The Headphone Driver Pics Thread

[dynavit]

Stax Lambda Pro with damaged dustcover:

 

[Bingturong]

Stax Lambda Pro with damaged dustcover:

*screams*

 

[Maxx134]

Haha, thats awesome! Where did you get those drivers? Last time I contacted audio-technica about buying drivers they refused to sell me any. Also, is it the lighting but your magnets look more matte than shiny metal?

They look beautiful, but does not matter because AudioTechnica open can drivers have very lean bass.

Hi all,

Has anyone got any photos of Grado drivers from their higher-end headphones? - I'm particularly interested in the 50mm types used in the PS/GS. Ta!

That type has weak motor and small inner diaphragm surrounded by a huge plastic type creased surround.
Don't expect a large sonic image (think planars).
Both voice coil diameter, and diaphragm diameter matters (esp voice coil).

I dunno who designs such flawed engineering from both manufacturers.
It is as if they design obsolescence into them.

Probably because of the vast amount of mediocrity available.
They are all making drivers as cheap as possible (profit based).

 

[Yoshirou]

They look beautiful, but does not matter because AudioTechnica open can drivers have very lean bass.


That type has weak motor and small inner diaphragm surrounded by a huge plastic type creased surround.
Don't expect a large sonic image (think planars).
Both voice coil diameter, and diaphragm diameter matters (esp voice coil).

I dunno who designs such flawed engineering from both manufacturers.
It is as if they design obsolescence into them.

Probably because of the vast amount of mediocrity available.
They are all making drivers as cheap as possible (profit based).

"AudioTechnica open can drivers have very lean bass." have you ever used a pair ATH AD700's (non x), Most bassy headphone iv'e ever used, even compared to my 70s Dynaphase 60s cans that weigh close to 5 lbs. Besides that, you spew nothing but negativity it sounds like. "the vast amount of mediocrity available" You're too good for dynamic drivers arn't ya.

 

[Maxx134]

"AudioTechnica open can drivers have very lean bass." have you ever used a pair ATH AD700's (non x), Most bassy headphone iv'e ever used, even compared to my 70s Dynaphase 60s cans that weigh close to 5 lbs. Besides that, you spew nothing but negativity it sounds like. "the vast amount of mediocrity available" You're too good for dynamic drivers arn't ya.

Heheee! Yeah I am negative about most dynamic drivers, because I know they can be made better. I have been working and modifying drivers and perfected a tech to increase performance, so just "see" the engineering weaknesses inherent in them.
I do like dynamics and do believe in them. I am the only one who perfected the HD800 beyond what Sennheiser could do. You can check my measurements in my links.
I think even Focal failed, because even with their "Utopia" model, they use an effective membrane diameter of only one inch. You cannot create image size with such a tiny (although pistonic) driver. So yeah I'm an old grouch lol because I feel we as a whole put up with lazy @$$ engineers. Even the engineers who created the drivers for Zach (zmf) were out of their league when he asked to make the magnetic motor stronger. He told me they did not think it would help but he insisted. We know from Focal that a strong motor and a fast driver works. The faster the better. Look at the speed of Stax and the "Raal". Faster = resolution.
But the HD800 is an enigma, because from my own experiments, the positioning of the voice coil gives the driver superior speed without need of changing the motor strength. Sennheiser only speak about the diaphragm immune to "resonances", but that is all a ploy, because those distortions only add to the "type" of driver sound character, like how "planars" have a "meatier" sound, or how a wood cup would add a thickness to a sound. Those distortions have nothing to do with realism.
Only speed= realism.
Ever wonder why we don't have square wave measurements for headphones? Because that's the exact measurement that would tell you how good it performs. Not frequency response or distortion. Distortion only makes the character of the headphones.
There you go. Some banter I hope helps.
Anyways, I am going to point out what I believe is a good choice for driver.
The hd800, and the biocelulous drivers.
Those are the best types so far.
The diaphragm surface is stiffer and greater effective area than the plastic types which waste precious membrane space around perimeter with flexing creases.
All poly (plastic) types with metal coating (stupid icrin thin vapor layer) are a compromise to me, unless they have the stiffness of a biocelulous, which (so far) only the Sony 1am2 driver has.
That one was physically hard to the touch when I experimented with it.

I'm not saying there can't be a great poly type drivers. I used to love the Ultrasone ED5 & AudioTechnica wood types when I owned them.

So yeah there are good ones, but you can't buy their drivers easily. What we see available on Chinese sites is mostly garbage. That's why I'm actually lamenting, in the form or being a crab, lol.

 

[SRKRAM]

Here's the Quad ERA-1 planar driver...

 

[GREQ]

15mm driver (from a no-name garbage-tier ear bud)
Voice wire study.
Ball point pen for scale.

 

[JinxDynamic]

Not my photo of course. Dunu Zen W-Shape ECLIPSE driver. Al-Mg alloy diaphragm coated with DLC and its 1.8 Tesla Magnet

 

[i-am-iron-man]

That type has weak motor and small inner diaphragm surrounded by a huge plastic type creased surround.
Don't expect a large sonic image (think planars).
Both voice coil diameter, and diaphragm diameter matters (esp voice coil).

I dunno who designs such flawed engineering from both manufacturers.
It is as if they design obsolescence into them.

Probably because of the vast amount of mediocrity available.
They are all making drivers as cheap as possible (profit based).

Either way, I just need some photos of them ...

 

[Maxx134]

Either way, I just need some photos of them ...

Saw them in Google images and they look as a hybrid flat center with curved ploy surround. Hopefully someone has their own pics.

 

[thatoneheadphonedood]

Does anyone know any good mods for the apple earpods. Been wanting to mod them for a while now.

 

[ALMS]

Hey guys - been a while!

Much like some of you, I've been looking on alibaba for the latest and greatest drivers from China.
In doing so I found these 70mm 'FreeEdge' drivers (64ohm, 300ohm).

I think they look exciting. What about you?

/ALMS

 

[GREQ]

Hey guys - been a while!

Much like some of you, I've been looking on alibaba for the latest and greatest drivers from China.
In doing so I found these 70mm 'FreeEdge' drivers (64ohm, 300ohm).



I think they look exciting. What about you?

/ALMS

Essentially the same driver as the one in the Blon BL-30 (150 ohm) , but in different ohm variants.
Apparently the BL-30 shows significant wonkiness in the midrange (in stock form, improves after modding) but has a strong and very linear bass response.
See this thread for more info - https://www.head-fi.org/threads/blon-bl-30-review-impressions-and-discussion-thread.948182/

 

[ScrewB]

Koss HP/3 1958

 

[Philimon]

Hello everybody!

The Peerless Tymphany 2” (first pic)
Philips SHP9600 driver (second pic)

So I just got my first soldering iron. Currently finishing my first amp (Pass ACA). And did my first headphone driver swap using solder. What other drivers are must trys even better than the Peerless? And recommendations for headphone enclosures? I am willing to try some new stuff too to add to the knowledge base here, but just where do I start? I also cannot read chinese. The google translator work well enough with the ali sites?

The Peerless and SHP9600 ended up being a decent combo. See my review on that other friendly forum. The Philips enclosure is cheap constructuon but nicely designed, however pad swapping is difficult so cannot easily recommend.