Avantone : Pro Planar
Nov 21, 2020 at 1:17 PM Post #361 of 1,492
Listening to Yosi Horikawa's Album "Spaces" on these is truly impressive. Not only is the detail, speed, and clarity excellent, the timbre is dead on.This is the one thing that the Avantone Planar does better than the Sundara in my opinion, the timbre is very natural and realistic. The Sundara's timbre sounds a bit artificial in comparison.
 
Nov 21, 2020 at 1:18 PM Post #362 of 1,492
Overall comfort is very good, the ear pads and clamp force are excellent. But they are a tad too heavy. If only they made some of the parts in high quality plastic, it would have made a great difference.
 
Nov 21, 2020 at 1:21 PM Post #363 of 1,492
Overall comfort is very good, the ear pads and clamp force are excellent. But they are a tad too heavy. If only they made some of the parts in high quality plastic, it would have made a great difference.

I agree, If the earcups were a bit deeper to not touch my ears and if it was constructed similar to a Sennheiser HD 6X0 or 5X0 headphone, this would be a clear winner. Unfortunately, I don't think I'm going to keep them as I can't wear them for long periods of time without my ears having a sore spot and noticing the heavy weight. I love the sound though.
 
Nov 21, 2020 at 1:47 PM Post #364 of 1,492
I've only had them on my head for a few days altogether. They mostly rest on my wall these days. These are too squeaky and cumbersome to wear. User sound preference aside, I believe there are far better options out there in this price range. They sound decent, but good sounding cans are dime a dozen nowadays, so nothing special in the sound department. The more headphones I own, the more I can view them objectively, and the less I get attached to any particular set, which reduces the chance of introducing bias or overhyping them to justify my purchase or for the sake of defending a product. With that being said, I'm glad most of you are enjoying your Avantone Planars. Nothing more satisfying than getting your money's worth.
 
Nov 21, 2020 at 1:50 PM Post #365 of 1,492
I've only had them on my head for a few days altogether. They mostly rest on my wall these days. These are too squeaky and cumbersome to wear. User sound preference aside, I believe there are far better options out there in this price range. They sound decent, but good sounding cans are dime a dozen nowadays, so nothing special in the sound department. The more headphones I own, the more I can view them objectively, and the less I get attached to any particular set, which reduces the chance of introducing bias or overhyping them to justify my purchase or for the sake of defending a product. With that being said, I'm glad most of you are enjoying your Avantone Planars. Nothing more satisfying than getting your money's worth.

What's your top pick in the Sub $500 price range? I have tested quite a few and do think the Planar's sound "better" than most other options, with the only direct competitor being the Hifiman Sundara, but totally agree that they are not comfortable.
 
Nov 21, 2020 at 1:57 PM Post #366 of 1,492
I've only had them on my head for a few days altogether. They mostly rest on my wall these days. These are too squeaky and cumbersome to wear. User sound preference aside, I believe there are far better options out there in this price range. They sound decent, but good sounding cans are dime a dozen nowadays, so nothing special in the sound department. The more headphones I own, the more I can view them objectively, and the less I get attached to any particular set, which reduces the chance of introducing bias or overhyping them to justify my purchase or for the sake of defending a product. With that being said, I'm glad most of you are enjoying your Avantone Planars. Nothing more satisfying than getting your money's worth.
Mine are not squeaky at all, when worn they are dead quiet, save for the cable that occasionally can be microphonic.
Sound quality is excellent, but overall not exceptional for the price I paid. People complain about the Fidelio X3s being priced too high in relation with their performance.I don't agree, but if this would be true then the same could be said about these Avantones. True, they resolve like crazy and appear to have the most neutral tonality I ever heard, but for sheer musical enjoyment they are not the best pair I own.
 
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Nov 21, 2020 at 2:00 PM Post #367 of 1,492
What's your top pick in the Sub $500 price range? I have tested quite a few and do think the Planar's sound "better" than most other options, with the only direct competitor being the Hifiman Sundara, but totally agree that they are not comfortable.

