Current (2) Grand Rider 1 units have been sold.
oh and I forgot I had some amazon gift card credits. Went and ordered this:
Another Sony into the collection.
At only 17 usd.
Another Sony into the collection.
At only 17 usd.
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Nice! That beryllium driver is really detailed and punchy. I got the same one a few days ago with a bunch of other DIY parts, it responds extremely well to EQ. A substantial upgrade to my Yincrow X6 and VE Monk.
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I would like to try them on my Feliks Echo Mk II OTL amp. That being said I love the description of the Grand Rider, and I need a good set of buds. Hoping to one day buy these. 
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@Rikudou_Goku any indications on the “Chaconne killer” driver’s impedance/sensitivity yet? I am about to decide whether to keep or not to keep A55 Sony DAP, but it is extremely underpowered in general and your earbud should be the last piece in my collection to complete the picture
If that would be 150 Ohm - then the question out of curiosity - why would you prefer that above something easier to drive design wise?
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oh right, I discovered another model that has even closer tonality to the Chaconne. Only a bit bassier than the Chaconne but less than the “chaconne killer” I had in mind before.
This one is 68 ohm.
The other I was talking about before is 130 ohm.
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Do manufacturers of those drivers specify the base sensitivity? Or it does not make sense since the shell, type of outlet and dampers make that much of a difference for the final dB SPL that it does not make sense to provide that?
Some do.
But kinda useless, since they dont follow the usual db/mw standard (they dont specify it). Most DIYers usually ignore the sensitivity they list.
Also because changing the dampers will affect it as well.
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Hope it is not really 114dB/W as it would mean really that I need power plant instead of DAP…
That is really painful about shopping in China, even some expensive stuff manuracturers have some Chinese English version of wording translated by Google translate on their 2001 style html websites…
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haha, yeah no way. its probably db/mw. (or db/vrms)
yeah, its a pain…
CRANK IT UP TO GET 144dB SPL / W
68 Ohms, 8.25 V_RMS, 121.27 mA
How much can the little driver take before burning or breaking.
Unknown. More than my ears fan handle at least. 
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I’m really not sure why I did this. For the same price I could have a decent cable with the PAC earbuds for free thanks to Penon’s offer, and I haven’t been able to pull the trigger on that… yet withing a few minutes, I did decide to buy this:
I guess it supports charity and a DIYer in Taiwan. I have no idea what to expect sonically…
Any insights on a 150 ohm (but apparently sensitive?) driver made by Fostex?
I guess I’m always drawn to unicorns no one’s really heard, like the DM at the time I bought it, or the Lotoo LE M1.
They sell some interesting doohickeys I wouldn’t know the use for.
“Using Fostex custom ordered 150 Ohm high impedance drivers.”
Ask the seller i guess…
Ok sure, I didn’t know if you’d have heard anything about a driver with those specs working with DIY projects - for example I had not idea what a “red dot” driver was before your posts. Thanks!
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I rarely trust the claims the driver specifies. But I havent seen any 150 ohm Fostex drivers.
Most bud driver seems to come from 1 or 2 OEM only and one of them (QIGOM) got caught with their graphene “coated” headphone drivers.
3 Likes
2022-05-14: Mods master list.
A compiled list of all my mods. Sorted by difficulty.
Easy = no risks to the transducer, very low cost, and children can do this.
Medium = at worst might need to replace a small part (filters, tips, etc), and might need a little bit of concentration.
Hard = Damage to the transducer is possible, proceed at your own risk.
Level - Easy
DIY foam mod
Materials: 50pcs Flat Headphone Sponge Cover Bass Earphone Eartips Dustproof Red Blue Black White Colors Foam Covers|Earphone Accessories| - AliExpress
Instructions: Try this: RikudouGoku's Foam Mod for Taming Treble Peaks - YouTube
Effect: Reduces peaks in the upper-mids/lower-treble depending on the size used. Might also increase the bass shelf as a side effect. But primarily used when the iem is too peaky and you want a low cost and zero risk mod. (If you are satisfied with the sound, you can put some glue on the foam so it is more secure.)
Filter mod (easy version)
Materials: 20pcs Diy Earphones Tuning Paper Damping Front Shell Filter Mesh Increase Low Frequency - Earphone Accessories - AliExpress
Instructions: Add another layer of filters on top of the stock filter already on the iem. Higher number = higher density → more dampening → higher effect. Can use the XY filters but the filters Tanchjim includes in their iems also work (substitute for the 500 filter).
