This video is more focused on IEM _production_ rather than tuning, but it's already half an hour long so I'll probably do the "How hard is it to tune IEMs" version of this video separately later on. Maybe. Eventually. We'll see.
@harveyhans And this is why collabs really work, the tuner will able to influence on the actual tune of the IEM as if their own creation and getting credit (of course money) while established IEMs companies benefit from the collab tuners reputation so they know if they collab to make product, it will be much guaranteed sell, and they might save a bit of money and better marketing in general.
*Crin makes video explaining how hard manufacturing is.* - *Crin makes video explaining how hard tuning is.* - *Crin makes his own IEM now that he’s finished doing the research.*
@@suprojitkayal7172Investment is definitely a big barrier to entry. Crin could put together a kickstarter and be funded probably within days, but there's a lot of work that needs to be done to get to that point.
There's a reason why MANY one-man DIY'ers start in China, more specifically, Shenzhen, China. First, in Shenzhen, you can get raw material for CHEAP, almost near bulk pricing if you can haggle hard enough, or have connections, just be careful to not get scammed. Second, you can rent or buy secondhand molds, stamps, etc, maybe from other brands/factories that didn't use it anymore, and that will save you maybe some tens of thousands of dollars, at least in upfront cost. Third, Shenzhen is electronics prototyping heaven, any driver you can imagine, any cable material, any... anything, someone probably sell it there that you can grab and start testing with it immediately instead of waiting for it to be sent from China to Singapore for example. And fourth, assuming you already made it into the big league and have a factory making stuff for you, the factory will most likely be in Shenzhen too, so if you encounter any weird yield issue with the IEM for example, well, you can just visit the factory or talk with someone there to figure out what the problem is and maybe try to fix it if possible. And of course, even with ALL those advantages, starting a brand is still not an easy task to do, even for someone in Shenzhen. Many tried and many failed, most didn't even reach our ears. And I guess taking this road is VERY risky, labor intensive, with not a lot of initial return. You need connections, lots of $, skills (in audio, management, marketing, and potentially many others), and a pair of steel balls. Now, crin isn't even in Shenzhen and that will be a HUGE handicap right from the get-go. Not to mention the initial cost... Unless he can woo some bigshot investor with millions of dollars, I don't think making his own brand will be a realistic goal.
Excellent vid. A lot of people have no idea about all the different costs go into this stuff. Part of the issue as well though is that there absolutely ARE brands that are scamming folks and releasing products at absurdly high price tags as well. I think this is at least in part the cause of some dissonance in the community on this topic - even the more reasonably priced stuff gets painted with the price gouging brush, and then we see dumb reactions like "it's not proportional to the material cost!!" when that's not really the issue in the first place.
Well anyone who has at least basic knowledge of how economics works knows what's going on. However, there are people who believe the earth is flat so... They also have the right to vote so I think we have a bigger problem there.
@@ezrabrownstein3237, well, as Crinacle mentioned in this video, a certain earphone manufacturer from the West Coast of USA was caught substituting the drivers in some of their IEMS with cheap Chinese clones, so I won't be buying any of their products (I was just about to get one, quite coincidentally).
Going along with the restaurant analogy, that’s precisely why food critics don’t open restaurants. Some may lend their name to promote a place, but running their own business is a very different challenge altogether
I'm impressed. Not a lot of youtubers these days will tell you how to make your own stuff. They're always pushing for a certain brand. Thanks for explaining to a layman like me that it's not rocket science to make an IEM. That is the sign of a great man who wants others to succeed too. You have my sub.
Do you know Kuba? It's the best audio company here in Brazil. The owner/CEO even has a yt channel, and he looks awfully like you... Não, pera um pouco...
Toda vez que penso sobre a Kuba mais fico impressionado com todo o projeto em si, que aparentemente vem dando super certo 👏 e espero que e cresça mais ainda
Léo, vc podia fazer um vídeo semelhante, falando dessas particularidades brasileiras e da história da Kuba como um todo, de como foi todo esse processo pra vcs. Certamente daria um documentário hahaha
Great video about the behind-the-scene of iem manufacturing. Thanks for doing this! Would love to hear more about how some of your past collabs made you better at what you do through this deeper understanding of both business and science...
I'm involved in this process right now.....this is the best explanation I've seen of the "fun" that is creating your own IEM/Headphone products and getting them to market.
