The History Of Planar Magnetic Headphone
Top Planar Magnetic Headphones Planar magnetic headphones give the most detailed and expansive listening experience. Audiophiles looking to upgrade their listening experience are raving about them. The best planar magnetic headphone depends on your priorities. It all boils to clarity of the image and distinction, as well as clarity in comparison to bass punch. 1. Audeze LCD-2 Classic The original LCD-2 was the first of the planar magnetic headphones that really took off. It's so popular, it has become synonymous with the technology. It's still one of the top headphones in its class. The sound quality is exceptional particularly for a headset that costs more than $1,000. The bass is a long way down past human hearing, and it is awe-inspiring in detail. The upper mids are warm but not too loud. planar vs dynamic is full of detail and has very little distortion. The earpads are also comfortable. The headband and earpads are a soft, flexible feeling. They're lightweight enough to allow for long listening sessions without becoming tired. They don't completely seal the ears like some other open-back headphones, which means you can hear what's happening around you. This isn't a problem for quiet environments but it could be a problem in noisy areas. As far as build quality goes In terms of build quality, the LCD-2 Classics are very solid and made to last. The earcups are made of crystal-infused nylon, which is a great material for a headphone. It's robust and long-lasting, and is significantly lighter than the wooden rings that are used on some other Audeze models. However the LCD-2 Classics don't feel quite as premium as many other premium headphones. The LCD-2 Classics sport a DIY-like feel due to their visible screws and lack of finishing. They are still a fantastic pair of headphones, but they may not be suitable for all people. Monoprice Monolith M1060 offers a similar product for a lower price. They feature the same great technology of the LCD-2 Classics, but they come at a less expensive cost. The earcups are better sealed and they come with a carry case. The only thing missing is the impressive bass extension and clarity that the LCD-2 Classics have, but they still have an amazing sound that should please the majority of audiophiles. 2. Meze LIRIC Meze Audio has made a name for itself through its innovative and affordable range of planar magnetic headphones. The company's newest headphone model, the LIRIC 2nd Generation, builds on the success of the first generation model with improvements in performance and a brand new striped ebony finish to improve modularity and a long, durable life. The LIRIC has a full-frequency response that goes from 4Hz to 92kHz. It delivers amazingly detailed music that has exceptional clarity and a large soundstage. Additionally the headphone's QWRM (Quarter Wavelength Resonator Mask) effectively manages high-frequency spikes that can be exhausting to the ears. For high-fidelity listening on the move, the headphones feature a closed-back design that blocks out ambient noise. They also have an oval-shaped design that resembles the natural shape of the human ear to provide a clearer channel to the source of the sound. The Meze LIRIC is equipped with the company's exclusive Isodynamic Hybrid array driver which features dual-shaped voice coils to improve ambience and sound imaging in spatial space. This dual voicing technology is the result of more than 30 years of research and development and makes it one of the lightest and most advanced planar magnetic drivers on the market. The LIRIC headphones have an equalization system that controls the airflow and pressure inside the earcup chambers to enhance the sound quality. This allows listeners to hear the same sound quality, whether they are wearing the headphones at work or on an airplane. In my tests in my tests, the Meze LIRIC sounded a fantastically well-balanced and smooth sound that is highly enjoyable to listen to for long sessions. The treble is clear and clear and the bass is powerful with excellent quality. The soundstage is huge with a good separation between vocals and instruments. I also appreciated the fact that no element of an album was too small to escape the attention of headphones, from the attack and decay of PJ Harvey's 50ft Queenie down to the individual strings on an electric guitar. If you're looking for the best closed-back, magnetic headphones that cost $2000, the Meze LIRIC is an excellent option. It's a formidable rival to the Dan Clark Audio E3, however it has a slightly different timbre and lighter overall. 3. Meze Elite Meze Audio, a Romanian manufacturer, has been working to up their game in recent years, releasing several flagship products. The Elite is Meze Audio's most expensive headphone to date, and replaces the Empyrean, which was previously their flagship. The Elite is also an open-back, but with unique wings that enhance wearability. These wings are similar to the design of Dan Clark, HiFIMan, or Sendy headphones in that they spread the weight of the heavier than average driver across a larger area of your head to improve comfort while listening for long periods. From my experience, they do indeed work very well and the Elite can be worn for hours without discomfort. The Elite is a reference-style headphone with an upgraded hybrid isodynamic driver. It can deliver extremely low harmonic distortion, averaging less than 0.1 percent across the entire frequency spectrum. It has an extremely sensitive sensitivity of 101 dB/mW and an impedance of 32 ohms. This means that it can be driven by budget headphone amplifiers or DAPs as long as they are compatible with the standard jack. The Elite diaphragm is a significant improvement over the Empyrean. Instead of using a specially-designed polymer, a low-mass semicrystalline film has been engineered by sequential biaxial lengthening. This process allows the Elite to have a thin yet rigid diaphragm while still providing outstanding resistance to fatigue and stress cracking. The Elite's lower-mass diaphragm results in higher resolution and speed. It is now capable of competing with other models like the Audeze LCD-2 Classic at a slightly cheaper price. The Elite is even more precise and neutral than the LCD-2, while still delivering the feeling of the depth, transparency air, and transients. 4. Meze HE400SE The HE400SE is among the most well-known headphones made of planar magnetic material around. It's an excellent choice for audiophiles wanting to make the switch to open-back models, as well as for those who are already familiar with the concept of planar magnets. It comes with HiFiMAN's latest Stealth Magnet design, which reduces distortion and wave diffraction to levels that are almost inaudible. The HE400SE is a great open-back headphone, but it doesn't have the same bass extension as some other HiFiMAN headphones. The HE400SE's bass is very rich and full, but it does not sound squeaky or bass heavy. The overall tone is neutral, but with trebles that are higher and forward midrange that many people will appreciate. Vocals are crystal clear on the HE400SE. The HE400SE is a great option for listening to acoustic music and orchestral and classical music. This is the best budget headphone to listen to this kind of music. If you're used to closed-back headphones which have a more bass-emphasized tuning the transition can be somewhat uncomfortable. It takes a few listening sessions to get used to it. The HE400SE also has an impressive image. The HE400SE can create a huge, clear soundstage that allows musicians to feel comfortable in space. On Prince's Let's Go Crazy the drums and vocals are in front of your face. The guitar solo is very prominent and can easily be heard over the other instruments. The HE400SE is a solid treble extension that has good clarity. The treble has a little warmth to it, but is not harsh. It doesn't have that added brightness that some other headphones with brighter trebles have but it also doesn't have the sibilance or fatiguing quality of some other cheaper open-back headphones. The HE400SE is an 25 O impedance device, which means it will require a powerful amplifier to reach the maximum SPL. It is compatible with the majority of smartphones and portable music players, however it requires an amplifier that has at least 0.5 W output to achieve its maximum SPL.