When you get yourself a headphone, you may take it for the driver quality alone. But there are other specifications which you should take into consideration.
This is the reason why it is also important to look into the kind of magnet your headphone driver comes with.
The dynamic drivers, for instance, typically have a fixed neodymium magnet. To understand the relation between the two, it is important to know about the dynamic driver and neodymium magnet.
But, first, let us proceed with drivers in general to get a basic idea about them.
Dynamic Driver vs Neodymium Drivers: What are Headphone Drivers?
A headphone driver is a mechanism that converts electrical signals into sound waves.
A driver unit is made up of three components: voice coils, magnet and a cone-like diaphragm.
Earlier, the size of the driver used to decide the sound quality of the headphones. Now, it is rather the technology used in the driver which determines the sound quality.
Let us now look into one of the most popular headphone drivers available out there: the dynamic driver.
How Does A Dynamic Driver work?
The dynamic driver uses the principle of magnetism and electromagnetism to vibrate the diaphragm in order to produce sound.
The most important components of a dynamic driver are
- A fixed neodymium magnet
- A voice coil
- A diaphragm that is attached to the voice coil
The diaphragm receives electrical input and is thus converted into an electromagnet, the field which is determined by the direction of electric current. The neodymium magnet forms the other part of the magnetic loop. The mutual interaction between the magnet and voice coil moves the diaphragm to produce sound.
Dynamic Drivers: How do they Fare for the Music Lovers?
These drivers are the most simple in construction and do not consume much power to give the best output volume. This can be a blessing for devices that have low power ratings, thus saving enough energy for other applications.
The dynamic driver excels in producing bass of high quality. It achieves this through its powerful capability to displace air.
Initially, some people had complaints about the sound distortion at high volumes. Better engineering, however, has come to the rescue of this particular problem.
Neodymium Magnets
Neodymium magnets are composed of neodymium, boron and iron. They are considered to be one of the strongest magnets available for permanent usage.
Neodymium magnets have replaced different types of magnets in many modern products. They are now used in hard disk drives and magnetic fasteners as well.
The strength of neodymium magnets has also inspired new areas where magnets were not used before, such as magnetic jewellery clasps.
Dynamic Driver vs Neodymium Drivers: Final Remarks
As we learnt, the neodymium magnet forms an integral part of the dynamic driver. Hence, the two of them can’t be separated.
Dynamic drivers with neodymium magnets have the advantage of being lighter and smaller to fit conveniently in earbuds and headphones.
Neodymium magnets have more magnetic energy per unit of their weight than other magnets. In fact, their sound definition and bass performance are eight times better than the headphones with a ferrite magnet.
So when it comes to the right driver with the right magnet: the duo of the dynamic driver and neodymium magnet works best.
Hope this helps!
Red Also: Balanced Armature vs Dynamic Driver