# Buying drivers/micro speakers for DIY headphones



## paranormative

Hey All,
  
 Long time lurker, first time poster.
  
 I am in the process of designing a headset for which I will be 3D printing a majority of the components.
  
 The major exception being the drivers. I've been having a heck of a time finding a place to buy them from. I've read through the other forum posts on this topic, and for the most part it looks like people have been resorting to buying off of ebay, or cannibalizing a built set of cans just for the components.
  
 Searches using the term 'drivers' or 'headphone drivers' yeilded pretty minimal results, but the term 'micro speakers' has led me to better shopping results.
  
 Most intriguingly I found a component supplier called Jameco Electronics. They have a section (Electromechanical > Electromechanical / Audio Components / Speakers) with a few speakers that look like they might fit the bill.
  
 In particular a few caught my eye:
  
 http://is.gd/SinglePoleSpeakerRound
  
 http://is.gd/SinglePoleSpeakerRound2
  
 The site has a very specific parametric search function, so I can narrow down the ideal speaker by many factors such as Nominal Input Power, Frequency Range, Overall Dimensions, etc.
  
 Anyone have any thoughts, or advice about the offerings of Jameco? Am I barking up the wrong tree here?
  
 Also what is the ideal Nominal Input Power? Frequency Range? Impedance?
  
 Thanks


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## Punnisher

I have thought about doing this exact thing, and have built my own earspeakers in the past. There are some obstacles for a diy headphone, and they're mostly about driver availability.

Ideally you want to have the widest frequency response possible, from 20Hz to 20kHz. Though you never know how they are measuring this range. In a headphone, the response could be better than rated. Or, it could be exactly as rated if it's a physical limitation of the driver.

Personally, I would order replacement drivers from a major manufacturer or buy a relatively cheap headphone as a donor.

Drivers are available from Sennheiser, AKG, Beyerdynamic Audio Technica, Sony and many others I'm sure. A set of Beyer 250ohm drivers will set you back around $120 iirc. On average, AKG is a bit more and AT is a bit less. I would call and price different drivers from different products since prices are different for each driver.

You could buy a Fostex t50rp and use those planar magnetic drivers as well. Local to me is the Audio Technica warehouse sale where good headphones go on sale for about 80% off. That would be a great place to find a donor.


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## manbear

Given the frequency response, those look like they could be speakers for a portable device like a laptop or something. But I am just guessing.


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## linglingjr

If you were to put in all the work of printing the cups and parts I sure wouldn't want to put in $1 drivers that probably sound like poop.  Are you planning on having them open or closed? I would try to get drivers from X headphones and match the internal volume/baffles of X headphones as much as possible.


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## manbear

I would try to find a deal on a used pair of quality headphones, like something with cosmetic damage on the exterior.


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## paranormative

Ok so it seems like the speakers I was looking at earlier maybe won't fit the bill.
  
 One last speaker from Jameco looks like it might be headphone appropriate:
  
 http://www.jameco.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10001_10001_2126061_-1
  
 and the data sheet:
  
 http://www.jameco.com/Jameco/Products/ProdDS/2126061.pdf
  
 Any thoughts on that one? I know they are also super cheap, but I might order some just to experiment with.
  
 It would be nice to walk away from this thread with a wish-list of the ideal features for a headphone appropriate speaker.
  
 As Punisher mentioned before the ideal response range is 20Hz to 20kHz.
  
 So let's fill in the blanks.
  
Ideal Headphone Speaker Specs
 Response Range: 20Hz - 20,000 Hz
Sensitivity:
Nominal Impedance:
 Nominal Input Power:
 Ideal Diameter: 40mm
  
 I should mention I would ideally like to make these headphones supra-aural, closed-back. Although I have variations of my component designs to accommodate open-back, and circumaural.
  
 P.S. I know buying drivers intended for an existing model of headphones would be ideal, but for the purposes of this discussion it's not what I am looking for. I want to find an alternative to buying from a headphone manufacturer.


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## Ony38

You can also have a look on the 40mm driver available on Lunashops :
  
http://www.lunashops.com/goods.php?id=2865
  
http://www.lunashops.com/goods.php?id=2866


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## paranormative

Hmm those lunashops drivers are very intrguing. I wish there was a little more in the way of tech specs on the store page.

At least it is a bulk source for drivers.

