[Chris J]

 
It tends to be a distinction between planar (ortho and stat) and dynamic in general, at least in the mid-priced category of phones.
 
You wonder why they didn't keep making electrets - surely, they can't have been too expensive to manufacture given that we now have electret microphones for $.2 each.

 
I often wonder why I paid $750 for a pair of DT880, a tube amp and a bunch of NOS tubes! I think the SRS-2170 sounds superior for the same amount of money: $750.

 

[nick n]

I rarely encounter this issue with electrets. Though in the past there definitely have been ones that have channel imbalance or lost charge. This is generally due from what i understand to poor storage conditions or over-driving them in some way. This is why the Sony ECR lineup had an infinite resistance spacer that would trickle any excess charge off the diaphragm to as to avoid excess charge buildup which ruins them.
I have/had a pile of different electrets only a few ever had issues. Maybe over increased usage this might contribute moreso to the possibility of these issues.
 Case in point both of my 40+ year old NOS/new-in-box Audio Technicas are as good as the day they were built, along with many others. I was first owner/user.
 Assuming ideal conditions the embedded charge in the diaphragm should last a lifetime.
There's a paper I might be able to dig up on their construction saying this also. Though they say 10,000 years or something theoretically

The charge/polarization is integral to the material of the diaphragm itself during construction/formation of the membrane material, not added to it after the fact.
 
Just some fun info .
Feel free to ignore it.

 

[duncan1]

Thanks for the information on electrics--nick n--I wont ignore it as--unlike some-- you have put it too me in  a nice manner.  

 

[RAFA]

Quote:

 
I often wonder why I paid $750 for a pair of DT880, a tube amp and a bunch of NOS tubes! I think the SRS-2170 sounds superior for the same amount of money: $750.

 
Quote:

I rarely encounter this issue with electrets. Though in the past there definitely have been ones that have channel imbalance or lost charge. This is generally due from what i understand to poor storage conditions or over-driving them in some way. This is why the Sony ECR lineup had an infinite resistance spacer that would trickle any excess charge off the diaphragm to as to avoid excess charge buildup which ruins them.
I have/had a pile of different electrets only a few ever had issues. Maybe over increased usage this might contribute moreso to the possibility of these issues.
 Case in point both of my 40+ year old NOS/new-in-box Audio Technicas are as good as the day they were built, along with many others. I was first owner/user.
 Assuming ideal conditions the embedded charge in the diaphragm should last a lifetime.
There's a paper I might be able to dig up on their construction saying this also. Though they say 10,000 years or something theoretically

The charge/polarization is integral to the material of the diaphragm itself during construction/formation of the membrane material, not added to it after the fact.
 
Just some fun info .
Feel free to ignore it.

 
Quote:

Thanks for the information on electrics--nick n--I wont ignore it as--unlike some-- you have put it too me in  a nice manner.  

 
 
Very nice discussion you have here I must say.
 
I will not give up on them yet. Also yesterday I have clarified that my closer friends do not have any amps or receivers. Their music comes straight from iBuds.
 
@Nick: I am still a little reluctant to destroy the HR-V7 cable. With the definitive decision I will wait, when I found some proper hardware. The limit is 100€ (target vintagy second hand). Hopefully there is something nice for that amount of money
There is something else, I would like to ask you Nick, since you seem to have much knowledge about electronics. Is it unhealthy, in any way to wear transformers right next to your ears. Ultrasone for example, put some effort to develop this S-Logic stuff to protect one from "headphone -rays". I know that it is kind of a weired question to ask in this forum...

 

[vid]

Quote:

 Case in point both of my 40+ year old NOS/new-in-box Audio Technicas are as good as the day they were built, along with many others. I was first owner/user.

 
Also, potentially the most common electrets today, the AKG K 340, are still available in large numbers despite being three decades old. Which again begs the question, why there are no electrets made today. They can certainly be made to sound better than modern mid-fi dynamics.

 

[duncan1]

Just found my old High -Fi Choice[UK] year book[1982] on carts and headphones. I will quote direct. =Electric: Effectively a permanently charged  -capacitor-,it is used as a transducing element in certain cartridges and head phones. So I wasnt wrong in say they originally had charged caps.or the technical equivalent. The Audio-Technica-ATH7/8 -electric get quite a good write up . but not in the Stax league. 

 

[vid]

Electrets were envisioned as affordable electrostats. My Sennheiser Unipolar, for instance, when somewhat modded, easily outdo e.g. the HD 600 and K 701. So I'd think electrets could still function as a mid ground of sorts.
 
Though having said that, the Unipolar were seemingly selling for Stax prices when introduced, so maybe there were some hidden costs to manufacturing them.

 

[nick n]

RAFA:
The transformers are in the very rear areas of the cups ( just behind the nameplates on the outside there ) so this means they are behind the driver itself when worn. Since the driver has metal perforated plates  ( charged stators they are called ) that drive the diaphragm, these plates should provide shielding enough if you are worried about that and if you use a cell phone  then these headphones are the least of your worries in my opinion, I'll just leave that one alone.
so NOW:

 
====As a really interesting side note here, this article is really interesting ( for full bias electrostatic headphones ) where they describe the effects of those fields, though the field strength really drops off at an extremely close range between the stators of an electrostatic phone when they are placed further apart.
 This article looks to have put the things between the charged plates in a sense. Of course you'll never have your head between the two plates that's where the diaphragm lives...
A fun read

Whaddya know exposure of organisms to a strong electrostatic field  during critical growth stages seems to invoke a reversion or manifestation to an " improved " stable ( not mutant ) genetic variance. Rupert Sheldrake would be proud this seems a demonstration of his Morphogenetic Field theory in action.

