Earbuds Round-Up

[dykzei]

So TD26, oh my

I had a feel to run it side by side with Penon Conductor and TD26 gives impression of DNF

Comparison to Conductor it's 2-dimensional and the only good thing is separation. No depth or space/air, perhaps we can blame choice of foams or cable or ears, but seriously hahaha

Stock foams of TD26 were so bad they tore as I pulled them off to replace with my usual trig rain dense variant foams I use on everything

I'm very interested in reviews with direct comparison against common earbuds that many can relate

Update: not cable will be really hard to keep trying as I loathe this tunning so much, I'd love to hear more impressions

 

[Hypops]

I've been putting more ear time into the Aful PolarNight. The more I listen, the more that intense 2-3kHz peak rears its head. Combined with the mid-bass hump, I just can't find a way to get around the resulting "congestion" I hear in many mixes. It actually reminds me of the sound of stock Grado headphones. I love my Grados, but only with the addition of aftermarket ear pads that help even out the FR. Are there foam types or other mods that can do the same for earbuds? I can tame them with PEQ, but I'd rather have a more permanent solution that doesn't require setting up PEQ profiles on every amp.

 

[jeejack]

120ohm berybasslium in a 3d printed shell with bass tube and diy cable.
Build price less than $20

 

[MD Rohit]

If you're into classic-style earbuds, don't scroll past this. Yes, they look old school - but trust me, if you get the right pair, they can sound absolutely insane!

Recently I had the chance to meet someone truly special in the bud scene - Chang Maeng. He's literally a one-man earbud factory. From designing, crafting, tuning, to final finishing - he does it all, by hand. And the level of detail and passion he puts into each piece? Honestly, it's rare.

His latest designs - like the PK.Dex 2 and Dex.Step3 - not only look stunning with premium materials and ornate designs, but also sound incredibly refined. You can feel the craftsmanship in both the tuning and the build.

If you've been looking for handmade premium earbuds that blend heritage design with modern performance - this is your sign to check out his work.

Sometimes the real gems are made by passionate individuals - not big factories.

 

[4ceratops]

If you're into classic-style earbuds, don't scroll past this. Yes, they look old school - but trust me, if you get the right pair, they can sound absolutely insane!

Recently I had the chance to meet someone truly special in the bud scene - Chang Maeng. He's literally a one-man earbud factory. From designing, crafting, tuning, to final finishing - he does it all, by hand. And the level of detail and passion he puts into each piece? Honestly, it's rare.

His latest designs - like the PK.Dex 2 and Dex.Step3 - not only look stunning with premium materials and ornate designs, but also sound incredibly refined. You can feel the craftsmanship in both the tuning and the build.

If you've been looking for handmade premium earbuds that blend heritage design with modern performance - this is your sign to check out his work.

Sometimes the real gems are made by passionate individuals - not big factories.

Pure beauty

 

[MD Rohit]

Pure beauty

indeed brother

 

[harishl20]

Is there any difference between each pair of foams?

One is donut and other 2 are same density

His latest designs - like the PK.Dex 2 and Dex.Step3 - not only look stunning with premium materials and ornate designs, but also sound incredibly refined. You can feel the craftsmanship in both the tuning and the build.

Lucky, you've got chance to hear the latest pk dex 2 and step 3. I thought they've not been finished yet. I wanted to know how these two sound. Can you elaborate sound profile of these two. Would love to know how it differs from og pk that I've.

 

[droenald]

If you're into classic-style earbuds, don't scroll past this. Yes, they look old school - but trust me, if you get the right pair, they can sound absolutely insane!

Recently I had the chance to meet someone truly special in the bud scene - Chang Maeng. He's literally a one-man earbud factory. From designing, crafting, tuning, to final finishing - he does it all, by hand. And the level of detail and passion he puts into each piece? Honestly, it's rare.

His latest designs - like the PK.Dex 2 and Dex.Step3 - not only look stunning with premium materials and ornate designs, but also sound incredibly refined. You can feel the craftsmanship in both the tuning and the build.

If you've been looking for handmade premium earbuds that blend heritage design with modern performance - this is your sign to check out his work.

Sometimes the real gems are made by passionate individuals - not big factories.

Awesome! Do you know the pricing? Guess it'll be expensive even though it's crafted in Asia. Looks like it takes days to build. Do you know the pricing?
I wonder though, if he really makes everything on those by hand? It is strange to have renderings of the earbud. It means somebody did surface data in a CAS-software like Blender or Autodesk Alias. I guess you wouldn't do that if you wont use the data to mill the shell afterwards. Seems pointless. For me that's a tell, that it is a machined shell!
Still sanding out the milling steps and polishing on metal is a whole lot of work...

