[wolkegeist]

@dhruvmeena96 @eunice
I found this distributor of FED-30048, is it a valid one? If you buy 25 pcs it’s only 7$ each.
https://www.infinite-electronic.hk/product/Knowles_FED-30048-I04.aspx

 

[Talaka]

As I said, you can change FED for dual Sonion 2389 or 2389 + 1700 as I describe above. Taobao is a good place to start, but if you need qualified vendor then check soundlink store on Aliexpress. Everything’s on sale on ali now so you probably can find some good deals.

Sadly I coudn´t find either the FED nor the Sonions on Aliexpress, so I´m just gonna get the FED from mouser. Thanks for your help though.

 

[wolkegeist]

Sadly I coudn´t find either the FED nor the Sonions on Aliexpress, so I´m just gonna get the FED from mouser. Thanks for your help though.

Sonion 2389 is very common driver, you can go for dual 2389 and ED 30698

Sadly I coudn´t find either the FED nor the Sonions on Aliexpress, so I´m just gonna get the FED from mouser. Thanks for your help though.

Sonion 2389 is a very common driver and easy to find. You can go for dual 2389 + ED 30761. Both can be found on soundlink store on Ali or on Taobao. Personally I think mouser’s shipping fee is quite expensive for just a pair of driver tho. Also beware the FED and ED in finale 2 is TUBELESS, so you need some kind of adapter to make tubing for them. Ask @eunice for more information.

 

[eunice]

Also beware the FED and ED in finale 2 is TUBELESS, so you need some kind of adapter to make tubing for them. Ask @eunice for more information.

I simply stretch the tube over the drivers.
Easy with a tube expander: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/BTE...Hearing-Aid-Dispenser-s-Tool/32713436928.html

 

[fredcrys]

@Ivan TT, @eunice, @dhruvmeena96, and everyone else.

Here is the list that I have gathered so far to build the DIY-IEM. Most of you have built these IEMs, so the list will look familiar. I have to confess that I have not searched deep on these forums for a materials list, in any case, I would like for the community to give me your suggestions and comments to enhance this shopping list. The prices are in US dollars and links point at Amazon USA and Aliexpress-soundlink.

Total: $283.88
Impression and Casting materials

1. DIY Ear impression kit (4 sets)
   1. $18.00 - https://www.earplugstore.com/diyimpkit.html
2. Acrylic Mold Resin - Lisa Pavelka magic gloss UV resin (Soundlink has other options for Resin Acrylic)
   1. $52.99 x 6oz - Ebay_Link
   2. $40.72 x 6oz - Amazon_link
3. Negative mold Clear/translucent SORTA-Clear 37 (Smooth-On) - You can use Agar-agar as well and is cheaper
   1. $44.36 by 2Lbs - Amazon_Link
4. Rotating display Battery
   1. $6.48 - Amazon_link
5. Natural Soy Wax or Clear-Seal Silicone Coating (Lacquer or Nail Polish)
   1. Natural Soy Wax
   2. $10.85 - Amazon
6. Casting ring cup for Negative mold
   1. $2.55 x 2=$5.10 - Aliexpress
7. UV Light Nail machine
   1. $25.99 - Amazon_link

Total: $151.50

IEM Cable and accessories

1. Armatures Drivers
   1. 2PCS Bellsing 10013 Balanced Armature Driver 6 Way BA Full Range
   2. $65.86 (Pair) - Aliexpress_Link - As of 08/26/2019 the price shown has a 26% discount
   3. Zobel network materials (Cap + Res) are no more than $5.00
2. Sound Dampers filters
   1. $2.46 x 7=$17.22 to get all of them just in case
   2. Aliexpress_link
      1. Damper install Tool_Link - $5.01
3. MMCX Terminals
   1. Female terminal
   2. $3.82 (2p) - Aliexpress
4. MMCX headphone cable 64in long
   1. $28.00 - Aliexpress
5. Enameled copper wire 31awg - Red & Green
   1. $5.37 x 2=$10.74 (pack of 10 shorts) - Aliexpress
6. OuM Kit Accoustic tubes
   1. Acoustic tube Ø 2,0mm outside / Ø 1,2mm inside
   2. Acoustic tube Ø 3,0mm outside / Ø 2,0mm inside
   3. $1.73 - Aliexpress

Total: $132.38

I have ordered the second half of this list plus the 8oz Nicefit Acrylic and the Casting ring cup from Aliepxress. The idea for the acrylic is to make my faceplate; hopefully, it will go as plan. To my surprise, the materials will be here next Tuesday, Sept 3rd. Unfortunately, the Caps and resistors will take longer. I do not know if I will bite the bullet and order from Mouser or amazon for quick delivery.

