One of the things you’ll come across when purchasing different headphones is that not all headphones use the same type of driver. Dynamic Drivers are just one of the types you’ll find in headphone. Different drivers create different listening experiences so knowing the differences between them can help you choose a headphone you’re more likely to enjoy.
So in this article, we’ll talk about what a headphone driver is, how they function, the different types of drivers used in headphones and then how to know which one might be best for you.
WHAT DOES A HEADPHONE DRIVER DO?
Drivers are one of the most important pieces used in headphones. It’s function is to convert the electrical signals supplied by your music and digital player (ie. smartphone, computer, DAP) into something your ear can understand (a sound wave).
DRIVER SIZE
There are a variety of driver sizes. Earbud drivers range from 8mm to 15mm and from 20mm to 70mm for headphones. An example of a 70mm driver would be Sony’s MDR-Z1R Flagship headphones.
While the assumption might be that a larger drivers means you’ll get better sound, that’s not always the case. A lot of it has to do with the type of technology used and how well built the driver is. But a larger driver does give you an indication of how large the sound can potentially be.
HAVING MULTIPLE DRIVERS
Some headphone have more than one driver in them. This allows each driver to manage a specific range of sound frequencies. For example, some headphones will have a driver used just for the low range frequencies and another driver to manage the mid-high range frequencies.
Just as with driver size, having multiple drivers in a headphone does not necessarily mean it will sound better then headphones with just one driver in them. But, if you’re buying headphones or earphones from a brand known for it’s quality, then odds are you’ll get a better listening experience when multiple drivers are incorporated into a pair of headphones.
A great example of this is FiiO’s FH5. These are hybrid in-ear monitors that use four drivers and deliver an extremely high quality listening experience as a result. You get better detail and control compared to a lot of earphones using just one driver in the same price range.
DRIVER TYPES
There are 5 main types of headphone drivers that you should know about. Each one has it’s own specific and unique way to product the sound you hear. Some are more popular than others, and some will be better suited towards different types of music or listening experiences as well.
1. Dynamic Drivers (or Moving Coil Drivers)
Dynamic drivers are the cheapest transducer (or driver) to manufacture and as result, they are the most popular to use.
These drivers are able to create movement by using magnetism and electromagnetism. This is what causes sound to be created.
Each dynamic driver is made of a neodymium magnet, a voice coil and a diaphragm that is attached to the voice coil.
The magnet causes the voice coil to become magnetized (and thus making it an electromagnet). Then when the voice coil gets a current, a magnetic field gets created. Then the voice coil is attracted and repelled towards that magnetic field. This causes the attached diaphragm to move and as a result, it moves the air around it (which is what creates sound).
The more air that’s displaced, the higher the volume you’ll get. Also, realistic bass response is correlated to how well a driver displaces air. And this is why dynamic drivers are known for being able to create a nice bass response.
PROS
Headphones using dynamic drivers can generate a nice bass response without needing much power to do so. This means they can be driven (powered) by things like smartphones and still sound good. They’re also cost effective to produce which helps keeps the retail price lower as well.
CONS
This type of driver is lower in quality and as a result, it can produce some distortion when listening at higher volume levels. This is often referred to as “non-linear distortion.” However, well-engineered dynamic drivers aren’t as affected by this problem.
QUALITY HEADPHONES USING DYNAMIC DRIVERS
Even though dynamic drivers are cheaper to produce, you can still experience fantastic listening experiences with headphones using these drivers. Sennheiser, Sony and Audio-Technica are a few examples of some of the more outstanding headphones using this type of driver technology.
2. Balanced Armature Drivers
These drivers are smaller in design so they only work for in-ear monitors (IEM’s). They typically are more expensive to produce compared to dynamic drivers.
Their design is comprised of a miniature arm (called an armature) which is inside a wire coil that’s surrounded by two magnets. The movement of the armature is determined by the top and bottom of the magnets. When there is an equal distance from both magnets, they are called “balanced” which results in no net force on the armature.
The armature gets magnetized when current starts flowing through the coil. This causes it to pivot towards either of the magnets. As the armature starts pivoting, this movement will also move the diaphragm and then as a result of the diaphragm moving, sound is produced.
But since BA’s (balanced armatures) don’t displace air in order to produce sound, bass response is not as strong. So what you’ll find is that sometimes IEM’s will incorporate BA drivers with a dynamic driver to help improve the bass response. 1More Triple Driver is a great example of an IEM using a combination of dynamic and balanced armature drivers.
And while the range of these drivers tends to be more limited compared to dynamic drivers, they can be tuned in order to mange or cover a specific range of frequencies. Currently IEM’s can have up to four different drivers to give you a very high-quality listening experience.
The upside to balanced armatures compared to dynamic drivers is that BA’s don’t require an additional air vent as it’s not displacing air the way a dynamic driver does. As a result, BA’s have much better noise isolation which provides for a more detailed listening experience.
PROS
Being able to tune drivers for the highest quality listening experience withing a specific frequency range is a great benefit. For example, performance in the higher (treble) frequencies is better compared to dynamic drivers. You also get a more detailed sound when using balanced armature drivers.
CONS
A few downsides to these drivers is that they’re more expensive to produce (compared to dynamic drivers) and the bass response is not as strong. So you will need to incorporate additional drivers in order to improve the bass response.
QUALITY HEADPHONES USING BALANCED ARMATURE DRIVERS
FiiO’s FH5 is an excellent example of an incredible sounding IEM for the money.
3. Planar Magnetic Drivers (Orthodynamic Drivers)
This type of driver is more often used in open-back headphones. They are very then and are more commonly used in higher-end headphone.
