[bdh]

There seems to be about 20 to 1 amp and DAC manufacturers compared to serious headphone manufacturers. They also seem to come out with new amp designs every few months or so. Are headphones that much more difficult to design and manufacture? SinglePower seems to be having great success making kilo-buck custom amps. It seems though that the market for custom headphones would be many times that of amps. I know there's Headphile, and he does a great job, but it would sure be cool to see some totally new and unique headphone designs rather than just the same variety of flavors from Sennheiser, Grado, AKG, etc. Maybe Mikhail could branch out and hire a headphone designer.

 

[Davesrose]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bdh /img/forum/go_quote.gif Maybe Mikhail could branch out and hire a headphone designer.

Doesn't he have enough to do making great amps?

Really, my Single Power goes great with both my Senns and Grados. The technology that goes into a headphone is much like microphones. Hence why most all headphone companies also are known for their mics as well. It's not so easy as to take a generic driver and slap it into a housing. There's a lot of research and engineering that goes into headphone design.

 

[bdh]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Davesrose /img/forum/go_quote.gif Doesn't he have enough to do making great amps?

That's one of my points. He's doing great business making amps. If someone is interested in starting a business, creating custom headphones might be an interesting venture. It might not be easy, but i doubt building great amplifiers is a piece of cake either.

 

[Duggeh]

Building a dynamic driver would be phenominally difficult, so a custom headphone maker would, if it were to be a small operation like headphile or singlepower, have to use drivers made by existing manufacturers and then design and build their own housings, headbands etc.

Building an electrostatic driver is easier to do, but no more easy to do well. Then theres the fundamental dangers involved in an electrostatic driver, in that if the small operation fouls up, then someone gets 600volts in the ear.

I've toyed with the idea of doign more homemade headphone projects besides the phonodomes. IE more serious attempts. I drew up plans for a lathed metal housing, ps-1 or hp-2 style, to put PX100 or KSC75 drivers in.

My difficulty in these projects I would like to try is that my flat room at uni does not contain the nessessary tools.

Ultimately, its the construction of the drivers themselves which is the difficult part of any small scale headphone manufacturing project.

 

[Duggeh]

double post ¬ _¬

 

[jbloudg20]

To the OP:
Why don't you hop on it?

 

[Mrvile]

Duggeh: Good choice of avatar

 

[mikeg]

An HE90 clone by Mikhail would really be something to get excited about. Imagine such a stat headphone clone, together with the ES-1, perfectly tuned for one another; i.e., just like the HE90/HEV90 combo. Are you reading this, Mikhail?

 

[braillediver]

Doubtful. It’s best for people to pursue their passions.

Now if a well respected Headphone Manufacturer wanted to partner with a well respected Amp Manufacturer and produce a world class system? Let both pursue their passions and expertise.

That’d be pretty cool.


So Dr. Gilmore mentioned a new world class electrostatic headphone over a year ago? Anyone ever hear more on the rumor?


Mitch

 

[nikongod]

Quote:

Originally Posted by braillediver /img/forum/go_quote.gif So Dr. Gilmore mentioned a new world class electrostatic headphone over a year ago? Anyone ever hear more on the rumor?

i recall it having a 3 ohm impedance. or something with the number 3, and the letter omega.

yawn.

to continue rummors, the hd700 has an AMT driver with more bass than the hd650, but less than the dt-770. it also has an optional transformer box that gets worn under the chin. the chin is the optimal place, because it allows for the shortest distance for the high voltage and current wires to the heapdhones.

 

[tyre]

I agree. There's a plethora of amp manufacturers out there. It would be great if a high end amp company would step up and build a pair of headphones.

It probably would be very expensive to have to design and manufacture a headphone driver, but it's certainly feasible to base the headphone design on a pre-made driver. Or maybe a modified version of a pre-made driver.

 

[bdh]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nikongod /img/forum/go_quote.gif it also has an optional transformer box that gets worn under the chin.

Maybe it could rumble like a sub-woofer effect.

 

[Hirsch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nikongod /img/forum/go_quote.gif to continue rummors, the hd700 has an AMT driver with more bass than the hd650, but less than the dt-770. it also has an optional transformer box that gets worn under the chin. the chin is the optimal place, because it allows for the shortest distance for the high voltage and current wires to the heapdhones.

No No NO! The HD-700 will be a triple driver headphone. Dynamic woofer, electrostatic midrange and AMT for the highs. Unless of course they drop the AMT driver and go for a plasma tweeter. To attain maximum portability, a battery and voltage multiplier for the electrostatic bias current can be surgically implanted. The rest can run off of a normal headphone amp.

 

[humanflyz]

@OP:

I don't think you realize just how much money must be spent on R&D to come up with a headphone that competes on the same level with companies like Sennheiser, who have hundreds of designers and a R&D budget that are multiples over. It's just not financially feasible.

 

[bdh]

Quote:

Originally Posted by humanflyz /img/forum/go_quote.gif @OP: I don't think you realize just how much money must be spent on R&D to come up with a headphone that competes on the same level with companies like Sennheiser, who have hundreds of designers and a R&D budget that are multiples over. It's just not financially feasible.

I guess I don't realize what it takes.

What about headphones makes them so much more complicated than amps, where one person can come along, Ray Samuels, Dr. Xin, or Makhail, and can design and make the best heaphone amps in the world, but it takes hundreds of people to design a world-class headphone?