Nan-7 Planar Magnetic Headphone Review

[renaudrenaud]

Hope Shenzhen Audio has send a Moondrop PARA to @amirm and we will read the review this month.

 

[Njoy]

Hope Shenzhen Audio has send a Moondrop PARA to @amirm and we will read the review this month.

100mm diaphragm, 8 ohm impedance, pretty much in loudspeaker category.

 

[renaudrenaud]

100mm diaphragm, 8 ohm impedance, pretty much in loudspeaker category.

Read elsewhere it is 18 ohms, not 8 ohms!

Do you think something like a Topping A90 is able to drive it?

 

[cheapmessiah]

Read elsewhere it is 18 ohms, not 8 ohms!

Do you think something like a Topping A90 is able to drive it?

8ohm is not unheard from, the verum 1 are on that same impedance level, theres a thread on them here at ASR where you can read on what drives them and what doesnt.

I really hope its 18ohm, because otherwise it wont be realisticly an alternative/competitor to the sundaras, as in 8ohm load most entry level amps tend to go into protection mode sometimes even without pushing big transients.

 

[Palladium]

I do own a Drop Sennheiser HD6xx, and I use it only when I have to. I don't understand why people are into headphones. Maybe in paces like Asia where space is very limited, I get it. But most North Americans aren't too limited with space in their homes.

For this price, you can get yourself a pair of Revel M16. I don't get the headphone culture in North America.

I'm a speaker and IEM guy in Singapore and I don't get headphones too. They aren't as convenient to use/store or the killer performance/price ratio as IEMs and they also don't have the soundstage and tactile bass as speakers either.

 

[Njoy]

Read elsewhere it is 18 ohms, not 8 ohms!

Do you think something like a Topping A90 is able to drive it?

Model: PARA Full-size Planar Headphones

Sensitivity: 101dB/Vrms (@1kHz)

Impedance: 8Ω±15% (@1kHz)

Frequency Range: 15-53kHz (IEC61094, Free Field)

Headphone Jack: 3.5mm

Effective Frequency Range: 20-20kHz (IEC60318-4, -3dB)

Specs are from their official website. Topping A90 can drive load impedance >8 ohm, so may be it can.

 

[CleanSound]

I'm a speaker and IEM guy in Singapore and I don't get headphones too. They aren't as convenient to use/store or the killer performance/price ratio as IEMs and they also don't have the soundstage and tactile bass as speakers either.

Do you use IEM because you don't want to disturb others and when you are out of your home?

 

[Blorg]

Read elsewhere it is 18 ohms, not 8 ohms!

Do you think something like a Topping A90 is able to drive it?

I think it is 8Ω. Moondrop are advertising it as easy to drive, running off their new portable CD player, that sort of thing... by the numbers it would actually need a lot of current but the Venus with RAA's measurements wasn't quite as hard to drive as the spec numbers either (spec sensitivity is 100dB/V @1kHz). My subjective experience with it as well, it's not as hard to drive as the spec suggests.

• Sensitivity by voltage: 106.21 dB/V SPL
• Sensitivity by power: 88.70 dB/mW SPL
• Average impedance : 17.74 ohm

• Sensitivity at 1 kHz

  103.9

  105.4

  dB/V SPL

These are still hard to drive headphones but not to the level something like the A90, which is very powerful, and more powerful into lower impedances, is going to have an issue with. I suspect will be the same with the Para.

I don't have the Para, I do have the Nan-7, the Venus and the Topping A90, (and the HE6SEV2) and it's way more than enough for any of these.

 

[renaudrenaud]

I think it is 8Ω. Moondrop are advertising it as easy to drive, running off their new portable CD player, that sort of thing... by the numbers it would actually need a lot of current but the Venus with RAA's measurements wasn't quite as hard to drive as the spec numbers either (spec sensitivity is 100dB/V @1kHz). My subjective experience with it as well, it's not as hard to drive as the spec suggests.




These are still hard to drive headphones but not to the level something like the A90, which is very powerful, and more powerful into lower impedances, is going to have an issue with. I suspect will be the same with the Para.

