V2
The V2 is a headphone that's been designed and developed as a traditional alternative to the more complex V3 model, offering a different sound character and a more elegant, minimalistic appearance, while maintaining the same level of quality, attention to detail, durability and toughness. Just like the V3, the V2 heavily relies on the most advanced additive manufacturing technologies previously unseen in the headphone industry and features the same cutting-edge materials in the construction, such as Carbon Fiber and Graphite reinforced polyamides, Multi-Jet Fusion PA12 and CNC machined aluminium. In addition to that, it's been designed as a fully modular headphone, not only acting as a high-end, high quality standalone product, but also as a fully modular DIY platform, enabling owners full freedom to build, assemble, disassemble, test, experiment and customize their headphone in aesthetic, as well as functional aspects. The idea is to offer as much flexibility and freedom to headphone builders as possible, similar to the flexibility custom PC builders or DIY speaker builders have had for years, but at the same time without sacrificing any of the things necessary to satisfy those who just want to purchase and own a great headphone that's already been built for them. In addition, the ability to easily replace and upgrade every single component of the headphone using basic tools will prolong the life of the headphone.
The basic geometry, the headband, the hinges, frames and ear pad attachment rings are shared between the V2 and V3 models, which means they're virtually identical in terms of feel, fit and wearing comfort. What is different though are the ear cups themselves, which are designed in a more traditional open-back headphone fashion, meaning that the driver sits between two chambers, separated by a baffle that contains tuning ports or vents, with the rear chamber being opened and covered with a grill. The rear chamber contains both the driver and the tuning ports, which is the main difference between the V2 and the V3, with the V3 having the driver chamber completely separated from the tuning ports. Each concept has pros and cons that come down to personal sound preferences. Internally, the headphone has been designed to accept a wide range of drivers, featuring replaceable driver holder components, removable ear pad rings, as well as unique filter frame components, enabling simple and quick customization of the headphone's sound character depending on one's personal taste, as well as adapting it for use with various driver and ear pad combinations. Another unique aspect of this headphone, further increasing the DIY potential, are the three variations of the basic baffle design featuring different enclosed ear pad volume shapes and driver positions, each carrying with it a specific acoustic character. On top it, the large and spacious design of the ear cups enables even more modifying freedom in the future, because the V2's baffle can easily be completely redesigned not only for use with various types of dynamic drivers, but also for use with orthodynamic, planar magnetic or even electrostatic drivers. In addition, the headphone can be modified into a semi-open or even a fully closed version, depending on the type of ear cup grill or cover that it uses, as well as the type of headphone driver and acoustic mesh filters fitted to it. All of these are plans for the future and further evolution of this headphone model, some of which are already being worked on.
The V2 will be available in several versions of DIY kits at various price points, as well as custom headphones, fully built according to the customers specifications and featuring only the best components. Make no mistake though, in case you do change your mind about modding or customizing your headphones in the future, you will still be able to do it just as easily as someone who initially purchased a DIY kit and built the headphone on their own. Furthermore, if you initially decide to go for the less expensive options and stick to 3D printed components instead of CNC machined ones, you will still be able to upgrade to CNC machined components in the future without any issues.
