Sony's Altus 'phones offer 80kHz "HiFi" on the cheap

Given the fact that most human hearing maxes out at 20kHz, it seems a bit silly for Sony to be squeezing an 80kHz driver into their new "Altus" MDR-D777 headphones, and the assorted hyperbole they're bestowing on the 'phones seems a bit excessive for a pair of $150 cans, but Sony has been known to bust out a decent set now and then, so we won't hold it against them too terribly much. Beyond that 80kHz craziness the Altus headphones sport 40mm HD drivers, which sit parallel to your ears, along with an ambient sound-in switch, allowing you to switch between an open diaphragm that lets noise in and opens up the soundstage, and a closed diaphragm that isolates the listener. The Altus units sport aluminum earcups, and while there ain't no Ethiopian sheep leather to be seen here, they look comfortable enough, and should be out this November -- all prepped to annoy your dog with that excessively high upper register.

[strider_mt2k @ Oct 11th 2006 1:06PM]

Now if they could only carve a pair out of some rare wood...

[SkwerlStyle @ Oct 11th 2006 1:09PM]

Engadget, Im surprised of you. For such a prestige electronics blog, you of all people should know about how higher frequencies (even inaudible ones) effect the fundemental tone, giving higher quality.

[shmengie @ Oct 11th 2006 1:56PM]

thank you! i was gonna post similarly, but not as nice as you.

[David @ Oct 11th 2006 2:36PM]

I'm not challenging your statement, but just questioning here for my own edification:

Is there any source you could listen to through headphones that produces sound in the 80kHz range? Even CD's are recorded with a 44kHz sampling rate IIRC...so they can only possibly capture sound up to about 22kHz. Not sure what you'd plug your headphones into that would provide more sound than that?

On the other hand...if it's just the driver that has such a high frequency response, then I could see it more accurately producing the 20kHz sound (you know, with .00001%THD instead of .0001%).

[Carlton Bale @ Oct 11th 2006 3:02PM]

This "fundamental frequency improvement" is relevant only if the higher frequencies are present in the source material. You'd be hard pressed to find source material reaching 80 kHz. Theoretically, it may sound better, but in practice I bet you'd be hard pressed to tell the difference between 80 kHz and 24 kHz headphones.

[dave @ Oct 11th 2006 1:10PM]

that rocks! These would be perfect for the "holophonic" sound technique I am working on! These phones should produce some killer 3D sound if it is made right. You can test some of the stuff out with your own headphones at www.soundseeingpodcasts.com
I haven�t perfected it and most of the stuff there doesn�t use the technique.
I know what I�m getting for Christmas!

[jim @ Oct 11th 2006 1:13PM]

I love my sennheiser HD600 headphones but I still am hoping that someone will eventually invent a audiophile set of wireless headphones with a decent S/N ratio. Even the best Sennheiser/Sony/Panasonic... still are pretty weak. I really think this is the future of headphone technology. WHile there are many wireless headphones none are really audiophile quality. They may have decent speakers but the S/N etc just don't even come remotely close to wired headphones.

[malren @ Oct 11th 2006 2:10PM]

I see the draw of expanding the theoretical range of a driver, but ot 4 times the ability of the human ear to hear it? Might be more gimmick than substance. But the closed/open idea is intriguing, and I generally like the sound that Sony drivers produce in the larger sizes. My MDR-V6 cans have been with me for 15 years now - they're my main gaming headphone since I moved to the Shure E5s for music but I still love 'em.

[Pesty @ Oct 11th 2006 3:02PM]

Re: David

Yes, but in live sound applications, there will often be the higher harmonic structure above 20Khz that these headphones will be able to reproduce. Though the open/closed combined design is not likely to isolate the solo sound source well enough.

[David @ Oct 11th 2006 2:38PM]

my above comment was supposed to be a Reply to SkwerlStyle's comment (#2)

[Buzzsaw @ Oct 11th 2006 3:10PM]

Yeah you won't look like too big an idiot jogging with these on..

[Ricky @ Oct 11th 2006 4:20PM]

Re: Jim

I'm in the market for some cans, and I've heard pretty good things about the sennheiser brand. This might be a funny question, but how do your headphones perform as far as music *leaking* from the set? I couldn't care less about shutting off the noise of the outside world; I'm much more interested in a set that I can put on, play as loud as all hell, and have nobody know that I'm listening to Your Woman by Whitetown.

[A.A. Fussy @ Oct 11th 2006 5:19PM]

Here's the the specifications from the service manual for the D777's:
Type
Closed, dynamic
Driver units
40 mm, dome type
Power handling capacity
1,500 mW (IEC*)
Impedance
24 ? at 1 kHz
Sensitivity
106 dB/mW
Frequency response
8 - 80,000 Hz
Cord
Approx. 1.2 m (47 1/4 in) (D777LP) / 0.6m (D777SL)
single sided OFC
Mass
Approx. 166 g (6 oz) (without cord)
Plug
Gold-plated stereo mini plug, L type (D777LP)
Supplied accessories
Carrying pouch (1) / Operating Instructions (1)
Extension cord (D777SL) (1)