What makes planar headphones better than dynamic?

[john5220]

heard open back planar for $200 has bass like the best closed back is this true?

what does planar sound like and how much amp power does it need?

How exactly is HE4XX better than HD58X? and which headphone would benefit a lot more with an AMP like liquid spark or atom along with a D30 Topping?
What does the HE4XX sound like compared to the HD600 and 58x sennheisers etc?
Is HE4XX good for electronic space ambient music etc? better at it than HD58x?

 

[pozz]

It would really be worth your while to read up on headphone design and measurements. You'll be able to sift through the mass of opinions and hearsay more easily that way.

Headphones aren't really my thing so there's a limit to what I can offer. Nonetheless:

1. Ignore price. It's not a good indicator other than to define your budget.
2. Closed back circumaural headphones will have better bass response because, with a good seal, they form a pressure chamber. Open back headphones are inherently leaky.
3. There are no sound signature differences between driver types in themselves, other than if you're looking them through an analyzer. The basic audible differences are due to shape, the way they sit on your head, and regular characteristics like FR.
4. A good transducer will reproduce everything well. Don't judge headphones or speakers on the basis of their fit for particular kinds of music. I guess the only caveat here is the open back headphones will tend to create a bigger soundstage.
5. Power requirements are determined by the current drawn and impedance of the drivers (the load).
6. Sorry but "better" is a useless term unless you define what you're looking for. If you mean a better listening experience, I would say no, but then I judge better on the basis of #4. I'm not looking for a bass-heavy spectral tilt or anything else.

 

[john5220]

Thanks well said

 

[solderdude]

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/dynamic-driver-vs-planar-magnetic.9028/

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...y-low-tier-or-just-outdated.9481/#post-250950

Try to use the search function in the forum.
Consider that most questions already have been asked and answerred/debated/covered.

 

[pozz]

Solderdude's website is excellent for all things headphones: https://diyaudioheaven.wordpress.com/

 

[Jimbob54]

Forget about "better" and only think about "different". The HE4XX are a very enjoyable listen, got my toe tapping. I've not heard the HD 58X but do enjoy the HD 600. Very different beasts though. I would say the HE4XX will give you more bass than the Senns all other things being equal but does not mean they are "better" or more preferable across a variety of music styles. If your wallet can afford both, go for it. But don't let the upgrade/ improve bug bite you too hard. there is no limit to either the amount you could spend or the amount of 'phones and amps you could buy and always get a "different" experience.

Basically. enjoy your music on what you have and maybe treat yourself to something new occasionally.

 

[fuzzyqoute]

Never understood the Planar/electrostatic hype. When the ER4XR and HD600 to allot of people will be fantastic or endgame worthy headphones. There nothing wrong with DD & BA's since implementation matters way more, I find the Stax hype almost meme worthy in a annoying way.

 

[badboygolf16v]

I've has ER4SR and HD650 and there is no question that the bass on my HE 560 and ESP 95/X is better. Less distortion, flatter response.

 

[riker1384]

Here's one thing I've wondered. All the top quality headphones are open-back. But there's a difference between the dynamics and planars. The dynamics I've seen such as the big Senns, in addition to being open-backed, are open-baffle. That is, there are mesh screens that allow sound to travel around the sides of the driver. This makes them equivalent to an open-baffle dipole speaker. This causes cancellation between the out-of-phase sounds from the front and back of the driver, and if I'm not mistaken it is the reason why all the open dynamics roll off in the bass.

The planars, on the other hand, aren't open-baffle. The driver goes across the whole earcup, so the inside of the headphone is sealed from the outside world. This allows them to have flat bass response down to the subsonic region. They're basically the equivalent of an infinite-baffle speaker.

I'm wondering, why is this? If planars can be closed-baffle, why aren't any dynamics built like this, with an open back but a closed baffle. I would think you could get much better bass that way. By enclosing the headphone's inside air space, you're probably going to cause some resonances of that air space, but planars do that and a lot of people are happy with planars. So why doesn't anyone do that with a dynamic driver?