 people showing up!

I will check out the Schoolboy Crush stuff and get back to you. As for the FF3s with UM, it was precisely that low end presence and slam that I was thinking of when I said I thought they'd go well together. Qobuz has a lot of UM's studio and live albums for purchase/download or streaming if you're still looking. The heavier album dude was talking about in the other thread is called Similar Skin and it's definitely a good album to check out. He's totally right about how different they can sound from one album to the next while still being awesome.

Thanks!

Well, that was my first gig with my second band (late teens early 20's) and was a Dokken(esc) type of band mostly, but that one just stuck out to me more than any other occasion. I was in a band called Brutal Force (Fastway-alike) when I was in high school, and we practiced a TON, but only played one gig at the 4H fair (wonder if you can see how that just didn't go together??? haha). I guess it was just a bunch of buddies getting together to jam?!

Oh, that sounds positively "Rush" like... IIRC they played in the basement of their high school (frequently) also... But I love the flooding thing.. Can't buy memories like that IMO.

To be sure they DO have that slam down low, but when I want to listen to some good prog rock or something where the (analog) drums are featured in an album, I look for a set that can also be punchy with the snares (and on the same plane), and I also want all the cymbals to be on plane. Even though I was a singer, I listen more to the drums in those types of songs (though I find guitars and other instruments just as spell binding too). Bottom line is that I want to hear (equally) all parts of those drummy drums...

Sweet! Ima' check out that one next. Thanks for providing the name of that one! I thought I was gonna' have to go back through some of his posts to find it again... LOL

Oh, and yeah, I think I heard bongos, and castanets in one song.... ROFL I almost mistook them for 311 in another song.

 

[JAnonymous5150]

P.S. I really hope everyone can just chill and wipe the slate clean. I'd hate for this to become a thread people including me avoid because of toxic nonsense and quibbling over how others spend their money. I'd like to think we are better than that as individuals, mature adults, and as a community of enthusiasts. I'm not taking sides and I'll be sure to check my own behavior for anything I may have done or be doing to contribute. I hope you guys have a good night (or day as the case may be) and I wish you all happy listening!

 

[o0genesis0o]

I would be curious to see if they make their own driver for the Talos, since everyone seems to be using the (mostly) same 14.xx planar driver these days.

I highly doubt that. I don’t even remember talos on Dunu product road map for this year. The stars of this year were supposed to be Vulkan and SA4, if I remember correctly. Now we have Talos and a new single DD unit called KIMA.

I think / guess / assume that all of these 14.xx planar drivers are from a manufacturer in Korea (don’t know where I read this, but the shock the that the drivers are not from Shenzhen stayed with me). I guess the “custom” part is like Fiio ordering custom BA drivers from Knowles.

P.S. I really hope everyone can just chill and wipe the slate clean. I'd hate for this to become a thread people including me avoid because of toxic nonsense and quibbling over how others spend their money. I'd like to think we are better than that as individuals, mature adults, and as a community of enthusiasts. I'm not taking sides and I'll be sure to check my own behavior for anything I may have done or be doing to contribute. I hope you guys have a good night (or day as the case may be) and I wish you all happy listening!

Hope so

But peanuts compared to the price of TOTL IEM:s...

To be fair, TOTL IEMs are (unnecessarily) intricate anyway (many drivers, complex cross over). I have a hard time justify TOTL price IEM for single DD like Final A8000 though.

 

[Danneq]

Yes, but still very high. I, for one would never purchase DIY for $600. On the other hand, I would not buy store bought earbuds for that much either. The most I have spent on a set is $400 (Maria II).

Except for the Red Dragon, I have never paid over $300 for a pair of earbuds. I got the SWD2+ for $199 on Drop, the Chaconne was second hand (about 16 000 yen if I remember correctly). All of the vintage Sony and Aiwa earbuds were bought before the prices skyrocketed. I could pay €150-200 for a pair of E484 E282 back in 2011-12. Now it is 3-4 times as much for a pair. That's understandable since they are so rare, though. (Edit: just discovered that there is a pair of E484 on Ebay for $200, but I have seen them for much more in the last few years).
The Red Dragons are custom made and the only pair in existence, from a maker I know and trust completely when it comes to audio related stuff. I closed my eyes when I paypaled the money to the seller but once I received and listened to the Red Dragon any regrets about money was forgotten.

 

[samandhi]

Except for the Red Dragon, I have never paid over $300 for a pair of earbuds. I got the SWD2+ for $199 on Drop, the Chaconne was second hand (about 16 000 yen if I remember correctly). All of the vintage Sony and Aiwa earbuds were bought before the prices skyrocketed. I could pay €150-200 for a pair of E484 E282 back in 2011-12. Now it is 3-4 times as much for a pair. That's understandable since they are so rare, though. (Edit: just discovered that there is a pair of E484 on Ebay for $200, but I have seen them for much more in the last few years).
The Red Dragons are custom made and the only pair in existence, from a maker I know and trust completely when it comes to audio related stuff. I closed my eyes when I paypaled the money to the seller but once I received and listened to the Red Dragon any regrets about money was forgotten.

