[samandhi]

Do you mean the Martini, @samandhi ? I thought Mojito predates the Maria?

Yes, you are right. I don't know what I was thinking. I think my brain was thinking one thing and my fingers typed another... Thanks for the correction.

 

[Gifting]

Those pictures caught my eye, those iem-ish adapters look interesting. I’ve been trying to look for the adapters separately but they always come bundled with buds.

I ended up getting the earbud-iem adapters. Couldn’t help myself. I wanted a budget Yuin OK1. I bought these earbuds from the Qigom Official Store, just for the adapters. When I put them on with the packaged earbuds I was pleasantly surprised. Bass increased SO MUCH!

I tried them on the FF3 too. The bass increased quite a bit on that too. I thought I found something special. And then I heard Hidden Step by Ozric Tentacles (song I frequently use for imaging). The cymbals coming in at 0:26 took a big hit on both the packaged earbuds and the FF3. They’re barely audible. These adapters mute treble quite a lot.
______________________
Anyway, my 600ohm Bery drivers, shells, and cable arrived yesterday as well. Is a voice coil groove necessary for these drivers? I heard the voice coil can be quite fragile. Also, should I orient the voice coil upwards or downwards? My guess is upwards, but I’d like to know any opinions on this matter. Thanks in advance. (I really don’t want to mess up this build).

 

[JAnonymous5150]

I ended up getting the earbud-iem adapters. Couldn’t help myself. I wanted a budget Yuin OK1. I bought these earbuds from the Qigom Official Store, just for the adapters. When I put them on with the packaged earbuds I was pleasantly surprised. Bass increased SO MUCH!

I tried them on the FF3 too. The bass increased quite a bit on that too. I thought I found something special. And then I heard Hidden Step by Ozric Tentacles (song I frequently use for imaging). The cymbals coming in at 0:26 took a big hit on both the packaged earbuds and the FF3. They’re barely audible. These adapters mute treble quite a lot.
______________________
Anyway, my 600ohm Bery drivers, shells, and cable arrived yesterday as well. Is a voice coil groove necessary for these drivers? I heard the voice coil can be quite fragile. Also, should I orient the voice coil upwards or downwards? My guess is upwards, but I’d like to know any opinions on this matter. Thanks in advance. (I really don’t want to mess up this build).

Usually you'd want to orient the VC upwards and cut a small groove for it. You've probably already seen the Earbud DIY guide that floats around here, but I'll link it below JIC since I found it quite useful.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1PRXhXgAr8N-EiNk3K9Cuqd36LeS5JB7ZuFDAgJbTCm8/htmlview#

 

[mt877]

I ended up getting the earbud-iem adapters. Couldn’t help myself. I wanted a budget Yuin OK1. I bought these earbuds from the Qigom Official Store, just for the adapters. When I put them on with the packaged earbuds I was pleasantly surprised. Bass increased SO MUCH!

I tried them on the FF3 too. The bass increased quite a bit on that too. I thought I found something special. And then I heard Hidden Step by Ozric Tentacles (song I frequently use for imaging). The cymbals coming in at 0:26 took a big hit on both the packaged earbuds and the FF3. They’re barely audible. These adapters mute treble quite a lot.
______________________
Anyway, my 600ohm Bery drivers, shells, and cable arrived yesterday as well. Is a voice coil groove necessary for these drivers? I heard the voice coil can be quite fragile. Also, should I orient the voice coil upwards or downwards? My guess is upwards, but I’d like to know any opinions on this matter. Thanks in advance. (I really don’t want to mess up this build).

Usually you'd want to orient the VC upwards and cut a small groove for it. You've probably already seen the Earbud DIY guide that floats around here, but I'll link it below JIC since I found it quite useful.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1PRXhXgAr8N-EiNk3K9Cuqd36LeS5JB7ZuFDAgJbTCm8/htmlview#

Funny, in the doc it says VC usually up, but then they show a picture of cutting the VC groove in the shell on the downward (stem) side where you put the exposed VC (glue side of speaker) wires.

I always put the VC wires (glue side of speaker) downward and file a very shallow VC groove on the downward (stem) side.