Thanks for explaining how manufacturing works. Manny in the US for sure don't understand manufacturing. Everything can't cost $50 and why " it's not worth that much" is not the way you look at things. I love when you see people say "I could make that" with no clue what goes into manufacturing. It's why I get so mad when politicians push that lie about " brining manufacturing back". Do they understand how much that would cost companies to do that. And why it will never happen, it's all about the bottom line people. Receved the Dusk a few days ago and love it. You did a great job and it was well worth the wait. Buy Dusk.
I don't think you even need to understand manufacturing. Anyone with even a surface level understanding of economics would understand that isn't just that simple.
Chinese workers that work for slave tier wages and live and work in their factory are a lot cheaper than US workers that expect things like "human rights".
Collabs are a win-win when done well. You get 95+% of the tuner's desired sound at 1/3rd the cost. Add to that improved QC and collabs make a ton of sense. That said, I hope Crin is able to start his own IEM company at some point.
Excellent cautionary tale for all the hobbyists with aspirations of selling hardware. If the most experienced hobbyist on the planet has tried to get into IEM manufacturing and not been successful, that is a great illustration of the height of the economic barriers that exist for all but the most well-positioned few that prevent the average hobbyist from finding market success.
Hey Crin, this is a fascinating video. I always knew it wasn't as simple as I thought, but even then hearing it described in great detail was fascinating. Huge thanks!
Cheaper driver also means less consistent driver SQ are among the thousand being produced, One particular makers/reviewers HiFri, are often buying a group of the same driver and do consistency check on the drivers before using them for his DIY or recommending them to other iem makers.
After watching the whole video the questions are: How many offers have you declined to a IEM/Headphone company to be their "final user experience manager", "tuner" or similar role? As a design engineer, I've always wanted to know how do you tune a driver. Would it be possible to have a video talking about that? When you design something the repetitiveness of a product is key, and with something that, with only a minor defect in the shell could modify the sound... Awesome video as usual!
Yeah man right so , I'm so proud of your explanation about this problem, with the making your own Brand!, to many don't understand! Until now😅, I hope so, but I would appreciate if y really consider to making one👍
A lot of things in this video is not specific to IEMs but they are just general things you need to do to start up your own business. You have an advantage in that you actually already have quite a reputable brand recognition. If you make your own IEMs, they will sell. (as long as you don’t charge ridiculous prices)
1 take away from 3D printing is that if you work in gun manufacture you can essentially make the shells for "cheap" as they typically employ all these manufacture techniques... :X
Theres a reason why the Chu 1 and 2 is such a bargain. But one trick is skimping out on paint. The paint moondrop uses has been criticized for being cheap for a while now. 2nd is obviously using a single DD, and 3rd is cable and packaging cost. 4th is being a big name and having enough reputation to buy in bulk and guarantee good material cost along with minimizing distribution cost.
Elysian is the perfect example of "not the best value for money but best in budget." As an owner of both a Diva and Gaea they are my 2 favorite IEMs and 100% worth the money for me, but at the same time not something I would recommend to an average enthusiast since there are definitely much better value for money IEMs out there.
This also clearly explains how moondrop could release similar iem's at prices trending down quite a lot. With volume they can make a comfortable margin at a lower price. In turn selling more.
Love that you call out all those big mouth clowns online who spew garbage when they actually have less than zero understanding about how things really work in the real world. Those people are hysterical and not in a good way. More like a OMG how sad they are way...
I think the follow up question would be: How do you ensure all your collab partners that you don't leak their secret sauce intentionally or otherwise to your other collabs? As in how do you ensure your collab partners that the expertise that you bring to the table is based on your personal experience but not additional knowledge gained from collaborating with other partners? Or that your knowledge from your current collab partners' secret sauce doesn't get shared to future collab partners?
I would imagine the capital investment costs are quite significant to even begin producing an IEM: - prototyping/molds - manufacturing assets (factory, equipment, trained production personnel, etc.) - tooling/injection mold - programming production assets/setup - QA and inspection processes to validate a new product - component inventory procurement - laboratory test equipment - software licensing of analytical tools - time & means of qualified technicians and consultants - legal and contracting efforts to establish inbound and outbound supply/distribution channels - warehousing and WMS (component supplies, packaging materials, WIP materials, finished goods) - project management - marketing/communication materials - packaging (board suppliers, printers/converters, etc.) - warranty/returns - ETC... The actual direct materials costs of each IEM may be a small fraction of the retail sales price...but the CAPITAL investment is massive in comparison. The more bespoke and complex the product...the lower the production speeds...the higher the price. Companies that standardize on common packaging, common components, and common shells, with minimum differentiation where possible across SKU's...benefit from economies of scale. Vertical integration of key components, where possible, would also take out margins from inbound supply chains and help drive down standard variable costs...assuming adequate sales volumes and throughput.
the last time i directly asked a factory to make my stuff, it was a custom cut acoustic mineral wool of a weird dimension, MOQ starts at half a 20HC. It's low enough for me, i ordered 1.5 20HC in the end, still have like some 40 packs of it left. Crin is right, it's not like you want to start a brand and just make stuff out of thin air.
