Headphones

AKG’s hybrid technology, first seen in the K3003i and elaborated in this N5005 to combine five drive units, aims to exploit the best features of both types of miniature drive units. The first, known as moving-coil, is a shrunken form of the familiar loudspeaker driver. If well-designed it is compact, has low-distortion and its impedance is almost independent of frequency. In the second, balanced armature type, the diaphragm is driven by a thin rod connected to a metal armature located between a pair of coils and permanent magnets. Signal current in the coils induces a fluctuating magnetic field in the armature, which moves in response within the static magnetic field. Balanced armature drivers typically generate higher distortion and have a less constant impedance but can offer higher sensitivity.