 

[mt877]

Hello!

Does anyone has any recommendations for earbuds (ideally 40 usd or less) that is similar(or maybe better) compared to MusicMaker MrZ Tomahawk or Blox M2C and also doesn't need to be amped?

I am not super familiar with audio terms but hopefully this describes correctly what I look for: I am not so much into bass, as long it exist that's good but focus more on clarity and details(Most impt), then highs and soundstage(Less impt), thus those 2 earbuds above are my favorite.

Been quite a long time since I followed earbud news, so looking to see what are the nice ones available in the market currently. Also welcome budget options even if they are not as good as the above but has similar properties to what I am looking for.

Thanks in advance!

Sorry, don't know what the MrZ Tomahawk or Blox M2C sound like, but you could be very happy with the Yincrow X6 as a cheap (US$10 to $12) earbud. Others will mention the Vido earbuds as well which are like half the price of the X6. I've never had the pleasure of listening to the Vido buds, so can't give an opinion on them either. Anyway, even though I've got some TOTL buds I always keep a few X6 around because they're cheap, convenient, punch above their price point and I can give them away to family and friends as gifts.

 

[Gifting]

Usually you'd want to orient the VC upwards and cut a small groove for it. You've probably already seen the Earbud DIY guide that floats around here, but I'll link it below JIC since I found it quite useful.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1PRXhXgAr8N-EiNk3K9Cuqd36LeS5JB7ZuFDAgJbTCm8/htmlview#

Funny, in the doc it says VC usually up, but then they show a picture of cutting the VC groove in the shell on the downward (stem) side where you put the exposed VC wires.

I always put the VC wires downward and file a very shallow VC groove on the downward (stem) side.

That’s a very useful guide. I used it when checking the resistance of my 3rd newly acquired NiceHCK B70s (which thankfully don’t have channel imbalance).

I’ve read in the DIY thread that pointing the voice coil down emphasizes the 2kHz frequency area. I don’t know if that would be a good or bad thing for this particular driver. I guess it’s maybe down to personal preference in the end.

Since I paid quite a bit for these drivers, I think I’ll go the safe route and cut a small groove. Something tells me I’ll have to tune this earbud for a while to get them right (4 stars on tuning difficulty in the guide)

 

[JAnonymous5150]

That’s a very useful guide. I used it when checking the resistance of my newly acquired NiceHCK B70s (which thankfully don’t have channel imbalance).

I’ve read in the DIY thread that pointing the voice coil down emphasizes the 2kHz frequency area. I don’t know if that would be a good or bad thing for this particular driver. I guess it’s maybe down to personal preference in the end.

Since I paid quite a bit for these drivers, I think I’ll go the safe route and cut a small groove. Something tells me I’ll have to tune this earbud for a while to get them right (4 stars on tuning difficulty in the guide)

You're absolutely right about it being personal preference in the end. I also dont find that the effect of pointing the VC down is the same every time. I haven't done nearly as much DIYing of buds as others here, but every driver is different and I have found trial and error experimentation to be the best way to figure out what works for me. If you don't want to do the trial and error thing on this build then I would just orient the VC upwards like you said.

I figured you had seen that guide before, but you never know so I posted it. I also figure if someone comes along in the future with this question they can get introduced to the guide too. I found it very useful in getting started for sure.

Good luck and happy building!

 

[JAnonymous5150]

Funny, in the doc it says VC usually up, but then they show a picture of cutting the VC groove in the shell on the downward (stem) side where you put the exposed VC (glue side of speaker) wires.

I always put the VC wires (glue side of speaker) downward and file a very shallow VC groove on the downward (stem) side.

I just thought that was up in earbud terminology lol! When I first read it that seemed weird, but I cut the VC groove on the stem side as well. I have played around with different placement, but it seems to work best for me that way.

 

[Ronion]

Definitely! I couldn't agree more. Also, I think the Yinmans' bass, regardless of quantity, is a bit tighter and more articulate than the HF650s. Not by a lot, but by enough that I think it's noticeable. The bass on the HD650s can start to blur or smear a bit as tracks get more complicated. I think the Yinmans hold up a bit better to demanding basslines.