I think the thought of "audio(phile) company is scamming everyone" kinda comes from just how cheap those shitty 10$ pair of headsets are. They don't realize that those 10$ shitcans™ doesn't get tuned whatsoever and just made in the cheapest way possible in terms of material and build quality. They look at that 10$ plastic junk and then look at the dusk for example, and start making assumptions. I mean, I kinda get it. Looking at those kilobuck+++ pairs can quickly get you questioning where the hell did that price tag come from? But what we never realized is these things comes with all the cost crin mentioned in material alone, plus lots and lots of hours for R&D, tuning, tooling, rent, and marketing. And I guess without looking at those directly, many just have difficulty conceptualizing it.
A suprising amount of people dont understand how buissness work - as for retail; we generelly have a 24% increase from market value to pay for staff, rental and other costs down the line such as upkeep for the machine that gives paybak on bottles
why do so many companies design iems with nozzle bigger than 6mm? who are they designing these for? you know eartips add like 2.5mm to that already large 6~6.5 mm nozzle...
sonion EST's cost 150 bucks per unit lets say you are confident and order 10000 of them for 60 bucks per unit but this is still cost of one single whispy driver.
Awesome video! I’m a high school student from the US who designed and created my own IEM company in a matter of 5 months!! It’s called SymphonyEars and I currently have a 1+3 hybrid out, with plans to release a 2+4 soon. They are being sold for $150 and $200 respectively. I have sold multiple units and have a few reviewers getting their hands on them. My trusty 3D printer is my secret weapon :)
And yet people always complain about nuances in a pair of $20-50 iem when it genuinely sound and built good, they should really experience the age in which some half-decent items only start at $200. (Toxic mmorpg/old man mind set)
wow, thats new, i know the MOQ and others, but dang those proper drivers costs that much ? cant imagine how the usa old school brands would have to kill to make them stay afloat
Very interesting. Since time is a limited resource, it is probably better for everyone to limit themselves to doing what they do best, perhaps giving up the greatest gain, but with less risk, and perhaps more professional satisfaction?
As someone who resin prints, it can be a pain to dial in the settings as well to get the quality right and keep the failure rate down. These settings change with each resin type you use.
Fellow European here, from Greece. I've never paid for importing , and we're both in the EU , so .. depending on the price, I don't think you will either. Linsoul imports to the EU through Hungary . Linsoul used to have it on their website that they cover these expenses, I looked the other day, didn't find it . I know hifigo does this, idk if Linsoul still does. But in any case, the declared price of stuff when these shops send them is much lower than the real one . Could be they declare the cost of production for one pair? who knows ..
when you made a little kz joke, i got it even though I am not really into IEM's. Why did i get it? because I had bought a pair of KZ iem's based off of dank pods recommendation. They sounded like they were having 100x the amount of power run through them and that the drivers had come apart in the shell. I RMA'ed mine and got a new pair. It was the same issue.
Sir, could u make a video on nothing ear. Because IEMs aside..with the dac and the hassle of the wired iems... nothing ear(with the weird naming) i guess is the closest to a 20 $ iem....with LHDC 5.0 ensuring high res audio. So convenience wise...while travelling...does that make a good replacement of a moondrops chu 2 or something like that?
I want to design an IEM at some point with a very long nozzle with a tweeter at the end and a big woofer sitting right outside with a big front vent. So I combine the leakage resistance of the big woofer and the high resonance of a tweeter that sit very close to the eardrum.
Hello guys! I am looking to buy new headphones. I currently have X2HR with oratory EQ which are sufficient, but I am looking for something new, mainly I would like something with best detail and technicalities in general. Currently I had a look at HE400SE which are 130 euros, Sundaras which are 350 euros, and HD 600 which are 330 euros. Also I am used to the wide soundstage which X2HRs provide. I am not worried about the tuning since I am probably gonna run oratory's. Also I do not own an amp or a dac, so a suggestion for that is also welcome. My budget is upwards 400 euros (not including amp or dac) Different recommendations are also welcome, however I am looking only for open backs. tl;dr: Looking for new open-back headphones with great detail and technicalities, currently considering HE400SE, Sundara, and HD 600. Budget is upwards of €400 (not including amp/DAC). Prioritize wide soundstage and open to other recommendations.