The basic geometry, the headband, the hinges, frames and ear pad attachment rings are shared between the V2 and V3 models, which means they're virtually identical in terms of feel, fit and wearing comfort. What is different though are the ear cups themselves, which are designed in a more traditional open-back headphone fashion, meaning that the driver sits between two chambers, separated by a baffle that contains tuning ports or vents, with the rear chamber being opened and covered with a grill. The rear chamber contains both the driver and the tuning ports, which is the main difference between the V2 and the V3, with the V3 having the driver chamber completely separated from the tuning ports. Each concept has pros and cons that come down to personal sound preferences. Internally, the headphone has been designed to accept a wide range of drivers, featuring replaceable driver holder components, removable ear pad rings, as well as unique filter frame components, enabling simple and quick customization of the headphone's sound character depending on one's personal taste, as well as adapting it for use with various driver and ear pad combinations. Another unique aspect of this headphone, further increasing the DIY potential, are the three variations of the basic baffle design featuring different enclosed ear pad volume shapes and driver positions, each carrying with it a specific acoustic character. On top it, the large and spacious design of the ear cups enables even more modifying freedom in the future, because the V2's baffle can easily be completely redesigned not only for use with various types of dynamic drivers, but also for use with orthodynamic, planar magnetic or even electrostatic drivers. In addition, the headphone can be modified into a semi-open or even a fully closed version, depending on the type of ear cup grill or cover that it uses, as well as the type of headphone driver and acoustic mesh filters fitted to it. All of these are plans for the future and further evolution of this headphone model, some of which are already being worked on.
The V2 will be available in several versions of DIY kits at various price points, as well as custom headphones, fully built according to the customers specifications and featuring only the best components. Make no mistake though, in case you do change your mind about modding or customizing your headphones in the future, you will still be able to do it just as easily as someone who initially purchased a DIY kit and built the headphone on their own. Furthermore, if you initially decide to go for the less expensive options and stick to 3D printed components instead of CNC machined ones, you will still be able to upgrade to CNC machined components in the future without any issues.
KEY FEATURES
- Unique layered and fully modular V2 ear cup design, allowing for reversible and simple modding and customization.
- Utilization of the most advanced additive manufacturing methods and materials previously unseen in the headphone industry.
- Extremely solid ear cup assembly method, featuring twelve Swiss made brass threaded inserts and stainless steel fasteners.
- Simple disassembly and assembly of the entire headphone using basic tools.
- Certain components designed to follow both CNC machining, as well as additive manufacturing requirements.
- Multiple materials and manufacturing methods available for certain components, allowing for flexible headphone production at several price points.
- Hinge yokes and frames available in CNC machined aluminium or Carbon Fiber reinforced polyamide, both with multiple post-processing options.
- Replaceable filter frame components, available in multiple shapes, thicknesses and with various acoustic impedance properties.
- Extremely rigid baffles and filter frames manufactured out of a high quality Graphite reinforced polyamide using highly advanced SLS technology.
- Ear cup shells manufactured out of very impact resistant and durable PA12 plastic using highly advanced HP Multi-Jet Fusion technology.
- Ear cup grills in various designs CNC machined out of aluminium and then polished, brushed or anodized.
- Replaceable driver holder components, manufactured out of Carbon Fiber reinforced polyamide, the strongest and most rigid SLS AM material.
- Several types of baffles available with drivers angled at 5, 7.5 and 10 degrees for slightly different sound characteristics.
- Adjustable driver-to-ear distance using spacing adapters in combination with already mentioned driver holders available in several versions.
- Compatible with multiple 46 mm diameter drivers, while custom baffles can be developed larger diameter drivers.
- Adapters for drivers with diameters below 46 mm will be developed and compatible with the basic baffle designs.
- Additional baffles will be designed for other types of drivers, such as orthodynamic, planar magnetic and possibly even electrostatic.
- SLS manufactured ear pad rings for simple twist-locking ear pad attachment, compatible with most ~100mm diameter ear pads.
- High quality Hirose cable connectors for simple headphone cable removal and replacement.
- Will be available as kits serving as excellent DIY and modding platforms for owners who would like to build their own headphone to their liking.
- Will be available in hand-built versions with custom post-processing and finishing options.
- Will be shipped in high quality, foam padded, aluminium cases.
V2 RENDER GALLERY
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DESIGN HIGHLIGHTS & GOALS
The V2 and V3 headphone models share most of the design highlights and goals, but with slightly different approaches. As already mentioned previously, the V2 is a more traditional open-backed headphone with a single rear acoustic chamber, while the V3 has a separate chamber behind the driver, completely isolated from the baffle tuning ports. This gives each model slightly different acoustic characteristics and allows for slightly different tuning options. Most of the goals regarding the build quality, materials used, manufacturing methods utilized, drivers and ear pads used, as well as the tuning and modding freedom, apply to both models.
