DIY in-ear monitors
Posted: Fri Sep 23, 2016 2:49 pmHi,
This isn't directly related to Megadrum, but as a lot of you here are into DIY stuff this might interest you: DIY IEMs.
There's a really long thread on how to make your own custom IEMs; making the shells, crossover circuits, etc here: http://www.head-fi.org/t/430688/home-made-iems.
I went for a simple build using a Shure replica replacement shell and some triple drivers with their ready-made crossover circuit made by Knowles, which are the ones found in the Westone UM Pro30, for example.
So, once all the parts arrived, this is how I put them together:
First, I attached small lengths of tubing (this came with the drivers) to the driver spouts to let the sound past the small squares of poron foam I used to seal the drivers against the shell, and then I soldered some wires -recycled from some old broken earphones- from the driver's crossover circuit solder pads to some female MMCX connectors:
Now, I squeezed evrything into the shell. It's a really tight fit and there's no need for glue to keep evrything in place:
You can also get these colour-coded sound dampers to tweak the sound signature to your taste. I bought green and white one and finally settled on the green ones. They basically determine how much you tame the high frequencies (these drivers with no dampers can be harsh sounding) and balance them with the lows:
That's it. They sound great and isolate really well, which is what I was looking for to use them with my ekit.
Parts list:
Shell (€11/pair): http://es.aliexpress.com/store/product/High-quality-C0-Repair-DIY-Unit-Housing-Shell-SE535-se425-se315-se215-W40-Earphone/333670_32499329423.html?spm=2114.30011108.3.27.LkI%20lSt&ws_ab_test=searchweb201556_0,searchweb201602_4%20_10037_10017_10044_10043_507_10032_10042,searchweb%20201603_2&btsid=832b0778-a57f-430c-86cf-2249bc0bfa32
Drivers (€75/pair): http://es.aliexpress.com/item/Free-Shipping-2pcs-pair-DIY-Earphones-GK-31732-Experience-Balance-Armature-Speaker-Receiver-Earphone-Accessories-from/1000001308317.html?spm=2114.13010608.0.81.kNzP49
MMCX connectors (€0.54 each): http://es.aliexpress.com/item/NEW-MMCX-Female-Jack-RF-Coax-Connector-PCB-Mount-With-solder-post-Straight-Goldplated-wholesale/32461249217.html?spm=2114.13010608.0.89.kNzP49 These aren't actually the right ones; you need ones with a notch in the body so it fits on a ridge in the shell and stays put. I used a hacksaw to make the notch.
Dampers (€1.52 each): http://es.aliexpress.com/item/Unidad-de-alta-frecuencia-Para-Knowles-Inducido-Equilibrado-filtro-Tapones-Amortiguador-de-Amortiguaci-n-Ac-stica/32580267018.html?spm=2114.13010608.0.57.kNzP49
Cable (€7): http://es.aliexpress.com/item/Earphone-Upgrade-Cable-Snakeskin-Line-With-MMCX-Interface-Cable-For-Shure-SE215-315-425-535-SENFER/32704869936.html?spm=2114.13010608.0.65.kNzP49
This isn't directly related to Megadrum, but as a lot of you here are into DIY stuff this might interest you: DIY IEMs.
There's a really long thread on how to make your own custom IEMs; making the shells, crossover circuits, etc here: http://www.head-fi.org/t/430688/home-made-iems.
I went for a simple build using a Shure replica replacement shell and some triple drivers with their ready-made crossover circuit made by Knowles, which are the ones found in the Westone UM Pro30, for example.
So, once all the parts arrived, this is how I put them together:
First, I attached small lengths of tubing (this came with the drivers) to the driver spouts to let the sound past the small squares of poron foam I used to seal the drivers against the shell, and then I soldered some wires -recycled from some old broken earphones- from the driver's crossover circuit solder pads to some female MMCX connectors:
Now, I squeezed evrything into the shell. It's a really tight fit and there's no need for glue to keep evrything in place:
You can also get these colour-coded sound dampers to tweak the sound signature to your taste. I bought green and white one and finally settled on the green ones. They basically determine how much you tame the high frequencies (these drivers with no dampers can be harsh sounding) and balance them with the lows:
That's it. They sound great and isolate really well, which is what I was looking for to use them with my ekit.
Parts list:
Shell (€11/pair): http://es.aliexpress.com/store/product/High-quality-C0-Repair-DIY-Unit-Housing-Shell-SE535-se425-se315-se215-W40-Earphone/333670_32499329423.html?spm=2114.30011108.3.27.LkI%20lSt&ws_ab_test=searchweb201556_0,searchweb201602_4%20_10037_10017_10044_10043_507_10032_10042,searchweb%20201603_2&btsid=832b0778-a57f-430c-86cf-2249bc0bfa32
Drivers (€75/pair): http://es.aliexpress.com/item/Free-Shipping-2pcs-pair-DIY-Earphones-GK-31732-Experience-Balance-Armature-Speaker-Receiver-Earphone-Accessories-from/1000001308317.html?spm=2114.13010608.0.81.kNzP49
MMCX connectors (€0.54 each): http://es.aliexpress.com/item/NEW-MMCX-Female-Jack-RF-Coax-Connector-PCB-Mount-With-solder-post-Straight-Goldplated-wholesale/32461249217.html?spm=2114.13010608.0.89.kNzP49 These aren't actually the right ones; you need ones with a notch in the body so it fits on a ridge in the shell and stays put. I used a hacksaw to make the notch.
Dampers (€1.52 each): http://es.aliexpress.com/item/Unidad-de-alta-frecuencia-Para-Knowles-Inducido-Equilibrado-filtro-Tapones-Amortiguador-de-Amortiguaci-n-Ac-stica/32580267018.html?spm=2114.13010608.0.57.kNzP49
Cable (€7): http://es.aliexpress.com/item/Earphone-Upgrade-Cable-Snakeskin-Line-With-MMCX-Interface-Cable-For-Shure-SE215-315-425-535-SENFER/32704869936.html?spm=2114.13010608.0.65.kNzP49