If the prototype goes well, I want to kickstart the idea. That is why replacement driver channels won't be sufficient for my purposes. I need all the components to be available in bulk.


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## Punnisher

If you find a suitable driver, be sure to report back. It would prove useful to some who want to do a custom project or just replace drivers in an older headphone.


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## Joni1991

Have you checked out Ali Express?
  
 http://www.aliexpress.com/w/wholesale-50mm-speaker.html?SearchText=50mm%2Bspeaker&CatId=502&initiative_id=SB_20131116082104&isrefine=y


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## pwodarz

This site has some good beyerdynamic spares. Pretty expensive though.
 I am looking for some drivers too, so if you find any please post
 http://www.beyerdynamiconline.com/ProductByGroup.asp?PrGrp=524&sort_dir=0-1-1&sort_column=31-30-4&Start=40
  
 Edit:
 More sites
 Bulk supplier: 
 - http://en.szhonson.com/products_list.html 
 - Kobitone
 - http://icc107.com/company_profile.cfm
 Some nice other suppliers:
 - http://www.puiaudio.com/
 - http://www.cui.com/catalog/components/speakers


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## pwodarz

Personally I think I am going to use CUI. And that's just for a one off headphone.
 But they have enough stock that can be readily bought from digikey to suit your needs if you plan on manufacturing small (1,000-) quantities


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## ilikepie116

I bought the first pair, the $15 ones. they sound great. I had to tape off the back hole on the magnets to cut the bass down. Installed in Koss PRO4aaa's


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## pwodarz

ilikepie116 said:


> I bought the first pair, the $15 ones. they sound great. I had to tape off the back hole on the magnets to cut the bass down. Installed in Koss PRO4aaa's


 
 Which ones? Link?


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## linglingjr

They look really good (minus the hot glue lol.)  Vintage equipment has always fascinated me,  they look sturdy as german maestros too.


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## barbadread

How did your project turn out? Did you find what you needed? I'm trying to source some capsules too, for similar reasons.
  
 Tried looking up the Jameco capsule that you thought looked good but it's no longer available.
  
 Did you try listening to the one from lunashops? The one with some sort of fiber cover on the diaphragm?
  
 ilikepie116, are those perchance the 15 dollar ones from lunashops?


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## paranormative

Hey,
  
 I ended up cannibalizing an existing pair of Grado SR-60s for their drivers. If I could do it all over again I think I would have gone for the drivers from a pair of Fostex T50RP instead. They have a reputation for being good for mod projects.
  
 It was nice to get a proof of concept built, but I still wish I could have found a decent supplier for bulk ordering drivers.
  
 I had aspired to kickstart my headphone idea, but without consistent access to bulk components this remains a fantasy.
  
 It's been suggested to me if I was prepared to purchase in bulk, sometimes large batches of various electronic components are sold on http://www.alibaba.com/. Trouble with this approach is I cannot order a sample, I have to buy a large quantity site unseen.
  
 Lemme know if you discover a better solution.


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## barbadread

Will do!
  
 Kickstarting wouldn't be an option for me but it would be nice to be sure that I'm on the right side of the law... Would you mind sharing a little bit more on what you had in mind doing with yours?
  
 I'm looking into making my own capsules now actually. More of a long term project I think, and not reproducible on large scale. Trying to work out how to best make a small orthodynamic speaker capsule.
  
 Best


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## HawaiiR

Hey so did you ever get around to trying the drivers from the fostex headphones?
 I'm trying to repair a set of Meze 88 headphones, which were crap to begin with, but have had both drivers fail on me. Trying to find a way to do the same thing you are and with a decent set of speakers. Curious to try lunashops, but they don't have 50mm drivers at 32 Ohms.
  
 Also considering buying a pair of Samson SR850's and stripping those to use the drivers on the Meze.
  
 Curious how your project turned out as well, @barbadread


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## HawaiiR

Just in case anyone is interested, I ended up going with these 50mm drivers from Lunashops for my project with the Meze 88 headphones that I had. I'll post up a few pics in a bit.
  

 Here's a link to the driver I bought. 
 http://www.lunashops.com/goods.php?id=4868
  
 Not, bad - a little on the bright side and bass is a tad thin, but that might have something to do with the enclosure (Meze 88 headphones). 
 WAY better than what came with the Meze 88's.
  
