[Surf Monkey]

Struggling with the fit of the FF5. I’m not sure what it is about them but they don’t want to fit my ears right. I’m still experimenting with foams and silicon rings.

Meanwhile my replacement set of X6s came. These fit my ears very well and with the FiiO bass foams on them they sound excellent. No, they don’t have the open sparkle of the FF5 and the bass is more abundant while being less controlled. But damn. They sound mind blowing for $12.

 

[mt877]

Struggling with the fit of the FF5. I’m not sure what it is about them but they don’t want to fit my ears right. I’m still experimenting with foams and silicon rings.
er
Meanwhile my replacement set of X6s came. These fit my ears very well and with the FiiO bass foams on them they sound excellent. No, they don’t have the open sparkle of the FF5 and the bass is more abundant while being less controlled. But damn. They sound mind blowing for $12.

The general consensus is the bulbous shape of the shell and the cable contribute to slippage. One other thing I found is that when I insert the buds if the rear edge of the buds are being twisted outward by the force of the cable then I will counter twist the buds so that the cable twist force is lightly forcing the rear edge of the buds with an inbound twist force. I hope that makes sense somehow. Anyway, that keeps them in my ears better.

 

[samandhi]

The general consensus is the bulbous shape of the shell and the cable contribute to slippage. One other thing I found is that when I insert the buds if the rear edge of the buds are being twisted outward by the force of the cable then I will counter twist the buds so that the cable twist force is lightly forcing the rear edge of the buds with an inbound twist force. I hope that makes sense somehow. Anyway, that keeps them in my ears better.

+1

Plus, if you make sure the cable is not twisted at all when inserting them (totally straighten them out, and no twists when inserting them into the source end either), it might also help in your favor.

 

[baskingshark]

The Dunu Alpha 1 have been around since 2015 (per Woody's Earbud Timeline). They're the world's first hybrid DD / BA flat head earbud combo. The BA sound is side fired into your ear canal while the DD is like a normal earbud. I wonder if they managed to squeeze in a crossover inside these buds (doubtful) as there appears to have some separation in the top end (mids and treble) coming from the BA and the low end (bass and low mids) coming from the DD.

I found the fit in your concha is crucial for excellent sound. First I tried the supplied earhooks, the large earhook fit the best but the hook extension sort of canted the rear of the bud outward in such a way that much of the bass was leaking out. If I lightly pressed the rear of the bud inward with the earhooks installed, then the bass would fill the soundscape properly. Here's a headfonics review which mentions the mids and treble dominance over the bass, but I as mentioned, I think fit is crucial. Once I switched to the thick rings I was getting a better fit with less overall sound leakage and as a result the bass was much better. The Alpha 1 wears like an earbud, but has the soundstage of an IEM, meaning more in your head. at least the mids and treble while the bass helps to expand the soundstage outward. Instrument separation and layering is very good and vocals sound natural. These are my first impressions, but I think it's pretty spot on, at least to my ears.

There aren't many hybrid earbuds (majority are single DD), and I think @Ronion and I got burnt by the Smabat ST20 Pro (BA+DD) earbud, cause of the weird fit and 3 kHz icepick migraine inducing peak. Glad to see this DUNU Alpha 1 sounds legit (no pun intended). Likewise the Smabat ST20 Pro was huge and I needed fins and silicone rings and double foams just to secure a fit, but even so, the 3 kHz was dealbreaking.

I think some DIYers are exploring with planars in their earbud creations, and definitely there's big room to explore various driver permutations for earbuds (but of course implementation and tuning trumps driver type/count).

 

[jogawag]

I made an MMCX version of Newbsound 32Pro, which was popular last year, using only solder and the following procedure for about $8.

1. Ry4s MMCX (about $4)
https://aliexpi.com/B0ZV
Remove and discard the soldered driver from the Shell.

2．The set of driver and Shell (about $4) used in Newbsound 32Pro is
https://aliexpi.com/VWoj
So, solder this driver to the MMCX Shell of "1.

3. connect an appropriate silver-plated or OFC MMCX cable and you are done.

The silver-plated cable produces sparkling treble, while the OFC cable produces slightly milder treble.
Both cables produce a wide soundstage with firm bass.
Burn-in time is about 50 hours.

 

[FranQL]

I sent my entire collection of DIY buds to Charlyro222 so he'll have LOL entertainment until he gets tired of them.

meanwhile I made a great Bud, and I'm also thankful that I can't compare it with the ones I like the most, so I've been able to make a different bud that has really blown my mind... a construction of about €20 that is IMO a bud to be among the best I've ever heard.



