About standing waves - well, I wouldn't make many claims, as I didn't do the measurements, iirc, Mike Rehorst made them, but I don't recall well. It was stated that there are no waves on the membrane at all, it acts as a rigid, stiff flat surface and doesn't bend at all, except at the edges. Like loudspeaker's diffusor at low frequency and diffusor's suspension.
I guess you meant membrane/diaphragm instead of «diffusor». It would be interesting to see the measuring results your're mentioning. It takes laser interferometry for that purpose. (I couldn't found corresponding data on the net.) In the end the cause for the inaccuracies doesn't really matter when it comes to judge accuracy.
For the frontal grid - I do not argue the effect, it's there. I just think that it is caused primaily by secondary emission and not reflections. The closer the grid is to the emitting surface and the bigger the open area, the less reflections in audio band are there.
Not really. Theoretically they're reduced to the ultrasonic content, though, but I'm not sure if that's really the case – considering a multiple-reflections scenario. Moreover there's the compression-chamber effect (accelerated air molecules) with its considerable audible effect. And finally we're not just talking of reflections between the stators or between stator(s) and membrane, but also between the stator(s) and the ear/head skin, plus reflections on the stator surface itself (remember the speaker-baffle example).
On Omega2's stators - there would be reflections, but highs would attenuate well, so only lows go from edges to center hole. But I too see it as not the best approach. Fostex used a felt ring in their T50v1 for that purpose.
There:
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/planars-exotics/146204-asymmetric-construction-induced-distortion-electrostatic-speakers.html (sorry, I'm not on normal browser now and can't use forum tools.) There are some measurements of an ESL system. Problem is, I don't really know what was measured, most probably - non-enclosed 'Wachara' ESL headphone drivers, that guy has measured some onter aspects of those before.
Unfortunately you have to be registered to see the graphs. But from the text I take it that it's primarily about asymmetric stator geometry and asymmetric damping, so not directly related to our topic. As to the reflections within the closed part of the Omega stators, since they're damped only by air, there will be a massive amount of them, thus still a considerable amount of them will mix to the original signal through the center holes. They may be inconspicuous like some second-order harmonic distortion, though, but I'm sure their absence would make a clear audible difference.
I haven't finished reading this thread as I had to pause to write upon reading some of the comments. As I've said before, the O2's (and the Lambda Pros) are technically the best phones of the lot (potentially the Sennheiser es offerings to though I've not heard them). The HD800's are in a league below (and according to my perfect pitch ears, by a significant distance) the O2's. The only dynamic phone that touches them of what I've heard are the K1000's but that's a different topic.
I don't dispute that you hear what you hear. But it's something else to deduce a universally valid truth from
your individual perception.
I'll finish by saying the degree to which some members here beat around the bush for fear of hurting feelings is bothersome. If you have an opinion state it so we can make some progress. Mine is, the O2's and every other electrostatic I've heard are significantly, not just slightly, better than any dynamic headphone I've heard with the exception of the K1000's. Lastly, I'm not trying to brag about my musical experience, I'm simply frustrated when people make false claims do to lack of critical faculty or emotional attachment to inanimate objects (myself included).
I have no interest in graphs and charts and flawed, half confused justifications. At the end of the day I'm far more trusting in the gifts that most of us are fortunate enough to have -- in this context, a set of ears and the capacity to observe and formulate oppinions. I wish some others were too.
You know, your subjective perception is no valid basis for the postulation of a technical superiority. In this case it's the basis for the rejection of objective data which seem to prove you wrong, though.
I may be a lone fighter in this thread, but I'm not alone with my now preference for the sonic presentation of dynamic headphones. You would have to declare all those people misguided, equipped with a bad hearing and unable to listen critically. While people who share your preferences are of course fine.
Can you show me some well-founded evidence for the technical superiority of your favorite headphones?
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