"Open Alpha" T50 3D printed headphone project from MrSpeakers

[OSiRiSsk]

now I finally understand why the Alpha Dogs were so expensive...

 

[SeEnCreaTive]

Thank you so much Mr.Speakers. This is amazing. So good to see total support for the community like this
 
Ill get some printing ASAP

 

[Eudis]

Gunna drop it on my 3D printer now!
 
 
EDIT: ETA 5hours for 1 cup

 

[JK-47]

Just placed an order with Shipways

 

[mrspeakers]

  @mrspeakers
 
Much thanks for this great contribution to the headphone community.
 
A few questions:
 
1. Source for the Hirose conectors, both female and male
 
2. Can mini XLR connectors be used instead of the Hirose connectors without modification to the STP file? ie. same diameter
 
3. Is it possible to post the interior mods to make a Mad Dog Pro? ie. amount of stuffing etc.
 
Thanks again, simply awesome !!!

 
1)  We have the connectors, they are hard to find on other sites but they're out there.  Genuine HiRose parts are about 4-5x the price, we use a quality compatible part.  I've added the jack to our site.  We may have a delay of about 2 weeks before we can ship the connectors due to a shortage in our supply chain.
 
2) Not sure if it'd fit or not, however the mini-XLR projects too far out of the headphone and your cables will catch on your shoulder when you turn your head.
 
3) The Mad Dog Pro tuning is quite similar, since it was based on the same driver and baffle.  The slightly reduced cup volume gives the bass boost, all you have to do is work to close off and balance the vents on the cup to get the bass where you like it.
 
Cheers!

 

[mrspeakers]

  Gunna drop it on my 3D printer now!
 
 
EDIT: ETA 5hours for 1 cup

Yes, we ran 3 cups at a time on our printers for about a 16 hour cycle, then printed small parts in between.  There are reasons the giant companies don't use this for production!  
 
We have 12 3D printers in house.

 

[VSENSES]

Thanks for a great suggestion! I'm an old fart so didn't even know these kind of services exist, hopefully someone will ship to Norway as well (I doubt this service is available here).

I've got one pair modded to BMF DBV3 that I love too much to touch but I've also got another pair that I've just done some very basic mods on as well as adding the Alpha Pads and I'd really like to do this on them.

 
You can also checkout 3Dhubs, they have printers connected to their hub in several cities in Norway.

 

[kejar31]

 
You can make these parts with shape ways, the only downside will be weight on the cups as they'll have solid walls.  Shapeways can probably estimate the weight when you upload the files.  If people would like to source parts from shape ways I'm more than happy to upload them and post the links.
 
We designed the part for additive printers so as to create a lattice within the wall, which improves isolation and reduces weight, though I don't think the solid parts will add much more than an ounce or two to the project.

If you could upload and post the links that would be awesome! 

 

[mrspeakers]

  If you could upload and post the links that would be awesome! 

Sure.  I'll upload tonight and after Shapeways validates the parts I'll post links.

 

[kejar31]

 
Sure.  I'll upload tonight and after Shapeways validates the parts I'll post links.

Sweet, with that we can probably have a breakdown on parts (with links and cost with and without a printer) in the very near future

 

[mrspeakers]

https://www.shapeways.com/shops/mrspeakers
 
 

  Sweet, with that we can probably have a breakdown on parts (with links and cost with and without a printer) in the very near future

Link added to the first post under the model downloads.

 

[lemarsghast]

  https://www.shapeways.com/shops/mrspeakers
 
 

Link added to the first post under the model downloads.

 
I have another question before printing: Did you use acetone for the glossy/smooth finish for cups/baffles? Thanks

 

[CEE TEE]

  There are professional 3D printing companies out there such as shapeways.com. So if you are just looking for unmodified prints of the STL files (to be posted), then you should just be able to create an account there and let them do it. I'm looking to use their service to do a print in a few weeks time, after I have seen the CAD files and decided if I want to make any modifications....

I've had good experiences with Shapeways.com.  Just know that the service is not cheap and takes a while to make/deliver.  Helps to have proper expectations.
 
Cycle times if you are prototyping or developing something will be slow.  What shows up has always looked very nice and been packaged with care.

 

[ktmracer12345]

A few requests for the community

1. If a builder would post a supplies and tools list, that'd be great. I can make a rough list from the original instructions, but I know I'd miss stuff without actually having built the headphones.

2. If somebody who builds this could also post a price list of what it actually took them to build it. It seems pretty reasonable: ~$150 fostex, ~$100 3D printing, ~$60 pads, ~$25 cable connectors, ~$90 cable, ~$100? Misc parts/foam/etc.

3. How difficult is the assembly/soldering/tuning/etc? For the large majority of us, this will be our first complete DIY headphone.

4. How to finish the cups? I know my 3D print jobs look like crap right off the printer. I have no idea what MrSpeakers is doing to their cups, but they look awesome.

5. Are these possible in PLA, or is ABS the only good option?

6. How good do they sound? Are they close to actual MrSpeakers built Alphas? How about measurements?

 

[peter123]

 
I am from Denmark and I have used Shapeways a number of times with great satisfaction. They have a facility in Holland (IIRC) so I never had any issues with taxes or problematic deliveries whenever I used their service.
 
I am looking to keep my Rastapants mod too and have bought new drivers to use for this project...

 
 

   
You can also checkout 3Dhubs, they have printers connected to their hub in several cities in Norway.

 
Thanks a lot guys! Seems as this will be less of a problem than I initially thought