Not related to the video but what do you guys recommend for under $200 true wireless earbuds for my casual listening? - Wireless Charging and 8 Hours Battery
Are studio headphones better for fps games or are iems better for fps games and what studio headphones are like the best for hearing for example footsteps from a certain direction or are iems better and then what iems should i get or what studio headphones should I get
I deal in specialty commodities and I have just realized that poor people can only afford to sell to rich people. The profit margins when competing on the mass consumer scale are too small. But if you try to make the best thing you can make with passion, and it is even remotely as good as you say it is, anyone will buy it. We have a rule in coffee. All coffees get sold. All IEMs get sold. Eventually, at some price point lol.
Hello Brother Please rank 1,2,3,4,5 which iem you like most & give valid reasons why : ✅ KZ Castor Bass ✅ KZ D-Fi Switch ✅ KZ Vader ✅ CCA Duo ✅ CCA Rhapsody 1 = the best 5 = the worst
This video is more focused on IEM _production_ rather than tuning, but it's already half an hour long so I'll probably do the "How hard is it to tune IEMs" version of this video separately later on. Maybe. Eventually. We'll see.
may you have the willpower to write, record, and edit another 30 min video
Do it. I just watched a 3 hour video debunking evolutionary psychology.
I'd watch a 3 hour video by you on tuning
@@8lec_R, I would be interested in watching that video, if you can either link to it here, or else copy and past its EXACT title.
I want to see the 2nd part of tuning iem
@@TheVeganVicar the video is by münecat. It's the latest one. You can't miss it cuz she has uploaded only one video in the past year
Making your own IEM brand means gambling with your own money, collabs are much safer!
"Making your own IEM brand means gambling with your own money..."
Assuming that you are WEALTHY, of course.
I mean you wanna be pretty rich before you do that lol.
why would you even make a brand when you can just commission a company to make one for you
@harveyhans And this is why collabs really work, the tuner will able to influence on the actual tune of the IEM as if their own creation and getting credit (of course money) while established IEMs companies benefit from the collab tuners reputation so they know if they collab to make product, it will be much guaranteed sell, and they might save a bit of money and better marketing in general.
*Crin makes video explaining how hard manufacturing is.* - *Crin makes video explaining how hard tuning is.* - *Crin makes his own IEM now that he’s finished doing the research.*
What about the investment that is hard to find?
@@suprojitkayal7172Investment is definitely a big barrier to entry. Crin could put together a kickstarter and be funded probably within days, but there's a lot of work that needs to be done to get to that point.
@@suprojitkayal7172 onlyfans
There's a reason why MANY one-man DIY'ers start in China, more specifically, Shenzhen, China. First, in Shenzhen, you can get raw material for CHEAP, almost near bulk pricing if you can haggle hard enough, or have connections, just be careful to not get scammed. Second, you can rent or buy secondhand molds, stamps, etc, maybe from other brands/factories that didn't use it anymore, and that will save you maybe some tens of thousands of dollars, at least in upfront cost. Third, Shenzhen is electronics prototyping heaven, any driver you can imagine, any cable material, any... anything, someone probably sell it there that you can grab and start testing with it immediately instead of waiting for it to be sent from China to Singapore for example. And fourth, assuming you already made it into the big league and have a factory making stuff for you, the factory will most likely be in Shenzhen too, so if you encounter any weird yield issue with the IEM for example, well, you can just visit the factory or talk with someone there to figure out what the problem is and maybe try to fix it if possible.
And of course, even with ALL those advantages, starting a brand is still not an easy task to do, even for someone in Shenzhen. Many tried and many failed, most didn't even reach our ears. And I guess taking this road is VERY risky, labor intensive, with not a lot of initial return. You need connections, lots of $, skills (in audio, management, marketing, and potentially many others), and a pair of steel balls. Now, crin isn't even in Shenzhen and that will be a HUGE handicap right from the get-go. Not to mention the initial cost... Unless he can woo some bigshot investor with millions of dollars, I don't think making his own brand will be a realistic goal.
Excellent vid. A lot of people have no idea about all the different costs go into this stuff. Part of the issue as well though is that there absolutely ARE brands that are scamming folks and releasing products at absurdly high price tags as well. I think this is at least in part the cause of some dissonance in the community on this topic - even the more reasonably priced stuff gets painted with the price gouging brush, and then we see dumb reactions like "it's not proportional to the material cost!!" when that's not really the issue in the first place.
