Equipped with the newly developed Pinna-Aligned Diffuser, a new flagship headphone that adopts an approach distinct from the D8000.
In search of the ideal structural design, the D7000 has been continuously developed from the initial conception of the first flagship headphone, the D8000, announced in 2017. Equipped with drivers featuring the newly designed 'Pinna-Aligned Diffuser' and a more efficient 'Air Film Damping System (AFDS),' the D7000 has been introduced as a new flagship product alongside the D8000 and D8000 Pro Edition.
* AFDS is a registered trademark owned by final Inc.
The D7000 achieves a sound that expertly balances the delicate high frequencies characteristic of planar magnetic types with the voluminous and open low frequencies of dynamic types. Moreover, it provides high resolution, especially in the vocal and string ranges, delivering a lustrous and smooth sound.
Furthermore, a comprehensive redesign has led to a weight reduction of approximately 16% compared to the D8000 and D8000 Pro Edition. The headband and ear pads utilize a special fabric made from washi(Japanese paper) known for its dry touch and durability, enhancing both comfort and durability.
Features
Newly developed "Pinna-Aligned Diffuser"
The concept of acoustic adjustment through diffusion, which is becoming the standard in professional recording studios equipped with the latest acoustic designs, has been applied to the D7000.
Although the idea of equipping the D8000 with a diffuser was considered in the early stages of its development, developing something appropriate under the special conditions inside a headphone housing required a long time. While measurements under ideal conditions using measuring instruments yielded good results, listening with actual ears revealed significant differences in sound quality due to the varying shapes of the outer ear (pinna) among individuals. To solve this problem, numerous simulations tailored to various shapes of the outer ear and actual listening experiments were conducted, ultimately leading to the creation of a diffuser shape that is optimal for all users.
Balancing Planar Magnetic's Highs with Dynamic Driver's Rich, Open Bass
Conventional planar magnetic headphones' driver unit is normally designed to have a higher limit of the lowest frequency of bass it can reproduce in order to prevent the diaphragm from coming into contact with the magnet when the playback volume is high.
To compensate for the lack of bass due to this intentional design, the earpads are designed to seal the ear in order to create an enclosed space in front of the diaphragm. This shares the same principle that allows earphones sealed with earpieces to reproduce sufficient low frequencies despite their small size. Even though the method of sealing the earpads allows the bass to be reproduced down to the lower frequency range, the bass is lacking a sense of openness and fullness.
In the D7000, the AFDS (Air Film Damping System) solves the problem of the diaphragm coming into contact with the magnet, thus highering the limit of the lowest frequency of bass that the driver unit can reproduce is not necessary. Together with the breathable earpads, this system makes it possible to reproduce the rich bass sound with a sense of openness, which normally could only be achieved with a superior dynamic driver.
[Delicate high frequency range]
In reproducing subtle high frequencies, the lightweight nature of the diaphragm comes before anything else. Compared to other dynamic models with the same driver diameter, D7000's diaphragm is 1/3 lighter. A super thin aluminum coil is etched on the extremely lightweight film diaphragm, and as such, the adhesive essential for use between the coil and the diaphragm of a dynamic driver - which has a very negative effect on sound quality - is not necessary. With the D7000, problems originating from the adhesive have been fundamentally resolved, and the reproduction of a delicate sound in high frequency range has been achieved.
With a combination of the planar magnetic model's subtle high frequencies and the dynamic model's full and open bass tones, you would discover new details about the music you're used to listening to through the D7000; they have you wanting to listen to your favorite music over and over again. With this product, you realize that high sound quality provides the impetus for experiencing the deeper aspects of music.
A More Efficient "AFDS: Air Film Damping System"
Conventional planar magnetic headphones' driver unit is normally designed to have a higher limit of the lowest frequency of bass it can reproduce in order to prevent the diaphragm from coming into contact with the magnet when the playback volume is high. To solve this problem, we took measurements by conducting diaphragm simulations using the finite element method and laser Doppler devices, and established new diaphragm braking technology known as AFDS - Air Film Damping System.
In the D7000, the shape of the coil portion of the diaphragm and the punching metal was reexamined, allowing the diaphragm to be braked more efficiently to match the physical characteristics aimed for in the D7000.