But since I listen to music for many hours a day, I have also given more time to my IEMs and headphones, although I prefer the Buds over them...

(DIY IEM)



A bit like @mt877 has done instead of using the Buds that I bought and I like (obviously less than my DIY ones) I used the more retro buds... 1More E1008 and Creative Aurvana Air... and what do you want me to tell you, I am enjoying them very much... the open mind is wonderful (without tunings that make your ears bleed of course)

 

[mt877]

I made an MMCX version of Newbsound 32Pro, which was popular last year, using only solder and the following procedure for about $8.

1. Ry4s MMCX (about $4)
https://aliexpi.com/B0ZV
Remove and discard the soldered driver from the Shell.

2．The set of driver and Shell (about $4) used in Newbsound 32Pro is
https://aliexpi.com/VWoj
So, solder this driver to the MMCX Shell of "1.

3. connect an appropriate silver-plated or OFC MMCX cable and you are done.

The silver-plated cable produces sparkling treble, while the OFC cable produces slightly milder treble.
Both cables produce a wide soundstage with firm bass.
Burn-in time is about 50 hours.

Nice! Being creative has it's rewards.

 

[mt877]

I sent my entire collection of DIY buds to Charlyro222 so he'll have LOL entertainment until he gets tired of them.

meanwhile I made a great Bud, and I'm also thankful that I can't compare it with the ones I like the most, so I've been able to make a different bud that has really blown my mind... a construction of about €20 that is IMO a bud to be among the best I've ever heard.



But since I listen to music for many hours a day, I have also given more time to my IEMs and headphones, although I prefer the Buds over them...

(DIY IEM)



A bit like @mt877 has done instead of using the Buds that I bought and I like (obviously less than my DIY ones) I used the more retro buds... 1More E1008 and Creative Aurvana Air... and what do you want me to tell you, I am enjoying them very much... the open mind is wonderful (without tunings that make your ears bleed of course)

Looking good! You always wow us with your wonderful builds and those retro buds have some style.

 

[FranQL]

Looking good! You always wow us with your wonderful builds and those retro buds have some style.

However I think FF5 should be in my collection. I write it down as a pending subject for 2023. It offers a leap in design in that scheme of interesting things that I have in my head

Note: that new bud that I showed, you must build it.

 

[jeejack]

I sent my entire collection of DIY buds to Charlyro222 so he'll have LOL entertainment until he gets tired of them.

meanwhile I made a great Bud, and I'm also thankful that I can't compare it with the ones I like the most, so I've been able to make a different bud that has really blown my mind... a construction of about €20 that is IMO a bud to be among the best I've ever heard.

My eagle eyes see some 75 ohm drivers in the DP100 shells

 

[samandhi]

My eagle eyes see some 75 ohm drivers in the DP100 shells

Either way, they are very sharp looking on top of that..

 

[FranQL]

My eagle eyes see some 75 ohm drivers in the DP100 shells

Ohhh yes!!!!! what do you think of this driver? I exaggerate????

On the other hand, we have 120 Bery comp in a metal shell, it is another invaluable value in terms of quality-price if you work a little on the setting...

Some guy highly recommended them to me, I don't know who it will be....

Either way, they are very sharp looking on top of that..

These if I can in these months.... you will be able to listen to them

 

[Rick1982]

Ohhh yes!!!!! what do you think of this driver? I exaggerate????

On the other hand, we have 120 Bery comp in a metal shell, it is another invaluable value in terms of quality-price if you work a little on the setting...

Some guy highly recommended them to me, I don't know who it will be....



These if I can in these months.... you will be able to listen to them

Any link to those drivers?
Thanks.

 

[jeejack]

Ohhh yes!!!!! what do you think of this driver? I exaggerate????

On the other hand, we have 120 Bery comp in a metal shell, it is another invaluable value in terms of quality-price if you work a little on the setting...

Some guy highly recommended them to me, I don't know who it will be....



These if I can in these months.... you will be able to listen to them

Both are crazy value for the money. That's why we love DIY. With 10-20$ you can have a TOTL sound
BTW... DIY Workroom rules

 

[jeejack]

Any link to those drivers?
Thanks.

75 Ohm
https://a.aliexpress.com/_ms494gW
120 Ohm Composite Beryllium Diaphragm
https://a.aliexpress.com/_mL0ioTG

Have fun!