I KNEW electrostatic headphones were  beneficial

. Does this possibly explain why electrostatic headphone users are so much bett... nevermind..... HAHA

Have a peek at the Trout and extinct unknown fern. Some treatment specifications of the field strength towards the bottom there. Hope the pictures are still good my Linux is giving me temporary issues with those, arrgh.

http://www.rexresearch.com/ebner/ebner.htm
 
 
I did find that electret material manufacturing article, it's very old since they have been around for ages, and it's something i will have to look through to retype things here. I'll see what's pertinent in it.
 
Whatever the article has there's always interesting stuff, might be something of use or interest to somebody.
  It's all about the enjoyment after all.
 
Reminds me one of these days I really should get to Scotland.  Very cheap airfare from here surprisingly, and i keep getting trip pics form family each time to make it a worse temptation.

 

[RAFA]

Quote:

RAFA:
The transformers are in the very rear areas of the cups ( just behind the nameplates on the outside there ) so this means they are behind the driver itself when worn. Since the driver has metal perforated plates  ( charged stators they are called ) that drive the diaphragm, these plates should provide shielding enough if you are worried about that and if you use a cell phone  then these headphones are the least of your worries in my opinion, I'll just leave that one alone.
so NOW:

 
====As a really interesting side note here, this article is really interesting ( for full bias electrostatic headphones ) where they describe the effects of those fields, though the field strength really drops off at an extremely close range between the stators of an electrostatic phone when they are placed further apart.
 This article looks to have put the things between the charged plates in a sense. Of course you'll never have your head between the two plates that's where the diaphragm lives...
A fun read

Whaddya know exposure of organisms to a strong electrostatic field  during critical growth stages seems to invoke a reversion or manifestation to an " improved " stable ( not mutant ) genetic variance. Rupert Sheldrake would be proud this seems a demonstration of his Morphogenetic Field theory in action.

I KNEW electrostatic headphones were  beneficial

. Does this possibly explain why electrostatic headphone users are so much bett... nevermind..... HAHA

Have a peek at the Trout and extinct unknown fern. Some treatment specifications of the field strength towards the bottom there. Hope the pictures are still good my Linux is giving me temporary issues with those, arrgh.

http://www.rexresearch.com/ebner/ebner.htm
 
 
I did find that electret material manufacturing article, it's very old since they have been around for ages, and it's something i will have to look through to retype things here. I'll see what's pertinent in it.
 
Whatever the article has there's always interesting stuff, might be something of use or interest to somebody.
  It's all about the enjoyment after all.
 
Reminds me one of these days I really should get to Scotland.  Very cheap airfare from here surprisingly, and i keep getting trip pics form family each time to make it a worse temptation.

 
 
Thank you

 
Did not expect this. This is very very interesting. I shall conduct experiments with my electrets.

 

[duncan1]

nick n- Hope you pay Scotland a visit. The  Scots are one of the most friendly people you can come across always willing to help and very down to earth. Beautiful scenery plenty of places to visit including as I said on Wisky fi- you can even rent a cottage next to several distilleries  and get a tour of them . St Andrews Old Golf coarse .where the   Open is held . Met Jack Nicholaus     the US golfer -very nice man -great ambassador for his country-genuine mannerly .down to earth.Many castles to see-Edinburgh Castle and a long list more.Over 2000 years history  Try the Scottish Haggis dont ask whats in it just try it along with the second national food--fish n chips--haddock and French fries in a bag or box. All Americans/Canadians are welcome here . no trouble at all . Only the "Old Enemy" sometimes has problems. Dont stick to the one place but tour Scotland beautiful scenery like parts of Canada. If you dont like golf then there is plenty of fishing/ shooting etc .You will be most welcome 

 

[nick n]

Haggis yes familiar with that , Robbie Burns day and all here. Why'd you have to mention fish and chips = easily the best food in the world hahaha. I have to go out to the store now....
Parents go there once a year and tour around so I can get the inside scoop.
Thanks for the encouragement. Nothing like that history here in Canada, much as we'd like to think.

 

[RAFA]

Soo, ok I did not manage to buy a reciever, nor a full-size amp. I did search for it, but kind of forgot after a time, because at the moment I work much...
 
However. I plugged it in my iBasso DX50 on highest gain, volume turned up 3/4. It was just for fun, to try out, but surprise! They can be driven by the DX50. The V7 sound good. At the moment I listen to Bill Evans. The only thing I do not like about the V7 is the angle, they are tilt to the ear. If it were a few degrees more, it would have a better bass response (to my ears). They are kind of stiff.
 
I am going to sell them, to fund an amp. If some you guys want to buy them, I would sell rather to you, since you discussed them with me. Otherwise on the weekend I will put them on the for sale forum. They are almost new, with box and manual.

 

[TheMiddleSky]

 
Just got loaned from my friend, still no idea how to drive it properly even though I have some monstrous amps to drive ortho here. I know this electret need massive amount of voltage so I think powerful amp for ortho will not work here.

 

[nick n]

Wow nice one there. Those pads have reverted to fabric again?  Try and get some that are pleather coated still, I bet the original coating wore off over time, it's going to give you less bass if fabric. Something of this nature needs any little help with that it can get IMHO.
 
The limitation on these is going to be the tiny transformers, since it is not an electret with the outboard adapter box. The tiny transformers are either inline on the cable, or inside the cup rears.But no doubt you knew that already

 

[TheMiddleSky]

Ah, actually I don't know what the original pad was, I'll ask my friend later.
 
Yeah my friend also told me something about the transfomers, now I suspect there're something wrong with the transfomers as this headphone is really ridiculously hard to drive haha.
 
How to check whether the transfomers is still in normal condition? And more importantly I don't even know where the location of transfomers in this headphone