Audezewrapstheheadbandandearcups
ofitsLCD-1planar-magneticheadphones
insupersoftlambskin.permanent magnets mounted very
close to the diaphragm. That causes
the diaphragm to vibrate according
to the audio signal, generating sound
waves that enter the listener’s ear.
In Audeze’s ‘exploded’ rendering
of an earcup (see image overleaf),
you can see the circuit-trace pattern
(aka, ‘voice coil’) on the diaphragm.
You can also see the magnet and
Fazor structures, which are discussed
in the next section.
The main difference is that a PM
driver has no separate voice coil per
se; the ‘voice coil’ and diaphragm
are a single component. As a result,
the entire diaphragm vibrates moreopportunity to review the Audeze
LCD-1, I jumped at the chance –
and now that I’ve given them a
good listen, I’m very glad I did.
PLANAR-MAGNETIC
TECHNOLOGY
Most headphones use
dynamic drivers to
generate sound waves. In
these drivers, an electrical
audio signal is sent through a
coil of wire – the voice coil – which
creates a magnetic field around
the coil that oscillates according
to the waveform in the signal. The
oscillating magnetic field interacts
with the static field of a permanent
magnet mounted nearby, which pushes
and pulls on the voice coil, causing
it to vibrate in response. The voice
coil is attached to a diaphragm, which
vibrates along with it, sending sound
waves into the listener’s ear.
Planar-magnetic drivers are
similar in principle but different in
implementation. Instead of a voice
coil, the diaphragm in a PM driver
is directly embedded with a flat
conductor that snakes back and
forth across its entire surface. That
conductor carries the audio signal,
and the oscillating magnetic field
interacts with the static field of