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Help with a new planar
Mar 9, 2022 at 6:59 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 20
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BTDSQ

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I know there are threads all around about this but I couldn't find them, so I started a new one.

I have the Hifiman Sundara right now but only for a short time. They're my first planar. I know now that I really like planars. I really like the Sundara a lot. However I find the bass to be a bit light and the mids and treble to be a bit shouty. The shoutiness probably bothers me the most. The sound stage and sense of space isn't great. Again, I do like them I just want some input from the experienced people out there.
Is there a planar magnetic at or below say $800 that might take care of those things out of the box? I'd rather not eq at this point but will if have to. Until I get a proper desktop amp/DAC I'm just using the ifi Hipdac. This powers the Sundaras with no problem. About 1 o'clock low gain 2 to 3 o'clock if I'm wanting to listen loud. However, the mids and highs usually get to me by than and have to turn it back down. It's not a matter of the amp clipping or anything. So there's power to spare and it's a well made amp that can run balanced. Given my current power source and up coming power source, which I haven't decided on. Recommendations are welcome, is there a set of headphones around $800 that would give me a substantial improvement overall? All thoughts and recommendations are appreciated
 
Mar 9, 2022 at 7:23 PM Post #2 of 20
BTDSQ said:
I know there are threads all around about this but I couldn't find them, so I started a new one.

I have the Hifiman Sundara right now but only for a short time. They're my first planar. I know now that I really like planars. I really like the Sundara a lot. However I find the bass to be a bit light and the mids and treble to be a bit shouty. The shoutiness probably bothers me the most. The sound stage and sense of space isn't great. Again, I do like them I just want some input from the experienced people out there.
Is there a planar magnetic at or below say $800 that might take care of those things out of the box? I'd rather not eq at this point but will if have to. Until I get a proper desktop amp/DAC I'm just using the ifi Hipdac. This powers the Sundaras with no problem. About 1 o'clock low gain 2 to 3 o'clock if I'm wanting to listen loud. However, the mids and highs usually get to me by than and have to turn it back down. It's not a matter of the amp clipping or anything. So there's power to spare and it's a well made amp that can run balanced. Given my current power source and up coming power source, which I haven't decided on. Recommendations are welcome, is there a set of headphones around $800 that would give me a substantial improvement overall? All thoughts and recommendations are appreciated
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LCD-2C I have it and i adore it.

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Mar 9, 2022 at 9:38 PM Post #3 of 20
BTDSQ said:
I know there are threads all around about this but I couldn't find them, so I started a new one.

I have the Hifiman Sundara right now but only for a short time. They're my first planar. I know now that I really like planars. I really like the Sundara a lot. However I find the bass to be a bit light and the mids and treble to be a bit shouty. The shoutiness probably bothers me the most. The sound stage and sense of space isn't great. Again, I do like them I just want some input from the experienced people out there.
Is there a planar magnetic at or below say $800 that might take care of those things out of the box? I'd rather not eq at this point but will if have to. Until I get a proper desktop amp/DAC I'm just using the ifi Hipdac. This powers the Sundaras with no problem. About 1 o'clock low gain 2 to 3 o'clock if I'm wanting to listen loud. However, the mids and highs usually get to me by than and have to turn it back down. It's not a matter of the amp clipping or anything. So there's power to spare and it's a well made amp that can run balanced. Given my current power source and up coming power source, which I haven't decided on. Recommendations are welcome, is there a set of headphones around $800 that would give me a substantial improvement overall? All thoughts and recommendations are appreciated
Click to expand...
Don’t know what to say with the Sundara’s being shouty in the mids and treble as I don’t get that on anything I’ve listen them from. Gave them a try with my iFi DSD Diablo and even on hi gain just don’t get it sorry.
 
Mar 9, 2022 at 9:48 PM Post #4 of 20
I haven't put much listening time in. They're pretty much brand new. And my ears are used to the HD598. I'm hoping it's just a matter of burning in my brain as they say. Supposedly the Sundaras are supposed to be burned in also. I think I read to much of other people's opinions and don't listen enough to my music or myself
 
Mar 10, 2022 at 1:03 AM Post #5 of 20
BTDSQ said:
I know there are threads all around about this but I couldn't find them, so I started a new one.

I have the Hifiman Sundara right now but only for a short time. They're my first planar. I know now that I really like planars. I really like the Sundara a lot. However I find the bass to be a bit light and the mids and treble to be a bit shouty. The shoutiness probably bothers me the most. The sound stage and sense of space isn't great. Again, I do like them I just want some input from the experienced people out there.
Is there a planar magnetic at or below say $800 that might take care of those things out of the box? I'd rather not eq at this point but will if have to. Until I get a proper desktop amp/DAC I'm just using the ifi Hipdac. This powers the Sundaras with no problem. About 1 o'clock low gain 2 to 3 o'clock if I'm wanting to listen loud. However, the mids and highs usually get to me by than and have to turn it back down. It's not a matter of the amp clipping or anything. So there's power to spare and it's a well made amp that can run balanced. Given my current power source and up coming power source, which I haven't decided on. Recommendations are welcome, is there a set of headphones around $800 that would give me a substantial improvement overall? All thoughts and recommendations are appreciated
Click to expand...