 A few thoughts on doing business with the Lunashops people. They're extremely rude when trying to figure out a problem with your shipping. In my case, they didn't write my address down correctly so it made it out to Honolulu, then got shipped back to LA and then somehow made it back to Honolulu (thankfully) where I was able to located it with the help of the post office. Lunashops was of zero help through this process, insisting that I gave them the wrong address (my verified paypal address), and basically insinuating that they weren't going to mail the drivers back to me if it had gone back to Hong Kong (which is what I was worried about once it went back to LA). Just be wary of what you could potentially get yourself into with them if you order through them and things go awry. Lunashops is definitely not on your side.

 In any case, the drivers work ok. Not thrilled at the sound signature though. Anyone know of ways to temper down the highs or thicken the bass just a bit, so the sound is more balanced?


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## Punnisher

You can adjust the sound with a few different tweaks. To reduce treble, use a thin foam layer between the headphone and your ear. Many manufacturers do this as a way to tune the sound of the driver. AKG, Beyerdynamic, Shure, etc. all do this.
  
 Varying the thickness and type of foam will yield different results. The foam disk that comes with the current AKG K240 works really well at taming the treble but not making things muddy or affecting the midrange too much.


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## HawaiiR

Thanks!
 Any suggestions on where to purchase and the thickness and type of foam? Come to think of it, I need to replace the foam on my Sennheiser's, too, so if anyone has any idea of where to purchase this in the US, that would be great. I supposed I could try lunashops again, but the 1 month shipping time isn't ideal.

 Any suggestions on how to beef up the bass a bit? I'm not looking for anything boomy, just that the bass is really thin placed in these particular enclosures.


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## Punnisher

What kind of pads are you using? In general, pleather or leather pads will increase bass while velour or cloth pads will reduce it. This isn't universal, but it's true for most headphones. Once you tame the highs by using a foam pad, the bass notes will stand out more as well. You're basically making a low-pass acoustical filter.
  
 See if you can find the foam disc for the AKG K240 Studio (current version). It's just a disc that gets placed underneath the pads. It's the best one I've found so far.


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## HawaiiR

punnisher said:


> What kind of pads are you using? In general, pleather or leather pads will increase bass while velour or cloth pads will reduce it. This isn't universal, but it's true for most headphones. Once you tame the highs by using a foam pad, the bass notes will stand out more as well. You're basically making a low-pass acoustical filter.
> 
> See if you can find the foam disc for the AKG K240 Studio (current version). It's just a disc that gets placed underneath the pads. It's the best one I've found so far.


 
  
 This is very helpful. The original pads are actually falling apart, so I was thinking to replace them with velour ones, but after reading this, I'll probably stick to pleather/leather. Hoping Meze responds to me sooner than later. 
  
 Found a few places to get the foam discs from as well. Who would have thought that changing my search from foam "pad" to "disc" would get me exactly what I was looking for? Double thanks for that!
  
 Oh, and I found a spot for really cheap ear cushions, in case anyone was looking:
 http://www.headsetpartsunlimited.com/index.php


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## HawaiiR

@Punnisher   - Bringing this convo back out of PM just in case we're able to provide some info to some others.

 So I measured out the earpads that I currently have, and they're unfortunately not the same dimensions as your AKG's, but I did find some options online. However, the one thing I noticed in my search is that most of the pads I found have a much wider inner (the aperture) diameter. The dimensions for my current earpads are: 90mm outer front diameter, 35 mm inner front diameter, and 75mm inner back diameter (the part that wraps around headphone).
  
 What I've found online, is something along the lines of this, which has a 60mm inner front diameter (the opening)
 http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/MTAyNFgxMDI0/z/DkoAAOSwPhdVPvn4/$_57.JPG
  
 Basically, what I'm worried about is that most of the earpads I'm finding online have a wider inner front diameter than the earpads I currently own. How will this wider aperture affect the sound? Also, how does a thicker/thinner pleather or leather cushion affect the sound?


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## Punnisher

@HawaiiR
  
 I'll measure some brand new pads when I get home just to verify the dimensions, but I think you're right. Those headphones are slightly smaller than my AKGs. Check out the pads here.
  
 Also check out this thread dedicated to pads.
  
 I have sets of smaller pads for the Shure SRH550 and SRH750 that may work for you. I'll measure them when I get home. With these, you'll need the foam inserts as well since they have a very thin backing that won't tame the treble.
  