That's why I said sound preference aside. Comfort is number one priority for me. If I can't comfortably wear a headphone for a prolonged period, they detract from its primary function, which is to enjoy listening to music. Nothing else matter at that point. I don't listen to music in short bursts just to wow myself and glamor over the technicalities. I have to enjoy the overall experience. Personally, I'll take the Sundara over these, if anything for comfort reason. I'm just not a big fan of HFM for their arbitrary pricing strategy and their build quality.
 
Nov 21, 2020 at 2:11 PM Post #368 of 1,492
That's why I said sound preference aside. Comfort is number one priority for me. If I can't comfortably wear a headphone for a prolonged period, they detract from its primary function, which is to enjoy listening to music. Nothing else matter at that point. I don't listen to music in short bursts just to wow myself and glamor over the technicalities. I have to enjoy the overall experience. Personally, I'll take the Sundara over these, if anything for comfort reason. I'm just not a big fan of HFM for their arbitrary pricing strategy and their build quality.

Right, so which headphone that you own do you use the most?
 
Nov 21, 2020 at 2:11 PM Post #369 of 1,492
Mine are not squeaky at all, when worn they are dead quiet, save for the cable that occasionally can be microphonic.
Sound quality is excellent, but overall not exceptional for the price I paid. People complain about the Fidelio X3s being priced too high in relation with their performance.I don't agree, but if this would be true then the same could be said about these Avantones. True, they resolve like crazy and appear to have the most neutral tonality I ever heard, but for sheer musical enjoyment they are not the best pair I own.

I actually don't mind the sound signature of the X3s, and even enjoy its intense presentation. They're fun for sure. I just don't wear them much purely because of the sibilance in the treble region. I know this is not an issue for most people, but they literally hurt my ears. I'm not arguing Avantone's are bad sounding cans. Far from that. I'm just saying its design and build is utter crap and that's reason enough for me to steer away from them. I just picked up a Sony Z7M2's, and those are superb in its fit, finish, and design.
 
Nov 21, 2020 at 2:14 PM Post #370 of 1,492
Right, so which headphone that you own do you use the most?

Beyer T1.2 and HD 650 w/ Dekoni pads. And from a heavyweight, ZMF Verite Open. Surprisingly comfortable for a can that weighs >450g. And lately, Sony Z7M2.
 
Nov 21, 2020 at 8:51 PM Post #372 of 1,492
I've never had any issues with the Planar, no creakiness, no discomfort, nothing. As for sound, I feel they are easily the best headphone of 2020 for price to performance. I've owned many, and truthfully only a few I rate in the same class as the Planars, and those headphones do cost much more. I do feel after burn in, the low end increases and becomes cleaner and tighter while treble gains a touch more energy. Trying it with my SMSL M500 and Elemental Sherlock damn, the more power you give these especially if the sources are very good, the Planar scales a lot.
 
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Nov 23, 2020 at 4:51 AM Post #373 of 1,492
I just noticed my right side started to creak again. Turns out the screw had unscrewed like 2 turns. I have used them quite a lot by my computer during the weekend but i fixed it on like Friday and now its loose again...
The creaking comes from the screw getting loose and the metal scrapes against metal.
I'll try some "gängtejp" to see if i can get the screw to stay in place for more than a day. (i think "gängtejp" called "thread tape" in English but I'm note sure)
 
Nov 23, 2020 at 11:35 AM Post #374 of 1,492
Okay. Problem solved regarding the unscrewing and creaking. The unscrewing i figured was because when i take off my headphones, some times i do that with one hand and the give from side to side (swivel) in the cups then tilts the construction and "grips" the screw and it turns 1-2mm. Over time 1-2mm becomes 10-20mm etc and then the screw is again loose.

I fixed this by installing small rubber pieces as you can see below. Material used is a card holder with adhesive back:
PXL_20201123_160716528.jpgPXL_20201123_160921548.jpgPXL_20201123_160927228.jpgPXL_20201123_161053243.jpg
No more tilt, no more creak. They swivel very smooth and soft with no sound or other odd features. The construction now feels much more stable.
I was thinking of taking mouse feet from old mouse since they are made of teflon and are made to glide. I regretted this solution since i don't want to ruin a mouse in the collection... Have a ton of those card holders from some convention, very handy to build with. I also cut the parts sticking out a bit too much but that was after the pictures were taken.

Avantone: You know where to find me if you want advice on future design/builds :wink:
 

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