The Flip Tip: Creating Big Widebore Tips From Reversing Starlines

You can by large amounts of Starlines tips for cheap from ebay.

In May 2019 I came up with an idea that I had never seen anywhere before. It involved turning a KZ Starline silicone eartip inside out, in what I dubbed the “Flip Tip”. The process is very easy, and (other than a pair of Starline eartips) only involves a few tools you have around the house.

TOOLS NEEDED

To perform this mod, simply get something with a round shaft that goes through the core of the eartip, but also has a large head on it. I’ve had success using a screw, a nail, and a golf tee.

THE PROCESS

Here, the process is demonstrated using a screw:

1. Insert the screw through the bottom of the Starline eartip.

2. Now pull down on the screw, which pulls the center of the eartip core inside out.

3. Once the core is inside out, you want to pull the eartip skirt down around the eartip core, like the top of an unbrella. You can do it with your fingers, or using something like the screwdriver shown in the next photo.

4. The surface of the ‘flipped tip’ is made of a stickier silicone than the normal surface of the eartip. This alllows the eartip to grip the skin of your ear better, but it also attracts dust. Simply clean the dust off using a small amount of isopropyl alcohol and a lint free cloth (such as micro fiber).

RESULT

This is what the ready inverted eartip looks like. Pull it carefully off the screwdriver’s head…and bingo!

When the 2 ear tips are placed side by side, you can see that the flip tip is different in 3 ways:

A. The center core of the flip tip is longer than the stock Starline tip. This is particularly useful to use on earphones that have short or stubby nozzles.
B. The flip tip has a wider bore at the top, like the bell of a horn. This will allow the flip tip to sound different than the normal Starline tip.
C. The flip tip has a slightly wider profile, allowing a more secure fit in some ears vs the stock Starline tips.

The final shape reminds me of the shape of Comply foam tips. And the soft and sticky silicone feels very similar to Sony Hybrid tips.

The flip tips are very comfortable to wear. They seal well and the stickier silicone material grips the ear and stays in place. I also found that the flip tips do not need to be inserted as deeply as a regular Starline tips to get the same tight seal. Because of this, the flip tips should increase the maximum time you can comfortably wear your earphones.

Of course, depending on individual ear shape and size, YMMV.

FURTHER READING

Tweaking Tips – A Simplified Guide To IEM Silicone Eartips by KopiOkaya (2020-03-24)

The Iconic AZLA SednaEarfit Silicon Tips – Is Their Price Justified? by Jürgen Kraus (2019-12-22)

Announcing The Premium Eartips Project by Jürgen Kraus (2019-10-01)

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