[roadtonowhere08]

I have had a lingering series of questions for a while now, and I am hopeful that it will spark some good discussion and bring up some good insight into the design of a headphone's driver.

First and foremost, I care not about the debate of the audible differences of headphone "burn-in". I believe it occurs, and to the degree it occurs varies from driver to driver based on materials used and thickness of the membrane. Having said that, I do not want to have a debate about it if you do not, as there are many other places for that can of worms. I am after manufacturing knowledge and insight not debate.

Here we go:

1. Do designers of headphone drivers design them so that they are the sound they want before or after a period of use?

2. If designers compensate for burn-in , how do they alter them before hand to get the sound they want?

3. I have read of "destressing", but what is that exactly? I have read that it is a coating in the membrane, and that drivers that undergo more "destressing" are better sounding. If that is the case, then why would adding something to a moving driver make it sound better. Isn't the goal to make it as light and rigid as possible? Wouldn't adding a coating make it slower and more muddy?

And this is the one that I am particularly interested in:

4. Sometimes new headphones are said to have flabby bass, and that the bass tightens up after use. To me, the driver is the tightest brand new, and that should produce the tightest bass because of this. I believe that after repeated use, the driver loosens up a bit and becomes easier to vibrate, but shouldn't that create flabbier bass because it is looser?

I know some might think I am baiting, but I assure you I am not. These are legitimate questions that I want to know the answers to.

 

[Budley007]

I think Zanth needs to update his FAQ. The 2004 version apparently doesn't address all these recent questions.

 

[roadtonowhere08]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Budley007 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I think Zanth needs to update his FAQ. The 2004 version apparently doesn't address all these recent questions.

It's a good FAQ, but it kind of glosses over the more technical aspects. I like to know exactly how things work, so to me, the more technical the better. Maybe if this thread turns up interesting facts he can add it should he choose to.

 

[Budley007]

agreed

 

[jawang]

You can try emailing/calling some companies. I know it sounds silly, but I've tried this kind of thing before with some success, you might be surprised.

I don't work for a headphone company so obviously I don't know for sure, but in my opinion it seems unlikely that engineers would design headphones to change drastically over time. High end headphones are clearly meant to last for a long time, it makes much more sense to design drivers that can maintain their intended sound for as long as possible.

The issue of burn-in itself is rather unscientific and is pretty debatable, as far as how big of a difference it makes. At least from a financial standpoint, it makes sense for companies to design their products to sound good out of the box (to prevent returns, etc.)