[talyak]

im mostly just curious about the new drivers cos most ba iems just remix the same few drivers from the past few years. i feel like thats part of why the high-end iem market hasnt had much innovation in the past few years. the only real way to innovate is to modify/make new bas or switch to hybrid/tribrid setups. like, the u12t has been basically end-game for what, 5+ years now? 64 audio have done barely anything new since the introduction of the tia driver. and they are still some of the best iems period. moondrop themselves have said that they havent updated the s8 cos they cant really make any improvements on it. symphonium and subtonic seem to be pushing the envelope with ba bass. but short of dismantling the helios or (heavens forbid) the storm its gonna be hard to replicate that in a DIY build.
edit: (plus i got size requirements that most large shell designs wont match)

 

[stegeoc]

yeah, its probably mostly fine, given a lot of people do their nails on a regular basis with those things. the downside of course is that they are very small for anything larger than an iem.

the reason id rather not use lacquer is more about ease of creation than anything else. with my chronic pain i can only do so much in a day, so i tend to try to min-max for doing things with as little physical work as possible. tho i currently only have an fdm printer, so lacquer is gonna be necessary once i get my impressions done, and am building ciem designs.


thanks! thats really helpful

Lacquer is really quite remarkable in the way it makes even the roughest and messiest shells look fantastic very quickly. Far far easier than sanding and polishing smooth. And if you airbrush (or dip even) you'll get it done even quicker.

Getting a 100% professional glass look with a clear shell still alludes me, but anything coloured or tinted will be near perfect with minimal effort. Use it!

 

[talyak]

Lacquer is really quite remarkable in the way it makes even the roughest and messiest shells look fantastic very quickly. Far far easier than sanding and polishing smooth. And if you airbrush (or dip even) you'll get it done even quicker.

Getting a 100% professional glass look with a clear shell still alludes me, but anything coloured or tinted will be near perfect with minimal effort. Use it!

lacquer may use less effort than polishing, but you know what uses even less? doing neither lol
when i have a resin printer im gonna focus on just getting a good enough finish from the printer. im far more interested in performance than looks

 

[discus123]

so far the only place ive found is this taobao store. youll need to use a service like superbuy to get it if you arent in china tho. you can also get the rlq there if you are wanting to do some experimentation with some of knowles' latest drivers. (edit: order at your own risk. i cant yet confirm these are legitimate drivers from knowles and not some knock offs, and have yet to order them myself, so i cant confirm the fr and impedance matches the knowles spec sheet)

rau:
https://world.taobao.com/item/692448657954.htm?spm=a21wu.11804641-tw.shop-content.23.f7f6606ffAYhuZ
rlq:
https://world.taobao.com/item/69259...12321156-tw.recommend-bottom.6.39ef25692qdv3Y


interesting. that one looks cool. is that knowles first bass focused dual driver?

the rlq is a dual diaphragm in one driver design, not a double driver design. so im really curious to see how it performs, especially as it seems to have a fairly low-end focused fr in such a small unit (the diagonal size is 4.4mm as apposed to the rdi's 6.4mm).

I spoke with the seller RAU-34832 no more stock, he said, not sure when will have stock, may be after chinese new year. I wanna try this one also. You are lucky if you have it.

 

[talyak]

I spoke with the seller RAU-34832 no more stock, he said, not sure when will have stock, may be after chinese new year. I wanna try this one also. You are lucky if you have it.

thats sad to hear. im probs not gonna be ordering them for a month or so anyway tho, so no big deal

 

[stegeoc]

lacquer may use less effort than polishing, but you know what uses even less? doing neither lol
when i have a resin printer im gonna focus on just getting a good enough finish from the printer. im far more interested in performance than looks

Haha, quite right. Reading these forums and seeing the quality that many people produce does leave me wanting to make mine better looking, but you're right of course. The raw printed shells are very smooth already and I've worn them like that before for long periods with no problems with comfort. Slightly looser, naturally, but they still seal file for me straight from the printer. Sometimes I spend ages before I get around to lacquering them. Unlacquered shells also don't show fingerprints, so that's a plus

