Neo vs Ferrite magnets

[Joe_Carr]

If you have two the same type of headphones but one is using a Neodymium magnet and one is using Ferrite would the Neo one sound better overall? Or will both sound the same just one will be lighter since Neo is smaller but is powerful as a bigger Ferrite magnet?

[Luvin Da Blues]

Yes...

[atomicAdam]

no...

[Happy Camper]

....42

[GMichael]

....42
What is yellow and dangerous?

[harley .guy07]

Ferrite magnets and neo magnets are both good and have their places, On headphones I would see neo being the way to go for weight reasons. I have been a bass player for quite some time and when the new cabinets came out with neo magnets they were really cool because they offered the same magnetic power as ferrite at a fraction of the weight and were easy to tote around for gigs. When they first came out though they had not found a way to cool these magnet structures down when playing bass cabinets at higher levels and the drivers would fail due to heat so most people went back to Ferrite magnet drivers on there bass cabs. now that they have been out a while they have found a way to heat sink the neo magnets so this does not happen and they are on par with their ferrite magnet counterparts and your typical 4 by 10" driver bass cabinet weighs around 45 to 50 pounds for a neo cab and around 100 pounds for a ferrite driver loaded cab. I think neo is just as good motor structure wise as ferrite now and a whole lot less weight. neo magnets started with car tweeters so they could make a 1" tweeter that would fit in a cars windshield pillars and other places that a ferrite magnet tweeter of the same power would not fit and it became popular for that reason but heat was a problem for them as well so they had to engineer ways to cool them down but it today's speaker world neo is a good magnet material and is quite fine to use for just about any driver out there and for me as a bass player that has toted around heavy ass cabinets for years love the weight difference that these kind of drivers make to this kind of environment so I figured with headphones the difference would be equal.

[Joe_Carr]

That's really interesting that it seems like basicly both magnets sounds the same but just the Neo is lighter and powerful. Most on Sony's website that says about Neo magents says this.


"Neodymium magnetsfor maximum energy and minimum size; Neodymium packs more magnetic energy per ounce than conventional Ferrite, Samarium Cobalt or Aluminum magnets"


"Neodymium Magnetsfor maximum energy and minimum size; provide increased sensitivity and ultra-high definition sound reproduction"


Neodymium Magnetspack more magnetic energy per ounce than conventional ferrite, samarium cobalt or aluminum magnets and produce powerful bass and clear treble sound





According to this it seems like Sony is saying that not only that it's lighter and powerful but it also has more bass and clear highs than Ferrite magnets.

[Luvin Da Blues]

You don't seem to understand even the basics of audio especially speakers. So, why are you so concerned about the magnets used in them?

[Dual-500]

Ferrite magnets and neo magnets are both good and have their places, On headphones I would see neo being the way to go for weight reasons. I have been a bass player for quite some time and when the new cabinets came out with neo magnets they were really cool because they offered the same magnetic power as ferrite at a fraction of the weight and were easy to tote around for gigs. When they first came out though they had not found a way to cool these magnet structures down when playing bass cabinets at higher levels and the drivers would fail due to heat so most people went back to Ferrite magnet drivers on there bass cabs. now that they have been out a while they have found a way to heat sink the neo magnets so this does not happen and they are on par with their ferrite magnet counterparts and your typical 4 by 10" driver bass cabinet weighs around 45 to 50 pounds for a neo cab and around 100 pounds for a ferrite driver loaded cab. I think neo is just as good motor structure wise as ferrite now and a whole lot less weight. neo magnets started with car tweeters so they could make a 1" tweeter that would fit in a cars windshield pillars and other places that a ferrite magnet tweeter of the same power would not fit and it became popular for that reason but heat was a problem for them as well so they had to engineer ways to cool them down but it today's speaker world neo is a good magnet material and is quite fine to use for just about any driver out there and for me as a bass player that has toted around heavy ass cabinets for years love the weight difference that these kind of drivers make to this kind of environment so I figured with headphones the difference would be equal.
Very nice response - great perspective.

