[BlackbeardBen]

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I was talking about headphones which are a different ballgame. 

I wouldn't say so.  The technology is the same and so are the skill and knowledge necessary to design such a transducer; the only difference is the design goal.

 

[john57]

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It will happen soon enough.  Audeze has only been around for a few years and they're a really small company without (I suspect) much ability to invest, as Purrin mentioned.  And ortho tech as a whole is still in it's infancy.  They never really figured out how to iron out the kinks in the tech when it was pioneered (or chose not to, not sure which really as there is some evidence they knew how, but didn't for whatever reason) and it was abandoned in the 80's until recently, so in ortho years we're kind of still in the 80's. 

The  ortho tech was abandoned in the 70's not in the 80's At the time ortho tech had some bad limitations at the time that manufactures did not want to deal with.
 

 

[RexAeterna]

It will happen soon enough.  Audeze has only been around for a few years and they're a really small company without (I suspect) much ability to invest, as Purrin mentioned.  And ortho tech as a whole is still in it's infancy.  They never really figured out how to iron out the kinks in the tech when it was pioneered (or chose not to, not sure which really as there is some evidence they knew how, but didn't for whatever reason) and it was abandoned in the 80's until recently, so in ortho years we're kind of still in the 80's. 

planers were still made, but more for the speaker market. most of the time though their marketed as ribbons(even though planer seems somewhat similar in concept, they're not the same but, people get them confused all the time) or emit tweeters. planer magnetics still had strong market but mainly for speakers. some reason headphones just didn't catch on. don't know why.

 

[BlackbeardBen]

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planers were still made, but more for the speaker market. most of the time though their marketed as ribbons(even though planer seems somewhat similar in concept, they're not the same but, people get them confused all the time) or emit tweeters. planer magnetics still had strong market but mainly for speakers. some reason headphones just didn't catch on. don't know why.

Cost of manufacture and relative inefficiency would be my guess.  Harman International dropped all of Infinity's planar magnetic drivers as soon as Cary Christie left, for example.  For what Harman wanted to do with the Infinity line (compete with Polk & Klipsch), they weren't cost effective nor durable enough (clipping is fatal to the tweeters).

 

[rhythmdevils]

I dont want to derail this thread too much, and there are folks in the ortho thread who know much more than I do about this.  So I'll respond in small text. 

 
Quote:

Originally Posted by BlackbeardBen /img/forum/go_quote.gif

I wouldn't say so.  The technology is the same and so are the skill and knowledge necessary to design such a transducer; the only difference is the design goal.

 
You're just talking about the driver, which maybe is true and maybe not but the application in speaker vs headphone is different.  There are unique challenges to putting an ortho driver in a headphone which IMO still have yet to be resolved fully by any company.  There's lots of room for improvement.  I'll leave it at that since this is supposed to be about Sennheiser's non-ring driver'd HD700.  
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by john57 /img/forum/go_quote.gif



The  ortho tech was abandoned in the 70's not in the 80's At the time ortho tech had some bad limitations at the time that manufactures did not want to deal with.

 
80's  Yamaha YHD1

 

[john57]

 
 
80's  Yamaha YHD1

Or the Fostex T50v0 from 1975. It was Fostex first attempt to try to duplicate the sound of Stax's electrostatic model, the SR-X Mk 3 at the time. This means that my current Fostex T50RP is based on technology[size=medium] [/size] from the 70's I used to own three pairs of Stax headphones. Guess who makes the drivers on my Dennon D2000 headphones?
 
http://wiki.faust3d.com/wiki/index.php?title=Fostex_T50
 
I will add that the Fostex's T50 sold for near $300 in the 1970's which made it quite expensive at the time and about four times as much I paid for my T50RP.
 
 
 

 

[Audio-Omega]

It has microfiber ear pads.  

 

[John Willett]

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Here you go John. If you watch the video the Sennheiser agent confirms its not a rig radiator driver
http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/ces-2012-sennheiser
Enjoy the Show, last time I was there I got to meet Ken ishiwata which was a treat!

Thanks for the link Ian.
 
When I first heard about the HD 700 two years ago, my understanding was that it would be using the ring radiator technology - obviously they changed their minds along the way.
 
I will try and borrow a pair for a listen as soon as they get a pair in the UK.
 
 

 

[John Willett]

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I suspect that the reason Sennheiser hasn't gone to planar magnetics and heavy wood designs etc. despite possible audio benefits, is due to a core principle they're trying to keep: An expensive headphone should be something you can listen to for hours on end without discomfort.
 
I agree.

Wood is something I would avoid at all costs in headphones.
 
Wood may look good, but it's a natural product that grows - every piece will be different; not only in looks, but also in density and how it affects the sound.
 
For high quality headphones that you can manufacture with a consistent quality a polymer (hi-tech plastic) is the best material for most of the construction.
 
 

 

[FunkJunge]

hmmm been looking for a new phones for some time to change my trusty hd424... guess I just might go for hd700!

 

[Austin Morrow]

I think I'm really interested in seeing (more than the sound quality, surprisingly) is how the build quality is in relation to the HD650 and the HD800. If I'm ever going to spend 1K on a pair of higher end headphones, it would be nice if they didn't have the same plastic frame and build quality as the HD650 and was more reminiscent of the HD800. But alas, it looks like it's not going to be that.

 

[Saintly]

 
Quote:

I think I'm really interested in seeing (more than the sound quality, surprisingly) is how the build quality is in relation to the HD650 and the HD800. If I'm ever going to spend 1K on a pair of higher end headphones, it would be nice if they didn't have the same plastic frame and build quality as the HD650 and was more reminiscent of the HD800. But alas, it looks like it's not going to be that.

 
There are some reports to the contrary.
 
 

 
The build quality seemed superb to me...especially for being so light. I did twist the headband A LOT and it stood up VERY, VERY well. I can't speak for the others but the HD700 is NO slouch when it comes to build quality.
 
 

 

[project86]

To me, build quality seems like something that would maybe disappoint at first.... It just feels so light and plastic-ish. But once you spend some time with them, and come to appreciate the extreme comfort and light weight, you start to see the point. Then you accidentally bump them, or drop them, or whatever, and you realize that they are not as fragile as you initially though. Quite durable in fact, as LFF mentioned. 
 
My Lawton Audio LA7000 or Audio Technica woodies seem much better built initially, yet there is no way they could stand up to the same abuse as the 700 could. So it is a bit of a trade off. 

 

[johanneskatalanc]

I was considering a hifiman planar magnetic headphone, now i am not sure

 

[Zombie_X]

Well I got my tax returns in and and will be putting some funds toward the HD700.