The S&V Interview

A Hi-Res Call to Arms Page 2

S&V: Let’s shift over to the gear. You have an equally passionate stance on some of today’s audio hardware...
Kiachian: Yes, that’s right. In a world where "normal" listening material was compromised and low-fidelity, the equipment to play music ended up compromised too. Manufacturers with longstanding, prestigious reputations for performance and fidelity were forced to build (or license) Bluetooth speakers and headphones to stay competitive. Sound quality took a back seat to size, price, cosmetics, and other factors that don't move anyone the way music does.

Now that master-quality audio content is going mainstream, so too will the equipment to play it back. This will be particularly true of personal listening, because headphones and earbuds have become a dominant product category. Features that are today seen mainly on professional and audiophile models — such as balanced armatures for extended high end fidelity — will become mainstream gear, as consumers demand hardware that can take advantage of studio-quality music. Because digital signal processing has made so many giant strides since the days of MP3, high-quality listening can even live alongside such modern features as active noise cancellation, or ANC, without suffering deal-breaking sonic results. That listening experience is fresh even for seasoned enthusiasts.

S&V: Can you expand a bit on what makes headphones with a balanced armature design special?
Kiachian: Balanced-armature drivers (inset photo above) were developed originally for hearing aids and critical listening applications. They offer improved fidelity and detail that isn’t matched by traditional dynamic drivers. Where dynamic drivers operate with a moving coil, balanced armature drivers use a stationary coil to vibrate a tiny reed that is balanced between two magnets inside a tiny enclosure. The lighter mass of the moving parts results is exceptional clarity, especially in the treble. It’s a lightweight, compact, and powerful solution and also saves space for additional components, like additional drivers or batteries, to be integrated into the device. Click here for a short video on balanced armature technology. [Editor’s Note: Etymotic’s ER3XR is an example of balanced-armature earphones we reviewed favorably a couple years ago; the model is still current and now sells for $150.]

One common combination of components is when a balanced-armature driver is combined with an existing dynamic speaker — forming what we call a hybrid driver. It is typical of home speakers, and even devices such as the Amazon Echo, to have separate drivers optimized for the lows and highs to improve the listening experience. In earphones, dynamic speakers produce warm, pleasing bass and are also compatible with noise-canceling systems. However, their high frequency performance is often lacking, preventing the listener from enjoying the full benefit of HD audio. Balanced armatures are known for their high frequency clarity and realism, which makes the music come alive. By combining the two, the listener gets the best of both worlds.

Balanced-armature drivers were developed originally for hearing aids and critical listening applications. They offer improved fidelity and detail that isn’t matched by dynamic drivers.

S&V: Same for active noise cancellation — how has it improved of late and what should consumers look for in an ANC design?
Kiachian: As its name reveals, ANC is designed to eliminate unwanted background noise for consumers using sound devices to deliver an easy listening experience. ANC has historically been a critical feature of premium headsets, and over time the designs have matured into more cost-effective and smaller form factors. One aspect of modern ANC design consumers should keep an eye out for is adaptive ANC, a feature that allows the system to track variations in earbud fit and ambient noise to dynamically adapt noise cancellation to the environment.

Hybrid drivers with balanced armatures provide system designers the flexibility to use adaptive ANC to ensure listeners can easily hear the dynamics and detail of their music and hear phone calls more clearly — even in noisy environments. An added benefit is that people tend to listen at lower volumes because they don’t need to drown out the noise, reducing the chances of developing hearing loss from playing music too loud.

S&V: To what extent do you think wireless audio is an obstacle for audiophiles?
Kiachian: No question, many died-in-the-wool audiophiles are indifferent to wireless audio, but there's no doubting that it's here to stay, especially for personal listening. Naturally, your friends will be asking you — their audio guru — for product recommendations. You can try to steer them toward wired earphones, but you already know the disappointed look you'll get back. Like it or not, most non-hobbyists are going to go with Bluetooth. The question is, how can you help?

If they're looking for in-ear models, you'll obviously want to tell them about the benefits of TWS (True Wireless Stereo). TWS allows users to pair two audio devices, typically left and right channel headphones via Bluetooth, so sound is transmitted to each separately. You'll also want to explain what Bluetooth codecs do and why some are better than others for high quality music. Technically speaking, even the best Bluetooth transmissions are lossy. However, the data rate and bit depth of the new hi-res codecs are so much higher than standard Bluetooth. A few high-bit rate codecs that come to mind include [Sony’s] LDAC and AptX HD. Your friends will immediately hear the difference in fidelity when their TWS earbuds combine a hi-res codec with a well-tuned driver module.
S&V: You sound very optimistic about the future of audio in the age of streaming…

Kiachian: Absolutely. These audio advances are moving our hobby and our passion to greater mass acceptance. On the software side, lossless streaming is evolving from a niche business as Apple and Amazon have introduced HD streaming, in some cases with no charge. Spotify has also announced that a lossless "HD" tier is coming. On the hardware side, the top engineering labs are offering turnkey development platforms and certifications that are bringing cutting-edge audio capabilities to a broad variety of established and new brands, at wide a range of price points. A renaissance of good sound is now in the making.

There's never been a better time to be an audiophile. Digital audio has made tremendous strides and will continue to evolve even further. Some lossless services even deliver spatial 3-D audio [both Apple Music and Tidal offer tracks in Dolby Atmos]. Good quality sound finally matters again. To those who already know the pleasures of deep listening and flawless reproduction, company's coming. If we help people find out about it, just watch how fast the audio world will grow.

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