Well anyone who has at least basic knowledge of how economics works knows what's going on. However, there are people who believe the earth is flat so... They also have the right to vote so I think we have a bigger problem there.
Which brands
@@ezrabrownstein3237, well, as Crinacle mentioned in this video, a certain earphone manufacturer from the West Coast of USA was caught substituting the drivers in some of their IEMS with cheap Chinese clones, so I won't be buying any of their products (I was just about to get one, quite coincidentally).
@@ezrabrownstein3237 64audio
@@ezrabrownstein3237 Audioquest is a complete scam for example
i love it when crinacle drops a iem collaboration and starts crining all over the place
What if instead of Crinical, he was called Freakrinical?
Going along with the restaurant analogy, that’s precisely why food critics don’t open restaurants. Some may lend their name to promote a place, but running their own business is a very different challenge altogether
It's not just iem it's just manufacturing in general. it's hard when you scale something up 100-1000times.
I'm impressed. Not a lot of youtubers these days will tell you how to make your own stuff. They're always pushing for a certain brand. Thanks for explaining to a layman like me that it's not rocket science to make an IEM. That is the sign of a great man who wants others to succeed too. You have my sub.
Thanks for letting the community know how hard it can get to make an iem. Cheers and hope this dream never dies
00:24 - Oh, I do know, yes. Now add "Brazil" to the equation and you unlock the Ultimate "Beelzebub" Boss Level.
please come to brasil
Do you know Kuba? It's the best audio company here in Brazil. The owner/CEO even has a yt channel, and he looks awfully like you... Não, pera um pouco...
Toda vez que penso sobre a Kuba mais fico impressionado com todo o projeto em si, que aparentemente vem dando super certo 👏 e espero que e cresça mais ainda
Léo, vc podia fazer um vídeo semelhante, falando dessas particularidades brasileiras e da história da Kuba como um todo, de como foi todo esse processo pra vcs. Certamente daria um documentário hahaha
I believe that "in Brazil" modifier might work this way with basically anything, though.
My Favourite Measurbator 🤤
no he measures, you are the measurbator.
@@StarBuilder222 He literally calls himself "Professional Measurbator"...
@@BichaelStevens alright then.
Yes and yes. I started 2 years ago my iem Brand (deer ear) and is a cool live...but.... so so so many of work!
Thanks for this comment I was really looking an iem that doesn’t made in china
@@direktoraliby thanks ;0)
Great video about the behind-the-scene of iem manufacturing. Thanks for doing this! Would love to hear more about how some of your past collabs made you better at what you do through this deeper understanding of both business and science...
It's such a HUGE pleasure listening to you sharing your views and knowledge... AMAZING job! Hooked me as a fan, honestly!
I don't even really care about IEMs and this is one of my favorite channels on TH-cam.
I'm involved in this process right now.....this is the best explanation I've seen of the "fun" that is creating your own IEM/Headphone products and getting them to market.
Thanks for explaining how manufacturing works. Manny in the US for sure don't understand manufacturing. Everything can't cost $50 and why " it's not worth that much" is not the way you look at things. I love when you see people say "I could make that" with no clue what goes into manufacturing. It's why I get so mad when politicians push that lie about " brining manufacturing back". Do they understand how much that would cost companies to do that. And why it will never happen, it's all about the bottom line people. Receved the Dusk a few days ago and love it. You did a great job and it was well worth the wait. Buy Dusk.
I don't think you even need to understand manufacturing. Anyone with even a surface level understanding of economics would understand that isn't just that simple.
buy dusk? wht is that? do u mean "duy busk"??
Chinese workers that work for slave tier wages and live and work in their factory are a lot cheaper than US workers that expect things like "human rights".
Awesome work. Finally something to point folks toward who have been spoiled by ever-cheaper and better IEMs.
Crinacle answers dummy internet question by amazingly good explaining how work the entire business of humanity
I think a lot of people would be interested on a video about making a DIY iem, just for educational purpose.
Collabs are a win-win when done well. You get 95+% of the tuner's desired sound at 1/3rd the cost. Add to that improved QC and collabs make a ton of sense. That said, I hope Crin is able to start his own IEM company at some point.
Excellent cautionary tale for all the hobbyists with aspirations of selling hardware. If the most experienced hobbyist on the planet has tried to get into IEM manufacturing and not been successful, that is a great illustration of the height of the economic barriers that exist for all but the most well-positioned few that prevent the average hobbyist from finding market success.
