Unconventional headphones: Sonic response consistency, albeit cosmetically ungainly

Again in mid-2019, I famous that the flexibility to discern prime quality music and different audio playback (each in an absolute sense and when comparatively differentiating between varied delivery-format options) was dependent not solely on the traits of the audio itself but in addition on the tools used to audition it. One key hyperlink within the playback chain is the audio system, whether or not built-in (together with crossover networks and such) into standalone cupboards or embedded in headphones, the latter notably enticing as a result of (amongst different causes) they remove any “coloration” or different alteration brought on by the listening room’s personal acoustical traits (to not point out ambient background noise and imperfect suppression of its derogatory results).

Nonetheless, as I wrote on the time, “The standard potential inherent in any audio supply received’t be discernable in case you take heed to it over low cost (i.e., restricted and uneven frequency response, excessive noise and distortion ranges, and so on.) headphones.” To wit, I showcased three case examine examples from my multi-headphone steady: the $29.99 (on the time) Massdrop x Koss Porta Professional X:

$149.99 Massdrop x Sennheiser HD 58X Jubilee:

and $199.99 Massdrop x Sennheiser HD 6XX:

I’ve subsequently augmented the latter two merchandise with non-compulsory balanced-connection capabilities by way of third-party cables. Frequent to all three is an remark I made about their retail supply, Drop (previously Massdrop): the corporate “companions with producers each to produce bulk ‘builds’ of merchandise at cost-effective costs in trade for assured buyer numbers, and (in some circumstances) to develop customized variants of these merchandise.” Maintain that thought.

And I’ve subsequently added one other conventional-design headphone set to the menagerie: Sony’s MDR-V6, a “colorless” basic that dates from 1985 and remains to be in widespread recording studio use to at the present time. Sony lastly obsoleted the MDR-V6 in 2020 in favor of the MDR-7506, newer MDR-M1 and different successor fashions, which motived my admitted acquisition of a number of gently used MDR-V6 examples off eBay:

One attribute that each one 4 of those headphones share is that, exemplifying the commonest headphone design strategy, they’re all based mostly on electrodynamic speaker drivers:

At this level, permit me a short divergence; belief me, its relevance will quickly be extra apparent. In previous writeups I’ve executed on varied sorts of each audio system and microphones, I’ve typically intermingled the choice time period “transducer”, a “gadget that converts power from one kind to a different,” for each phrases. Such interchange is correct; even extra exact could be an “electroacoustic transducer”, which converts between electrical indicators and sound waves. Microphones enter sound waves and output electrical indicators; with audio system, it’s the reverse.

I be aware all of this as a result of electrodynamic speaker drivers, particularly of their most typical dynamic configuration, are the conceptual mirror twins to the dynamic microphones I extra just lately wrote about in late November 2022. As I defined on the time, in describing dynamic mics’ implementation of the precept of electromagnetic induction:

A dynamic microphone operates on the identical fundamental electrical rules as a speaker, however in reverse. Sound waves strike the diaphragm, inflicting the hooked up voice coil to maneuver by way of a magnetic hole creating present move because the magnetic traces are damaged.

Unsurprisingly, due to this fact, the condenser and ribbon microphones additionally mentioned in that late 2022 piece additionally have (shut, albeit not actual, in each of those latter circumstances) analogies in driver design used for each standalone audio system and in headphones. Condenser mics first; right here’s a related quote from my late 2022 writeup, corrected because of reader EMCgenius’s suggestions:

Electret condenser microphones (ECMs) function on the precept that the diaphragm and backplate work together with one another when sound enters the microphone. Both the diaphragm or backplate is completely electrically charged, and this fixed cost together with the various capacitance brought on by sound wave-generated various distance between the diaphragm and backplate throughout time leads to an related various output sign voltage.

Though electret drivers exist, and have discovered use each in standalone audio system and inside headphones, their non-permanent-charge electrostatic siblings are extra frequent (albeit nonetheless not quite common). To wit, an excerpt from a related part of Wikipedia’s headphones entry:

Electrostatic drivers include a skinny, electrically charged diaphragm, usually a coated PET movie membrane, suspended between two perforated metallic plates (electrodes). {The electrical} sound sign is utilized to the electrodes creating {an electrical} discipline; relying on the polarity of this discipline, the diaphragm is drawn in the direction of one of many plates. Air is compelled by way of the perforations; mixed with a repeatedly altering electrical sign driving the membrane, a sound wave is generated…A particular amplifier is required to amplify the sign to deflect the membrane, which regularly requires electrical potentials within the vary of 100 to 1,000 volts.

Now for ribbon microphones; right here’s how Wikipedia and I described them again in late 2022:

A kind of microphone that makes use of a skinny aluminum, duraluminum or nanofilm of electrically conductive ribbon positioned between the poles of a magnet to provide a voltage by electromagnetic induction.

