@VIVIDICI_111 Duly noted for future exploration. I get my Olinas today. First
venture into the iem world, lol. Beginning to feel this is another rabbit hole to be very careful around!!
1 Like
@Rikudou_Goku On another note, is there a way to better keep the GR1s in my ears? I’m pretty sure it’s just a me problem, but it keeps wiggling out of my ears 
I think my left ear canal is smaller so it tends to slip out…
It is, but at least the cheapest/best-value of all transducer types imo.
3 Likes
hmmm, there are those silicone rings/hooks that might help.
2 Likes
@Rikudou_Goku I may have to just end up with programmable hearing aids…NOT
the cheapest option!! 
1 Like
Problem with those ear hooks in the long run was comfort for me (the sticking out stem hurt my ears in long run plus made sleeping on side impossible) + lack of foam making the sets too bright. I tried some hybrid foam underneath the silicone ring but it was not working too long.
I ended up with buds being only for stationary usage for me and I am fine with that as I don’t have any further expectations 
2 Likes
I’m fortunate. My ears must be perfectly designed for buds. Fits comfortably, no discomfort, and I can walk with them, shake my head, and lay down with them. On the other hand I have difficulty with my left ear canal for iem’s and struggle to keep it inserted on that side.
4 Likes
Very lucky indeed. I also struggle with pain after 1-2 hours with MX500 shells, which gets better in a few minutes of rest. Although I guess its good for my health that way.
2 Likes
Wao this website is different, I have never used it before but I like it!
And thank you for the warm welcome!
I mostly communicate on discord on Riku’s server with updates and helping with ideas, but, feel free to dm me on here! I already like the people in this thread, its very lovely to see. Ive made numerous projects too like a 3d printable iem that public to all users, and some shells here and there, but I would absolutely love to talk.
5 Likes
Hello fellow designer! I have actually! I have destroyed, altered and made many unique mx500 protos but its a strange one I have to say. See, the stem in a way acts like a bass port, it has minor acoustic changes to the actual sound but it does contribute a little. The back part thats a space is supposed to be a resonance chamber, but ive filled them before and its honestly done nothing. BUT, sealing an mx500’s bottom part with an mmcx and making it sealed will also change sound. Once again, not largely, but may be noticable to some.
I have to say the mx500 is not my fave shell, its wonderful for sound but not so much for fit. So, I took the challenge into my own hands and made an earbud shell thats an mx500/qian39. Its called the Val39, and its my favourite sounding shell. Fit is wonderful, and I’ve made the STL files public.
I have made the discovery that the average shell for earbuds should be curved going into the stem, allowing for it to latch in your concha, and the stem being 6mm far away from the driver, as this is similar to the qian39. Have you ever tried a qian39? Theyre not my fave, but probably the most comfy buds for the light weight feel and shape.
5 Likes
Yup, Qian39 is a must have.
And if its too bassy, you can just mod it with micropore tape. (very easy and zero risks.)
2 Likes
Thank you for comprehensive answer and now I believe huge contribution to this hobby.
I have qian39 and it was indeed best fitting me for bed usage (which is my most frequent way of bud using) of all what I tried (comfort wise Qian39 shell > LBBS bell >> MX500). The case was that the sound profile was nowhere near of what Rikus DIY or LBBS could do, so those qians ended up in my bean travel bag for just-in-case kind of situation.
I am looking forward to hear first impressions about your Val39, however I am still a bit unsure about the resin material used (I mentioned that couple of posts above). We are using a lot of weird resins for DLP at work that in some cases caused some mild rash-like allergies of our test user (who is potentially highly sensitive) even after prolonged washing and curing
4 Likes
Hmm interesting. You don’t coat your resin prints with anything do you? I wonder if there’s a lacquer that’s biocompatible. I mean, bowling balls exist, so there must be some!
3 Likes
For test parts we use just what is most suitable from mechanical/visual properties point of view. In the long run for skin-contact production parts we use medical-grade (biocompatible) resins or different printing technologies.
Earbuds are not medical devices, but I know people that have them in ear for couple hours straight every day (
)
2 Likes
My prototypes dont use a coating BUT I know and use a very well respected resin to coat the shells called Fotoplast by Dreve! Its expensive, but very good as its literal purpose is to be used for hearing aids. Its ear safe, and used world wide. I am planning on coating this with my earbuds in a level but clean layer to be safe for many.
4 Likes
Nice, I see that you have everything covered and under control. Quite interesting lacquer btw is it durable in sense of scratch resistance/wear and tear durability?
3 Likes
Considering its 30usd for 20ml, it really does live up to that value. Its an industry standard resin, but only a few sellers can actually get access to it! Oaktree is a website i reccomend.
edit: yes! Its very durable and strong
3 Likes
The Grand Archer 1, a Uniquely Skilled Assassin
Out of all the earbuds @Rikudou_Goku has created, the Grand Archer 1 is the only one that comes with an upfront warning:
“Bright-neutral; very low bass quantity, very upper mids/treble focused with lots of treble sparkle and thus leans a lot towards brightness and is extremely airy, not the safest tonality be aware, (Chaconne Killer)”
As a headphone-listener who was turned into an IEM-listener last year, I’m the guy who never dreamed I’d be an earphone-listener, until I happened to ask a simple question about how to get better soundstage for acoustic music and was pointed in the direction of the LBBS. I wrote about the whole experience here:
Two months after my detour into the world of earbuds, I still can’t get the LBBS set out of my ears.
