[tatsumaru]

Hey guys,
I am thinking about getting the Sennheiser HE-1, but I am a little bit concerned with the fact that its amp is built within the actual headphones.
There are medical therapies such as transcranial magnetic stimulation which are now known to be able to stimulate nerve cells non-invasively through generating magnetic fields alone. Isn't an amp right next to your brain generating a bunch of strong magnetic fields that could be dangerous?
Thanks.

 

[descloud]

The Sennheiser HE-1 do NOT have a built-in amplifier within the actual headphones.

Looking at transcranial magnetic stimulation that you mentioned, even if an amplifier is close to your head similar to wireless bluetooth headphones are nowadays, you shouldn't feel any of that effect since there's no magnetic coil that's directly connected directly to your scalp - at best close to your ear lobes. That said, I don't think wireless headphones would generate a large enough magnetic field that can impact your nervous system, not unless you found studies that show the contrary.

 

[tatsumaru]

The Sennheiser HE-1 do NOT have a built-in amplifier within the actual headphones.

From Sennheiser's website: "The relentless pursuit of perfection brings with it a uniqueness. Thus, the Sennheiser HE 1 is the first electrostatic headphone with a Cool Class A MOS-FET high voltage amplifier integrated into the ear cups. Eliminating the capacitive reactance of the cable, delivering an ultra-high impulse fidelity 200% more efficient than any other solution currently available."

 

[silent-circuit]

It's nowhere near the levels used in any medical application. Like, orders of magnitude smaller fields. A non-issue.

 

[tatsumaru]

It's nowhere near the levels used in any medical application. Like, orders of magnitude smaller fields. A non-issue.

TCMS Medical devices don't sit on your head 5 hours a day/7 days a week either. Although the HE-1 is probably not a good choice for an everyday headphone.

 

[JoeTho]

I thought it had 4 DACs in each ear cup?

 

[Soul Shinobi]

An "amplifier" could be as simple as a single transistor, don't get too hung up on the terminology. You'd almost certainly get more EMI from a dynamic headphone driver itself since it's actually a wire coil, which is more likely make a magnetic field. The driver end of headphones is so low power I would not be concerned either way, but if I was to be concerned about anything, it'd be over normal dynamic drivers for the reason mentioned.

 

[tatsumaru]

An "amplifier" could be as simple as a single transistor, don't get too hung up on the terminology. You'd almost certainly get more EMI from a dynamic headphone driver itself since it's actually a wire coil, which is more likely make a magnetic field. The driver end of headphones is so low power I would not be concerned either way, but if I was to be concerned about anything, it'd be over normal dynamic drivers for the reason mentioned.

That was helpful, thanks a lot.

 

[tatsumaru]

It's nowhere near the levels used in any medical application. Like, orders of magnitude smaller fields. A non-issue.

An "amplifier" could be as simple as a single transistor, don't get too hung up on the terminology. You'd almost certainly get more EMI from a dynamic headphone driver itself since it's actually a wire coil, which is more likely make a magnetic field. The driver end of headphones is so low power I would not be concerned either way, but if I was to be concerned about anything, it'd be over normal dynamic drivers for the reason mentioned.

Just for your information I have provided a study demonstrating in vivo harmful effects to sperm count from just 8.8 microtesla of EMF exposure. And that was just in a short period of time.

 

[silent-circuit]

Just for your information I have provided a study demonstrating in vivo harmful effects to sperm count from just 8.8 microtesla of EMF exposure. And that was just in a short period of time.

Rather doubt you're wearing them on your genitals.

 

[Soul Shinobi]

You're gonna love this, I actually have a meter for measuring microtesla EMI (full disclosure, it's a cheap unit from AliExpress)! 8.8 µT is actually quite a lot, and more importantly that's atmospheric measurement, it's that amount through the whole environment (and your whole body) not just at a single point like I'm measuring on these headphones. As I expected, my only planar, HE-4XX was the lowest, I couldn't get it to give a reading. For dynamics, it seems higher impedance actually has less of a magnetic field than lower impedance headphones, my HD600 being the least and my bluetooth MOOH-BE00BT being the most.

That said, what's more important than these numbers, which were max 2.8 µT, is that it drops to zero at 5mm or less. You need to understand just how low power, low voltage headphones are. I understand your concern, and I appreciate the curiosity. I'm learning things here too. To achieve a field of 8.8 µT large enough to permeate the whole body takes a massive amount of power, and thankfully I do not think we need to be concerned unless we actually live under high-voltage power lines.

 

[descloud]

From Sennheiser's website: "The relentless pursuit of perfection brings with it a uniqueness. Thus, the Sennheiser HE 1 is the first electrostatic headphone with a Cool Class A MOS-FET high voltage amplifier integrated into the ear cups. Eliminating the capacitive reactance of the cable, delivering an ultra-high impulse fidelity 200% more efficient than any other solution currently available."

Thanks for pointing that out - I didn't read through the page properly when I linked it so correction was warranted.

But going back to my main point, the magnetic field produced by transistors used for microelectronics shouldn't be equivalent in application and effects to TCMS equipment and how it requires a conductor to be directly connected to a part of your body. If you're still unsure about it, you may want to contact Sennheiser to confirm the possible health implications of their setup as I concur with @Soul Shinobi that you'd get more EMI experienced from dynamic drivers, but not to levels that would be concerning.

 

[Roderick]

Rather doubt you're wearing them on your genitals.

Still...If one has the budget and a need to get sterilized, using a he-1 as genital cup would be pretty cool way to do it.

 

[best56]

I wonder if this is a real problem for you, or is it an excuse because it is difficult to get the 69k of USD, needed to buy this Sennheiser set-up!!!

 

[Tachikoma]

I'm confused, if the amp is built into the earcups, what are the tubes for?

Also, electrostats don't really generate much of a magnetic field - the high voltages create a strong (maybe) electric field. Dynamic headphones on the other hand, come with 1T magnets...