 As for the openings, in my experience, the larger the better. If the opening is too small, you start to constrict the sound which changes frequency response and decreases soundstage. Too large, and the small headphone drivers have trouble filling the large space with enough volume.Though I don't have as much experience with on-the-ear headphones as I do with over-the-ear.


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## HawaiiR

@Punnisher
  
 Thanks for the link. At a quick glance, the HPAEC550 pads look exactly like the ones on my Meze 88's. Would be great to get those dimensions from you if/when you get a chance. These might do the trick.
  
 I'm ordering the disc pads separately as well.


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## parfaitelumiere

Really interesting idea, I wanted to design a complete headphone in the past, one "high tech" materials, 100% matching my head, as light as possible, and one with "natural" materials, like coconut for the cans.
 Of course, same supra aural closed headphones too.


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## cdsa35000

hawaiir said:


> ...
> Any suggestions on how to beef up the bass a bit? I'm not looking for anything boomy, just that the bass is really thin placed in these particular enclosures.



You'll need puncture a bass-port hole in the felt ring, that way bass can be enhanced by using the bigger earcup chamber space through more bass "air" pressure.

Many hp's use this:
http://www.head-fi.org/t/202122/lightbox/position/327


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## HawaiiR

Nice. I read a bit about this somewhere. 
 Think I'll want to chat with some head-fiers about how many holes I should put in. Or maybe this is a trial and error thing, with hopefully not too many errors on my end.


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## cdsa35000

One hole should be enough, too many holes will have too much bloated mid-bass, otherwise you can cover/repair the hole with some felt/paper tape.


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## Punnisher

@HawaiiR
  
 This is a good idea. My AKG K240 uses a similar port, which I partially blocked to tune the sound. The K701 and other flagship headphones use this strategy as well. I'd recommend trying a few dampening mods first, then port the driver later if needed.
  
 The pad size for the Shure SRH 750 is:
  
 3.5" OD
 2.25" ID
 2.625" Mount ID
  
 It has a fairly thick foam backing, so it will probably tune the sound pretty well for your application.


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## HawaiiR

cdsa35000 said:


> One hole should be enough, too many holes will have too much bloated mid-bass, otherwise you can cover/repair the hole with some felt/paper tape.


 
 Cool. I'll start with one hole and see how it goes.
  
  


punnisher said:


> @HawaiiR
> 
> This is a good idea. My AKG K240 uses a similar port, which I partially blocked to tune the sound. The K701 and other flagship headphones use this strategy as well. I'd recommend trying a few dampening mods first, then port the driver later if needed.
> 
> ...


 
@Punnisher
  
 Thanks. That's almost there. Do you mind sending me the dimensions of the SRH 550 pads? I think that might be closer in size to the originals.

 3.5" OD
 1.5" ID
 3" Mount ID


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## parfaitelumiere

you can check the way they do for car-hifi subwoofers.
 There are pany ways to do with a subwoofer for bass response, from free air, simple closed(depending on chamber size), bass-reflex (diameter and lenght of the tube will change the response), then the way you can use several speakers( double close chamber, single close chamber, double vented chambers, push-pull etc etc, seems they use the same principle for balanced drivers in IEM)
  
 here is a example of the bass response between vented (yellow, it creates a peak and doesn't go as low) and sealed subwoofer:
  
sub-caisson-mtx-big.jpg
  
 I think it will give same kind of results depending on the diameter of your hole, the lenght of the tube (if you use one, as a vent), and the chamber volumy, you can adjust volumy using wool or felt to reduce the size of the room.
 The main problem with earphone is the front of the speaker also has compression, unlike a car or home speaker where compression is mainly on the back, it means it's probably much more difficult to create a correct setting for a earphone speaker.


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## Punnisher

@HawaiiR
  
 I looked through my pads and I don't think I have them. I think the SRH750 pads would work well for you, unless the mount ID causes issues fitting the pads. Normally this isn't a huge issue. Would you be able to post a picture of the headphone cup without the pad? A side shot would be good so we can see where the pad mounts.


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## HawaiiR

Punnisher

No worries. I'll contact Shure directly, too. 

Here are some pics by the way.


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## Punnisher

I think the Shure 750 pads will work perfectly. Even though the material on the mounting side has a smaller ID than stock, it's flexible and should match up well. If not, it would be easy to remove some of the material and make the ID the same.
  
 I will take some pictures of the pads I have so you can see what the differences are.


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## HawaiiR

Well the people at Shure were quite unhelpful.
  
