What Is a Headphone Drive And Why It Is So Important?
Have you been searching for a great quality headphone? Do you find it hard to choose? This is because there are so many styles and brands and when you search you will notice that most of the attention goes to the drive. Why is that? What is a driver? Why is it so important?
The driver is one of the most essential parts of the headphones. It has a very important role; it is the one that converts the electrical signals into the sound you hear. You can think of it as it is a very small loudspeaker over your ear. The unit is made of a cone-like diaphragm, voice coils, and magnets. You can find it in different sizes, like 8mm-15mm driver for earbuds and about 20mm-50mm driver for headphones.
So, it is simple, no driver no sound, basically the headphones will become useless without it.
While there are few different types of drivers, two of them are widely used for headphones. They are Dynamic (moving coil) and Planar magnetic drivers. Doesn’t a driver have one job, to convert the signals into sound? Then why there are different types?
1. Dynamic (Moving Coil) Driver
This is one of the most common type, and maybe the only one because of the price tag. This driver is the cheapest option. In order to create the sound, this driver uses physics of electromagnetism and magnetism. Dynamic driver is constructed of 3 parts:
You will get a great bass without using excessive power
It is a good and yet cheaper option
When at higher volume the dynamic driver is prone to audio distortion
2. Planar Magnetic Driver
Also known as orthodynamic, this driver is part of the headphones which goes over the ear and it has open-back. It is extremely thin and is placed in the high-end headphone.
This driver works on a similar principle as the dynamic one; which means, it uses magnetic fields in order to produce sounds. While the voice coil moves in the dynamic, the planer’s diaphragm (a thin and flat film) is affected directly by a magnetic field and then it produces sound. This allows better range and precision.
Excellent quality and a lot less sound distortion
You will need a headphone amplifier
Planar headphone vs. dynamic driver. Which one do you prefer more? It all depends on what do you need and on your budget of course.
The headphone with Planar Driver is durable and produces excellent sound quality without audio distortion, but still, they are heavier, expensive and consume a lot more power. This makes them a better option if you use them for listening or even creating music, but still, don’t forget that you have to be prepared to pay more for them.
In my opinion, that’ why the headphones with the dynamic driver are better. With them, you will also get great sound quality while using less power and yet have the same advantages as the other one, durable and strong bass. Of course, paying less doesn’t mean some of the features are not so amazing, like having audio distortion when listening on high volume. However, for everyday use, listening to music, audiobooks or playing games this type is a great option for you.