REVIEWS
In this rendering, you can see the ‘voice coil’ (labelled ‘circuit trace pattern’) on the ultra-
thin substrate of the diaphragm. You can also see a magnet and Fazor on both sides of the
diaphragm, but the LCD-1 has a magnet and Fazor only on the inner side of the diaphragm.uniformly than a dynamic diaphragm,
which is pushed and pulled at its
centre by the voice coil.
Also, the magnets in a PM driver
are generally larger than those used
in dynamic drivers, because they
must be roughly the same size as
the diaphragm. That makes planar-
magnetic headphones generally larger
and heavier than dynamic designs.
So, what are the advantages of
PM headphones over dynamic cans?
Generally speaking, planar-magnetic
headphones tend to have tighter, more
accurate bass response. And because
the entire diaphragm moves uniformly,
the planar soundwave creates a bettersoundstage with a more immersive
quality, and there tends to be less
distortion at high levels. For these
reasons, PM headphones are often
preferred by critical listeners such as
recording engineers and audiophiles.AUDEZE LCD-1 FEATURES
The LCD-1 is an open-back, circumaural
(over-ear) headphone. It’s more
compact than many PM headphones
and weighs just 250g. It sports
memory-foam earpads and headband
covered in lambskin leather and comes
with a nice carrying case into which
the headphones fold. The included
premium braided cable terminates with