Audeze LCD-2 Classic
 
Mar 10, 2022 at 3:11 AM Post #6 of 20
As others have said, look into a LCD-2, and if you dont mind buying used, try for a pre fazor LCD 2.1, or a HE500, which I still regret selling.
 
Mar 11, 2022 at 5:18 PM Post #13 of 20
Great. Thanks. I've sorta been moving toward maybe staying with the Sundara. I ordered a new cable and will try a pad swap. It seems like to get something that would be a very noticable difference I would have to spend $700 on the low end and $1200 on the upper. Frankly I'm very new to headphones world and I don't even know if my Sundaras are broken in yet. After research I had an eye on the lcd x but that $1200. $900 used.

I've got an almost new HD6xx, the Sundara, an AKG K371 for a travel closed back and a pair of hd598 that I've been listening to for a while and I really like them. I use a hipdac and a dragonfly red. Tried a handful of other headphones for very short time before returning them to Amazon. So that sorta the noob picture you get.

Problem is, in another life I had the opportunity to listen to very high end home systems and super high end car system. I've experienced the truly holographic sound stage with imagine that if you didn't punch yourself you would swear the musician and instrument were exactly where you thought. Let alone the tonality and timbre. Where the instrument playing sounds exactly how it should sound. I could go on.

Point being this was many years ago but I still know what that sounded like. Part of me thinks that's why I just wanna go to the top... Can't really afford it. But that sorta bends a little depending on what day it is. Anyway, sorry for the rambling post. I appreciate your suggestion for a pad swap and imagine I'll do that prompto. I'm writing, rather swiping on my phone so my message might be a little difficult to decode
 
Mar 13, 2022 at 11:08 AM Post #14 of 20
BTDSQ said:
Problem is, in another life I had the opportunity to listen to very high end home systems and super high end car system. I've experienced the truly holographic sound stage with imagine that if you didn't punch yourself you would swear the musician and instrument were exactly where you thought. Let alone the tonality and timbre. Where the instrument playing sounds exactly how it should sound. I could go on.

Point being this was many years ago but I still know what that sounded like. Part of me thinks that's why I just wanna go to the top... Can't really afford it. But that sorta bends a little depending on what day it is. Anyway, sorry for the rambling post. I appreciate your suggestion for a pad swap and imagine I'll do that prompto. I'm writing, rather swiping on my phone so my message might be a little difficult to decode
Click to expand...

You'll have to accept that one ear hearing only one of the drivers isn't going to recreate that kind of soundstage.

That said...it's not completely impossible for personal audio...with some caveats.

1. Crossfeed. This simulates hearing some of the sound across both ears. Problem is some people don't like it because it "narrows" the soundstage for not much depth. The reality: it's not narrowing the soundstage, if you put speakers that close together the soundstage will also be at a similar width. Listening to regular mastering material (ie made for speaker playback) through headphones is screwing it up and pushing some sounds to the extreme flanks. Like how the cymbals are far out to the flanks of the stage like it's the Sinister Six playing and Doc Ock has robot arms whacking the cymbals past where Vulture and Electro would be.

2. Binaural recordings. These are mastered specifically for headphones with the sound filtered across both channels by the engineer instead of using a filter to exclude some sounds based on their frequency so it will be more precise. Problem: good luck finding your favorite music sold as this. Most people for now are listening to their systems using binaural as opposed to using their systems to listen to their music.

3. AKG K1000 if
a. You can find them
b. You live alone so they don't hear you, much less have to see you using them
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4. HD800. But putting that much depth in the soundstage ends up making people think there's no bass even if a sine sweep shows it actually has bass, unlike the K701. People trying them out at headphone audio events with higher ambient noise than the ideal listening room doesn't help either. Also it's not planar or anything exotic, so you might not like this at all. It's kind of like how some speakers have everything farther back then the drums are farther back behind the vocals vs some speakers that would image the vocalist closer to the listener and the percussions are right where the speakers are and the latter will sound "more dynamic, more exciting, more like real music" to some people.
 
Mar 13, 2022 at 11:19 AM Post #15 of 20
BTDSQ said:
I haven't put much listening time in. They're pretty much brand new. And my ears are used to the HD598. I'm hoping it's just a matter of burning in my brain as they say. Supposedly the Sundaras are supposed to be burned in also. I think I read to much of other people's opinions and don't listen enough to my music or myself
Click to expand...
I believe brain burn-in to be the only real burn-in. It's something I've experienced with pretty much every headphone I've ever purchased, new or used. I borrowed a buddy I work withs Fostex TH610 and at first listen I absolutely hated them! Matter of fact I hated them the entire first day and wasn't crazy about them even on day 2. By day 3 I started to adjust and started to get it. I loved their clarity and speed up top but I found them to be absolutely deficient in the bass department. I preferred my Sony Z7M2 in every way. I could only enjoy the Fostex with really well recorded audiophile recordings.

But as far as your recommendation I do believe the LCD2C to be a good consideration for you. But don't be so quick to move on from the Sundara, depending on when you got them you could still have some adjusting to do.
 
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