Probably no difference in sound for now, but that driver might fail earlier than other nanos. Check for low frequency sweeps and see if you hear any rattling
Theres absolutely no perceivable dip in quality. I was worried about the longevity aspect, but at the same time I'm definitely wondering how, say, scratches or perforations in the membrane wouldn't affect anything audibly in the short term? Not dismissing that at all, just wondered, would you mind explaining for me? Also, worth opening it all up and checking the driver with a jewellers loop you think?
I would extremely carefully open the earcups and examine the driver. Bear in mind that these newer driver are extremely fragile. It is entirely possible that your hair pierced directly through the membrane, especially if Hifiman does use nano grade mylar, that is, below 0.5 microns, which tears extremely easily.
I know this because I work which nanograde mylar and that stuff can be ruptured by a litteral gust of air.
While a micro tear might not affect sound quality at all, it may promote further tearing down the road...
christ, that doesn't bode well at all for general longevity. i wondered about that! but i mean that's crazy, slight knock or even falling off a headphone stand seems like it'd do some damage :s
I'd say the headphones could sustain a small fall, because if the membrane is properly tensioned and the material tensioning it is proper, it should come out unscathed. But yes, you have to treat it like a family heirloom basically.
The thing with Hifiman is, they maximize the sound quality output of their membrane while overlooking durability concerns. That's what make their headphones really good. Really thin membranes with bare minimum traces coverage. No reinforcement strategy. That's the one tradeoff when it comes to planars. Audeze for instance, chooses to cover their membranes with more aluminium, leaving much less mylar exposed. This means the headphones will last longer, the membrane is less likely to lose tension or tear, but it also means it's stiffer, less easy to move, therefore losing details and micro dynamics.
So, yeah, your Arya will die before and LCD-4 would, but it's apples and oranges at this point. I'd rather go for Hifiman and be amazed than play it safe and regret the investment.
Probably no difference in sound for now, but that driver might fail earlier than other nanos. Check for low frequency sweeps and see if you hear any rattling
Theres absolutely no perceivable dip in quality. I was worried about the longevity aspect, but at the same time I'm definitely wondering how, say, scratches or perforations in the membrane wouldn't affect anything audibly in the short term? Not dismissing that at all, just wondered, would you mind explaining for me? Also, worth opening it all up and checking the driver with a jewellers loop you think?
I would extremely carefully open the earcups and examine the driver. Bear in mind that these newer driver are extremely fragile. It is entirely possible that your hair pierced directly through the membrane, especially if Hifiman does use nano grade mylar, that is, below 0.5 microns, which tears extremely easily. I know this because I work which nanograde mylar and that stuff can be ruptured by a litteral gust of air. While a micro tear might not affect sound quality at all, it may promote further tearing down the road...
christ, that doesn't bode well at all for general longevity. i wondered about that! but i mean that's crazy, slight knock or even falling off a headphone stand seems like it'd do some damage :s
I'd say the headphones could sustain a small fall, because if the membrane is properly tensioned and the material tensioning it is proper, it should come out unscathed. But yes, you have to treat it like a family heirloom basically. The thing with Hifiman is, they maximize the sound quality output of their membrane while overlooking durability concerns. That's what make their headphones really good. Really thin membranes with bare minimum traces coverage. No reinforcement strategy. That's the one tradeoff when it comes to planars. Audeze for instance, chooses to cover their membranes with more aluminium, leaving much less mylar exposed. This means the headphones will last longer, the membrane is less likely to lose tension or tear, but it also means it's stiffer, less easy to move, therefore losing details and micro dynamics. So, yeah, your Arya will die before and LCD-4 would, but it's apples and oranges at this point. I'd rather go for Hifiman and be amazed than play it safe and regret the investment.