Taking a look at that rationalization and related picture, you’ll be able to nearly think about how the method would work in reverse, proper? Though ribbon audio system do exist, my focus for right this moment is their shut cousins, planar magnetic (also referred to as orthodynamic) audio system. Wikipedia once more:

Planar magnetic audio system (having printed or embedded conductors on a flat diaphragm) are typically described as ribbons, however will not be really ribbon audio system. The time period planar is usually reserved for audio system with roughly rectangular flat surfaces that radiate in a bipolar (i.e. back and front) method. Planar magnetic audio system include a versatile membrane with a voice coil printed or mounted on it. The present flowing by way of the coil interacts with the magnetic discipline of rigorously positioned magnets on both facet of the diaphragm, inflicting the membrane to vibrate kind of uniformly and with out a lot bending or wrinkling. The driving drive covers a big proportion of the membrane floor and reduces resonance issues inherent in coil-driven flat diaphragms.

I’ve chronologically ordered electrostatic and planar magnetic driver applied sciences based mostly on their preliminary availability dates, not based mostly on when examples of them got here into my possession. Particularly, I discovered an excellent abstract of the 2 approaches (together with their extra frequent dynamic driver forebear) on Ken Rockwell’s always-informative web site, which can be stuffed with plenty of nice pictures content material (it’s all the time good to stumble throughout a kindred curiosity spirit on-line!). Rockwell notes that electrostatics had been first launched in 1957 [editor note: by Stax, who’s still in the business], and “have been in style amongst fanatics because the late Fifties, however have all the time been on the perimeter as they’re costly, require particular amplifiers and energy sources and are delicate—however they sound flawless.” Conversely, relating to planar magnetics, which date from 1972, he feedback, “Planar magnetic drivers had been invented within the Seventies and didn’t grow to be in style till fashionable ultra-powerful magnet know-how grow to be frequent within the 2000s. Planar magnetics want tiny, extremely {powerful} magnets that didn’t used to exist. Planar magnetics supply a lot of the sound high quality of electrostatics, with the ease-of use and sturdiness of typical drivers, which explains why they’re turning into increasingly more in style.”

Which takes us, roughly 1,200 phrases in, to the specifics of my unique headphone journey, which started with two units containing planar magnetic drivers. Again in late Might 2024, Woot! was promoting the Logitech for Creators Blue Ella headset (Logitech having bought Blue in mid-2018) for $99.99, versus the preliminary $699.99 MSRP when initially launched in early January 2017. The Ella appeared (and nonetheless seems) bizarre, and can be heavy, albeit surprisingly snug; the one time I’ve ever seen anybody truly utilizing one was a short glimpse on Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s heads whereas doing voice tracks for South Park throughout the just lately launched Paramount+ documentary ¡Casa Bonita Mi Amor!. However reviewers rave concerning the headphones’ sound high quality, a headphone amplifier is built-in to be used in in any other case excessive impedance-unfriendly transportable playback eventualities, and my spouse was bugging me for a Father’s Day reward suggestion. So…

A few weeks later, a $10-off promotional coupon from Drop confirmed up in my e mail inbox. Looking the retailer’s stock, I got here throughout one other set of planar magnetic headphones, the Drop + HIFIMAN HE-X4 (bear in mind my earlier feedback about Drop’s longstanding historical past of partnering with name-brand suppliers to give you customized product variants?), on the time promoting for $99.99. They had been effectively reviewed by the Drop neighborhood, and appeared a lot much less…err…alien…than the Blue Ella, so…(you’ve already seen one inventory photograph of ‘em earlier):

Look how completely satisfied she is (despite how large they’re on her head)!

And naturally, with two planer magnetic headsets now within the steady, I simply had to snag an electrostatic consultant too, proper? Koss, for instance, has been making (and evolving) them ever since 1968’s preliminary ESP/6 mannequin:

The latest ESP950 variant got here out in 1990 and remains to be accessible for buy at $999.99 (or much less: Black Friday promotion-priced at $700 on Amazon as I kind these phrases). Consider it or not, it’s one of the crucial cost-effective electrostatic headphone choices presently out there. Nonetheless, its price ticket was too salty for my curiosity style, lifetime manufacturing unit guarantee temptation apart.

That field to the best is the “energizer”, which tackles each the aforementioned excessive voltage era and output sign amplification duties. Koss consists of with the ESP950 package, consider it or not, a 6 C-cell battery pack to alternatively energy the energizer (due to this fact enabling use of the headphones) when away from an AC outlet. Portability? Hardly, though in equity, the ESP950 was initially supposed to be used in reside recording settings.

However then I stumbled throughout the truth that again in April 2019, Drop (doing yet one more partnership with a brand-name provider, this one reflective of a long-term multi-product engagement additionally exemplified by the earlier-shown Porta Professional X) had labored with Koss to introduce a well-reviewed $499.99 model of the package referred to as the Massdrop x Koss ESP/95X Electrostatic System:

Drop tweaked the colour scheme of each the headphones themselves (to midnight blue) and the energizer, swapped out the faux leather-based (“pleather”) earpads for foam ones wrapped in velour, and dropped each the battery pack and the leather-based case (the latter nonetheless accessible for buy standalone for $150) from Koss’s package to cut back the worth level:

Unhealthy information: a minimum of for the second, the ESP/95X is now not being offered by Drop. Excellent news: I discovered a gently used package on eBay for $300 plus transport and tax (and for doubtless apparent causes, I additionally bought a two-year prolonged guarantee for it).

