Category5 - Transducer Type / Operating Principle
This category is the first combined category in the list. Categories will be combined to decrease the number of headings and make the list more readable at a glance. The goal is to make the list less time consuming to study and get the information you need to make comparisons so it will be a useful tool in your selection of a set of headphones.
Transducer Type
Transducers are the devices that convert electrical energy into mechanical energy. The transducers are attached to or are a part of a physical object that moves in response to the application of the mechanical energy.
Coil Type Drivers
Coil type drivers, the type that most of us are the most familiar with, use a magnet to hold the driver coil in a neutral position. As energy is applied to the coil the driver moves quickly in and out to reproduce sound. Okay, that's way oversimplified, but if you really want to know how they work there are many article on the web that will go into as much detail as a MIT physics class. For the purposes of our search for a sonic edge it's important to know that when the list says ’dynamic’ under this heading that it is referring to coil type drivers.
Electrostatic Type Drivers
Electrostatic drivers are a less common driver type that use a sheet of Mylar suspended in an electrostatic field suspended between two rigid, porous, conductive plates. The front plate, or the plate closest to your ear, is the positive and the plate behind the Mylar, also called the stater, is the negative plate. When no energy is applied to the plates the stater is in the neutral position. As energy is applied to the plates the electrostatic charged stater moves back and forth in response to changes or fluctuations of current.
Other Driver Types
There are other types of drivers that reproduce sound. Another example is the ribbon type. These are actually a variation of the dynamic type but use a flat panel as rather than a cone to push air and bring the sound to our ears.
If you want to know more about driver types or transducer types do a web search, but be mindful of the fact that in our computer driven age the word ’driver’ has more than one meaning. It not only refers to the moving part of the speaker or headset that reproduces sound, it also refers to the widget that translates binary code to analog energy so that sound can be reproduced.
The transducer type will not always be listed, most manufacturers don't list the transducer type, because most are dynamic. If a headset has electrostatic drivers, the company will list it, therefore, if not listed we assume dynamic. This is a safe assumption in that with respect to sound reproduction the driver type is not as important as the subjective experience.
Operating Principle
This part of the category is the way the headset couples to our ears. There are three basic ’Operating Principles’: in the ear, on the ear and over the ear. The in the ear principle are earbuds and those we are not yet covering. The on the ear principle are called superaural. And the over the ear principle are called circumaural. Superaural and circumaural headsets can also either be open or closed.
In the Ear - Earbuds
Earbuds we are not yet covering. They are very popular with portable or on the go music players. Their advantage is their size, they are highly portable and can be worn in public with anonymity. Because of their size they do not reproduce sound as well as their bigger counterparts. We write this with reservation, we do not mean to make a sweeping statement about earbuds, in fact there are earbuds designed to primarily be gaming headsets. Further, we recognize that there are well designed earbud gaming headsets that may outperform their superaural or circumaural and as the blog go on we intend to include these.
On the Ear - Superaural
These are padded headsets and the padding is placed on the ear. These tend be a bit more transportable than their larger circumaural counterparts and more acceptable to wear in public but are not able to reproduce sound quite as well by virtue of their coupling to the ear, their smaller drivers and the area of their dome.
Over the Ear - Circumaural
These are padded headsets that fit around the ear. Their larger drivers, greater area of enclosure and positive coupling principle give them sonic advantage over their smaller siblings. They are large, don't travel as well and can call out for attention in public, an advantage if you want to call attention to yourself, a disadvantage if you'd rather not. As an aside, a general observation, not to be confused with scientific data, superaural and to some degree even circumaural headphones are becoming more acceptable in public. This trend we hypnotise is driven by their better sound reproduction and our acceptance of those who wish to walk around in their own little music cocoon ignoring the rest of the world.
Open or Closed
This refers to whether the back of the headphone part of the headset is open to the outside world or sealed against it. Open designs let air and sound from the room in and let sound from the headphones out into the room. Closed designs block sound from entering or exiting the headphones. Open designs can be cooler keeping your ears not to get hot when gaming for long periods of time and allow you to here sounds from the room. Closed designs isolate your sonic environment bring you more into the game and can be hot as they insulate sound they insulate heat, for some this is an issue for some not.
Summary
Of the Transducer Types most will be dynamic in design and are dynamic unless otherwise stated. Operating Principles include Earbuds which are, for now, beyond the scope of this series of articles, Superaural or on the ear, are better travelers, and Circumaural or over the ear generally given the nod with regard to sound. Open versus Closed is a matter of personal preference.
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