[Surf Monkey]

New driver and collaboration on tuning with Crinacle. It's released on their sister brand to further differentiate from 7Hz lineup and their Timeless.

Nobody knows whether any of this equates to be 'better' performance than Timeless.


I have a feeling the subbass will be very palpable as planar, if given the space, can produce good flex with good implementation. The tuning makes me think they are not prioritising 'slam' / impact of the midbass and instead a cleaner low midrange with subbass for atmosphere. The whole sig suggests atmosphere has been prioritised with its deep subbass, extended high frequency and controlled pinna.

7hz seems really intent on cornering the planar market. Makes sense. They need to build on the wild success of the Timeless. And this time it has to be significantly better sounding because there’s already plenty of competition in the space Timeless occupies now.

 

[samandhi]

7hz seems really intent on cornering the planar market. Makes sense. They need to build on the wild success of the Timeless. And this time it has to be significantly better sounding because there’s already plenty of competition in the space Timeless occupies now.

Soon, the market will be flooded with "planar" IEMs. It will start getting difficult weeding out the crap from the good stuff. I suppose this could be a good problem to have (depending on how one looks at it)?!

 

[ian91]

7hz seems really intent on cornering the planar market. Makes sense. They need to build on the wild success of the Timeless. And this time it has to be significantly better sounding because there’s already plenty of competition in the space Timeless occupies now.

Thing is, 7Hz have in-house planar driver development going on. I'm not aware of any other competing company developing their own planar drivers or iterating on their own tech. If there are others, they are not open about it at least.

7Hz seem ahead of the curve and their pipeline will ensure that remains the case (if they turn out to be decent sounding!).

 

[samandhi]

Thing is, 7Hz have in-house planar driver development going on. I'm not aware of any other competing company developing their own planar drivers or iterating on their own tech. If there are others, they are not open about it at least.

7Hz seem ahead of the curve and their pipeline will ensure that remains the case (if they turn out to be decent sounding!).

I DO hope they have some competition though (the quality type, not the copying type), because that can only be good for us (the consumer). And I am glad that 7Hz is putting research into it, rather than just reiterate (I'm looking at you Tinhifi)...

My wallet hates it, but my ears love it. <drops keyboard>

 

[ian91]

Soon, the market will be flooded with "planar" IEMs. It will start getting difficult weeding out the crap from the good stuff. I suppose this could be a good problem to have (depending on how one looks at it)?!

It's the same with all new tech but we see it sped up and amplified in ChiFi. The hobby moves with such pace and there's a dynamic between manufacturer(s) and market that encourages experimentation. Some sets will be successful and enduring, others die before they even become a part of the collective conscious. I think its quite fun, we can watch the landscape and the frontier of the hobby change infront of our eyes.

 

[Surf Monkey]

Soon, the market will be flooded with "planar" IEMs. It will start getting difficult weeding out the crap from the good stuff. I suppose this could be a good problem to have (depending on how one looks at it)?!

Depends on implementation. Ideally we’ll see a range of options of varying quality. Personally I’d like to see more planar hybrids like the Hook-X. Maybe jam a dynamic, a planar and a couple EST’s in and see how that sounds.

 

[Surf Monkey]

Thing is, 7Hz have in-house planar driver development going on. I'm not aware of any other competing company developing their own planar drivers or iterating on their own tech. If there are others, they are not open about it at least.

7Hz seem ahead of the curve and their pipeline will ensure that remains the case (if they turn out to be decent sounding!).

Exactly. Unless others are developing in-house 7hz should have a big advantage.

 

[JdeFalconr]

How analogous are planar IEMs to full-size headphones? I love my M1570's and if I had that sound - or even the technicalities - in an IEM that would be gold.

 

[samandhi]

How analogous are planar IEMs to full-size headphones? I love my M1570's and if I had that sound - or even the technicalities - in an IEM that would be gold.

Well, planar were a thing in headphones before they were in IEMs. Though with the Tinhifi P1 (OG), then the Timeless, they have garnered recognition from the consumer that they are worth investing in. Bottom line is that they are getting there.

Though I would put the timeless and/or the P1 at higher levels than some planar headphones (especially in price/performance ratio) IMHO.

 

[Surf Monkey]

How analogous are planar IEMs to full-size headphones? I love my M1570's and if I had that sound - or even the technicalities - in an IEM that would be gold.

Rough comparison. First you have the massive inherent differences between over ear headphones and in ear monitors. Then add the fairly significant differences between dynamic and planar into the mix and you may be too far down the road to compare the two anymore.

I’d characterize it like this: planar and dynamic drivers sound very different. Both are capable of wide frequency ranges and good to excellent technicalities. Bass is probably the biggest difference. In a dynamic the bass tends to have more weight and impact. In a planar it tends to have less weight but more detail. Another factor to consider is that planar in IEMs is still a relatively new and exotic technology. Dynamic drivers have been around for nearly a century.

I’d advise listening to a planar IEM first. It won’t sound like over ear phones, but you may find it sounds different in a good way. I certainly do.

 

[samandhi]

Rough comparison. First you have the massive inherent differences between over ear headphones and in ear monitors. Then add the fairly significant differences between dynamic and planar into the mix and you may be too far down the read to compare the two anymore.

I’d characterize it like this: planar and dynamic drivers sound very different. Both are capable of wide frequency ranges and good to excellent technicalities. Bass is probably the biggest difference. In a dynamic the bass tends to have more weight and impact. In a planar it tends to have less weight but more detail. Another factor to consider is that planar in IEMs is still a relatively new and exotic technology. Dynamic drivers have been around for nearly a century.

I’d advise listening to a planar IEM first. It won’t sound like over ear phones, but you may find it sounds different in a good way. I certainly do.

That's a great way to put it!

Also planar are way more capable (especially in the treble region) of instrument separation. DD struggle with separation in comparison. Generally, planars can be capable of a cleaner sound than DD.

 

[mobbaddict]

How analogous are planar IEMs to full-size headphones? I love my M1570's and if I had that sound - or even the technicalities - in an IEM that would be gold.

If you have a full-size planar that you enjoy listening at home, planar iems are the way to go outside IMO. They share the same full-bodied, smooth yet airy, fast sound. You just have to know what to expect from IEMs in terms of soundstage, bass impact, etc. You may find the presentation a bit more clinical because of that.

 

[voicemaster]

It looks as though these are going to be pretty dark. The bass looks like it is tuned much like the CCA CRA (for instance), and I can say that they DO have some slam, AND reach really low. Bassheads should love them though IMHO:

Spoiler: CCA CRA graph

But DD and planar bass is different since planar driver doesn't move alot of air like DD does. It can reach low but the impact may not be the same as DD.

 

[Mouseman]

Depends on implementation. Ideally we’ll see a range of options of varying quality. Personally I’d like to see more planar hybrids like the Hook-X. Maybe jam a dynamic, a planar and a couple EST’s in and see how that sounds.

Sounds like you should be checking out IMR Acoustics...
Imagine a planar, dynamic and a bone conduction motor.

 

[JdeFalconr]

Thanks everybody, appreciate the responses and the info. The M1570 is indeed a planar full-size. I definitely want to hear a Timeless for myself now. I'll just have to keep my eyes out for a sale.