[Designdude]

Hi everyone,

I have recently developed an interest in IEMs and how they work. I know a little about how the shells are made but I know next to nothing about the drivers and other electronic components. Could anyone possibly point me in the direction of some reading or other learning resources that could help me to better understand the technology? I've seen some basic setups with drivers soldered in but that's my limit.

Thanks for any help you guys can offer.

 

[EagleWings]

http://www.head-fi.org/t/430688/home-made-iems

 

[Designdude]

Thanks for the link. I don't suppose you know of any good reading for understanding the basics of what each component is and what the differences mean?
 
I see a lot of people talking about different qualities and it all goes slightly above my head. 

 

[EagleWings]

I'm sorry, I don't. But let me share what I already know when it comes to inside of the IEMs. As you know that driver/transducer is the most important part of the IEM, IEMs are typically classified based on driver type, count and configuration:
 
Dynamic Driver (DD) - These are the normal drivers that you would see in your house speaker or a car speaker. From what I have read, these drivers are not too expensive to manufacture. But for hi-fi IEM models, manufactures try to use special materials to bring better performance.
 
Examples of DD based IEMs: RHA MA750, Sennheiser IE80, IE800, Rhapsodio Galaxy
 
Balanced Armatures (BA) - The kind of driver that majority of the manufacturers these days seem to prefer for using in their IEMs. Knowles and Sonion are the major manufacturer/supplier of BA drivers to most of the IEM manufacturers. BA drivers are very accurate. But one of the limitations of BA drivers is that they can't cover a wide frequency range. Meaning, they are not too good at covering the entire 20Hz to 20,000Hz spectrum effectively (in most cases). To circumvent that problem, manufacturers try to use multiple drivers in the same IEM. That brings us to the next classification.
 
Examples of BA based IEMs: UE 600, 64 Audio A1
 
BA Based Multi-Driver IEM - Most of the Hi-Fi IEMs, typically above $100 price range seem to have more than just 1 driver these days. By using two or more drivers, manufacturers can employ each driver to handle a certain band of frequency. For example:
2 Drivers - 1 low end driver and 1 mids & highs driver
3 Drivers - 1 low end driver, 1 mid driver, 1 high driver
and we can get into higher configuration
5 Drivers - 1 sub bass driver, 1 bass driver, 1 mid driver, 1 high driver, 1 super high driver
10 driver - 2 low drivers, 4 mid drivers and 4 high drivers
 
In order to split the signal into these separate bands and supply to respective drivers, you need something called the Cross-Over. Another thing to note about BA drivers is that, because of their physical constraints, structure and shape, Bass reproduction using a single driver is a challenge. In order to over come that, manufacturers opt for large BA drivers for Bass or Dual BA drivers or sometimes simply ditch BA drivers and use a DD driver for Bass. That brings us to the next classification.
 
Examples of BA based Multi-Driver IEMs - Shure SE535, Sony XBA - Z5, Noble Audio K10
 
Hybrid IEMs - Hybrid IEMs typically have one or more DD + one or more BA drivers working in conjunction. Dynamic Drivers are used for the low end frequencies. Recently there has been some high influx of hybrid IEMs
 
Examples of Hybrid IEMs: FLC 8S, Dunu DN2000, AKG K3003
 
That is as much as I know about the insides of an IEM. This is just to get you started. Remember, both DD and BA have their strengths and limitations. Try to read more on each. Hope this helps!

 

[thatonenoob]

Hi everyone,

I have recently developed an interest in IEMs and how they work. I know a little about how the shells are made but I know next to nothing about the drivers and other electronic components. Could anyone possibly point me in the direction of some reading or other learning resources that could help me to better understand the technology? I've seen some basic setups with drivers soldered in but that's my limit.

Thanks for any help you guys can offer.

Not too sure about IEM specific reading, but sound and recording textbooks are usually a good way to start.  You can learn a lot from them, including the recording side of the audio world, which is arguably just as if not more important than reproduction alone.