Jump to content

How are electrostatic headphones voiced?


s1rrah

Recommended Posts

I've been pondering this question...

 

If electrostatic cans are mostly just a thin filament of material  .. then how do various cans have different sound signatures?

 

Is there a crossover circuit in the headphone?

 

Why do my Koss 950's sound so much different than my Stax 307's? What is the variable that affects sound?

 

Curious...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Goddmanit. I was serious with that question there for a second...

 

And horses don't have feathers, either.

 

I don't care who you are, that is funny shit... even if you were serious.

 

As to your question, you are not a big enough of a seasoned grumpy asshole to warrant a well thought out answer from the peanut gallery ;)

 

I'll take a shot, as I am not a pro by any means, but pretty much everything in the build changes the frequency response and many other sound affecting attributes.  The enclosure, the driver material, the impedance, the magnets used, the tautness of the membrane, and the material and geometry of the cable (never underestimate its plankton retrieval importance) all affect the sound.  I am sure that the engineers have all of this in mind even before the prototype is built.  Kind of like building a car.  Then, once the prototype is built, the final tweaks are made.

 

Then and only then will Birgir and Kevin give their seal of approval, as any model released without a Mafia endorsement will surely end up an utter failure.

 

Oh, and the cable bit was a bit of bullshite.

 

Or, if I am way off...

 

Turtles. :P

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't care who you are, that is funny shit... even if you were serious.

 

As to your question, you are not a big enough of a seasoned grumpy asshole to warrant a well thought out answer from the peanut gallery ;)

 

I'll take a shot, as I am not a pro by any means, but pretty much everything in the build changes the frequency response and many other sound affecting attributes.  The enclosure, the driver material, the impedance, the magnets used, the tautness of the membrane, and the material and geometry of the cable (never underestimate its plankton retrieval importance) all affect the sound.  I am sure that the engineers have all of this in mind even before the prototype is built.  Kind of like building a car.  Then, once the prototype is built, the final tweaks are made.

 

Then and only then will Birgir and Kevin give their seal of approval, as any model released without a Mafia endorsement will surely end up an utter failure.

 

Oh, and the cable bit was a bit of bullshite.

 

Or, if I am way off...

 

Turtles. :P

 

Of course I'm not serious. It's a computer form for chrissake. one would be clinically ill to vest any thing "serious" in it (other than fun dialogue, that is)

 

But thanks for that comment ... your mention of materials used, other than just the driver, are interesting.

 

The stats perplex me, though ... in a good way ... not only do they sound great, but they also pique my curiosity. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That's basically it.  Electrostatics only appear to be simple in theory but then again, most don't understand the theory.  Take something like the Stax Lambda, almost all of them share the same housing, basic driver building blocks (stators and diaphragm assembly), cable and earpads yet they can sound very different from one another.  Hell some use the same diaphragm material yet sound nothing like one another.  I blame the turtles.... 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I used to have a pet turtle when I was a child.

 

It ran away one day.

 

Yes, as odd as that sounds, it RAN AWAY. One morning it was gone and I never found it again. I was traumatized and never had pets since then. True story.

 

At least I now find solace in that maybe, just maybe, it spent the rest of its days testing STAX headphones somewhere...

 

EDIT: Its name was Gamera. I grew up watching Godzilla movies...

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-UACM_8q_Q

Edited by screaming oranges
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

You would be greatly informed on the subject if you got in touch with chinsettawong and/or went to that other nefarious portal of all things headphone and look in their DIY section on building your own electrostatic headphone thread.

 

I saw a doco recently which featued the red faced turtle.

 

Dusty Chalk, on 03 Feb 2014 - 3:10 PM, said:snapback.png

I represent that...!

Edited by wink
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.