Brought to the UK by Absolute Sounds ­­the oBravo HAMT-1 is a “luxurious pair of high-end headphones with a unique two-way driver configuration delivering game-changing sound” says the press release we’ve just received at Hifi Pig.

The oBravo are the world’s first coaxial two-way headphones featuring AMT driver technology which is unique and fully patented.

Each earpiece contains two separate drivers sharing a common axis: a 40mm AMT tweeter and a dynamic Neodymium bass/mid driver, radiating sound from the same point. This driver configuration is said to deliver an “exceptionally rich, detailed and immersive listening experience, with astonishing clarity in the midrange and effortless extension at frequency extremes”.

The headphones’ outer construction combines aluminium, wood and hand-stitched leather for distinguished styling and comfort.

About AMT Drivers

An AMT (Air Motion Transformer) loudspeaker driver moves air using a folded diaphragm, structured around a series of aluminium struts within a high-intensity magnetic field. When signal current passes through the struts, the diaphragm pushes back and forth from itself in a physical motion similar to that of an accordion when pushed and pulled to pump air though the reed chambers, albeit over a far smaller motion range. The result is a dipole driver with an extraordinarily rapid response rate, enabled by the extremely low mass of the diaphragm and the much smaller distance it travels on each ‘swing’ compared to a dynamic driver with a traditional cone.

The discernible motion of each diaphragm flexure is very small, but because of the folded structure, more air is moved than would be by a conventional cone of the same plotted surface area. As a matter of surface comparison, a standard 25mm AMT strip has a functional driver area comparable to an 200mm circular dynamic cone. The folded driver design, combined with the small motion range, means the AMT acts like a point source version of a larger driver, resulting in lower distortion. As a result of its motion pattern, the AMT ‘spits’ the air out in a way similar to the action of shooting a watermelon seed from your hand by squeezing it between thumb and forefinger. The speed of the air as it leaves the diaphragm is approximately five times faster than the speed of the actual driver structure, hence the name, Air Motion Transformer. AMT drivers are rare to find in full-size loudspeakers, and rarer still in headphones.

The oBravo HAMT-1 is priced at ￡1,499 inc. VAT