For the IEM mold, I decided to go and get an ear impression and send it to my local Dreve-America office, which is located in my city...Lucky me!! So they can 3D print it for me. The 3D print cost US$52.60 for both ears, which is not bad considering the labor and my inexperience. I hope I am interpreting the Zobel diagram correctly when the times comes to solder. I will be sharing photos of the process.

I want to thank all the community, especially the Headphoneus Supremus and the 100+ Head-fiers on this thread, for all the help on the Zobel and materials.

 

[kmmm]

Someone was asking for new pictures of builds some pages ago. Here’s one. My MASM 3 pro. (K is my initial)

 

[eunice]

Beautiful! What resin? What cable?

 

[kmmm]

Beautiful! What resin? What cable?

Thank you @eunice
Dreve fotoplast and Dreve lack3
The cable is DIY. (Papri GS01 AWG26,5)

 

[eunice]

And the logo is hand painted?

 

[kmmm]

And the logo is hand painted?

It’s gold vinyl I cut at work on a vinyl cutter. The vinyl is from 3M and looks like gold leaf. It was really close to the vinyls limit because of the small details. I then placed it on the faceplate and built up another layer of fotoplast.

I actually found a great way to make faceplates yesterday: I make a ring of play doe (big enough for two faceplates) on a small glass plate. Fill the ring with fotoplast. Then I cure this. The underside will be totally cured as it cures with no oxygen. But the top will still be sticky. I remove the faceplate from the glass and put some fotoplast on a clean spot on the glass and place the faceplate with the sticky side down on top of the uncured fotoplast. Then I cure again. Remove from the glass and you will have a spotless, totally flat (on both sides) and fully cured faceplate with no use of glycerol! Saves time as well!!

 

[eunice]

Wonderful. Thanks for the tipps. I stopped making faceplates like this to save on resin and because one side wasn’t flat. With your method that might work.

 

[kmmm]

Wonderful. Thanks for the tipps. I stopped making faceplates like this to save on resin and because one side wasn’t flat. With your method that might work.

Yes. I had the same problem. But I struggled to get other faceplates materials to stick, so I continued. With this method and Dreve faceplate glue It works really nice. One tlp regarding Dreve faceplate glue: Use plenty of it, and cure it for 10 min.

 

[dhruvmeena96]

Someone was asking for new pictures of builds some pages ago. Here’s one. My MASM 3 pro. (K is my initial)

Nice work
I think you made the shell so sexy that the cable seems to look as a weak point. LoL

You need to have the cable thicc

(That was a joke)

Nice work




Well, this for new members
Rules on making own style MASM.

1. Select driver from the low impedance RAB/RAF(RAB32033/32257/32063 or RAF). Its because its low sensitivity and peak at 3kHz. This driver runs without damper and assist the higher sensitivity , very low impedance driver in completing the spectrum of sound.


2. Now, second driver has to be a driver having high sensitivity, lower impedance than RAB and frequency peaks at 2kHz and 4kHz. This driver is dual damped.

First damper is strong damping to remove internal peak creation at spout due BA 4th order/6th order structure. Type of resonance damping

Second damper is slightly more calculation based.

Since I chose a 20mm tube for GQ in MASM
The open tube resonance occurs at 8.5kHz
Why?

Simple
Keep everything in meters

Lambda = 2(length of tube)
Frequency of node{highest} = v/Lambda

This gives us 8.5kHz peak

So having a weak damper just at the center of the tube, something like grey, will shoot down the 8.5kHz nodular resonance and also its other peaky harmonics in higher frequency.

That's the reason for dual damping GQ.

3. Now RAB has 16mm tube and GQ(or other driver) has 20mm tube. RAB compensate for any over loss due to damper on GQ because its kept damper less. The effect of RAB on upper midrange and treble is non obstrusive and it helps to raise the treble too.

4. Zobel to flatten impedance down




For GQ or alternatives

First damper - at beginning to reduce driver internal resonance and major peak
Second damper - in center - to reduce tube resonance, so I can get my treble lined up properly without sharp peaks


In MASM 3 pro, I have a series resonator/muffler/acoustic cavity low pass. It was introduced to not actually low pass, but shift my resonant peak and 3kHz slightly to left(higher freq).

With 16mm tube on RAB, I get 1st order resonance at 10,625Hz, which has been proven by RAB FR. Adding a resonator, shift the 10,625Hz to 11,250Hz with wider kurtosis and 3,000Hz to 3,085Hz

 

[eunice]

Yes. I had the same problem. But I struggled to get other faceplates materials to stick, so I continued.

If you want to try other materials, try two component epoxy glue. It does not release any fumes and sticks to everything.

 

[SupremusDoofus]

Take a look at this: https://www.reddit.com/r/headphones/comments/cxqlje/knowles_files_claim_with_us_trade_commission_to/