All of these features leave pretty much an endless ability for tuning the sound and achieving desired results, and because the plastic components themselves are so incredibly rigid and acoustically neutral, it's not very difficult to find a proper balance with any combination of drivers and ear pads.
- Ability to manufacture headphone components out of various materials using various manufacturing methods at different price points, which means that certain components had to be designed in a way that enables utilization of both additive manufacturing and CNC machining. This enables the same headphone designs to be used for building headphones at various price points.
- A layered, fully modular baffle available in several versions has been developed for the V2 model, each featuring the signature LTS layered design, with all of the main baffle components precisely layered on top of each other, with their entire complex three-dimensional surfaces being in full contact with matching surfaces on adjacent components, which is more difficult to achieve than it may seem at first. Usually two complex components are connected to each other through flat contact surfaces, most commonly around fastener holes, but connecting two three-dimensional shapes together and making them fit like a hand inside a glove requires a far more elaborate and complex design, as well as incredible levels of dimensional accuracy, which the SLS printing technology is capable of achieving. Currently three types of baffles have been designed for use with 46 mm or smaller drivers, featuring driver positions set at three different angles and offsets. 5, 7.5 and 10 degree versions all feature different main baffle components, combined with their own specifically developed and matching filter frames and driver holders. While the angles and offsets of the drivers are different, followed by slightly different concave shapes of the baffles, all three configurations have virtually identical enclosed ear pad volumes, driver-to-ear distances and total tuning port surface areas. The goal was to make the driver positions and concave shapes the only variables differentiating the three baffle versions. This way, the differences in sound presentations between the three versions are subtle but easily audible, even when used with the same drivers, ear pads and acoustic mesh filters. Most simply put, the 5 degree version offers a more flat, neutral presentation best suited for music listening, while the 10 degree version offers a slightly V-shaped sound balance, but with a more pronounced frontal sound stage projection. Obviously, the 7.5 degree version sits in between the two, and might be the sweet-spot for a headphone that will be used for music listening, as well as movie watching and gaming.
- Ability to accept various drivers from a wide price and performance range for simple future upgrades and a great modding potential. This meant that the headphone had to have a simple, but very solid and durable method of attaching the drivers of various diameters and thicknesses onto the baffle, with multiple disassemblies and assemblies possible, and with no risk of damage to the drivers or the headphone components. A unique driver holder component had to be developed, and it was made possible due to the Carbon Fiber reinforced polyamide and SLS printing technology, which enabled the production of a very compact, but extremely strong and rigid part. It was crucial to make the driver holder component as small as possible, in order for it to be as acoustically neutral as possible, while also leaving enough room to maximize the size of tuning ports on the filter frame and baffle components.
- Possibility to develop baffles for other types of drivers is enabled by the actual form factor of the V2 ear cup. It will be possible to replace standard baffles designed for dynamic drivers with baffles designed for entirely different types of drivers, all without changing the external appearance of the headphone at all, keeping the hinges, frames, grills and headband assemblies the same. This will in turn enable the V2 model to evolve into an orthodynamic, planar magnetic, or perhaps even an electrostatic headphone, which will lead to impressive results when such drivers are combined with extremely rigid reinforced polyamides and advanced additive manufacturing technologies used to produce LTS headphone components. The amount of space available in the ear cups is sufficient for existing drivers of those types available on the market. In addition, it offers an opportunity to develop proprietary drivers specifically for the V2 model. All of this means that the V2 platform has an incredible range of possible versions at vastly different price points while using a wide range of driver technologies, something that no other headphone model on the market can match. You could start off by putting together a basic DIY kit with an affordable dynamic driver, later on switch to a higher quality dynamic driver, and in the end, get to a point where your headphone is upgraded with a high-end planar-magnetic driver, for example, with all those steps being entirely reversible.
