I am wondering with 3Dprinting is it possible to make scaled down versions of more uncommon speakers enclosures for headphone applications, such as transmission line. My audio and physics knowledge is very limited, so I am wondering if you guys would help me understand what’s possible. Id like to build some headphones that wouldnt not have been feasible without 3DP.
The most Ive kind of understood is wave lengths and back loaded horns. The reason I learned (sort of) was because I was searching for impressions on madisound’s tiny back loaded horn computer speakers they used to sell a few years ago (cant find on their website now but it came fully assembled and was ~$100pair) and if they actually worked or were just show. It appeared that they werent large/long enough to be effective.
I am a newb that ocassionally browses diyaudio and diyma. I built a pair of open baffle Manzanita Ultras and put together a car audio system where I learned about crossovers and REW. I am mostly into headphones though and actively participate and share impressions & measurements on other forums. Thats a summary of my limited experience and sincere interest.
Please advise what’s possible and if there are computer programs able to simulate results with these tiny dimensions and headphone drivers. Even a program for typical open/closed back phones would be helpful.
Thanks, -Phil
Edit: I am willing to put in the time to understand the basics - just wondering if you could shortcut me to whether its even worth looking into since it may be impossible etc. ... Help me get pointed in the right direction.
Edit2: Also didnt know where to make this thread. Full-sized headphones generally use a single driver. And the miscellaneous subforums look much less trafficked. 🙂
The most Ive kind of understood is wave lengths and back loaded horns. The reason I learned (sort of) was because I was searching for impressions on madisound’s tiny back loaded horn computer speakers they used to sell a few years ago (cant find on their website now but it came fully assembled and was ~$100pair) and if they actually worked or were just show. It appeared that they werent large/long enough to be effective.
I am a newb that ocassionally browses diyaudio and diyma. I built a pair of open baffle Manzanita Ultras and put together a car audio system where I learned about crossovers and REW. I am mostly into headphones though and actively participate and share impressions & measurements on other forums. Thats a summary of my limited experience and sincere interest.
Please advise what’s possible and if there are computer programs able to simulate results with these tiny dimensions and headphone drivers. Even a program for typical open/closed back phones would be helpful.
Thanks, -Phil
Edit: I am willing to put in the time to understand the basics - just wondering if you could shortcut me to whether its even worth looking into since it may be impossible etc. ... Help me get pointed in the right direction.
Edit2: Also didnt know where to make this thread. Full-sized headphones generally use a single driver. And the miscellaneous subforums look much less trafficked. 🙂
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You might be able to scale down a bass reflex cabinet with the appropriate driver to get a smaller enclosure but not TL or horns. They operate on physical length of the sound wavelength and that is based on speed of sound, which is about 342m/s.
A typical 1/4-wave TL needs a line length of order meters to get down to 50Hz. Scale that to cm and you get 500Hz. Most headphone drivers have no problem getting 500Hz, or 20Hz for that matter since they are so close to the ear. Although you can scale an enclosure, the physics of sound waves remains fixed. Although speed of sound is proportional to sqrt(temp x gas constant). So either using a very high MW gas like Ne or cooling the gas can reduce speed of sound for lower frequency. But that is not very practical.
Recall the helium boy gag when men breathe in He from a party balloon to get choir boy voice octave increase? You could do a neon boy gag to get a baritone voice. Speed of sound is being changed, which changes wavelength.
You could make a tapered spiral rear chamber to absorb the back wave. Or make a special wave absorber device like what KEF did on their LS50 Mark 2. Printed meta-materials type structure.
The other thing that 3D printing can make is to print anti-reflective acoustic linings directly in the back chamber. Sort of like those crazy 3D wooden blocks people put up on their walls instead of sound absorbing foam.
A typical 1/4-wave TL needs a line length of order meters to get down to 50Hz. Scale that to cm and you get 500Hz. Most headphone drivers have no problem getting 500Hz, or 20Hz for that matter since they are so close to the ear. Although you can scale an enclosure, the physics of sound waves remains fixed. Although speed of sound is proportional to sqrt(temp x gas constant). So either using a very high MW gas like Ne or cooling the gas can reduce speed of sound for lower frequency. But that is not very practical.
Recall the helium boy gag when men breathe in He from a party balloon to get choir boy voice octave increase? You could do a neon boy gag to get a baritone voice. Speed of sound is being changed, which changes wavelength.
You could make a tapered spiral rear chamber to absorb the back wave. Or make a special wave absorber device like what KEF did on their LS50 Mark 2. Printed meta-materials type structure.
The other thing that 3D printing can make is to print anti-reflective acoustic linings directly in the back chamber. Sort of like those crazy 3D wooden blocks people put up on their walls instead of sound absorbing foam.
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Hi XRK. I plan to revisit DML exciter thread in the future. Last one I did was a ~3x5ftfoam board a couple years ago. A more dense or larger (?) material is needed for deeper bass I think. I havent tested them but I probably ruined my 4exciters when pulling them off (the adhesive is strong). I was wondering how the dml performs in a mutli-way, martin logan esque, or just two way dml with different panels, foam for mids+highs, wood for bass, etc. I have a lot of catching up to do Im sure.
I was asking about headphone enclosures because a friend 3DPs his own headphones and is very experienced in the headphone world. His speaker choice is great too: big jbls supported by diy subs. I was asking here to hopefully spark his imagination since he is working on his first all-new closed headphones for commercial sale (open headphones are set and moving). He has great knowledge and skills already, but was hoping there was some neat idea he hadnt considered. Particularly, any new approach (beside 3DP + the best drivers + best acoustics) that wasnt feasible before 3DP and could help him stand out even further from the crowd (already insane value - he is giving back to the forum community by not pricing up n up). I suggested the biggest dynamic driver headphones ever but that was shut down.
BTW: He didnt ask me for help or to start this thread. Just wondering myself. He might be reading it right now. 😀
I was asking about headphone enclosures because a friend 3DPs his own headphones and is very experienced in the headphone world. His speaker choice is great too: big jbls supported by diy subs. I was asking here to hopefully spark his imagination since he is working on his first all-new closed headphones for commercial sale (open headphones are set and moving). He has great knowledge and skills already, but was hoping there was some neat idea he hadnt considered. Particularly, any new approach (beside 3DP + the best drivers + best acoustics) that wasnt feasible before 3DP and could help him stand out even further from the crowd (already insane value - he is giving back to the forum community by not pricing up n up). I suggested the biggest dynamic driver headphones ever but that was shut down.
BTW: He didnt ask me for help or to start this thread. Just wondering myself. He might be reading it right now. 😀
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I have always wondered what a driver like a ScanSpeak 10F mounted in a headphone can might sound like. Or a Visaton B80. Faital Pro 3FE25-16 might be good too as they are 16ohms and have a higher Qts for open back use.
