Planar Headphones Sound Reality 

My acquaintance with planar headphones began with the purchase back in 1985 Electronica TDC-5М. At that time, they were one of the best in terms of sound quality in the post-Soviet space; and their design was completely copied from the Yamaha YH-1000 headphones. Then, compared to everything else that could be purchased, it was something fantastic in terms of sound!

 

Many years have passed, but planar headphones still have a number of advantages over the dynamic ones. Despite the significant development of both types of drivers (dynamic and planar), the audience of connoisseurs of high-resolution sound from planar headphones is constantly growing.

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I returned to the topic of planar headphones and to listening to music on headphones, in general, a while ago, in response to the demands of my clients. To get the desired result, I had to seriously immerse into the topic so to understand the specifics of all components and their compatibility. And the goal was to reach the highest sound resolution along with the most comfortable fit of the headphones on the head.

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I wasn't required to "reinvent the wheel." It was enough to think of the essential components that determine the driver's capacity to reproduce the most realistic audio picture:

1. Membrane weight. Previously, membranes were made from Kapton, now they are made from Mylar. Mylar is lighter, thinner and more elastic, so it can have a greater amplitude of the membrane shift.

2. Membrane area: the larger the better. The larger the membrane area, the greater the sensitivity of the driver. Also with a larger membrane area, the frequency range can be significantly expanded in the low-frequency zone.

3. Interaction of magnetic fluxes of a 'permanent magnet' and an alternating electromagnetic field formed by the inductance of a conductor on the surface of the membrane. The better the interaction, the higher the output efficiency of the driver. And this is determined only by the power of the installed magnets and the density of the tracks on the surface of the membrane.

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The most specific thing in the production of planar drivers is the production of membranes with applied current-carrying conductors. The most effective material for current-carrying paths is thin aluminum foil. There are several unique people here in Ukraine who have managed to produce quite good membranes with tracks applied to them almost at home.

 

However, after studying the topic further, I was able to find a manufacturer who has good industrial equipment and who can produce much more high-tech membranes with conductors on the surface, according to the technical specifications provided.

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This became the starting point for bringing to life some of my technical and creative ideas for building planar headphones of my own design.