- Ability to reversibly adjust the acoustic impedance of the baffle, as well as the size and shape of the enclosed ear pad volume has been one of the primary design goals since the very beginning of the V2 and the V3 development, as those aspects are crucial for fine tuning the sound, especially on headphones meant to serve as modding platforms, with multiple drivers available for potential use, each with slightly different requirements. These adjustments are possible thanks to the implementation of filter frames, unique components not found on other headphones, which are a result of the layered baffle design, and enable quick, easy and fully reversible modifications to the acoustic chamber between the ear and the driver. They can be printed in several versions, with varying thicknesses and varying concave shapes, enabling a high degree of freedom for manipulating the acoustic characteristics of the headphone. The thickness of the filter frame will determine the enclosed ear pad volume, primarily impacting the low frequency performance, while modifying the concave shape of the component has several effects on the mid and high frequency performance. The shapes and sizes of tuning ports can also be redesigned if necessary, and the filter frames themselves can be covered with various sound damping or absorbing materials. The tuning ports on the filter frames are covered with acoustic mesh filters specifically made for use with headphones and microphones. It's important not to mistake acoustic mesh for felt or paper filters usually used on more affordable headphones, as acoustic mesh filters are made out of special polyester blends, with very consistent mesh opening sizes, and a far more linear effect on the sound of the headphone. They enable exceptionally accurate and consistent control of acoustic flow through the tuning ports, and are available in a wide range of mesh densities, each with different acoustic impedance characteristics. The biggest advantage of acoustic mesh filters over any other method of controlling acoustic flow is the fact that they can provide a high degree of acoustic impedance, but with very little reflection of sound waves. In order to fully utilize this property, the default tuning ports covered by the acoustic mesh have been designed to be as large as possible. Having bigger tuning ports covered in high impedance mesh filters also leaves less solid plastic areas on the baffle, areas that can reflect sound and cause resonances. Having smaller tuning ports with more transparent mesh filters, or nothing covering the ports at all, could in theory lead to the same overall acoustic impedance of the baffle, but with a much larger degree of sound reflection due to larger solid, plastic areas. On top of that, larger tuning ports increase the subjective sense of openness while wearing and listening to the headphones. The choice of acoustic mesh has a massive impact on the sound of the headphone, especially in the low frequencies. A more dense, less acoustically transparent mesh will increase the low frequency SPL, thus increasing the bass response, while a more transparent mesh will decrease it. In a way, the acoustic mesh acts very similar to a high-pass filter with a cut off frequency of around 1000 Hz, gradually increasing its impact on the sound of the headphone as the frequency is lowered. The effects across the affected part of the frequency range are linear and very predictable. Therefore, simply swapping the acoustic mesh, while keeping the same filter frame design, enables very precise control of the headphone bass response by changing the overall tilt of the frequency response below 1000 Hz. On the other hand, the peak of the low frequency response can be lowered by reducing the enclosed ear pad volume through the use of a thicker filter frame, and vice versa. In addition to that, an "air damping" system via tuning ports can be established as well. That means that a pair of acoustic meshes is glued onto both sides of the frame filter, with a 2-3 mm gap between the two mesh filters, creating a small air chamber that acts as an additional dampener. That's because the top mesh filter has a lesser acoustic impedance than the bottom one, which causes the acoustic pressure built up in the enclosed ear pad volume to be vented out more gradually, allowing for even more precise and fine bass response tuning options. For all of those reasons, a lot of care has been put into designing the default filter frame components and finding a range of acoustic mesh filters appropriate for the drivers used during the V2 and V3 development, establishing solid base configurations which can then be fine tuned by using slightly modified versions of the filter frame components or by using different acoustic mesh filters, depending on the specific driver requirements and personal sound preferences. Using such simple, affordable and replaceable filter frame components means it's very easy to reversibly change the sound character of the headphone, while also having the ability to configure the headphone for use with entirely different drivers, without having to change the basic structure of the headphone in any way. Because of this, the potential lifetime of a headphone is prolonged as well, and in the long run it's more efficient to modify it rather than to buy an entire new headphone.