And what did all of this “retail remedy” garner me? To set the stage for this part, I’ll once more quote from the introduction to Ken Rockwell’s earlier talked about writeup:

Virtually all audio system and headphones right this moment are “dynamic.”

 Standard audio system and headphones stick a coil of wire inside a magnet, and glue this coil to a stiff cone or dome that’s held in place with a springy suspension. Present passes by way of this coil, and electromagnetism creates drive on the coil whereas within the discipline of the magnet. The ensuing drive vibrates the coil, and because it’s glued to a heavy cone, strikes the entire mess out and in. This primitive methodology remains to be used right this moment as a result of it’s low cost and works fairly effectively for many functions.

 Dynamic drivers are the usual right this moment and have been the usual for near 100 years. These methods are low cost, sturdy and work effectively sufficient for many makes use of, nevertheless their heavy diaphragms and massive cones result in many extra sound degrading distortions and resonances absent within the newer methods beneath.

By “newer methods beneath”, in fact, he’s referring to different electrostatic and planar magnetic approaches. And though he’s not completely off-base together with his observations, the selection of phrases like “primitive methodology” reveals a bias, IMHO. It’s true that the massive, flat, skinny and light-weight membrane-based approaches have inherent (theoretical, a minimum of) benefits in terms of metrics similar to distortion and transient response, resulting in descriptions similar to “unmatched readability and spectacular element”, which admittedly concur with my very own ears-on impressions. That mentioned, theoretical advantages are moot in the event that they don’t translate into significant real-life enhancements. To wit, for a extra balanced perspective, I’ll shut with a (fine-tuned by yours really) publish inside an August 2023 dialogue thread titled “Is there actually any benefit to planar magnetics or electrostats?” at Audio Science Overview, a website that I often reference:

For electrostatics, the sturdy factors are the low membrane weight and drive throughout the complete membrane. The drawback is output stage. The driving force floor space is large, which has benefits and drawbacks. On can play with form to alter modal conduct. Electrostatics are troublesome to drive within the sense that they require a bias voltage (or electret cost) and excessive voltage on the plates, which necessitates mains voltage or converters. Mechanical pressure is a should and ‘sticking’ to 1 stator is a possible drawback.

 For planar magnetics, the sturdy factors are the utmost sound strain stage (SPL), linearity and the motive force measurement. The latter might be each a blessing and (frequency-dependent) draw back. Fewer tuning strategies can be found, and it’s troublesome to get a bass increase in a passive means. The magnets impede the sound waves greater than does the stator of electrostatic planars, which has an affect on mid to excessive frequencies. Planar magnetics are simpler to drive than electrostatics however usually are inefficient in comparison with dynamic drivers, particularly when excessive SPL is required with good linearity. They’re heavy (weight) because of the magnets in comparison with different drivers. They will deal with a number of energy. They want closed entrance quantity to work correctly.

 Dynamics can have a a lot larger effectivity, on the expense of most undistorted SPL. They can be utilized straight from low energy sources. There are various extra methods to ‘form’ the sound signature of the motive force, and the headphone containing it. They’re inexpensive to make, and lighter in weight. Membrane measurement and form can each discover use in controlling modal points. Linearity (max SPL with out distortion) might be a lot worse than planar options, though for low to regular SPLs, this often is just not a difficulty.

 Balanced armature drivers [editor note: an alternative to dynamic drivers not discussed here, commonly found in earbuds] are smaller and might be simply used near the ear canal. These drivers too have sturdy and weak factors and are fairly totally different from dynamic drivers. They’re simpler to make customized molds for attributable to their measurement.

In closing, talking of “stability” (together with the just-mentioned distinction between theoretical advantages and significant real-life enhancements), I discovered it attention-grabbing that none of the electrostatic or planar magnetic headphones mentioned right here supply the balanced-connection output (even non-compulsory) that I lined at size again in December 2020:

And with that, having simply handed by way of the two,500-word threshold, I’ll shut for right this moment with an as-usual invitation in your ideas within the feedback!

—Brian Dipert is the Editor-in-Chief of the Edge AI and Imaginative and prescient Alliance, and a Senior Analyst at BDTI and Editor-in-Chief of InsideDSP, the corporate’s on-line e-newsletter.

Associated Content material

• Balanced headphones: Are you able to hear the distinction?
• Microphones: An abundance of choices for capturing tones
• Is high-quality streamed audio an oxymoron?
• Earbud implementation choices: Taking a take a look at drive(r)
• Teardown: Analog guidelines over digital in noise-canceling headphones
• Audio Perceptibility: Thoughts The Headphone Sensitivity

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