I absolutely agree. I'd actually say more than a little.

@Gifting, just don't cover the VC with foam in any way. You risk damaging your expensive drivers as I have done in the past. You may get away with it 3 out of 4 times... It could be the first time that gets you. Those drivers don't need it, but they are mildly tricky to tune to excellence. Make sure you feed them with a bit of power. What tuning supplies do you have?

 

[BCool]

I ended up getting the earbud-iem adapters. Couldn’t help myself. I wanted a budget Yuin OK1. I bought these earbuds from the Qigom Official Store, just for the adapters. When I put them on with the packaged earbuds I was pleasantly surprised. Bass increased SO MUCH!

I tried them on the FF3 too. The bass increased quite a bit on that too. I thought I found something special. And then I heard Hidden Step by Ozric Tentacles (song I frequently use for imaging). The cymbals coming in at 0:26 took a big hit on both the packaged earbuds and the FF3. They’re barely audible. These adapters mute treble quite a lot.

I found these which look like they might be the same.

 

[INBS]

After the massive investment of $5 for the TRN EMA during 11/11, I was also disappointed. Funnily enough Yincrow X6 was next on my list to try. All I need to do is take a break from lusting after a few other interesting things and order the damned things. Maybe if I stop looking at the Audiosense sales and roller derby!

Yeah the Yincrow X6 kinda sets the baseline for budget ear buds it seems. It's probably good that I ordered them first so I know what's possible sound wise.

After doing a little bit more research yesterday I ordered the Headroom MS16, it's not talked about that much but every comment and review I read on them was very positive and the form factor seems more similar to the TRN EMA then the MX500 shell.

There is also the HZSOUND Bell rhyme, but for me the price is a little bit to high considering the non detachable cable.

 

[fjf]

I just got the Yincrow X6 and it is too shouty. With a layer of Leukopor tape and the supplied foams it gets a lot better, with more bass and less offending highs. Not bad for the price!. Not an FF5, but close.

 

[samandhi]

I absolutely agree. I'd actually say more than a little.

Wait! Did you get a set of Yinmans? Or were you simply commenting on the (potential) "smear" on the HD650, and not the comparison he was making?

 

[Gifting]

I figured you had seen that guide before, but you never know so I posted it. I also figure if someone comes along in the future with this question they can get introduced to the guide too. I found it very useful in getting started for sure.

Good luck and happy building!

All good. Thanks for the wished luck! I’ll post a picture of my finished earbuds once I’m done.

I found these which look like they might be the same.

If only I had known about those sooner. Seems like the same design as the adapters. And cheaper too. I’ll be more thorough in my search, for future purchases.

@Gifting, just don't cover the VC with foam in any way. You risk damaging your expensive drivers as I have done in the past. You may get away with it 3 out of 4 times... It could be the first time that gets you. Those drivers don't need it, but they are mildly tricky to tune to excellence. Make sure you feed them with a bit of power. What tuning supplies do you have?

Sound advice. I have kept the VC open for all my builds, those tiny wires look so fragile. Just recently I broke my 64 Ohm Ti Comp driver though, I oriented the VC downwards and ended up pushing into the bottom half after I snapped it in place. My fault. First and last time I’ll do that.

My Megatron DAC is coming any day now (tomorrow hopefully). As for tuning supplies, I got a variety of horseshoes and “mixed” W_T_F papers on the way (hopefully tomorrow as well).

 

[houaiss]

I fully agree on the comfort - I have the same issue. The [MX500 shells+mmcx female connectors+mmcx male connectors] together create far too long stem and most 8-core cables are too heavy to wear cable-down. You solved the issue in probably the only feasible way (due to the long stem it's not a good fit for wearing over-ear).

Btw. just to clarify: do you have the RY4s Plus or RY4s (they are not the same) ?

The RY4S I got was the mmcx plus. But yeah I've been liking it a lot. @samandhi also helped me suggesting the use of ear hooks, cord clipper or getting a lighter mmcx cable. All options I'm eager to try.