Quote:
Originally Posted by Detrex /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Are the crossovers already tuned to a nuetral frequency response? Is there a way I can tune the drivers to give me a nuetral response? Have you done this already ( build your own earphone )?
This is interesting...
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I and some other enthusiasts have started a thread on the DIY board called DIY IEMs. There's a lot of information about how to create IEMs from the ground up as well as how to hack the ones you've already got. We've gotten into a lot of discussions about different issues, including how to design miniature crossovers with SMD capacitors and resistors. That discussion has included threads about the UM3X.
That said, you asked about tuning to a neutral frequency response. There's a lot of hype in this area, which multi-driver IEMs being marketed as coming with crossovers. Truth be told, much of this is blue smoke and mirrors. On many triple-driver earphones, the only crossover is attached to the dedicated tweeter. Mechanical crossovers (cloth filters) are used to limit the HF response of the dedicated "woofer." In truth, while some drivers are more useful as "woofers" and others work better as "tweeters," all of the drivers sold by Knowles Acoustics (the world's largest maker of drivers) are wide-range drivers. It's not as if we're talking about the loudspeaker market, where a woofer is a very different animal from a tweeter. There, you need crossovers to save the tweeter from getting blown by LF signals designed for woofers. It's also important there to limit how high the woofer goes unless you want your lyrics and dialogue to sound like they're being delivered by James Earl Jones with a chest cold.
Cloth filters do a pretty amazing job of filtering out HF. The white filters are good for taking the edge off some HF shrillness. The brown filters give you more warmth. The reds give you bass that's closer to throbbing. Beyond that, you're in overkill. The most important factor in delivering great bass is the seal. You need to keep the suspension tight; otherwise, your bass will leak out instead of rattling your eardrums. I don't know, offhand, what the UM3X crossover is set to but I like it a lot. To my ears, it's a very natural sound. I like the UM3X better than Westone 3, which is anathema to Westone 3 lovers, but I just like the neutrality of the UM3X better than that of the Westone 3, which is spicier in ways I don't need. I feel like the Westone 3 has a more emphatic EQ curve while the UM3X - warm as it may be - has more of a Mona Lisa smile.
But I don't mean to hijack the thread. It's just a thought. I should stop here. If you want to talk about it more, I suggest taking a look at the DIY IEMs thread. Good luck.
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