Amame
Amame https://urlin.us/2tl0wu
The head(amame) were originally designed around the 40mm Tymphany version (impedance: 32.9 Ohms, efficiency: 89.60 dBA), but have recently been updated to support the 50mm version (impedance: 31.6 Ohms, efficiency: 98.10 dBA) as well. For this article I purchased both driver sizes and will compare the two.
The head(amame) are full-sized, over-ear headphones that use a pair of round 110mm ear pads. Brainwavz XL pads are recommended, but you can use any standard pad of that size. This means that the head(amame) will likely comfortably fit any size of ear, but the overall design is a bit on the bulky side.
I used version 1.5 of the files to create my pair of head(amame). As a Prusa printer and PrusaSlicer software user, the most current version (1.6) would have made my life far simpler. One of the most interesting aspects of the head(amame) is that it uses an extremely cleverly designed fill pattern (gyroid) inside the ear cups as sound dampening, rather than having to add foam or cotton batting.
The leather strap, combined with the light weight (260 grams without cable or pads), means that the head(amame) float on my head with no top hot spots. Pairing them with velour pads makes them feel like putting on a much-loved pair of slippers.
Both sound like traditional closed-back headphones, that is with somewhat pronounced lower frequencies and a fairly narrow soundstage. The 99 Classics yield a warmer and more intimate presentation. The 99 Classics sound very much comes from the cups on your head, while the head(amame) give a better feeling of space, likely due to the angled position of the drivers.
The head(amame) (with the 40mm drivers and velour pads) seem a bit less fatiguing than the forward presenting 99 Classics. On bass heavy tracks I find the 99 Classics can get a bit uncontrolled and boomy, but overall they are a very fun pair of headphones to listen to. On busy male-vocal rock tracks, the 99 Classics can seem a little congested at times.
The head(amame) officially mark the start of when 3D printed headphones became viable contenders for audiophiles. Hats off to Vector Finesse for creating DIY headphones for the masses. Affordable, easy to build, and above all, great sounding!
Within about a year, Vector Finesse has released six versions of the head(amame) files including many fixes and improvements. They plan on further updates including a microphone add-on, a smaller, more mobile version, an open-backed version, and more tuning options. 59ce067264