 Me - "Hi, trying to find some earcups to replace my current ones on XYZ headphones. Here are the dimensions to mine. I believe there are a few of yours that could work. Could you please let me know if a) you have earcups to match (or come close) and b) what the dimensions to HPAEC550 Replacement Ear Cushions are?"
  
 Them - "Highly unlikely that Shure earpads will properly work on another brand"
  
Wow, really? With that kinda attitude, I'm not entirely certain I want to buy anything from them. Maybe I'll start searching for some other suitable replacement options. SMH


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## cdsa35000

Measure the pads sizes and compare them on ebay:

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_odkw=ear+pad&_sop=15&_osacat=0&_from=R40&_trksid=p2045573.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0.H0.Xear+pad+srh+750.TRS0&_nkw=ear+pad+srh+750&_sacat=0

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_sacat=0&_nkw=ear+pad&_sop=15


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## HawaiiR

Yep, done that. Just waiting to hear back from some sellers on both amazon and ebay.


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## bighat

parfaitelumiere said:


> you can check the way they do for car-hifi subwoofers.
> There are pany ways to do with a subwoofer for bass response, from free air, simple closed(depending on chamber size), bass-reflex (diameter and lenght of the tube will change the response), then the way you can use several speakers( double close chamber, single close chamber, double vented chambers, push-pull etc etc, seems they use the same principle for balanced drivers in IEM)
> 
> here is a example of the bass response between vented (yellow, it creates a peak and doesn't go as low) and sealed subwoofer:
> ...


 
 more similar design is "6th order bandpass subwoofer" as you have two chambers with speaker in the middle but you don't exactly listen to the vents in headphones, don't you?


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## HawaiiR

Soooo, I ordered some pads off ebay. Apparently the *90mm Replacement Ear Pads Ear Cushion For Razer Kraken Game Headphones *fit perfectly. Still waiting on the foam discs that @Punnisher recommended to do a proper sound assessment; I'll poke a hole in the driver then, too.

 Initial impressions: 
  
 Visual: They look way nicer, aside from the orange center, which I don't love. It's growing on me though.
  
 Fit: live a glove
  
 Comfort: ear pads feel WAY more comfy than the original ones that came with the headphones (tbh, almost everything about the original headphones are crap, aside from the wooden earcups).

 Sound: not a thorough test, but generally speaking the bass response is noticeably better - I can actually hear some of the lower frequencies come through with the new pads, whereas with the original pads I couldn't (in regards to the new drivers I put in). Treble seems a bit less "sharp" as well. I'll do some more tests after I get those foam discs in; I think those should tame the highs nicely. 

 Cost: $8 for the Kraken ear cushions vs. $20 for originals. 

 Pics below:


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## rawsonmark

where would i buy all the parts needed to make my own headphones and in ear headphones. i just like to make things but can't seem to find all the parts ifbyou can even buy all the parts that is


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## KMIAA

I'm trying to make my own sleep headphones.  Would anyone know where you could buy the usb wireless cable to hook up to the speakers.  Looking for the cable to have volume control


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## shannon111

I've also spent ages hunting down parts and have made a pair using a 3D printed housing and baffle of my own design, plus the following parts:

Dayton Audio CE38MB-32 drivers
Bose QuietComfort QC15 QC2 replacement ear cushions off ebay (mainly because they are cheap and easy to find)
Aluminium strip for the headband, in my case 20mm x 1.6mm from the local hadware store
Sol Republic Master Tracks HD V8 V10 V12 X3 replacement cable off ebay
2x 2.5mm audio jacks for the Sol Republic cable - they have 2.5mm plugs on the headphone end, saving the need to strip wires
  
 The Dayton drivers are easy to get (off Parts Express) and are good value.


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## przem

punnisher said:


> You can adjust the sound with a few different tweaks. To reduce treble, use a thin foam layer between the headphone and your ear. Varying the thickness and type of foam will yield different results.


 
 That's really cool piece of information, are there similar tricks to work on bass and mids? I tried searching for them for a bit, but couldn't find anything helpful in regard to using chinese drivers in diy headphones. Much appreciated!

 Cheers.


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## selwin

http://www.fullcompass.com/prod/502039-Audio-Technica-137301630


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## freddude30

I made a wonderful set from a beats pro body and some ath w1000z drivers. If you contact audio technica you can order drivers from them. Highly suggested.


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