 

[talyak]

Haha, quite right. Reading these forums and seeing the quality that many people produce does leave me wanting to make mine better looking, but you're right of course. The raw printed shells are very smooth already and I've worn them like that before for long periods with no problems with comfort. Slightly looser, naturally, but they still seal file for me straight from the printer. Sometimes I spend ages before I get around to lacquering them. Unlacquered shells also don't show fingerprints, so that's a plus

yeah. you can also just increase the size by a few percent if you want them to fit a little tighter. the finishes are super nice. but the design im working up to will sit so far in the ear canal, it doesnt really matter. comfort, usability, and performance will always come first for me. i just want to get my design to a end-game level audio quality, then focus on the tws aspects. we are finally getting to the point where bluetooth should have little to no impact on audio quality with aptx lossless. so making something that will sound end-game but have all the utility of the airpods pro should be achievable now or in the near future.

 

[talyak]

the downside/upside of learning all this shiz is that it kinda breaks the marketing illusion of all the "patented" circuit designs that basically just amount to a collection of high, low, band passes, notch filters and zobels. i feel like it would be a bit of a killjoy move to point out that various brands are marketing themselves with fancy names for basic circuit designs. but it also feels extremely silly that they get away with selling their hardware on "innovation" that amounts to basic circuit design you can learn in an afternoon on the internet.
the experimentation required to tune the stuff is great. the glitzy marketing for what should be the bare minimum is kinda hollow.
edit: (its also a reminder that the patent system is broken af and really needs to not exist. at least in the way it is rn)

 

[BadgerMcBadger]

do both the exterior and interior of the shells need to be covered in glycerin? and also, will there be a problem with both 405nm and 365nm light source to cure fotoplast s/io?

 

[musmecca]

do both the exterior and interior of the shells need to be covered in glycerin? and also, will there be a problem with both 405nm and 365nm light source to cure fotoplast s/io?

Yes...you need to submerge the unfinished shell into glycerin to prevent the sticky inhibition layer. On the inside of the shell, make sure it is fully filled with glycerin as any bubble with become permanently visible on your shell. Pictured is how I do it....I have a glass cup filled with glycerine that I submerge the shells into. I then put the glass into my chamber and final cure for a few minutes. I'll then take them out and clean with soapy water. Regarding the fotoplast, my understanding is 365 is the standard.

 

[FranckZZZ]

can anyone share a good or bad story of getting a set of the Susvara from a site that allows returns...

 

[mattmatt]

do both the exterior and interior of the shells need to be covered in glycerin? and also, will there be a problem with both 405nm and 365nm light source to cure fotoplast s/io?

Yes...you need to submerge the unfinished shell into glycerin to prevent the sticky inhibition layer. On the inside of the shell, make sure it is fully filled with glycerin as any bubble with become permanently visible on your shell. Pictured is how I do it....I have a glass cup filled with glycerine that I submerge the shells into. I then put the glass into my chamber and final cure for a few minutes. I'll then take them out and clean with soapy water. Regarding the fotoplast, my understanding is 365 is the standard.

Actually, you don't have to submerge the entire shell. 1. Cure for thickness, 2. Pour out excess, 3. Cure again for few minutes without removing it from the hydrocolloid, 4. Pour glycerin to shell and cure for few minutes.

The outside of the shell is inhibition layer free already.

 

[musmecca]

Actually, you don't have to submerge the entire shell. 1. Cure for thickness, 2. Pour out excess, 3. Cure again for few minutes without removing it from the hydrocolloid, 4. Pour glycerin to shell and cure for few minutes.

The outside of the shell is inhibition layer free already.

You are correct if you don't remove the shell. However, I always remove my shells and inspect them, as I don't want to waste my time on a shell with a large defect. I also do multiple shells at one time so I'm curing another set of shells in my form while the finals are in the glycerine batch...just a different process, but both work.

 

[talyak]

can anyone share a good or bad story of getting a set of the Susvara from a site that allows returns...

kinda the wrong thread for that lmao

 

[FranckZZZ]

kinda the wrong thread for that lmao

SORRY