I don't have the Para, I do have the Nan-7, the Venus and the Topping A90, (and the HE6SEV2) and it's way more than enough for any of these.

Well, I have the Topping A90 in my office (at home, working 100% remote) and L70 in the living room. I've ordered the para one week ago, the Shenzhen Audio guy on the chat was very elusive about the stock... And waiting since. I think I will have to wait until the end of the month.

It will be my first planar and the first time I don't buy a model from AKG. Curiosity.

 

[sai]

Hope Shenzhen Audio has send a Moondrop PARA to @amirm and we will read the review this month.

I happen to have the Para (my personal unit) and here's the measurements for those interesed.

The excess in bass GD is likely due to pad bounce. I repeated the measurement and was returned with similar results.

This is a great example of how we think about measurement. I also observed that the frequency response curve of HIFIMAN Susvara also has a lot of sawtooth, which is very interesting. Maybe we need an enthusiastic member to send Susvara for testing?

Also, measurements for the Susvara (again, my personal unit):

Also, the NAN-7 with Susvara pads:

For those wondering how a 'normal' dynamic headphone's GD looks like on my rig, here's one example:

Hope you guys find the above measurements useful. Took me almost half my day off haha.

 

[renaudrenaud]

I happen to have the Para (my personal unit) and here's the measurements for those interesed.

View attachment 323124View attachment 323121


View attachment 323122
View attachment 323123

The excess in bass GD is likely due to pad bounce. I repeated the measurement and was returned with similar results.




Also, measurements for the Susvara (again, my personal unit):


View attachment 323125

View attachment 323127

View attachment 323128

View attachment 323129

Also, the NAN-7 with Susvara pads:

View attachment 323132

For those wondering how a 'normal' dynamic headphone's GD looks like on my rig, here's one example:

View attachment 323131

Hope you guys find the above measurements useful. Took me almost half my day off haha.

I perfectly know we are on ASR, so excuse me for the question, but do you like the Para?

 

[sai]

I perfectly know we are on ASR, so excuse me for the question, but do you like the Para?

First impressions aren't bad especially given the relatively low cost, though I personally find the upper treble a bit too much to take. Otherwise it's quite 'neutral' sounding. Given how individual perceptions of the treble can vary significantly, I suppose you have to listen for yourself to find out.

 

[renaudrenaud]

First impressions aren't bad especially given the relatively low cost, though I personally find the upper treble a bit too much to take. Otherwise it's quite 'neutral' sounding. Given how individual perceptions of the treble can vary significantly, I suppose you have to listen for yourself to find out.

Well, "relatively low cost" is certainly very subjective.

I never spent as much for a pair of headphones... But now I am getting old and it is maybe time to experiment something else than AKG brand.

 

[derKoekje]

Ordered these headphones and looking for a nice amp/dac to pair it with somewhere in the $200-400 range. Currently my main contender is the Fiio K7 BT and otherwise the Topping DX3 Pro+ but are there options I'm overlooking?

 

[Blorg]

Ordered these headphones and looking for a nice amp/dac to pair it with somewhere in the $200-400 range. Currently my main contender is the Fiio K7 BT and otherwise the Topping DX3 Pro+ but are there options I'm overlooking?

Fiio K7 is good and I think I tried the Nan-7 on it before I sold it. It should be enough.

The Nan-7 is low impedance so theoretically, picking something with best performance into 16Ω would be ideal.

Fiio K7 drops off below 32Ω, it has less power at 16Ω than 32Ω. Still does over 1.5W balanced which should be enough. DX3 Pro+ looks like it has slightly more but so little as it doesn't matter. It is doing that single ended. It has less at 32Ω though. May be worth considering something like the Topping L30II which is more powerful, it does 3.5W @16Ω. You'd need a DAC for that.

