CRYSTAL HEADPHONES
In the 1950s and 1960s an assortment of crystal earphones appeared on the market, being essentially miniaturised counterparts of the crystal (or piezoelectric) loudspeakers.
Involving few metallic components, they could be made very small and light, as well as lending themselves to mass production. Many, infact, were designed to plug directly into the ear canal, being intended for use with portable radio sets and tape players. A few special quality models have been released over the years for monitoring situations but in general, crystal headphones have slotted into a utility role rather than as a medium for hi-fi listening.
As with crystal loudspeakers, their impedance is predominantly capacitive, measuring many thousands ...
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