I hope you can start your own brand one day. Cheering for you crinacle 🤗
Waiting for the Crin GE
Hey Crin, this is a fascinating video. I always knew it wasn't as simple as I thought, but even then hearing it described in great detail was fascinating. Huge thanks!
I own every IEM that you've collaborated with. Waiting for the Dusk to arrive. Will always support you, I know that industry is hard.
The Crin collection. Now if only Crin got into headphone tuning at all.
Cheaper driver also means less consistent driver SQ are among the thousand being produced,
One particular makers/reviewers HiFri, are often buying a group of the same driver and do consistency check on the drivers before using them for his DIY or recommending them to other iem makers.
After watching the whole video the questions are:
How many offers have you declined to a IEM/Headphone company to be their "final user experience manager", "tuner" or similar role?
As a design engineer, I've always wanted to know how do you tune a driver. Would it be possible to have a video talking about that?
When you design something the repetitiveness of a product is key, and with something that, with only a minor defect in the shell could modify the sound...
Awesome video as usual!
I hope you do another tws video, example Moondrop Space Travel
Hi Crin. Thanks for this content. Have you stopped reviewing iems or rating them on your ranking list as well?
Yeah man right so , I'm so proud of your explanation about this problem, with the making your own Brand!, to many don't understand! Until now😅, I hope so, but I would appreciate if y really consider to making one👍
Hey Mr Crin, my Dusk's arrived today, Moondrop and you made something special, Thanks
thanks for (another) very good informative video for the masses.
A lot of things in this video is not specific to IEMs but they are just general things you need to do to start up your own business.
You have an advantage in that you actually already have quite a reputable brand recognition.
If you make your own IEMs, they will sell.
(as long as you don’t charge ridiculous prices)
1 take away from 3D printing is that if you work in gun manufacture you can essentially make the shells for "cheap" as they typically employ all these manufacture techniques... :X
This is actually a cool intro video to how manufacturing companies work
That was great. I really enjoyed that. What next, a tour of a factory with a company you've collaborated with?
… How the f&@! did Moondrop make such an awesome $20 IEM? Holy cow never knew what a feat that was!
Theres a reason why the Chu 1 and 2 is such a bargain. But one trick is skimping out on paint. The paint moondrop uses has been criticized for being cheap for a while now. 2nd is obviously using a single DD, and 3rd is cable and packaging cost. 4th is being a big name and having enough reputation to buy in bulk and guarantee good material cost along with minimizing distribution cost.
They are selling thousands in China alone, before even selling to the world. I believe their domestic market help to back them up.
@@kaeroseonyeah, moondrop at this point had the reputation to create that new iem and know it'll get at least enough sales to offset tooling and such
@@kaeroseon
That’s honestly brilliant IMO. I had to spend that much on Apple Buds in my day - these kids have it so much better!!
@@sephondranzer Apple Earbud aren’t even bad. They’re just, mediocre.
I'm a figure collector that spend way too much time listening to and watching videos. Every part of this video, made sense and didn't shock me.
Hi-Fri iem on the thumbnail !!!.
miss you Hi-Fri
Did something happened to him ?
🥺😢 miss you too. Ill be back soon. Im not dead i promise.
@@hi-friaudioman nice to hear you okay, just take your time and rest
4:39 EARTHQUAKE
Elysian is the perfect example of "not the best value for money but best in budget." As an owner of both a Diva and Gaea they are my 2 favorite IEMs and 100% worth the money for me, but at the same time not something I would recommend to an average enthusiast since there are definitely much better value for money IEMs out there.
This vid tickles my diy enginer brain
This also clearly explains how moondrop could release similar iem's at prices trending down quite a lot. With volume they can make a comfortable margin at a lower price. In turn selling more.
Love that you call out all those big mouth clowns online who spew garbage when they actually have less than zero understanding about how things really work in the real world. Those people are hysterical and not in a good way. More like a OMG how sad they are way...
I think the follow up question would be:
How do you ensure all your collab partners that you don't leak their secret sauce intentionally or otherwise to your other collabs?
As in how do you ensure your collab partners that the expertise that you bring to the table is based on your personal experience but not additional knowledge gained from collaborating with other partners? Or that your knowledge from your current collab partners' secret sauce doesn't get shared to future collab partners?
I would imagine the capital investment costs are quite significant to even begin producing an IEM:
- prototyping/molds
- manufacturing assets (factory, equipment, trained production personnel, etc.)