- Removable ear pads - Ear pads are one of the crucial elements that determine the sound of the headphone. They're available in various sizes, thicknesses, internal and external diameters, and they're made out of various types of foams and materials covering them. Each and every one of those aspects has a massive impact on the sound of the headphone, which is why picking the right ear pads is one of the most important steps in the headphone sound tuning process, but also one of the most quick and easy ways to slightly change the sound character of the headphone. This is why developing a quick and easy method to attach and detach ear pads was one of the main design goals during V3 headphone development. Ear pad attachment rings were the obvious choice for this purpose. They're quite simple components, 3D printed out of very flexible and durable PA11 plastic using SLS technology, and they attach onto the headphone baffle via six L-shaped clips and a twist-locking mechanism. The default attachment rings are specifically designed for 100 mm diameter ear pads, meaning there's a wide variety of compatible models available from OEM's and aftermarket sources. I've tested a lot of them during V2 and V3 development and found a couple of favorites which performed well both in terms of sound and in terms of comfort, although I do plan to design and make custom LTS ear pads in the future.
- Ability to adjust the driver position has been another crucial design goal of the V2 and the V3 headphone models, closely tied together to the rest of the customization features mentioned already. How close the driver is to the ear has a slight impact on several aspects of the sound, and having the ability to fine tune that is not only unique in the headphone world, but also crucial in getting the best performance out of each driver and each headphone configuration. Not only because each driver has a slightly different ideal distance-to-ear value, but also because this system enables more customization depending on personal preferences. Some people might like the slightly more forward and aggressive sound when the driver is closer to their ear, others might prefer the driver placed slightly further away, for a more relaxed presentation. All of this is possible thanks to SLS manufacturing of cheap, but extremely strong and rigid driver holder components which will be available in a wide range of models, designed for various driver-to-ear distances, as well as various driver diameters and thicknesses.
- Ability to tune the acoustic properties of the rear chamber allows for additional sound tuning options. Because the rear chamber on the V2 model contains both the driver, and the baffle tuning ports, various tuning options lead to slightly different effects when compared to the V3 model. The chamber itself is larger, with the rear grill being almost entirely transparent in it's default version. There are three main aspects of the rear chamber than can be tuned; the transparency of the grill, the volume or size of the chamber, and the reflective properties of the chamber walls. Various meshes, fabrics or foams can be used to modify the transparency of the grill, along with different grill designs. The volume of the chamber can be reduced by progressively adding thicker materials onto the chamber walls, or by filling the actual space with specific types of foams, until a desired effect is achieved. The internal walls of the chamber can be lined with sound absorbing and/or damping materials, while the chamber itself can be filled with various speaker cabinet sound damping materials, such as Polyfill, in order to fight resonances, standing waves, etc. Certain filler materials can also increase the effective volume of the chamber, a trick often used in speaker building. The small circular hole behind the driver itself can also be separately treated and covered with felts or foams, while the rest of the chamber can potentially stay opened. Possibilities are almost endless. Additionally, the walls of the rear chamber are asymmetrical and the shape of the chamber is irregular due to the grill being angled relative to the baffle, which gives it a slight acoustic advantage over a perfectly cylindrical chamber as well. The walls of the chamber can also be designed with various solid patterns on them, such as pyramidal, circular or square extrusions of various lengths sticking out into the chamber, almost acting like acoustic diffusors. This would be easy to accomplish because the components are 3D printed using SLS or MJF technologies, so the added design complexity is irrelevant. In addition to this, the actual walls of the cup can be printed with specific internal hollowing and internal support structures in form of bracing. This makes the walls more rigid, but at the same time lighter. However, if an even higher level of rigidity is desired, the internal hollow sections of the cup walls can be filled in with special epoxy resins, which have a very high density, and once they harden and cure, make the walls of the cup extremely rigid and acoustically inert, at the cost of some additional weight. This flexibility also contributes to the possibility of a wide range of drivers that could potentially be used. As mentioned previously, special baffles can easily be developed for planar-magnetic or even electrostatic drivers, and the wide range of tuning possibilities that this model possesses, would enable such drivers to function properly.