Similar to dynamic drivers, planar magnetic drivers use magnetic fields in order to produce sound. But instead of having a voice coil moved (as with dynamic drivers), the diaphragm is affected directly from the magnetic field produced which then gives you the sound that you hear.
In order for the entire diaphragm to be evenly vibrated, bigger magnets and a greater quantity of magnets are needed which causes the weight of the headphone to increase. As a result, these tend to not be a great for portable use. Also this causes a greater need for more power in order to properly driver (or power) these headphones properly. So typically, something like a smartphone wouldn’t provide enough power to adequately power these and get the best sound possible.
However, some manufactures are finding ways around this like Oppo. They created the Oppo PM-1 which weighs 395g and has a 32ohm impedance level. This means a decent smartphone (like an iPhone) would be able to power these and still sound good.
Sound quality wise, planar magnetic headphones sound fantastic as they have just about no distortion and an excellent transient response. Bass response is also very good because of the combination or a large, thin diaphragm and a strong electromagnetic force which makes it possible for these drivers to displace a lot of air.
PROS
Headphones using this type of driver deliver a very high quality sound with a very low level of distortion. They also provide an excellent bass response.
CONS
You’ll typically need a headphone amplifier to properly power these. They tend to be costlier as well as being on the larger and heavier side. As a result, these won’t work well for portable use.
QUALITY HEADPHONES USING PLANAR MAGNETIC DRIVERS
The Oppo PM-1 is a great example.
4. Electrostatic Driver
These drivers utilize static electricity to help produce sound. Since “like charges” repel and “opposite charges” attract, electrostatic drivers use this concept by implementing negatively and positively charged conductive plates. As the diaphragm pushes and pulls against these plates, vibrations occur. Air is then pushed through the perforations which combined with the continuously charged electrical signal produce sound waves you can hear.
These are very complex drivers to make and require special amplifiers (energizers) to function properly. As a result, you only find this type of driver in high-end headphones which are typically open-back in design.
And although these headphones are expensive and horrible for portable use, they are capable of producing an exceptionally life-like soundstage. The sound quality and listening experience produced by these drivers is absolutely phenomenal which is reflected in the higher price tag of headphones that use this type of driver.
PROS
You get a distortion free sound, an extremely life-like soundstage and phenomenal sound quality.
CONS
The downside is that these are not good for portable use (as they are large and bulky), they’re expensive and you’ll need a good amplifier to power these.
QUALITY HEADPHONES USING ELECTROSTATIC DRIVERS
HiFiMAN, Beyerdynamic and Stax are all brands producing some excellent headphones using electrostatic drivers. The Stax SR-L700 is a great example of one of the more popular headphones using electrostatic drivers.
5. Bone Conduction or Magnetostriction Drivers
These drivers are unique in that vibrations are sent directly to your inner ear by way of bone conduction. So your eardrums aren’t part of the listening experience equation.
This type of driver can be useful for some with hearing problems or for people who may still need to hear environmental noises around them (such as when jogging). Although these have some helpful applications, they’re not going to provide the same level of sound quality compared with headphones using more traditional headphone drivers.
PROS
Great for allowing you to hear noises going on around you while still hearing what you want to listen to. Some with particular types of hearing challenges will be able to benefit from using these.
CONS
You’re trading technology for sound quality, so you’re not going to be able to get the same level of sound quality as you would with any of the other types of drivers.
QUALITY HEADPHONES USING MAGNETOSTRICTION DRIVERS
The Aftershoks AS600SG Treks Titanium Open Ear Wireless Bone Conduction Headphones are a great example of something you can use with this style of driver that’s great for activities such as jogging.
WHICH ONE IS BEST?
Each of these different types of drivers have their place and in certain situations, each one of these could be the best choice.
If you have hearing challenges or want to be able to hear environmental noises around you, then going for headphones that use magnetostriction drivers could be best.
If you want the highest sound quality possible and money isn’t as much of an issue then headphones using electrostatic drivers could be the way to go. Also, if you prefer genres of music that benefit from a more like-like soundstage such as classical or jazz then that would make these a better choice as well.
Planar Magnetic headphones are going to work best for someone who has a good budget to work with but maybe doesn’t want to spend the money on a pair of electrostatic headphones. You also get an excellent bass response which makes these a good headphone to get when you like to listen to a variety of music types of any type of music that benefits from a good low end bass presentation.
Earphones featuring Balanced Armature drivers are going to be well suited for someone who has a preference for the treble frequencies, listens to a lot of music featuring female vocals, or would be using lower powered audio devices. Details are exceptional with these drivers as well but bass is lacking. So if you like or have music you listen to that benefits from a good low end bass response then you may want to have a second pair of headphones to use or make sure to get something that utilizes both balanced armature and dynamic drivers in one.
Finally, we have dynamic drivers and for most people this is where the sweet spot will be. Because although they potentially have more distortion compared to the other drivers, good quality headphones using this style of driver will engineer them in a way that it really won’t be noticeable for most people. They are kind of the jack-of-all-trades driver in that they can handle all genres of music well, including music that requires a good bass response. And because they’re the least expensive driver, a lot of the headphones using dynamic drivers (that are well made) tend to be a better value overall.
So next time you’re considering a pair of headphones, take a look at what type of driver it uses and then think about how that might impact the overall listening experience. And if you have the chance, try listening to headphones that use different drivers and see what kind of differences you notice.
A lot of what was talked about here are guidelines, and ultimately your ears are going to be the final judge because they will tell you what sounds best to you!
If you any questions though, please don’t hesitate to post a comment below. And if you have found a particular driver preference, we’d love to hear what you like most about it as well.