$60 to $200 seems to be the sweet spot for me with buds, though as I mentioned, I paid $400 for the Maria II and $300 for the Chaconne.

I WAS trying to procure some Ucotech ES P1 back when the pandemic was "full force", but they didn't seem to want to sell them to me and I finally gave up trying (which is actually what led me to the Chaconne). So I guess thanks are really in order to them in the end... LOL

 

[WoodyLuvr]

I have not followed you at all. In the old days there used to be earbud DIY threads and people were adviced to keep DIY discussions there. Don't know if there still are any such threads, though.
Do people have to read all your comments before addressing you?

Why do I feel like I wound up in this old sketch?

Like I said before, the rabbit hole has grown deeper, darker, and madder! We are all mad hatters here now!

Yeah, ever since @HungryPanda passed away (RIP) and @ClieOS left (after having had about enough of us lunatics) a lot of the old earbud gang simply disappeared and the thread activity and content lowered significantly. The DIY Earbuds was just as quiet (still is) so some of that traffic spilled over to here which was quite welcome and refreshing at the time. But unfortunately it unintentionally brought over some rather unhealthy divisions regrading DIY trade secrets and a few losers (jerks) that were clearly stealing other people's hard work and creative ideas and banking off of them without a single bit of recognition or even thanks. Though I still don't agree on the ultra-secret response and stance that has been taken as I don't think any majority group should be judged and punished for the actions of the few (any minority no matter how rotten their actions may have been). I don't think that an already endangered medium (flathead earbuds) can survive in such an environment. We need to be pushing the technology envelope hard and with all we got even if it means sacrificing some pride and $$$.

In @Ronion's defense I am truly beginning to wonder if the pandemic and his being a medical/healthcare professional has had an ill effect on him as he was not like this before. I remember having a lot of nice exchanges with him before. Perhaps due to being overworked and emotionally exhausted his judgement has become clouded; his attitude has darkened; and his patience severely shortened and now easily tested. If you read his earlier posts and replies they were all kindly, extremely informative, fun to read, and quite humble with not an ounce of ego in them.

Do you play?

He is a pianist and a skilled one at that. He kindly shared some SoundCloud pieces with us before that he was composing with/his niece. Gosh, I really miss that @Ronion.

Wait! I didn't know dirt got that old?!

Sorry, just trying to lighten the mood a bit.

All good, the mood is always light as I am ultra laidback. I am just not afraid to point out strange and odd behavior on a thread where we have always been straight-forward, down-to-earth, helpful to one another, and most especially not have to walk on egg shells... as in being able to freely offer, discuss, and politely argue varying opinions and perspectives without it becoming personal and/or taken completely out of context.

Though we did have that great "earbud ranking war" in the early days didn't we?! Oh my that was an utter crap show wasn't it @Danneq? I think poor @ClieOS was still suffering from wounds from that exchange when he finally got fed up with us and left us to our own devices back in June 2021.

Jezz

Pizza!

For my ears he makes the best... They are currently at the top of my "favorites" list. They are not for sale though.

Concur @FranQL earbuds are exceptionally well-tuned! I would have no problem saying that he has golden ears and golden fingers. My wife stole one pair that he kindly gave to me (@FranQL Eight Ball Red) and has declared them her favorites even more so than the Turandot and Blur White Face which she also swiped from me. I truly love chatting with him about audio as his passion for exploring earbud tech is addictive! He is such a pleasant, generous, thoughtful, and kind-hearted guy... a real breath of fresh air in the hobby.

 

[WoodyLuvr]

Imagine then what you could build sober, under full light, at a proper DIY station, with a few upgraded items, and if you took your time! Heavenly lights would surely then shine down upon that creation!

What upgraded items are you referring to?

Oh, I think you put it in much better words than I did: "Better ingredients, better pizza". I really like that analogy, very fitting.

maybe you should ask me what that is in a PM? Just messing with you old man.

Sorry you lost me there... I was simply saying that your "better ingredients" analogy was much better said (exactly what I meant to say) than my "upgraded items". I do hope you took my first post in friendly jest as if I made anything now in under ten minutes, drunk, with no lights I doubt they would look like earbuds at all let alone function properly!

 

[Danneq]

Like I said before, the rabbit hole has grown deeper, darker, and madder! We are all mad hatters here now!

Yeah, ever since @HungryPanda passed away (RIP) and @ClieOS left (after having had about enough of us lunatics) a lot of the old earbud gang simply disappeared and the thread activity and content lowered significantly. The DIY Earbuds was just as quiet (still is) so some of that traffic spilled over to here which was quite welcome and refreshing at the time. But unfortunately it unintentionally brought over some rather unhealthy divisions regrading DIY trade secrets and a few losers (jerks) that were clearly stealing other people's hard work and creative ideas and banking off of them without a single bit of recognition or even thanks. Though I still don't agree on the ultra-secret response and stance that has been taken as I don't think any majority group should be judged and punished for the actions of the few (any minority no matter how rotten their actions may have been). I don't think that an already endangered medium (flathead earbuds) can survive in such an environment. We need to be pushing the technology envelope hard and with all we got even if it means sacrificing some pride and $$$.