Measurements of FiiO K7 USBDAC/HeadphoneAmp - L7Audiolab

台式设备 作为国内在HiFi电子产品领域规模几乎是最大的厂商，FiiO的产品线横跨了从数播到小尾巴、台式机乃至于耳塞和线材。前阵子他们联系到我，给我寄来了当时即将上市的 FiiO K7 台式解码耳放，随着飞傲发布了这款产品，测量应该也到了解禁的时候

www.l7audiolab.com

Measurements of Topping DX3Pro+ DAC/HPAmp - L7Audiolab

台式设备 今天，拓品发布了DX3Pro的更新产品：DX3Pro+ 在一定程度上来说，这应该是由于AKM火灾事件影响下导致的“不得不”进行的改款。200美金左右的价位的一体机……拓品又能做成什么样？让我们来看看

www.l7audiolab.com

Measurements of Topping L30II HeadphoneAmp - L7Audiolab

台式设备 话说转眼间拓品L30作为拓品的拳头产品已经发布了两年多了。人年纪大了之后就会觉得日子变得特别快，我甚至感觉测L30还是在上个礼拜的事情…… 结果这两天我收到了L30的换代产品：Topping L30II 那么这个L30的后续产品能不能延续L30的辉煌呢？让我们拭目以待

www.l7audiolab.com

I'm running them mostly off a Topping A90.

This may all be a bit academic though as they sound good to me off a Qudelix 5K or BTR7 which are mobile/dongle devices. About as loud as I can listen on the Qudelix is 502mV, 18mW... so a bit off these other power numbers. As such I suspect just about any desktop amp will be fine. This is what the very low impedance and low sensitivity in db/mW suggests... but in practice they don't seem so difficult to drive. They are not like the HE6SEV2, for example, that's much harder, despite them both having similar quoted power sensitivity.

It's also an extremely well tuned headphone and needs minimal EQ. I leave the 1-3kHz recession alone, this is a feature in the frequency response of many high-end headphones including from Hifiman (virtually all) but also Sennheiser's higher end models (HD800S, HE-1) and I don't think it's a negative.

 

[derKoekje]

Fiio K7 is good and I think I tried the Nan-7 on it before I sold it. It should be enough.

The Nan-7 is low impedance so theoretically, picking something with best performance into 16Ω would be ideal.

Fiio K7 drops off below 32Ω, it has less power at 16Ω than 32Ω. Still does over 1.5W balanced which should be enough. DX3 Pro+ looks like it has slightly more but so little as it doesn't matter. It is doing that single ended. It has less at 32Ω though. May be worth considering something like the Topping L30II which is more powerful, it does 3.5W @16Ω. You'd need a DAC for that.

Measurements of FiiO K7 USBDAC/HeadphoneAmp - L7Audiolab

台式设备 作为国内在HiFi电子产品领域规模几乎是最大的厂商，FiiO的产品线横跨了从数播到小尾巴、台式机乃至于耳塞和线材。前阵子他们联系到我，给我寄来了当时即将上市的 FiiO K7 台式解码耳放，随着飞傲发布了这款产品，测量应该也到了解禁的时候

www.l7audiolab.com

Measurements of Topping DX3Pro+ DAC/HPAmp - L7Audiolab

台式设备 今天，拓品发布了DX3Pro的更新产品：DX3Pro+ 在一定程度上来说，这应该是由于AKM火灾事件影响下导致的“不得不”进行的改款。200美金左右的价位的一体机……拓品又能做成什么样？让我们来看看

www.l7audiolab.com

Measurements of Topping L30II HeadphoneAmp - L7Audiolab

台式设备 话说转眼间拓品L30作为拓品的拳头产品已经发布了两年多了。人年纪大了之后就会觉得日子变得特别快，我甚至感觉测L30还是在上个礼拜的事情…… 结果这两天我收到了L30的换代产品：Topping L30II 那么这个L30的后续产品能不能延续L30的辉煌呢？让我们拭目以待

www.l7audiolab.com

I'm running them mostly off a Topping A90.