Effect: Used to reduce upper-mids/lower-treble. Can also affect the bass shelf with a small boost.
Vent mod
Materials: Blutack, micropore tape or: 50pcs Earphones DIY Tuning Papers Y1 Y2 Y3 Y4 Y5 Y6 Earphones Driver Tuning Cotton Adhesive Pads|Earphone Accessories| - AliExpress
Instructions: Put your chosen material over the inner vent on the iem (usually the vent that is the closest to the nozzle).
Effect: Different levels of bass boost, denser = bigger effect. A full seal material like Blutack or regular tape will have the most change. Do keep in mind that with a full seal material, it is likely that pressure build-up will appear.
Impedance mod
Materials: DUNU Original Earphone Impedance Plug Jack/Adapter Converter 75 Ohm /150 Ohm / 200 Ohm — HiFiGo
Instructions: Just connect the impedance adapter to your cable.
Effect: Depends on the iem, usually used on BA or hybrids (with a BA) to change the whole FR.
Koss KPH30i Mod
Instructions: Block 2 vents on the shell using material that gives blocks 100% (I used electrical tape), specifically on the side that is facing the “outside” when you are wearing it.
Effect: Tightens the bass, adds texture with a minor bass decrease.
Level – Medium
Tuning foams
Materials: (20pcs)diy Earbuds Repair Parts Earphone Front Cavity Tuning Cotton Tuning Sponge Headphone Tuning - Earphone Accessories - AliExpress For Sony Earphone Damping Sponge In-eare Dustproof Spong, Filter Sound Cotton Net Tuning, Z5 Exk N3ap Noise Reduction (10 Pairs) - Earphone Accessories - AliExpress
Instructions: Remove the stock filter and insert a piece of tuning foams (do not need to put the stock filter back on). Do be aware if the stock filter is acting as a dampener or possibly have another filter stacked under it with damping effects. This could mean that you need to take that into consideration before you do this mod, but not a problem if you compensate by just put a XY filter on top of the tuning foams after.
Effect: Mainly reduces peaks in the upper-mids/lower-treble, with the usual bass shelf boost as well, also tends to add some note-weight into the iem and could help with metallic treble timbre.
Filter mod (medium version)
Materials: Diy 3.7mm-5mm Headphone Mesh Filter For In Ear Headphones Metal Mesh Sound Filter Mesh - Earphone Accessories - AliExpress 20pcs Diy Earphones Tuning Paper Damping Front Shell Filter Mesh Increase Low Frequency - Earphone Accessories - AliExpress For Sony Earphone Damping Sponge In-eare Dustproof Spong, Filter Sound Cotton Net Tuning, Z5 Exk N3ap Noise Reduction (10 Pairs) - Earphone Accessories - AliExpress
Instructions: Remove the stock filter and replace it with a regular filter or a filter with damping like the XY filter. For some specific iems (like the CRA), you can remove the stock filter, insert a tuning foam (Sony general version) and then add a 500 filter on top.
Effect: Depending on the iem, the stock filter might have too much damping, thus making it overly warm, bloated, or lacking technicalities. By replacing it with a filter with no damping or less, these issues can be alleviated.
Level – Hard
Knowles damper mod
Materials: 2PCS Balanced Armature Damping Damper Plugs filters Knowles Acoustic Dampers for Shure Se215 se315 se425 se535 Se846 TF10 LM5144|Ear Care| - AliExpress + Damper Mounting Tool For Knowles Damping Plugs Filters Installation And Dismounting Tool Part - Ear Care - AliExpress
Instructions: For some iems, you might be able to add or change the BA damper. Audiosense T800 is one such model. Where you insert a damper in the nozzle with the help of the damper tool.
Effect: Upper-mids/treble change.
12 Likes
Super helpful - thanks man!
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Next Level – Abyss : possibility of destroying the planet 
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Are these still available? How do they compare to the Lancer 1?
Thanks, Lloyd
They got sold out.
They are pretty different from the Lancer 1.
Bass is more mid-bass focused than sub-bass, warmer tonality overall which makes male vocals better, female vocals are not as forward but safer, treble is a bit less airy and bright. Stage is much deeper while width is comparable. Its more versatile and I do personally prefer the tonality of the Grand Rider 1 more than the Lancer 1.
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