Plasma headphones?

Electrostats and planar magnetics have already been ported to headphones. When will we see the first plasma headphone set?

You could probably see one by putting your headphones in a microwave, but sounds dangerous!
Oh - it’s a real thing for speakers ?!?

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YES! :smiley: :heart_eyes:

So at some point it really has to come to headphones too, doesn’t it? Effectively zero-mass drivers!

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It’s an interesting concept. Wasn’t it Edison that described a telegraph as a very long dog (Dachshund) stretching from NY to California, and when you squeezed the tail in NY, you heard the dog bark in California? Then he went on to describe radio as exactly the same thing, but without the dog.

Plasma speakers have been around for a long time as a curiosity, but that’s probably all they will ever be. They just can’t move much air, so forget bass. And they are power hogs for what they can do.

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Here is an example of a plasma tweeter. I have heard it at shows, and it’s brilliance comes from the fact the that it is moving air without a diaphragm. So pure. But really expensive as well. Hard to imagine a headphone version.

Acapella Ion Tweeter

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The Acapella Ion Tweeter plugs into the mains power so not recomended for headphones. acapellaviolin2

If you don’t mind the increase of ozone next to you head then try this as a test: Plasma Speaker Kit.

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I mean… cool… but I’m not putting “plasma” that close to my head… just saying… seems reckless lol

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You could singe your ear-hairs right off. aw-yup! you could.

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Well, your blood has plasma too…no plasma near your head could explain the love for purple. I’m not a doctor but I play one on the Internet. :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

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It is, which is why there will never be Plasma headphones.

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lol :joy: I was waiting for this comment :wink:

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I was wondering about that. People used to have the same objections against electrostats. «I’m not putting thousands of volts right next to my head!» But it’s safe. At least from what I’ve heard, nobody’s been electrocuted by their electrostats. And many of use use shavers right on our face, and they are powered straight from the mains electricity. Not that an argument pro will settle this, but is it really unthinkable that plasma speakers could one day be made safe for earphones?

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One day… but it would have to be “worth” doing… nothing is out of the question, but currently I will refrain from putting my head between two plasma sources… :wink:

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My memory may be faulty here but I seem to remember plasma speakers needing a gas cylinder
of some sort as part of the plasma creation. I guess you cold strap the cylinder to your back if you
were going mobile.

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If you are going to to do, it would make for the ultimate SteamPunk Cool in head-fi! Just add a pair of brass goggles, and I can see this figure with a huge gas gas cylinder and oversized open headphones with sparkling pasma in them walking about as if on a mission of the highest import! I’m not much for posing and looks in general, but that would be worth trying once!

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We need Elon Musk to jump in the audiophile industry. I’m sure he can come up with something new… but he is too busy trying to get the hell away from this planet :pensive:

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The first step was leaving California…

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Looks like an old thread but just to mention the Audio Reference Plasmasonic (not Plasmatronic) headphones made in the 80s which used a plasma or corona arc. Mentioned here Commercial - Massless - plasma tweeter, ion wind, ionic and corona loudspeakers and other places on that site.

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Probably perfect for listening to the Plasmatics!

(From 1982 of course, not 2008.)

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Lansche Speakers use a plasma tweeter IIRC.