Then I guess gen 3 might be your dream buds. 
You been getting sleep lately? 
Been working extra the last week and I am quite impressed how you guys still got the energy for reviews and all that even with full time jobs + parenting.
None. That’s the reason I have not been posting reviews - I do not trust my ears if I don’t sleep. The best you can do is by doing it step by step. By the time you volume match 3 sets, you have to get up and do something. Then you come back and you swipe bass. And get up. And mids. (…)
I usually do not cry around much but this has been the hardest thing in my life so far. My daughter was born with weight related problems and feeding her is every second of our day. After the first month things are more stable but each day that passes, she wants to sleep less and interact more. At work I got assigned to a new role due to my skills that makes me more of a dev than a finance dude by now, meaning I also get more heavy loads in batches.
Combo all that to us wanting to spend the most time we can with our baby - trust me, they grow by the day - and you get music thrown to a non-priority and audio gear to the background. Luckly, brands have been hella supportive during this time.
Anyway, enough derailing this thread. If you want, send me some prototypes of the Gen3 and I can share my feedback to you 
You probably be getting a final/release model after im done with alpha and then beta phase.
GL!
An awesome priority. I know how hard it is to keep though, you have my prayers for the added challenges and extra workload.
You make it sound so inviting…
to be fair every kid is different. Going through this process with our second one (now 11 months) and my wife and I agree it has been much harder and stressful this time around compared to our first daughter
Each time is different.
Each time you make a new gamble
Each time you lose, a way or another 
but even in that losing game, you have some moments… 
Not looking to fight against other diyers and so, but I want this to be my own take of an earbud, with some artistic impression inside of it. Expect some updates down the line, but I want this out by the end of this year as I am going to take time making this happen. I’ll be getting help by my friends at Nightjar as they know a lot about this kind of stuff, so here’s hoping all goes well.
Reserve me one 
Same, that sounds dope!
Reserve one for me as well!
Reserve me one too =D
I really appreciate the excitement!! It makes me happy to see the earbud community being this nice. Now while I’ve been working on this for a bit and talking to my friends for the custom parts, I have always had the idea to make a customisable shell using various woods, however not all will be used and only a limited number that can be manufactured.
Basically what I am trying to say is I need feedback, on these two different shells to see what everyone would prefer to see. This is a community vote and the final results will be chosen and not skimmed over like what certain accounts do. I made an instagram story dedicated to this idea, which I will link below.
If you cannot view it and do not have instagram, allow me to put it in words and you are more than welcome to reply to this post for anything on this.
These are two earbuds I cannot make at the same time, and would need you guys to help me make up my mind. Whatever the community prefers, I select and follow through, as I really want my earbuds to be shown to the world.
There is no right answer, or even wrong ones. Whatever is decided and I choose to produce, I just need a bit of a helping hand right now, or even multiple for this project. Who knows, both may see an appearance.
Comfort → sound → looks → “coolness” for me. Wood (and proposed shell) is cool, but I don’t think it is worth compromising sound and comfort for that.
Same with SLS metal. Why not choosing resin?
Or on the other side there are already similar builds on the market, so maybe this unique hybrid of wood and metal is something to do to be a step ahead?
The second shell looks very similar to MX500, could you explain what are the differences that you are aiming at?
Thats the thing, I’m wanting to see what groups think haha. The first option is all about the idea that its customisable and has the thought of it being a more hand made earbud. People love things like that and I want to see if its possible. Its pretty cool to look at, and also has the potential to sound good at the same time.
Reason I am not choosing SLS metal is because its limited to certain kinds of finishes, and I generally want this to be refined with unique aspects to it. My friends saw the wood option and told me its possible to make in the way I want it, having black accents and even being cheaper than other options.
While there are other buds like that on the market, they are by no means accessible. Asia has a greater interest in these things, and getting these out to the west, is very very difficult. Shipping can cost nearly 80usd and the times to get them is scary. Also language barriers. I want to make a western approach to this, and its also a way of me showing my appreciation to the artistry of earbuds, while sounding great. I want to keep them simple enough to not be scared to listen to them.
The second shell is in fact an mx500 but my own approach to the design to be altered. Its using elements of my val39, the first earbud model I released to the world. Now that my CAD skills have improved greatly, I am able to combine different models and so to produce something new. People are familiar with the mx500, to a point it’s became a staple in the DIY community. However, you can only do so much with an mx500. I want to change that. Now its only in prototyping stages, but I basically mirrored an mx500 through scanning and made this version. Its familiar to people, but unique enough to stand out.
Why not resin? Resin is not a good material for something you want in this, as resin resonates pretty much. It is one fo the main issues of plastic shells, it can cause problems for sound and also if you are like me and doing custom speakers, you are going to want the best materials to push that. This has proven over and over again by various sources that sturdier materials are better in portable audio than plastic or resin. TGX is a great example of this as he shown his metal bells showing better treble extension than a resin bell.
While I dont think the wood shell will completely ruin the sound, and has a beter chance of reducing resonace and problems for the internals, I’ll leave it to the people and see what they say.
You are more than welcome to tell me im wrong, or I should do it differently, I absolutely love feedback on projects I am working on!
edit: sorry for the wall of text! I get very passionate when talking about these things which is my autism showing.
Very very cool stuff here @Valphonics! I agree with @pylaczynski: for me, it’ll be sound = comfort >> aesthetics. Comfort includes shell, foam, and cable as well. I just cast my vote on Instagram
I think there’s so much potential in 3D designed shells because MX500 is a one-size-fits-all, and we all know our ears are highly variable in size and preferences!
So kudos to you man, and I’ll reserve one once the price is more nailed down!
I prefer the first, those seem like they would have better comfort for me as they look to be similar shape to bell buds. Also Im a sucker for wood and metal builds
Not that price is the only concern (though it is a primary) and you want to stress accessibility for these buds:
You said you think you can keep the metal version under $150usd. Do you think the wood versions would possibly be more in line with TGXs upper end ($300usd)? Above or below that?
Thank you! Once I get more parts in and figure better things out for the final cost I’ll definitely let you know in the end! It’ll be publicly announced for final costs.
I’d say a similar price to TGX buds, but instead of paying for pure good sound, its more in like of build and the looks of things. Not wanting to compete with anyone here! I’m an artist after all haha, its literally my job.