 

[ttorbic]

Are there foam types or other mods that can do the same for earbuds? I can tame them with PEQ, but I'd rather have a more permanent solution that doesn't require setting up PEQ profiles on every amp.

Can you send a photo of the stock foams? Just donuts, right? Maybe you'd benefit from a medium density full foam. You can check out my Recommended Foams table:
https://forum.hifiguides.com/t/wired-earbuds-best-of-the-best-recs/42597/242

 

[InvisibleInk]

I've been putting more ear time into the Aful PolarNight. The more I listen, the more that intense 2-3kHz peak rears its head. Combined with the mid-bass hump, I just can't find a way to get around the resulting "congestion" I hear in many mixes. It actually reminds me of the sound of stock Grado headphones. I love my Grados, but only with the addition of aftermarket ear pads that help even out the FR. Are there foam types or other mods that can do the same for earbuds? I can tame them with PEQ, but I'd rather have a more permanent solution that doesn't require setting up PEQ profiles on every amp.

Pro tip: If in the U.S and you want to skip to a good value earbud that sounds great and comes with everything needed to get an excellent fit, pick up a FiiO FF3S from this eBay seller. The prices have been going up.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/166679220029

 

[Hypops]

Can you send a photo of the stock foams? Just donuts, right? Maybe you'd benefit from a medium density full foam. You can check out my Recommended Foams table:
https://forum.hifiguides.com/t/wired-earbuds-best-of-the-best-recs/42597/242

Stock foams are just assorted donut foams. As a general rule, is it reasonable to assume that full foams boost bass and tame upper mids and/or treble? Or does the density of the foam have a bigger role in the ultimate effects?

 

[AsciiJC]

If you're into classic-style earbuds, don't scroll past this. Yes, they look old school - but trust me, if you get the right pair, they can sound absolutely insane!

Recently I had the chance to meet someone truly special in the bud scene - Chang Maeng. He's literally a one-man earbud factory. From designing, crafting, tuning, to final finishing - he does it all, by hand. And the level of detail and passion he puts into each piece? Honestly, it's rare.

His latest designs - like the PK.Dex 2 and Dex.Step3 - not only look stunning with premium materials and ornate designs, but also sound incredibly refined. You can feel the craftsmanship in both the tuning and the build.

If you've been looking for handmade premium earbuds that blend heritage design with modern performance - this is your sign to check out his work.

Sometimes the real gems are made by passionate individuals - not big factories.

Do you have one with you right now?

 

[ttorbic]

Stock foams are just assorted donut foams. As a general rule, is it reasonable to assume that full foams boost bass and tame upper mids and/or treble? Or does the density of the foam have a bigger role in the ultimate effects?

Density has a biigg impact - some say even more than tips on IEMs or pads on HPs.

You might need to try a full low or medium density

 

[tOMZY]

I wonder though, if he really makes everything on those by hand? It is strange to have renderings of the earbud. It means somebody did surface data in a CAS-software like Blender or Autodesk Alias. I guess you wouldn't do that if you wont use the data to mill the shell afterwards. Seems pointless. For me that's a tell, that it is a machined shell!

I’ve already written earlier that he makes the shells the same way as jewelers do - by casting using silicone and wax molds. As you can see in the photos, the initial result isn’t impressive; it takes many hours of grinding and polishing to achieve the final look.

 

[MD Rohit]

Do you have one with you right now?

no i don't have but i hope i can buy one soon

Awesome! Do you know the pricing? Guess it'll be expensive even though it's crafted in Asia. Looks like it takes days to build. Do you know the pricing?
I wonder though, if he really makes everything on those by hand? It is strange to have renderings of the earbud. It means somebody did surface data in a CAS-software like Blender or Autodesk Alias. I guess you wouldn't do that if you wont use the data to mill the shell afterwards. Seems pointless. For me that's a tell, that it is a machined shell!
Still sanding out the milling steps and polishing on metal is a whole lot of work...

No bro I honestly have no clue about the pricing yet… but whatever the price is, I’m pretty sure I’ll try to grab one as soon as possible!
I really love the design — it’s got this vintage vibe but with such premium finish.
And yeah, I was also wondering the same… if it’s fully handmade or partially machined — I mean those renders look too perfect to be only hand-shaped.
Still, even if the shells are CNC-milled, the post-processing, tuning, polishing — that all takes real skill. Especially with metal.
Can’t wait to hear how it actually sounds!