Until now.
I received the Grand Archer 1 a few days ago, and naturally I’ve been listening to them every day, with occasional direct comparisons to not only the LBBS but a couple of other earbuds I’ve picked up, not to mention my IEMs and headphones. One ironic side-effect of these comparison sessions is that I’m more convinced than ever that the LBBS is an absolute value champion at playing my acoustic classical and jazz music. For just $55, it’s better than any IEM I’ve heard (granted, I’ve never heard anything above the $300 level), better than any headphone (same $300 proviso as above), and significantly better than the other earbuds I’ve heard (the best being the Rosemary, which is actually pretty solid at $23, and the ST2021 147Ω, which oddly sounds to me like I’m sitting in the back row of the concert hall, even with sufficient power). I would have been happy with just the LBBS and a BTR5 to drive them for years to come.
But as well as the LBBS delivers in resolution, soundstage, imaging, and timbre (not to mention comfort, by the way, as I can wear them all day), here’s why the Grand Archer 1 is a clear step above in three of my test tracks:
Shostokovich, String Quartet #8, II. Allegro molto: Drawing a bow across a violin (or viola or cello) is a very tactile, occasionally near violent act. It’s many strands of horsehair pulled tight in the bow scraping against four strings made of sheep intestine wrapped in thin metal. There are so many harmonic elements that can be heard in a good recording beyond the simple frequency of the notes being played. In an especially frantic movement like the second in Shostokovich’s 8th quartet, all of those harmonics can come together, with even the breath of the players thrown into the mix, to create something truly exciting. Getting all of those harmonics right is, to me, the definition of perfect timbre. Letting you clearly identify each of the four instruments and where they’re positioned on the stage is my definition of perfect imaging. Conveying it all with crystal clarity is my definition of perfect resolution. And making you feel like you’re sitting in the front row (not too close, not too far) is my definition of perfect soundstage. The first time I listened to this quartet with the Grand Archer 1, I literally said, “Oh f*** me” out loud.
Prokofiev, Toccata, Op. 11, Martha Argerich: Because a solo piano piece is relatively easier to record and reproduce than multi-instrumental pieces, most good headphones/IEMs/earbuds will play it at an acceptable-or-better level. But that doesn’t mean it will be perfect. There are still so many harmonics involved in the physical act of pressing down a key and then the corresponding impact of the hammer upon the strings. The Grand Archer 1 captures all of it extremely well, including the reverberation and decay of each note, and once again you’re sitting in exactly the right spot to hear it.
Coltrane, A Love Supreme, Pt. 1 Acknowledgement: Switching over to acoustic jazz (and about as good as it gets), I hear the perfect timbre of all four instruments at once, most notably the cymbal strikes (so clearly defined on the right side of the stage) and of course Trane’s saxophone (so clearly defined on the left). The overall presence of the music is just amazingly powerful here. I’ve never experienced it so beautifully, on any listening device.
On all of these pieces, when I switch right back to the LBBS, my reaction is, “Yeah, that’s really good, but it’s just… I mean, not quite… I mean, give me back the GA-1s…” As I said, if had never heard these, I probably would have been happy with the LBBS forever, but now that I’ve heard the Grand Archer 1, there’s no going back.
Having said all of this, I have to acknowledge that virtually none of my music is taxing the bass quality of these earbuds. The bass is just fine for me here (from what Riku has told me, it’s slightly better than on the Chaconne), but the upfront warning about “very low bass quantity” should be taken seriously. As I hinted at the top, this is a uniquely skilled set that plays my acoustic music at a level that is (for me) unprecedented. But I’m not going to be blasting the Clash with these.
(Okay, I just tried it, because I had to check. And yeah, I’m not going to be blasting the Clash with these. But I sure as hell am going to be blasting Beethoven and acoustic-era Miles Davis.)
Beyond this built-in limitation, I think the cable is a little thin and just a bit microphonic, although I can fix that by wearing them over the ears. (Not everybody can do that with this type of shell, but it works well for me.) As much as I like balanced connections, I know the practical reasons for why they need to be standard 3.5 and not MMCX-upgradeable. (But maybe someday, Riku?)
Bottom line: For 100 euros, I can’t imagine anything better for acoustic music. I’m going to agree that they are almost certainly Chaconne-killers, even as I admit having no interest in spending three times as much just to compare and confirm.
Riku is great to work with, in every way, and my eagerly awaited package got here very fast. I have a feeling that the next time he creates a set of earbuds that needs this kind of special warning, I’ll be the first in line to buy them!
11 Likes
Maybe, not any time soon though, as that will change the sound pretty drastically.
Thanks for the review!
(I should say, I havent told anyone to shill for me ok? lol.)
7 Likes