- tooling/injection mold
- programming production assets/setup
- QA and inspection processes to validate a new product
- component inventory procurement
- laboratory test equipment
- software licensing of analytical tools
- time & means of qualified technicians and consultants
- legal and contracting efforts to establish inbound and outbound supply/distribution channels
- warehousing and WMS (component supplies, packaging materials, WIP materials, finished goods)
- project management
- marketing/communication materials
- packaging (board suppliers, printers/converters, etc.)
- warranty/returns
- ETC...
The actual direct materials costs of each IEM may be a small fraction of the retail sales price...but the CAPITAL investment is massive in comparison. The more bespoke and complex the product...the lower the production speeds...the higher the price.
Companies that standardize on common packaging, common components, and common shells, with minimum differentiation where possible across SKU's...benefit from economies of scale. Vertical integration of key components, where possible, would also take out margins from inbound supply chains and help drive down standard variable costs...assuming adequate sales volumes and throughput.
Thank GOD I watched this video today, as I was just about to purchase a pair of Campfire Audio earphones!
We an example here in Brazil with Kuba Audio. It was a huge challenge for them.
so the resume is: it cost a lot, so we need to make crinacle ultra famous in order to create crowdfunding and thats it
"just crowdfund it" won't cut it.
Nice. Real question - Where does KZ store all their IEMs?
the last time i directly asked a factory to make my stuff, it was a custom cut acoustic mineral wool of a weird dimension, MOQ starts at half a 20HC. It's low enough for me, i ordered 1.5 20HC in the end, still have like some 40 packs of it left. Crin is right, it's not like you want to start a brand and just make stuff out of thin air.
I think the thought of "audio(phile) company is scamming everyone" kinda comes from just how cheap those shitty 10$ pair of headsets are. They don't realize that those 10$ shitcans™ doesn't get tuned whatsoever and just made in the cheapest way possible in terms of material and build quality. They look at that 10$ plastic junk and then look at the dusk for example, and start making assumptions.
I mean, I kinda get it. Looking at those kilobuck+++ pairs can quickly get you questioning where the hell did that price tag come from? But what we never realized is these things comes with all the cost crin mentioned in material alone, plus lots and lots of hours for R&D, tuning, tooling, rent, and marketing. And I guess without looking at those directly, many just have difficulty conceptualizing it.
A suprising amount of people dont understand how buissness work - as for retail; we generelly have a 24% increase from market value to pay for staff, rental and other costs down the line such as upkeep for the machine that gives paybak on bottles
why do so many companies design iems with nozzle bigger than 6mm? who are they designing these for? you know eartips add like 2.5mm to that already large 6~6.5 mm nozzle...
I'd like to see Fatfreq run larger outputs and drive down their costs. I'm very interested to try their stuff.
I love how Crin shits on his own Salnotes Zero 2, "Cheap Shit".
14:04 die cast construction, it's a lost art
sonion EST's cost 150 bucks per unit
lets say you are confident and order 10000 of them for 60 bucks per unit but this is still cost of one single whispy driver.
Awesome video! I’m a high school student from the US who designed and created my own IEM company in a matter of 5 months!! It’s called SymphonyEars and I currently have a 1+3 hybrid out, with plans to release a 2+4 soon. They are being sold for $150 and $200 respectively. I have sold multiple units and have a few reviewers getting their hands on them. My trusty 3D printer is my secret weapon :)
And yet people always complain about nuances in a pair of $20-50 iem when it genuinely sound and built good, they should really experience the age in which some half-decent items only start at $200. (Toxic mmorpg/old man mind set)
Great video!
Soon? Can't wait for the Cri-Fi era
7hz Zero 2 with a bit of EQ are ridiculously good for ~25$, thank you :)
great. learnt a lot.
just have an idea that could it be possible to make an assembled earphone
with only shell itself and typical hot plug unit...
I wanted to buy Sivga Que from Linsoul, and it was NOT FREE Shipping to Ciudad Obregon, Sonora, Mexico.
wow, thats new, i know the MOQ and others, but dang those proper drivers costs that much ?
cant imagine how the usa old school brands would have to kill to make them stay afloat
Good info, thanks
With planar iem all i need is single planar driver and it will have decent layering then it's the tuning i have to put real effort on
Very interesting.
Since time is a limited resource, it is probably better for everyone to limit themselves to doing what they do best, perhaps giving up the greatest gain, but with less risk, and perhaps more professional satisfaction?
