Dynamic Drivers
New dynamic-driver headphones as they are announced: what changed against the outgoing model, what it costs, and what stays unmeasured until a unit reaches the rig.
beyerdynamic launches the DT 275 PRO for location and broadcast work
A compact closed-back aimed at professionals working outside a studio, sold on high passive isolation, a neutral tuning and all-day comfort rather than on a new driver.
Viking Audioforge takes the Draupnir to production at £1,799
A year after the prototype won an innovation award, the dual glass-diaphragm open-back is on pre-order at £1,799, with shipping estimated at around three months.
FiiO's SNOWSKY Nature is a 50 mm closed-back headphone for about $44
The SNOWSKY sub-brand's first full-size wired headphone weighs 280 g, takes a detachable cable that can be run balanced, and lands at roughly $44.
Final opens pre-orders for the DX10000 CL, a diamond-diaphragm flagship at $8,499
Final's closed-back flagship uses a 40 mm diaphragm grown from CVD diamond rather than coated with it, at $8,499, or $8,999 for the first 150 units.
FiiO enters gaming with the FG3, a $69.99 wired headset with onboard DSP
FiiO's first gaming headset uses coaxial 50 mm and 16 mm dynamic drivers with a dual-core DSP, a 192 kHz DAC and a browser-based 10-band EQ, at $69.99.
ULTRASONE puts a 45 mm graphene driver in the open-back Signature AERO
AERO is the open-back of ULTRASONE's five-product July premiere, built on a 45 mm graphene diaphragm and sold on soundstage, with pricing still unannounced.
ULTRASONE prices the Signature MASTER PRO at €899 in its largest launch yet
The studio model in a five-product premiere pairs a 40 mm titanium driver with the company's LUMINOX wiring and two cables in the box, at €899, shipping from September.
Sennheiser launches the HD 480 PRO at $479
A closed-back studio headphone built on the platform Sennheiser introduced with the open-back HD 490 PRO, aimed at creators and engineers who need isolation.
Meze Audio announces the STRADA, a $799 closed-back dynamic
Meze puts its latest dynamic driver technology into a closed-back chassis built for travel, at $799, below the planar 109 PRO and POET in its range.
HEDD launches the HEDDphone D1 with a thin-ply carbon diaphragm
The German maker moves from its Air Motion Transformer designs to a dynamic open-back, using what it describes as the first thin-ply carbon diaphragm driver, developed with Sweden's Composite Sound.
These are announcements, not verdicts. Nothing here is measured until a unit reaches the rig. For tested dynamic drivers, see Dynamic Drivers reviews. Back to all new releases.