[GMichael]

Ferrite magnets and neo magnets are both good and have their places, On headphones I would see neo being the way to go for weight reasons. I have been a bass player for quite some time and when the new cabinets came out with neo magnets they were really cool because they offered the same magnetic power as ferrite at a fraction of the weight and were easy to tote around for gigs. When they first came out though they had not found a way to cool these magnet structures down when playing bass cabinets at higher levels and the drivers would fail due to heat so most people went back to Ferrite magnet drivers on there bass cabs. now that they have been out a while they have found a way to heat sink the neo magnets so this does not happen and they are on par with their ferrite magnet counterparts and your typical 4 by 10" driver bass cabinet weighs around 45 to 50 pounds for a neo cab and around 100 pounds for a ferrite driver loaded cab. I think neo is just as good motor structure wise as ferrite now and a whole lot less weight. neo magnets started with car tweeters so they could make a 1" tweeter that would fit in a cars windshield pillars and other places that a ferrite magnet tweeter of the same power would not fit and it became popular for that reason but heat was a problem for them as well so they had to engineer ways to cool them down but it today's speaker world neo is a good magnet material and is quite fine to use for just about any driver out there and for me as a bass player that has toted around heavy ass cabinets for years love the weight difference that these kind of drivers make to this kind of environment so I figured with headphones the difference would be equal.
Very nice. Too bad that the OP won't.... Aw well. You'll see. :shocked:

[basite]

What is yellow and dangerous?

http://images.hitfix.com/photos/315364/Despicable-Me-Grus-minions_gallery_primary.jpg

[Joe_Carr]

Or is it in real life that Neo magnets don't sound any better just that they are more smaller and have alot of power? I just wondered why Sony said it makes powerful bass and clear treble. I always thought that Neo makes better sound then Ferrite magnet speakers or headphones. It could be that Sony said it sounds better to make there headphones look like they have better sound using Neo magnets but really the they sound exactly the same as Ferrite magnets. Basicly advertising but I don't know.

[Dual-500]

Or is it in real life that Neo magnets don't sound any better just that they are more smaller and have alot of power? I just wondered why Sony said it makes powerful bass and clear treble. I always thought that Neo makes better sound then Ferrite magnet speakers or headphones. It could be that Sony said it sounds better to make there headphones look like they have better sound using Neo magnets but really the they sound exactly the same as Ferrite magnets. Basicly advertising but I don't know.
Magnets are magnets, adertising is advertising and design is design.

[basite]

Or is it in real life that Neo magnets don't sound any better just that they are more smaller and have alot of power? I just wondered why Sony said it makes powerful bass and clear treble. I always thought that Neo makes better sound then Ferrite magnet speakers or headphones. It could be that Sony said it sounds better to make there headphones look like they have better sound using Neo magnets but really the they sound exactly the same as Ferrite magnets. Basicly advertising but I don't know.


Neo magnets can make a difference. What sony says though, is pure BS. Yes, a good design with a good neo magnet can offer better highs & lows, and mids too, but then again, you need a good design, good components. You won't find this in a $25 headphone, you won't be able to hear a difference here.

Ferrite magnets need to be heavier, and thus, bigger, in a *real* speaker, this is not such a problem, enough space left, and a bigger magnet can be fit. In a tiny headphone, however, space is an important factor. And if you can use a magnet that offers a larger magnetic field and is smaller at the same time, that's a good thing.

so overall, and theoretically, YES (final answer), Neo is better, but NO, with cheap headphones, you won't hear it.

[Joe_Carr]

Well I know that my Samson MediaOne 4a monitors use neo magnets for the silk dome tweeters but if they were Ferrite magnets would it made any difference in sound? just wondering

It said the tweeters are using Neo magnets on my owners manual.

[Joe_Carr]

Neo magnets can make a difference. What sony says though, is pure BS. Yes, a good design with a good neo magnet can offer better highs & lows, and mids too, but then again, you need a good design, good components. You won't find this in a $25 headphone, you won't be able to hear a difference here.

Ferrite magnets need to be heavier, and thus, bigger, in a *real* speaker, this is not such a problem, enough space left, and a bigger magnet can be fit. In a tiny headphone, however, space is an important factor. And if you can use a magnet that offers a larger magnetic field and is smaller at the same time, that's a good thing.

so overall, and theoretically, YES (final answer), Neo is better, but NO, with cheap headphones, you won't hear it.
What about $50 headphones like the Sony MDR-V300? I currently have the Sony MDR-V150 which uses Ferrite magnets and I was wondering if the V300 will sound alot better since they use Neo magnets. The V300 is more than $25 of cource.

[basite]

What about $50 headphones like the Sony MDR-V300? I currently have the Sony MDR-V150 which uses Ferrite magnets and I was wondering if the V300 will sound alot better since they use Neo magnets. The V300 is more than $25 of cource.

no.

well, maybe, but definitely not much.

so, no.