This may all be a bit academic though as they sound good to me off a Qudelix 5K or BTR7 which are mobile/dongle devices. About as loud as I can listen on the Qudelix is 502mV, 18mW... so a bit off these other power numbers. As such I suspect just about any desktop amp will be fine. This is what the very low impedance and low sensitivity in db/mW suggests... but in practice they don't seem so difficult to drive. They are not like the HE6SEV2, for example, that's much harder, despite them both having similar quoted power sensitivity.

It's also an extremely well tuned headphone and needs minimal EQ. I leave the 1-3kHz recession alone, this is a feature in the frequency response of many high-end headphones including from Hifiman (virtually all) but also Sennheiser's higher end models (HD800S, HE-1) and I don't think it's a negative.

Thanks for the quick response! Very insightful. I had the chance to listen to these headphones through the rental program and was very impressed with them but going by the other reviews I felt the bass was slightly anemic relative to what was described. I was using the Fiio BTR7 and wasn't really maxing it out but I'm still wondering if a lack of peak power might be the reason.

I'll look into the L30 II.

 

[Blorg]

Thanks for the quick response! Very insightful. I had the chance to listen to these headphones through the rental program and was very impressed with them but going by the other reviews I felt the bass was slightly anemic relative to what was described. I was using the Fiio BTR7 and wasn't really maxing it out but I'm still wondering if a lack of peak power might be the reason.

I'll look into the L30 II.

You can EQ a little bass shelf on the BTR7, I do. Less on this than most headphones as it already has quite elevated bass for an open-back.

While this does have more bass before EQ than most open back headphones, and even a little hint of a rise, I don't feel they're particularly punchy or impactful in the bass, compared to something like a Focal Clear/Utopia, or LCD-X. They are more similar to Hifiman, of which I have several, up to the HE1000 Stealth- which would be my favourite all-rounder. I haven't heard the Susvara, but I don't believe it has a rep as a particularly punchy, hard hitting bass headphone either. So this isn't really a criticism of them, they do have very good bass but I just wouldn't expect to have that sort of impact. It's more rumble than punch, sub-bass over mid-bass focus.

 

[derKoekje]

You can EQ a little bass shelf on the BTR7, I do. Less on this than most headphones as it already has quite elevated bass for an open-back.

While this does have more bass before EQ than most open back headphones, and even a little hint of a rise, I don't feel they're particularly punchy or impactful in the bass, compared to something like a Focal Clear/Utopia, or LCD-X. They are more similar to Hifiman, of which I have several, up to the HE1000 Stealth- which would be my favourite all-rounder. I haven't heard the Susvara, but I don't believe it has a rep as a particularly punchy, hard hitting bass headphone either. So this isn't really a criticism of them, they do have very good bass but I just wouldn't expect to have that sort of impact. It's more rumble than punch, sub-bass over mid-bass focus.

Rumbly sub-bass is exactly what I'm after! I just wanted to make sure it's not the dac/amp. The BTR7 is nifty but it's a little portable thing after all, and these headphones aren't the most efficient. Do you notice any differences going from the portable ones to something more powerful like your A90? And how are you liking these headphones?

 

[Blorg]

Rumbly sub-bass is exactly what I'm after! I just wanted to make sure it's not the dac/amp. The BTR7 is nifty but it's a little portable thing after all, and these headphones aren't the most efficient. Do you notice any differences going from the portable ones to something more powerful like your A90? And how are you liking these headphones?

At my comfortable max listening level, which is around 85dB average (A-weighted, measured with a handheld SPL meter)... difficult to really tell much difference. I'm not sure the Qudelix or BTR7 is really limiting them. If there is a difference, it's not glaringly obvious. I do generally listen to them on the A90 though, I just tried now to see.

 

[JeffJ]

Thanks for the quick response! Very insightful. I had the chance to listen to these headphones through the rental program and was very impressed with them but going by the other reviews I felt the bass was slightly anemic relative to what was described. I was using the Fiio BTR7 and wasn't really maxing it out but I'm still wondering if a lack of peak power might be the reason.

I'll look into the L30 II.

I've tried nan7 with L30ii. L30ii certainly can drive nan7 to ear bleeding level, but the sound is very dry and sterile. Maybe try nan7 with something less "clinical".