The difference between moving coil headphones and moving iron headphones

Moving coil headphones and moving iron headphones sound detail differences

Low impedance and high resolution are the characteristics of moving-iron headphones, so they are excellent for the playback of sound details. Low, medium and high-frequency levels are more obvious. In addition, moving iron headphones' transient response is very fast, and the ability to follow the sudden signal in the music is very good, never dragging. Therefore, moving-iron headphones are more suitable for listening to fast-paced and compact music (such as pop and rock).

While the three-frequency articulation of moving coil headphones is more smooth and natural, the sound density will be looser than that of moving compact iron headphones. But thanks to the large size of the moving coil unit, it has a wide range of sound, is more suitable for listening to classical music, and has a large compilation of music.

In addition, moving coil headphones have a very obvious advantage: the sound field. For good open headphones, its sound field is very wide, and for creating the overall atmosphere of music and the sense of envelopment, it has a very good performance. While wearing moving iron headphones, due to the limitations of their size and sealed structure, the sound field will seem very narrow, and there is not that magnificent an atmosphere to the scene.

Moving coil headphones and moving iron headphones cost difference

Moving coil headphones are currently the mainstream headphones on the market, and we usually use headphones that have moving coil units. And the price of moving coil headphones is generally cheaper (of course, there are also expensive ones). The vast majority of the usual dozen to several hundred dollars of headphones are moving coil, which also shows that the cost of moving coil units can be controlled very low. Those ten dollars of headphones unit cost about one or two cents (absolutely no kidding), the businessmen rely on the volume, of course, sell more to earn. The moving iron unit is a relatively significant higher cost, even to buy entry-level moving iron headphones, but also to spend at least two or three hundred dollars.

Moving coil headphones and moving iron headphones volume differences

Moving coil units can be large or small; we usually use headphones, and in-ear headphones are moving coil units. Various types of speakers on the market are also used by the moving coil unit. The size of the moving iron unit is more compact and light, the size of only a few larger than a grain of rice. This is due to the characteristics of the moving iron unit, the moving iron diaphragm weight with the increase in unit diameter and straight up. Therefore, moving iron will be more suitable for smaller in-ear earbuds, and it is impossible to make open or semi-open earbuds. This is why the moving iron technology is now only used in in-ear earbuds.

The difference between moving coil headphones and moving iron headphones frequency response curve

The vibrating diaphragm of the unit of moving coil headphones is generally glued to each other with the wire loop. Therefore, it is affected by more factors, and each unit will have more or less individual differences. Moving coil units will be affected by the temperature and humidity of the surrounding environment, resulting in a frequency response curve that may appear in some audible changes in the human ear, which will impact the listening experience.

The moving iron unit is almost always made of metal material and is formed using a high-precision mold. It's precision and manufacturing process are more complex, which, coupled with the sealing design of the earbuds and the moving iron headphones frequency response curve and overall sound quality performance, are more stable and will not produce changes in the sense of listening. So with moving iron headphones compared to moving coil units, the electroacoustic performance is much more stable.

Moving coil headphones and moving iron headphones' sound insulation affect differences

Small volume sealed good moving iron headphones have a better sound insulation effect than the unit area of relatively large moving coil headphones, which have a better listening effect in the outdoor environment. Because moving coil headphones have a larger surface area and require more space and air to participate in vibration, they cannot effectively control the sound leakage phenomenon. The moving iron can effectively reduce the area of the ear part and can be placed in a deeper part of the ear canal.

Moving coil headphones and moving iron headphones sensitivity differences

The sensitivity of moving-iron headphones is much higher than that of moving-coil headphones. The reason is that the structure of the moving-iron headphone unit is almost a closed container structure, and only a small amount of current is needed to drive it. This means that there will be good sound quality at very low volumes. Therefore, in a noisy environment, without increasing the volume, sounds can be heard in pure form. This is why moving iron units are widely used in medical and health care fields (such as hearing aids) while moving coil headphones are not yet able to do this.

In addition, moving-iron headphones help to protect hearing, considering that doctors will certainly not recommend products to their patients that may be harmful to their health and that all the more well-known hearing aid brands use moving-iron units, so moving-iron headphones are more secure than moving-coil headphones.

In addition, because of the higher sensitivity, moving iron headphones' transient performance is better, and the dynamic performance of the music, instantaneous detail performance, and sound density is also far better than the moving coil earbuds.

These are the differences between moving coil headphones and moving iron headphones; both have their advantages and disadvantages. I cannot say moving iron goods or moving coil goods; we buy and sell according to their own needs to listen to music.