All of these features leave pretty much an endless ability for tuning the sound and achieving desired results, and because the plastic components themselves are so incredibly rigid and acoustically neutral, it's not very difficult to find a proper balance with any combination of drivers and ear pads.
V2 ALTERNATIVE BAFFLE
As mentioned previously, the V2 is a modular platform with a wide range of uses planned for it. Because of that, an alternative baffle design is available for drivers other than the standard 46 mm recommended ones. Instead, it can accept a wide range of aftermarket drivers up to 50 mm in diameter, regardless of the design and shape of the driver, for builders who'd like an even wider range of possibilities and maybe want to start their building process with more affordable drivers. The driver attachment system is slightly different, with a separate shell into which the driver is permanently attached, which is then press fitted into the baffle and additionally secured using six fasteners and brass threaded inserts, making sure that the whole assembly is extremely strong and rigid. The driver shell can be printed in various lengths, enabling driver-to-ear distance adjustments. In addition, in case the shape of the driver is not a perfect cylinder, or it requires a proprietary attachment system that some OEM drivers use, the driver shell can easily be designed according to those demands and enable a perfect fit for virtually any driver out there. The alternative components can be manufactured out of the same materials that are available for the standard baffle, so the level of quality of the alternative baffle components is absolutely at the level of the standard versions. Because the driver shell is completely separated from the rest of the ear cup, owners can simply switch drivers together with their driver shells by removing the six screws, and then simply attach the new driver and shell in the place of the old one, while keeping the rest of the ear cup assembly the same. The driver shell itself is quite cheap to manufacture as well, certainly far cheaper than most of the aftermarket drivers, so the cost of replacement shouldn't be an issue.
All of the adjustment capabilities that the standard V2 baffles posses are still present on this alternative version, meaning the filter frames are detachable, available in various thicknesses and with various acoustic mesh filters on them. At the same time, the way the alternative baffle is attached to the ear cup shell is identical to the standard version, while the hinges, frames, hinge attachment pieces, ear cup shells, grills and ear pad holders are entirely identical for both versions. This means that even someone who buys a standard V2 headphone first, can later simply replace the standard baffle with the alternative one, and keep the rest of the headphone untouched. This essentially turns the V2 model into a platform that can fit dozens of different drivers with 90% of the headphone remaining the same, and enables the use of a really wide range of drivers available on the market at diameters ranging from <40 to 50mm, either from OEM manufacturers or from aftermarket ones, with prices ranging from a couple of € to hundreds of € for a pair of drivers, depending on their quality and performance. The V2 is ideal for anyone who wants the widest possible modding and customization potential.
All of the adjustment capabilities that the standard V2 baffles posses are still present on this alternative version, meaning the filter frames are detachable, available in various thicknesses and with various acoustic mesh filters on them. At the same time, the way the alternative baffle is attached to the ear cup shell is identical to the standard version, while the hinges, frames, hinge attachment pieces, ear cup shells, grills and ear pad holders are entirely identical for both versions. This means that even someone who buys a standard V2 headphone first, can later simply replace the standard baffle with the alternative one, and keep the rest of the headphone untouched. This essentially turns the V2 model into a platform that can fit dozens of different drivers with 90% of the headphone remaining the same, and enables the use of a really wide range of drivers available on the market at diameters ranging from <40 to 50mm, either from OEM manufacturers or from aftermarket ones, with prices ranging from a couple of € to hundreds of € for a pair of drivers, depending on their quality and performance. The V2 is ideal for anyone who wants the widest possible modding and customization potential.