Though there are a growing number
of planar magnetic headphones in its price range, the PM - 3 are more functional in everyday environments than many other options.
While this is sort of a necessary evil
with planar magnetic headphones, it can be a bit jarring to first - time buyers, especially if you saw the cans on Amazon and thought they'd be a lot like the dynamic cans you're used to.
Having made their name
in planar magnetic headphones, HiFiMan tried their hand at some headphones with dynamic speakers: and the results are really good.
Monoprice Monolith M565 — Our panelists thought the sound of this relatively
small planar magnetic headphone beat out the more expensive M1060, but all considered the sound of our top pick clearer and more natural.
Oppo's high - end Blu - ray players have set a new bar for both audio and video performance, and the company's transition into the advanced field of
planar magnetic headphones last year has put it in some rarified company, competing well with the likes of Audeze, HiFiMan, and others.
Available in both open and closed - back versions, the EL - 8 are the company's most portable and
affordable planar magnetic headphones yet, and represent a turn of sorts for the company.
According to HiFiMAN Founder and President, Dr. Fang Bian, «For many years now, HiFiMAN has
created planar magnetic headphones that have sounded quite good and the company has developed a strong following.
That's because where
most planar magnetic headphones are open - backed — a design that allows the sound to «breathe» a bit more, but also sacrifices passive noise isolation — the PM - 3 are closed - back, allowing you to more effectively drown out the world when you're on a noisy train or at the office.
But, just as with OLED, there are only a select few suppliers of
good planar magnetic headphones: the US - based boutiques of Audeze and MrSpeakers are my two favorites, followed closely by Chinese rivals Oppo and Hifiman.
The release of these cans levels a shot across the bow of
planar magnetic headphones up to $ 1,200, as they can go toe to toe with anything in that segment of the market for $ 299.99.
For those who find Tidal Force's Wave 5 to be a bit underwhelming, then you might be better served by saving a bit more and spending the extra $ 100 for Oppo's PM - 3
planar magnetic headphones instead.
Sure, they're not going to make you forget HiFiMan's more
serious planar magnetic headphones like the HE1000, but you're not exactly going to be taking those out on the subway are you?
Unlike traditional headphones and speakers that use dynamic drivers to create sound,
planar magnetic headphones use an extremely thin and light diaphragm to reproduce sound.
Like Oppo, whose PM - 3 over-ears also make our best - of list, Audeze has helped
push planar magnetic headphone tech by leaps and bounds in recent years, letting you take a highly sophisticated mechanism out of the audio lab and into the real world, and the Sine are the company's tour de force on this front.
While certainly not the most expensive headphones on the market, Oppo's $ 699 PM - 2
planar magnetic headphones still represent a significant financial investment.
This wide and flat layered construction makes
planar magnetic headphones larger in diameter than most full - sized dynamic headphones, but somewhat «thinner» in the cups.
Generally,
planar magnetic headphones start at around a thousand dollars and go up to several thousand, but many manufacturers have made budget sets below $ 500 that compete with premium dynamic sets.
The introduction of the new
OPPO planar magnetic headphones is a result of many years of research and development led by a team of passionate audio and acoustics engineers, chemical and material scientists, and audiophiles.
We have teamed up with the innovative folks at Final to bring an exciting competition with the chance to win a fantastic pair of
D8000 planar magnetic headphones.
In order to allow more people to enjoy the benefit of OPPO's
planar magnetic headphone technologies, OPPO will release a PM - 2 model which is the more affordable version of the premium PM - 1.
Color is often seen as profanity in the occasionally snobby world of audiophilia, but compared to the sometimes (for lack of a better word) sterile sound that can plague balanced armatures and
even planar magnetic headphones, the NightHawk bring an intriguing change - up.
I first met Fang Bian (now Dr Fang Bian), the founder and President of HiFiMAN, a number of years ago and our interactions at the time centred on the firm's early - generation HE -
5LE planar magnetic headphones.
However, the company's
massive planar magnetic headphones, such as the LCD - 3, are well known not only for their vivid sound and achingly accurate instrumental reproduction, but also for being a bit cumbersome — not to mention prohibitively expensive for the average listener.
Say hello to the new EL - 8 Titanium, an exciting new iteration on the company's already
revered planar magnetic headphones which includes a new Apple Lightning connected headphone cable, with a digital audio converter (DAC) and headphone amplifier built right in.