[GMichael]

What about $50 headphones like the Sony MDR-V300? I currently have the Sony MDR-V150 which uses Ferrite magnets and I was wondering if the V300 will sound alot better since they use Neo magnets. The V300 is more than $25 of cource.
They will weigh less.

[SlumpBuster]

They will weigh less.

But if the music weighs less, will it sound better. Because I like heavy music, like Sabbath and Mastodon, but if it weighs less maybe I won't like it so much. Do you think Man O War would sound as heavy through neo magnets. Will ferrite magnets make Gordon Lightfoot weigh more? I would like Lightfoot if he was heavier. Will playing his CDs through ferrite magnets change his name to Gordon Heavyfoot?

And finally, I can't believe no one else linked this.

Magnets: How do they fcukin' work?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-agl0pOQfs

[Hyfi]

Maybe you should listen to a set of Grado or Bayerdynamics cans if you want to hear a real difference. Sony is not a Headphone manufacturer but sell them to those who do not care that they may be junk.

You really should not decide on a set of cans based on the magnet material but more on the sound they produce.

[basite]

They will weigh less.


theoretically, but then again, in a regular headphone, the size of the magnets is so little, that using a neo magnet, the weight difference will be compensated by the extra paint they use to write the word NEOdiyidium on the headphones...

[GMichael]

theoretically, but then again, in a regular headphone, the size of the magnets is so little, that using a neo magnet, the weight difference will be compensated by the extra paint they use to write the word NEOdiyidium on the headphones...
What if they use NEOpaint?

[SlumpBuster]

In a serious interesting aside, Ford uses Neo mags in the subwoofers in the Mustang because of weight. With up to two 8" and two 10" subs per car, it could get pretty heavy if they didn't use Neo with alot of gas wasted over the life of the car.

[basite]

In a serious interesting aside, Ford uses Neo mags in the subwoofers in the Mustang because of weight. With up to two 8" and two 10" subs per car, it could get pretty heavy if they didn't use Neo with alot of gas wasted over the life of the car.


depending on the quality of the sub. it's not a 10kg difference though, rest assured :)


@Gmichael: yeah, in that case, they're lighter!

[Dual-500]

Very nice. Too bad that the OP won't.... Aw well. You'll see. :shocked:
Yes, I see.....

[basite]

Yes, I see.....


oh well, be happy, you only wasted a very small fraction of your life, we've been doing this for the past 4 years now... :D

[Joe_Carr]

Come to think of it but I was a member on this forums since middle of 2004. My old SpankingVanillaice account said 2004 on it I remember. But anyways I decided to keep the MDR-V300 that has neo magnets since overall when compairing the V150 the V300 sounded more clear and little more brighter. I basicly did got both sets but returned the V150 to Amazon and got my money back.

[bobsticks]

But if the music weighs less, will it sound better. Because I like heavy music, like Sabbath and Mastodon, but if it weighs less maybe I won't like it so much. Do you think Man O War would sound as heavy through neo magnets. Will ferrite magnets make Gordon Lightfoot weigh more?

This is only partially correct though since the source material indicated is produced mechanically content will play a role; however that role will be negligent at best. The more impactful issue at play will be a congruency in the ratio of file size to magnet.

The answer lies in physics, Occam's Razor (or somewhere else in Occam's shaving kit) but, simply put, the size of the file has to be proportionate to the electromagnetic efficiency quotient (Lorentz force) of the carryline. At its most basic, the smaller the magnet the smaller the file should be to accurately reflect audiophile grade transients and microdynamics.

I'd suggest compressing all files to no greater than a 64 kilobit per second transfer rate for best results if using a Neodymium magnet. Better, cheaper, and easier to address the file rather than the magnet.

[Dual-500]

^^^ Free entertainment at it's best. Have a look at some of the discussions on interconnect cables. That's even better. :thumbsup:

[Headphone_Guru]

Hilarious, glad I stumbled on this thread.

[tomazcdn]

hello guys i have 2 big headphones:

mdr xb550ap (neodymiun)

and

akg k92 (ferrite)

Now i want to know which one is very very good for sound quality with good vocals and instruments?
i mean both have great reviews and all... so i got an impass when i found that akg is ferrite..

[rondello]

For the price, I would get the MDR. It has better bass also.