Ten Planar Magnetic Headphone That Will Make Your Life Better
Top Planar Magnetic Headphones
Planar magnetic headphones provide an extensive and rich listening experience. They're popular among audiophiles looking to upgrade their listening experience.
Choosing the best headphones for planar magnetics is based on the features you value most in the headphone. It all comes to clarity of the image and distinction, as well as clarity as well as bass punch.
1. Audeze LCD-2 Classic
The original LCD-2 was the first pair of planar magnetic headphones to really take off. It's so popular that it has become synonymous with technology. It's still among the top headphones in its class. The sound quality is amazing and especially for a headset that is priced at over $1,000. The bass is deep enough to extend past the human hearing range and it has a staggering amount of detail. The upper mids and lower Treble are warm but not in an obnoxious way. Overall the sound is clear and precise and has very little distortion.
They are very comfortable to wear and are also very. The headband and earpads have a soft, flexible feeling. They're also light enough to be worn for long listening sessions without getting too fatigued. Unfortunately, they don't provide an ear-to-ear seal like the open-back headphones do. And this means that you can hear your surroundings. This isn't an issue in quiet environments however it can be a problem in noisy environments.
The LCD-2 Classics have a very solid build and are built to last. The earcups are made of crystal-infused nylon which is an excellent material for a headphone. It is durable and significantly lighter than the wooden rings used in other Audeze models.
However the LCD-2 Classics don't feel quite as premium as many other premium headphones. They have an industrial feel with all the screws visible and an absence of a polished look on the metal parts. They are still a fantastic pair of headphones, however they may not be the best choice for everyone.
Monoprice Monolith M1060 offers a similar product for a lower price. These headphones offer the same high-quality planar technology as the LCD-2 Classics, but they come at a more affordable cost. They also have a better seal on the earcups and come with a carry case. The only thing that's missing is the amazing bass extension and clarity that the LCD-2 Classics have, but they still offer an incredible sound that will please most audiophiles.
2. Meze LIRIC
Meze Audio has made a name for itself thanks to its innovative and affordable line of magnetic headphones that planar. The LIRIC 2nd Generation is the latest model of the company's headphone. It builds on the success of the first-generation model, with improved performance and a new striped finish to increase the modularity.
The LIRIC boasts a full-frequency response that goes from 4Hz to 92kHz, providing impressively detailed music with exceptional clarity and a broad soundstage. In addition, the headphone's QWRM (Quarter Wavelength Resonator Mask) effectively manages high-frequency spikes that can be exhausting to the ears.
The headphones are designed to block out background noise and provide high-quality listening on the move. The headphones sport an ovoid shape that resembles the shape of human ear to provide direct connection to the source of the sound.
The Meze LIRIC comes with the company's own proprietary Isodynamic Hybrid-Array Driver, which has dual-shaped voice coils designed to improve the ambience and spatial sound imaging. Dual voice coil is the result of more than 30 years of research and development which makes it the most lightweight and advanced planar magnet driver on the market.
To enhance their audio quality, the LIRIC headphones have a pressure equalization mechanism which precisely regulates airflow as well as the pressure in the ear cup chamber. This ensures that the wearer hears the same sound quality whether the headphones are worn in a workplace on a plane, in a hotel or commuting to work.
In my tests in my tests, the Meze LIRIC delivered a superbly smooth and balanced sound that's highly enjoyable to listen to for long hours. The treble is crystal clear and the bass is a roar with excellent depth. The soundstage is huge with good separation between instruments and vocals. I liked that no detail was too small for the headphones to miss, from the sound of PJ Harvey’s 50ft Queenie to the individual guitar strings.
The Meze LIRIC is a fantastic choice if you're looking for the best closed-back planar magnetic headphones for less than $2000. It's a strong rival to the Dan Clark Audio E3, however it has a slightly different sound quality and is lighter overall.
3. Meze Elite
In their search to create headphones that are both visually stunning and sonically excellent, Romanian manufacturer Meze Audio have increased their game recently with a number of flagship products. The Elite the latest product, is their most premium headphone yet and a worthy replacement for the Empyrean as the company's flagship.
Like the Empyrean model, the Elite is an open-back headphone that has a unique suspension wings design that increase their wearability. The wings function similar to the design used on Dan Clark, HiFIMan, or Sendy headphones in that they distribute the weight of the Elite's more powerful than average driver over a larger area of your head to improve comfort while listening for long durations. In planar magnetic headphones explained , they do indeed work very well and the Elite can be worn for long periods of time without discomfort.
The Elite is a reference style headphone that features an upgraded hybrid isodynamic driver. It is capable of delivering extremely low harmonic distortion, less than 0.1% over the entire frequency spectrum. It has a high sensitivity of 101 dB/mW and an impedance of 32 ohms. This means it can be driven by low-cost headphone amplifiers or DAPs as long as they support the standard jack.
The Elite diaphragm represents another significant upgrade over the Empyrean. Instead of using a specially-designed polymer the film is a semicrystalline low-mass material that has been developed using sequential biaxial lengthening. This allows for an Elite diaphragm that is strong and thin, while also offering excellent resistance to stress and fatigue cracking.
This change to a lower-mass diaphragm also leads to improved speed and resolution and brings the Elite to an level of performance that puts it up against competitors such as the Audeze LCD-2 Classic, albeit at a slightly more affordable price point. The Elite is also more clear and neutral than the LCD-2 but still offers the feeling of the depth, transparency air, and transients.
4. Meze HE400SE
The HE400SE is among the most well-known planar magnetic headphones around. It's a great option for any audiophile who is looking to move into open-back headphones. It's is also a great entry-level headphone for anyone already familiar with the use of planar magnetic technology. It's equipped with HiFiMAN's Stealth Magnet design that reduces distortion and wave diffraction to nearly inaudible levels.
The HE400SE is a fantastic open-back model, but it doesn't have the same bass extension as some other HiFiMAN headphones. The HE400SE's low end is very deep and full but doesn't sound boomy or bass-heavy. The overall tone is neutral but with elevated trebles and forward midrange which many listeners will find pleasing.
The HE400SE is a great sounding model with a clear sound. The HE400SE is a fantastic option for listening to acoustic music, but orchestral and classical music. It's the perfect budget headphones for this kind of music. If you're used closed-back headphones that have a bass-heavy tuning, the transition may be uncomfortable. It takes a couple of listening sessions to adjust to it.
The HE400SE also has impressive imaging. The HE400SE creates a huge and detailed soundstage, which lets musicians feel as if they are in the right spot. In the song Let's Go Crazy by Prince the drums and vocals feel up front and in your face. The guitar solo is also very prominent and easily heard over the rest of the instruments.
Finally, the HE400SE is a great treble extension and clarity. The treble is a bit warmth, but is not harsh. It doesn't sound like other open-back headphones that have a brighter treble, but it isn't as sibilant and fatigued either.
The HE400SE has an impedance of 25 O, meaning it requires a powerful amplifier to achieve its maximum SPL. It is compatible with the majority of smartphones and portable music players, however it requires an amplifier with a minimum of 0.5 W output to reach its maximum SPL.