[mattmatt]

Finished my first build. Sonion 1723WT03/9 dual driver with grey damper and stepped horn. I was going to go with the GVs first but after reading about so many people killing them during assembly i thought safer to try something simpler first.

Sound and comfort is good. Found the sound best with no damper or just the grey one. White was a bit dark.

Look is obviously not perfect but I am quite happy and I think the photos make the imperfections stand out more. However even spinning for ages before curing, I was not able to get a perfect faceplate. Not too bad though.

My next build will not be clear so I'm hoping that makes things a lot easier!

Thanks for all the help!

Same reason why I turned to airbrushing. But I can also make flat faceplates by brushing.

 

[Aldo40]

If you have pictures of your IEM varnished with airbrush I would be curious to see the result, thanks

 

[Wgibson]

Ok, I'll bite. I can get those 14.2mm planars for about 65 USD a pair on taobao, message me if you have a link with a better price (or if you want me to post my link, no affiliation, don't want to break any rules.)

 

[slakoth453]

Ok, I'll bite. I can get those 14.2mm planars for about 65 USD a pair on taobao, message me if you have a link with a better price (or if you want me to post my link, no affiliation, don't want to break any rules.)

That's where I got them too. Good luck, I'm close to giving up tuning them.

 

[swtnate]

That's where I got them too. Good luck, I'm close to giving up tuning them.

Whats the biggest issue? Why give up? Are you trying to make it do something more than its designed to? Just curious.

 

[stegeoc]

Been very happy with my first build, thanks for all the help. Made some minor tweaks and removed and redid one of the faceplates, so it is now finished. Tuning and sound is good, but limited by the drivers. Certain music is great but other music lacks a bit of clarity and distortion creeps in at high volumes.

Next in line is the GV which should be a big step up, so I have a couple more questions first.

Firstly, is there a zobel recommended for the GV? I’ve found it discussed in this thread but haven’t found a definitive answer or values. Not sure if matters but my normal source is the Ifi Go Blu which I’m guessing isn’t too affected by impedance swings.

Secondly, to blend the faceplates to the shells better I thought it might be better this time to fix, grind and wet sand them before I add any electronics. Then remove them and refit at the end (with minor finishing). Is there any reason not to do it this way? I was a bit nervous last time grinding and sanding them when everything was finished.

Thanks!

 

[Wgibson]

Planar tuning outline, based on experience with single 10mm planar

Get a sealed rear vent measurement and one fully open, then put the damper it comes with back on, and leave it there for now.

Next add a rear chamber, get measurements with this chamber totally sealed vs heavily damped, try different materials (different kinds of tape or tuning fabric, multiple layers) and/or different orifice sizes, small, start with the smallest hole you can make, pin hole in a piece of solid tape. Try different volumes of the chamber also. This can be a cut tube with a disc of plastic on top, or you could try a solid cylinder and drill out a chamber, hardwood maybe.

Strongly suggest that you start manually because you will have a lot of iterations, try to get 90% there before 3d printing if possible, faster feedback loop doing it by hand.

You can leave the rear damper fabric on the driver for this, just put the chamber on top of it. Mess with that damping later if needed, see your first two curves and if the shape change would improve your curves with the chamber and damper on the driver.

This is how you can manipulate the bass shelf, and the drop in the curve around 300- 1khz helps set up for the pinna peak. It is complicated and VERY difficult to get repeatable results, but not impossible, assuming this 14.2mm behaves similar to the 10mm.

Rear damper - if you increase the damping value, you can increase 10khz and up response. Again, all comments based on single 10mm planar tuning, I expect them to translate pretty well.

Don't give up, you could always accept flat/neutral bass and add a single or double BA for pinna, poke that BA nozzle into the side of your planar acoustic chamber, with a short piece of tube if needed.

Rambling a bit, but hope this helps.

 

[Wgibson]

Also, no front vent, no nozzle damping at all if possible, stainless mesh only. Driver flex is likely, but if you use a vented BA for pinna, it should be ok.

 

[devmeista]

For my first build, I’m planning to stick to simple. I like the idea of using a single BA to experiment with filters and resistors. I grabbed a couple ED-29689 as I saw it was used in some of the er4 ety iems. Does anyone know if the factory configuration is wired straight to mmcx jack, or are there any components installed in that path? I have some er2se I could look at but I’ve heard it’s rough to see anything worthwhile without destroying them.

Anyone have any baseline for a good place to start with this driver for tube length, diameter, wiring etc?

 

[stegeoc]

Been very happy with my first build, thanks for all the help. Made some minor tweaks and removed and redid one of the faceplates, so it is now finished. Tuning and sound is good, but limited by the drivers. Certain music is great but other music lacks a bit of clarity and distortion creeps in at high volumes.

Next in line is the GV which should be a big step up, so I have a couple more questions first.

Firstly, is there a zobel recommended for the GV? I’ve found it discussed in this thread but haven’t found a definitive answer or values. Not sure if matters but my normal source is the Ifi Go Blu which I’m guessing isn’t too affected by impedance swings.

Secondly, to blend the faceplates to the shells better I thought it might be better this time to fix, grind and wet sand them before I add any electronics. Then remove them and refit at the end (with minor finishing). Is there any reason not to do it this way? I was a bit nervous last time grinding and sanding them when everything was finished.

