[Jman841]

I never have to turn the volume any louder than 11 o'clock. For the majority of music and videos 9-10 o'clock is loud enough. This applies to all my headphones.

What is the Amp? the K5 Pro has 3 gain settings.

 

[Mink]

A simple, supposed under powered TEAC UD-301 Dac/amp. But even my iPhone SE can drive the Avantones pretty well, without having to max the volume.
That said, I am thinking of buying a new amp. I have/had casually set my mind on a Schiit Asgard 3 for over half a year already, but the damn thing remains out of stock in Europe...

 

[Jman841]

So I found the measurements someone took and used them to add some EQ. These roll off very heavily in the treble after the 4k peak, For EQ, I added a bass shelf at 166 hz of 3 db, added 6 db at 9k with a Q of 1 and added 5 DB at 16k with a Q of 1.41. Pre-Amp set at -6 db to prevent clipping.

I am no means a pro at EQ, but wow, it really brought out a lot more detail and balance, especially to Tool. The cymbal hits are very crisp and clear now where they were faded to the back before.

 

[Heldaeus]

So I found the measurements someone took and used them to add some EQ. These roll off very heavily in the treble after the 4k peak, For EQ, I added a bass shelf at 166 hz of 3 db, added 6 db at 9k with a Q of 1 and added 5 DB at 16k with a Q of 1.41. Pre-Amp set at -6 db to prevent clipping.

I am no means a pro at EQ, but wow, it really brought out a lot more detail and balance, especially to Tool. The cymbal hits are very crisp and clear now where they were faded to the back before.

I recommend using MathEQ if you’re using Foobar2000.

 

[Jman841]

I recommend using MathEQ if you’re using Foobar2000.

I'm using Peace EQ

 

[Heldaeus]

I'm using Peace EQ

Does it have a sine wave sweep generator? I'm familiar with EqualizerAPO and Peace EQ is a GUI add-on of EQAPO right?

 

[Jman841]

Does it have a sine wave sweep generator? I'm familiar with EqualizerAPO and Peace EQ is a GUI add-on of EQAPO right?

Yes to both, it's the GUI for EqualizerAPO and allows you to run a frequency sweet in the "Test" section.

 

[Heldaeus]

Yes to both, it's the GUI for EqualizerAPO and allows you to run a frequency sweet in the "Test" section.

Nice. So how does the sine wave sound now after your EQ?

 

[HardstyleLoco96]

So I found the measurements someone took and used them to add some EQ. These roll off very heavily in the treble after the 4k peak, For EQ, I added a bass shelf at 166 hz of 3 db, added 6 db at 9k with a Q of 1 and added 5 DB at 16k with a Q of 1.41. Pre-Amp set at -6 db to prevent clipping.

I am no means a pro at EQ, but wow, it really brought out a lot more detail and balance, especially to Tool. The cymbal hits are very crisp and clear now where they were faded to the back before.

I am trying out the EQ setting you've metioned on UAPP Toneboosters parametric eq and I have to admit. The Planars do sound extremely nice with this EQ. I still think I'd use no EQ here and there, but yes, I am hearing more detail and the treble does get a nice boost of energy without being fatiguing or piercing. Very very nice indeed

Edit. I decided to change the low shelf from 166hz back to 80hz. Yes the low end was nice but I felt mid and sub bass starting to merge on some more heavier bass songs. I personally prefer the low shelf at 80hz as it increases and fixes the sub bass roll off but also helps the low end stay neutral and well separated from the mids .

 

[Heldaeus]

Here is my EQ:

Preamp: -10.50 dB
Band 1: Peak | 30 Hz | +10 dB | Q 3.5
Band 2: Peak | 1300 Hz | -5 dB | Q 7.5
Band 3: Peak | 1300 Hz | -2 dB | Q 1
Band 4: High Shelf | 8000 Hz | +5 dB | Q 0.5

It sounds so clean to me but your mileage may vary. I didn't put a lot of effort into the treble frequencies, mainly I focused on the sub-bass and midrange. Mask Off by Future benefits a lot from the sub-bass compensation, that song is supposed to sound like you're next to a sub-woofer. Mid-bass-wise, the Planar fairs well on its own but some songs call for punch below 50 Hz and this EQ delivers without bloating the frequencies above.

