[Armillary]

I've recently started up working with a four axis cnc mill that has a lathe attachment and I thought it would be a good time to see if I could find some people interested in custom parts. I can do any hardwood I can get my hands on, I'll be able to do aluminum and brass soon and I'm not too far from other metals as well so I've got pretty good range. I'd think that the most requested item would be headphone cups and I could make cups for the t50rp set pretty easily so if anyone is interested (and would be willing to pay for the service) PM me about you're request. In the meantime what do you guys most want to see? I know Grado mods are always huge so I can look into making cups for certain models for those too. 

 

[serman005]

  I've recently started up working with a four axis cnc mill that has a lathe attachment and I thought it would be a good time to see if I could find some people interested in custom parts. I can do any hardwood I can get my hands on, I'll be able to do aluminum and brass soon and I'm not too far from other metals as well so I've got pretty good range. I'd think that the most requested item would be headphone cups and I could make cups for the t50rp set pretty easily so if anyone is interested (and would be willing to pay for the service) PM me about you're request. In the meantime what do you guys most want to see? I know Grado mods are always huge so I can look into making cups for certain models for those too. 

At the moment, I don't need your services, but what you are doing is extremely cool Just had to say it. Good luck with it!

 

[Armillary]

Thanks! I haven't had any requests yet so I suppose I should start by posting some examples of my work. I'll have something to show off by Thursday (2/18), after I'm able to work out everything and get all my equipment in order. I might also go ahead and whip up a generic t50rp replacement cup since I already have measurements on that particular set.  

 

[Joel Peterson]

I'd love to see some of your work! I attempted to recreate most of the parts a sennheiser HD600 awhile back with some extra hardwood I had. I never got far because things got REAL complicated REAL quick. I guess plastic mold fabrication exists for a reason..

 

[Armillary]

Well I was able to avoid a lot of issues by making my own baffles and designing around the driver first and foremost. From there making the proper dimensions and geometry for the support structure of the t50rp's own headband isn't too bad, you just need to be mindful of the inner concave cavity that lets the ball joint move freely. Honestly I didn't quite like the articulation system the t50rp has by default so I'm working on a kit that would include the baffle, cup, and a different support. The idea is that you'd just take the driver out of your set, transplant them to the new set, wire it up how you'd like, and screw the new support into the retainer on the headband.  

 

[Joel Peterson]

yeah I may give it another go with a more artistic approach rather than trying to make a 1:1 replica and transplant the drivers. Did you do anything with the headband on your t50rp besides where the ball joint attaches? Flex was a major concern of mine, but having that flat bend surface made from a single piece would look so incredible. The kit idea is awesome by the way. Gives people the chance do do their own DIY "build" without all the hassle of creating the parts.

 

[Armillary]

You can see my last modded set at http://imgur.com/Jc1KCjG, I made these a few months ago, mainly focusing on improving as much as I could. The headband here has a cloth wrap with some padding, but generally is about the same. I think that my next set will most likely be lighter on the headband, going for a cloth strap instead. 

 

[Armillary]

I was able to cnc cut my latest cup design, although its really more like 1/3 the cup as it'll attach to the baffle and the back of the headphone (or dust protection for those preferring an open design) will slot into it. The idea is to create a slim profile and the design is only 1/2" thick on the part. This one is an initial run so there were a few issues, but those shouldn't be present when the next set are made. You'll see some scrapes in the wood on the top face, this is were a facing pass that was removed from the design found its way into the instructions for the part. There is also some inconsistency in the thickness, mainly because the wood stock was oversized (3/4" thick) and I removed the excess using a slightly unstable band saw.
 
Pictures of the part:

In the workshop
 

 

A test fitting of the backing made for a previous version, its a bit loose so the next run of backings need to be slightly larger.  

 

[ThePCWizard]

I don't currently have a need for your services but I do have to ask; do you work with custom designs? And if you do, in what format can you recieve CAD files?

 

[Armillary]

All of my work is made custom using a variety of tools, but mostly fusion 360. I can convert from most formats using it and I've imported work I did previously in solidworks. I'm willing to lend services in design as well as part fabrication, so if you have work you'd like made or cnc milled in small quantities I'd be willing to look into it. 

 

[Kaszanas]

That is some extreme stuff you are doing there, I would love to be able to do it on my own but I fear that the equipment needed is too much.
What would be the costs of a service like that?
Like I have DT990 600 ohm
and I would love a pair of cups for Creative Aurvana Live in wood.
That is ofc If you are still alive up here. 

 

[Armillary]

Well I try to keep it reasonable, but it usually ends up being a bit much due to the costs involved and the time required to work out a part in design, get it set up for a cut, and make the cut without issues. I'm doing my best to get set up with some more equipment but in the meantime a lot of common shapes (like domes for instance) require a reasonable amount of finishing work in addition to everything else. 
 
Recently I've advanced my own personal project and I even won an award from a program at my university and after working on the design for a bit I'm fairly optimistic that I've found a really nice form factor for the set I intend to produce and a nice driver model (assuming all goes well with my future testing). I'd like to show off, but I think it would be best to wait until the first prototype set is done before positing images. The renders are a bit rough and I think a physical set would be much more appealing. I've also got a number of contacts up my sleeve so hopefully you'll see Alembic Headphones pop up in about three months. After that I'll most likely be looking at a kickstarter. I really wanted to keep this community updated on development but the last few months went by really fast and I'm also still trying to figure out how much I can post about it before getting all the official details worked out. I'm hoping to start posting a lot more about that project when the first physical prototype is ready. All I can really say now is that it'll be produced with cnc methods, and feature a custom made planar driver.  

 

[Kaszanas]

Well I try to keep it reasonable, but it usually ends up being a bit much due to the costs involved and the time required to work out a part in design, get it set up for a cut, and make the cut without issues. I'm doing my best to get set up with some more equipment but in the meantime a lot of common shapes (like domes for instance) require a reasonable amount of finishing work in addition to everything else. 


 


Recently I've advanced my own personal project and I even won an award from a program at my university and after working on the design for a bit I'm fairly optimistic that I've found a really nice form factor for the set I intend to produce and a nice driver model (assuming all goes well with my future testing). I'd like to show off, but I think it would be best to wait until the first prototype set is done before positing images. The renders are a bit rough and I think a physical set would be much more appealing. I've also got a number of contacts up my sleeve so hopefully you'll see Alembic Headphones pop up in about three months. After that I'll most likely be looking at a kickstarter. I really wanted to keep this community updated on development but the last few months went by really fast and I'm also still trying to figure out how much I can post about it before getting all the official details worked out. I'm hoping to start posting a lot more about that project when the first physical prototype is ready. All I can really say now is that it'll be produced with cnc methods, and feature a custom made planar driver.  

 


looking up to see the stuff that you make as it looks pretty awesome.