Thanks!

Sorry, one more question. The GVs (and many others) have cloth vents that can be removed for more bass. Do these small cloth circles peel off easily and can you put them back? The taped vents look easy to remove but not sure about the cloth ones. Also when the vents are opened up like this, does the seal on the shell and air volume start affecting the sound? Presumably you won’t know what it sounds like until you seal everything up? Thanks

 

[slakoth453]

Planar tuning outline, based on experience with single 10mm planar

Get a sealed rear vent measurement and one fully open, then put the damper it comes with back on, and leave it there for now.

Next add a rear chamber, get measurements with this chamber totally sealed vs heavily damped, try different materials (different kinds of tape or tuning fabric, multiple layers) and/or different orifice sizes, small, start with the smallest hole you can make, pin hole in a piece of solid tape. Try different volumes of the chamber also. This can be a cut tube with a disc of plastic on top, or you could try a solid cylinder and drill out a chamber, hardwood maybe.

Strongly suggest that you start manually because you will have a lot of iterations, try to get 90% there before 3d printing if possible, faster feedback loop doing it by hand.

You can leave the rear damper fabric on the driver for this, just put the chamber on top of it. Mess with that damping later if needed, see your first two curves and if the shape change would improve your curves with the chamber and damper on the driver.

This is how you can manipulate the bass shelf, and the drop in the curve around 300- 1khz helps set up for the pinna peak. It is complicated and VERY difficult to get repeatable results, but not impossible, assuming this 14.2mm behaves similar to the 10mm.

Rear damper - if you increase the damping value, you can increase 10khz and up response. Again, all comments based on single 10mm planar tuning, I expect them to translate pretty well.

Don't give up, you could always accept flat/neutral bass and add a single or double BA for pinna, poke that BA nozzle into the side of your planar acoustic chamber, with a short piece of tube if needed.

Rambling a bit, but hope this helps.

Thanks, I basically did all of these things. Thought about doing a hybrid and actually tried it with some BAs I harvested from old iems but it didn't quite work so I'll have to get some different drivers. Then I still have the problem that I can only get the bass to be flat all the way to 1k and haven't figured out how to get a 300hz to 1k dip like you said. I also don't want to add another bass driver because the planar takes up so much space and at that point I'd just be covering it up. What annoys me is that there are so many sets out there using the same drivers that all measure very close to each other but I can't get anywhere near that.

 

[mattmatt]

Been very happy with my first build, thanks for all the help. Made some minor tweaks and removed and redid one of the faceplates, so it is now finished. Tuning and sound is good, but limited by the drivers. Certain music is great but other music lacks a bit of clarity and distortion creeps in at high volumes.

Next in line is the GV which should be a big step up, so I have a couple more questions first.

Firstly, is there a zobel recommended for the GV? I’ve found it discussed in this thread but haven’t found a definitive answer or values. Not sure if matters but my normal source is the Ifi Go Blu which I’m guessing isn’t too affected by impedance swings.

Secondly, to blend the faceplates to the shells better I thought it might be better this time to fix, grind and wet sand them before I add any electronics. Then remove them and refit at the end (with minor finishing). Is there any reason not to do it this way? I was a bit nervous last time grinding and sanding them when everything was finished.

Thanks!

Why complicate it and do it twice? Just slap it once all done and grind them that's how I do mine in my case and a lot of companies do to.

 

[musmecca]

Been very happy with my first build, thanks for all the help. Made some minor tweaks and removed and redid one of the faceplates, so it is now finished. Tuning and sound is good, but limited by the drivers. Certain music is great but other music lacks a bit of clarity and distortion creeps in at high volumes.

Next in line is the GV which should be a big step up, so I have a couple more questions first.

Firstly, is there a zobel recommended for the GV? I’ve found it discussed in this thread but haven’t found a definitive answer or values. Not sure if matters but my normal source is the Ifi Go Blu which I’m guessing isn’t too affected by impedance swings.

Secondly, to blend the faceplates to the shells better I thought it might be better this time to fix, grind and wet sand them before I add any electronics. Then remove them and refit at the end (with minor finishing). Is there any reason not to do it this way? I was a bit nervous last time grinding and sanding them when everything was finished.

Thanks!

I started assembling faceplates to shells....I have some pics in the thread a ways back...then grinding, polishing, and 1st law coat. I then exacto the faceplate off and reassemble. This way helps me really bevel the faceplate/shell interface for a good look. I did catch an edge once and it ripped everything in half, tearing up my connections. That's why I do it this way now....I'm not as good as matt! Lol

 

[mattmatt]

I started assembling faceplates to shells....I have some pics in the thread a ways back...then grinding, polishing, and 1st law coat. I then exacto the faceplate off and reassemble. This way helps me really bevel the faceplate/shell interface for a good look. I did catch an edge once and it ripped everything in half, tearing up my connections. That's why I do it this way now....I'm not as good as matt! Lol

The problem with this step is the unnecessary exposure to UV especially for clear shells and faceplate.

Nah man. I'm not that good too. I just have the muscle memory from making hundreds of pairs already.

 

[mattmatt]

If you have pictures of your IEM varnished with airbrush I would be curious to see the result, thanks

Here ya go my man.