EDIT: I changed the Q-factor on band one from 2.75 to 3.5 to avoid bloat in the mid-bass.

 

[smorgar]

I was thinking of changing the washers with a plastic one like teflon or something to get rid of the noise. But to my surprise when i removed the screw: plastic washer (of some sort). While at it i put some super lube on it and now its noise less and very smooth: https://www.super-lube.com/multi-purpose-synthetic-grease-with-syncolon-ptfe-21014

And i also used some double sided weak tape to put a Sennheiser HD555 head band padding on the Avantones:

The HD555 strap is perfect. The fabric is very close to the pads fabric.
I also removed the sleeve from the double sided cable but it looks like the single sided one so nothing new to show there.

 

[Jman841]

Does anyone else's ears touch the drivers? At first I didn't notice it much but now that I wear them more it's getting a sore spot on the outside of my ear where it touches.

I know metal is all the coolness with "premium" headphones, but I would be much happier if these drivers were in an HD 5X0 style headphone. Those are so light and comfortable I can wear them all day without thinking about it.

 

[Heldaeus]

Does anyone else's ears touch the drivers? At first I didn't notice it much but now that I wear them more it's getting a sore spot on the outside of my ear where it touches.

I know metal is all the coolness with "premium" headphones, but I would be much happier if these drivers were in an HD 5X0 style headphone. Those are so light and comfortable I can wear them all day without thinking about it.

Sometimes my ears touch, I used to have this problem when I first started wearing them but now I’ve found the most comfortable position for my ears.

 

[WyldRage]

I've received the Avantone Planar thursday, so it's time for some first impressions:

- COMFORT: it is quite comfortable, but heavy. The pads are well proportioned and my ears fit inside with a lot of room to work with. There is a bump in the headstrap, but I simply don't feel it (my hair does serve as additional padding, so your results may vary if you are shaven). I can wear it easily for a couple of hours, but have that the weight starts to get irritating.

- BUILD QUALITY: it's nice, but it is creaking when you handle it. It is something that worries me a bit on the long term.

- FREQUENCY RESPONSE: seems neutral, with maybe a slight emphasis on the vocals and a slight sub-bass roll-off that is unavoidable for open headphones IMHO. Very well done here. Of course, this is a subjective evaluation: I don't have a test rig.

- BASS: is there and in very good quality, but the Avantone Planar roll-off in the sub-bass, which I believe is unavoidable in open headphones, especially with Velour/Cloth earpads. I can detect the Bass guitars and hear the bass guitar strings, th same way I can with the Ollo S4X, but the Ollo simply extends more on that part of the frequency response.

- MIDRANGE: it seems like there is a slight emphasis on vocals, but it is slight.

- TREBLE: seems natural and well extended. Definitely not the boosted treble on several HIFIMAN headphones.

- PRESENTATION: the Avantone planar have a airy presentation fitting an open headphones, and the soundstage seems wide enough and precise (I can pinpoint the instruments), though maybe not at the same level as the KOSS ESP/95x (I will do A/B listening later).

- INSTRUMENT SEPARATION: very well done. The planar handles complex passages very well (depending on the source quality of course).

- ATTACK AND DECAY: the drums have good slam and air pressure, less than some Dynamic headphones, but well done for planars. The guitar strings are precise, and their decay is very well-sustained. The droning at the end of LED ZEPPELIN - Friends never sounded better on my other headphones.

All-in-all, I believe we have a keeper here! The "Reference-grade" moniker seems well deserved on first impressions, though time will tell. I would say they are neutral, natural-sounding and revealing headphones. The one thing I would recommend to Avantone: make some leather/hybrids pads for these to help with the sub-bass roll-off.

I will be trying them against my other headphones soon, so stay tuned.

 

[Heldaeus]

UPDATE:

Preamp: -10.50 dB
Band 1: Peak | 30 Hz | +10 dB | Q 3
Band 2: Peak | 1300 Hz | -5 dB | Q 7.5
Band 3: Peak | 1300 Hz | -2 dB | Q 1
Band 4: Peak | 3900 Hz | +4 dB | Q 7
Band 5: High Shelf | 8000 Hz | +4 dB | Q 0.5