Winner of the European Imaging and Sound Association Award, these are the reference-grade headphones hand-assembled in Germany with an innovative transducer that yields the powerful bass response audiophiles expect. Replacing the flat, disc-shaped diaphragms found in everyday headphones’ earcups, this model’s 2 1/4"-diam. ring-shaped stainless steel diaphragms—the largest transducers used in headphones today—incorporate 1 1/2"-diam. coils and magnets that deliver a natural sound field while their curved sonic wave front simulates a spatial sound image without the sonic distortion of lesser models. Working in concert, the components provide the same large surface area as their predecessors yet avoid distortion, enabling them to reproduce brilliant trebles and precise bass as true to the original recording as possible. The luxuriously plush circum-aural earpads are handcrafted from high-quality microfiber for comfortable, nearly imperceptible wear while the connecting headband incorporates a sonic damping element. Its tuned symmetrical, impedance-matching cable detaches easily. (11 1/2 oz.)