Uncle crins “BITCH WHAT” will always having me dying laughing😂
Can someone explain what layering in iems is.
Crin accidentally explained about the general manufacturing concept just to explain how to make IEM😂
Crin can just start a kickstarter campaign.
Return of the Soon™
Do you recommend any bullet style iem? (the straight cable ones i found they are called bullet style but I'm not sure tbh)
As someone who resin prints, it can be a pain to dial in the settings as well to get the quality right and keep the failure rate down. These settings change with each resin type you use.
Is there any IEMs with titanium shells?
Does Linsoul pay VAT for import into germany ?
Fellow European here, from Greece. I've never paid for importing , and we're both in the EU , so .. depending on the price, I don't think you will either. Linsoul imports to the EU through Hungary . Linsoul used to have it on their website that they cover these expenses, I looked the other day, didn't find it . I know hifigo does this, idk if Linsoul still does. But in any case, the declared price of stuff when these shops send them is much lower than the real one . Could be they declare the cost of production for one pair? who knows ..
@@culturedsquid8442 thanks😁 i order something cheap as a probe 👋
please do a review for jbl and altec lansing
Ok I'm convinced now, so I have a better idea instead of making your own IEM brand, what if you update ur ranking list instead :P
Muse dash just announced they are having a colab with Moondrop, hope to see your review soon ❤
when you made a little kz joke, i got it even though I am not really into IEM's. Why did i get it? because I had bought a pair of KZ iem's based off of dank pods recommendation. They sounded like they were having 100x the amount of power run through them and that the drivers had come apart in the shell. I RMA'ed mine and got a new pair. It was the same issue.
Sir, could u make a video on nothing ear. Because IEMs aside..with the dac and the hassle of the wired iems... nothing ear(with the weird naming) i guess is the closest to a 20 $ iem....with LHDC 5.0 ensuring high res audio.
So convenience wise...while travelling...does that make a good replacement of a moondrops chu 2 or something like that?
you could easily print it yourself with a resin printer just the cleanup and print takes time
Can you test the #1 headphone sold in Brazil? It's by Havit. I'm very happy with mine
crinacle is your brand
I want to design an IEM at some point with a very long nozzle with a tweeter at the end and a big woofer sitting right outside with a big front vent.
So I combine the leakage resistance of the big woofer and the high resonance of a tweeter that sit very close to the eardrum.
Hello guys! I am looking to buy new headphones. I currently have X2HR with oratory EQ which are sufficient, but I am looking for something new, mainly I would like something with best detail and technicalities in general. Currently I had a look at HE400SE which are 130 euros, Sundaras which are 350 euros, and HD 600 which are 330 euros. Also I am used to the wide soundstage which X2HRs provide. I am not worried about the tuning since I am probably gonna run oratory's. Also I do not own an amp or a dac, so a suggestion for that is also welcome.
My budget is upwards 400 euros (not including amp or dac)
Different recommendations are also welcome, however I am looking only for open backs.
tl;dr: Looking for new open-back headphones with great detail and technicalities, currently considering HE400SE, Sundara, and HD 600. Budget is upwards of €400 (not including amp/DAC). Prioritize wide soundstage and open to other recommendations.
What about electroplating 3d shells ?
Excellent vid
Not related to the video but what do you guys recommend for under $200 true wireless earbuds for my casual listening?
- Wireless Charging and 8 Hours Battery
First IEM of yours should just be named Soon™ to troll a little
Soon is coming Soon™
Moondrop phone review when?
Are studio headphones better for fps games or are iems better for fps games and what studio headphones are like the best for hearing for example footsteps from a certain direction or are iems better and then what iems should i get or what studio headphones should I get
I deal in specialty commodities and I have just realized that poor people can only afford to sell to rich people. The profit margins when competing on the mass consumer scale are too small. But if you try to make the best thing you can make with passion, and it is even remotely as good as you say it is, anyone will buy it. We have a rule in coffee. All coffees get sold.
All IEMs get sold. Eventually, at some price point lol.
Crinacle, teach us how to roll our iem cables please. 😅
break down process in industry!
Crin, will Dusk sell on amazon again ?
Hello Brother
Please rank 1,2,3,4,5 which iem you like most & give valid reasons why :
✅ KZ Castor Bass
✅ KZ D-Fi Switch
✅ KZ Vader
✅ CCA Duo
✅ CCA Rhapsody
1 = the best
5 = the worst
crinacle.com/2023/08/17/the-kz-boycott-still-stands/
Its a bot @@crin