[Novercalis]

Hi there, newbie here. I currently have a pair of Audio Technica M50’s and they have served me very well. They are, however, getting a little old now, so I’ve decided to try something new. Planars have caught my interest, especially the Modhouse Argon Mk3 and Monoprice M1060c thanks to their excellent reviews and (very) roughly similar price point. Has anyone here listened to both? How do they stack up against each other?

 

[7keys]

I went for the Argons myself. I ordered them July 2nd, there was a wait time of 9 weeks then and now I think it'should 15. I did try the open Alphas and was so impressed with that t50rp mod that I went with the Argons. The Open Alphas are a DIY project that I am not up to tackling so I hope the Alphas live up to the hype.

By the reviews of both the headphones you're debating buying they both have great reviews...............flip a coin.

The wait time for Argons is now about five months.

 

[filo9s]

Also, please remember that argons are based upon the fostex T50rp, so you'll need a very very powerful amp to make them shine.
At least a Matrix M stage HPA3B, better the AudioGD NFB 1-AMP. If you don't have one of these or something else capable of outputting at least 4W, don't even consider argons.

 

[kukkurovaca]

I think that might be overstating the power requirements, but T50 based headphones are more power-hungry than most; you wouldn't want to run them straight out of a phone.

 

[Novercalis]

@7keys: Heh, yes I'm really torn between either. The Argons do have that exclusivity factor going for them though.

@filo9s: I have been doing some research, and can see myself getting an Emotiva A100 or maybe something smaller but with sufficient kick (an Aune perhaps) regardless of whichever I choose. That paired with my little ODAC standalone.. should be just about sufficient?

@kukkurovaca: Yes, definitely don’t plan on doing that. I currently have an o2 amp with a standalone odac. As mentioned above, I plan on complementing that setup with something beefier

 

[kukkurovaca]

@7keys: Heh, yes I'm really torn between either. The Argons do have that exclusivity factor going for them though.

@filo9s: I have been doing some research, and can see myself getting an Emotiva A100 or maybe something smaller but with sufficient kick (an Aune perhaps) regardless of whichever I choose. That paired with my little ODAC standalone.. should be just about sufficient?

@kukkurovaca: Yes, definitely don’t plan on doing that. I currently have an o2 amp with a standalone odac. As mentioned above, I plan on complementing that setup with something beefier

The o2 has more power than what I usually listen to my Argons on. : )

 

[filo9s]

@7keys: Heh, yes I'm really torn between either. The Argons do have that exclusivity factor going for them though.

@filo9s: I have been doing some research, and can see myself getting an Emotiva A100 or maybe something smaller but with sufficient kick (an Aune perhaps) regardless of whichever I choose. That paired with my little ODAC standalone.. should be just about sufficient?

@kukkurovaca: Yes, definitely don’t plan on doing that. I currently have an o2 amp with a standalone odac. As mentioned above, I plan on complementing that setup with something beefier

emotiva A100 is perfect for these headphones, after removing the protection jumper inside the headamp board, you have enough power to even blow up the argons and your ears as the 1/4" outlet is directly connected to the speaker taps.

The o2 has more power than what I usually listen to my Argons on. : )

well of course they will sound and will sound loud, but if you have a more powerful amp like an audioGD NFB 1 amp, they will sound totally different trust me
the really minimum is 2.5W / 3W to sound good.

 

[7keys]

I bought the Cayin C5 for the Argons, throws a great 3d like soundstage, gobs of power for planars deep bass and great price.

 

[NemoReborn]

The o2 has more power than what I usually listen to my Argons on. : )

o2 can make them put out some good sound ... but thats nothing compared to a-100 with argon ..

 

[HiFiRebel]

I faced the same dilemma some time ago. Went for Argon Mk3 + Emotiva A100 combo. Can't really compare directly with 1060c, but I don't regret my choice