In @Ronion's defense I am truly beginning to wonder if the pandemic and his being a medical/healthcare professional has had an ill effect on him as he was not like this before. I remember having a lot of nice exchanges with him before. Perhaps due to being overworked and emotionally exhausted his judgement has become clouded; his attitude has darkened; and his patience severely shortened and now easily tested. If you read his earlier posts and replies they were all kindly, extremely informative, fun to read, and quite humble with not an ounce of ego in them.


He is a pianist and a skilled one at that. He kindly shared some SoundCloud pieces with us before that he was composing with/his niece. Gosh, I really miss that @Ronion.

All good, the mood is always light as I am ultra laidback. I am just not afraid to point out strange and odd behavior on a thread where we have always been straight-forward, down-to-earth, helpful to one another, and most especially not have to walk on egg shells... as in being able to freely offer, discuss, and politely argue varying opinions and perspectives without it becoming personal and/or taken completely out of context.

Though we did have that great "earbud ranking war" in the early days didn't we?! Oh my that was an utter crap show wasn't it @Danneq? I think poor @ClieOS was still suffering from wounds from that exchange when he finally got fed up with us and left us to our own devices back in June 2021.

Pizza!

Concur @FranQL earbuds are exceptionally well-tuned! I would have no problem saying that he has golden ears and golden fingers. My wife stole one pair that he kindly gave to me (@FranQL Eight Ball Red) and has declared them her favorites even more so than the Turandot and Blur White Face which she also swiped from me. I truly love chatting with him about audio as his passion for exploring earbud tech is addictive! He is such a pleasant, generous, thoughtful, and kind-hearted guy... a real breath of fresh air in the hobby.

I do not want to speculate about other people here. Have not had any problems at all during 12 years (well, 10 if you exclude the last 2 or so years when I hardly even came to Head fi and didn't write in this thread).

The only names I remember clearly are yours and digititus. RikudouGoku had just joined before I drifted away and he made a big impression on me because of his enthusiasm from just having discovered earbuds. All the other old timers are gone. Probably happy with the gear they've got...

I have ClieOs old earbud ranking saved on my hard drive. Someone made a copy and posted it on Google docs and I downloaded it. But it is pretty old. The top bud on it is MX985, second is Blox TM7 (released in 2012!). All of those earbuds are almost vintage by now...
Edit: no 3 is Shozy BK, 4 is VE Zen 1, 5 is Rose Mojito. The list was last updated in October 2016.

 

[samandhi]

All good, the mood is always light as I am ultra laidback. I am just not afraid to point out strange and odd behavior on a thread where we have always been straight-forward, down-to-earth, helpful to one another, and most especially not have to walk on egg shells... as in being able to freely offer, discuss, and politely argue varying opinions and perspectives without it becoming personal and/or taken completely out of context.

No worries from my end either, I just didn't want tempers to flare out of control (like sometimes they do when reading responses rather than hearing them)... It sort of happened with me the other day on another thread, and we both ended up clicking "ignore" to each other. I regret it, but it is what it is I suppose.

Concur @FranQL earbuds are exceptionally well-tuned! I would have no problem saying that he has golden ears and golden fingers. My wife stole one pair that he kindly gave to me (@FranQL Eight Ball Red) and has declared them her favorites even more so than the Turandot and Blur White Face which she also swiped from me. I truly love chatting with him about audio as his passion for exploring earbud tech is addictive! He is such a pleasant, generous, thoughtful, and kind-hearted guy... a real breath of fresh air in the hobby.

At least you know your wife has really good taste! Maybe in the future, when purchasing new buds, you should just let her listen to them first and decide whether they are worth testing further. She seems to have an affinity for good sound (it seems).

I agree with all that you have said here about @FranQL. He indeed is a wonderful person, and I would argue not just in this hobby, but in life also.

I do not want to speculate about other people here. Have not had any problems at all during 12 years (well, 10 if you exclude the last 2 or so years when I hardly even came to Head fi and didn't write in this thread).

The only names I remember clearly are yours and digititus. RikudouGoku had just joined before I drifted away and he made a big impression on me because of his enthusiasm from just having discovered earbuds. All the other old timers are gone. Probably happy with the gear they've got...

I have ClieOs old earbud ranking saved on my hard drive. Someone made a copy and posted it on Google docs and I downloaded it. But it is pretty old. The top bud on it is MX985, second is Blox TM7 (released in 2012!). All of those earbuds are almost vintage by now...
Edit: no 3 is Shozy BK, 4 is VE Zen 1, 5 is Rose Mojito. The list was last updated in October 2016.

I must have come along (here) right after you exited, because @ RikudouGoku wasn't here long before I came over here (and for pretty much the same reasons).