IEM Planar upgrade from 7HZ timeless...Suggestions?
Jun 27, 2023 at 10:11 PM Post #3 of 18
superfrognyc said:
Howdy, looking to buy a new IEM Planar that would be an upgrade from my 7HZ timeless (below $600 retail price)...Suggestions? Thanks.
Click to expand...

Don't think there are much planar IEMs with upgrades at the $600 and below budget.

The Audeze Euclid is probably the next step up in technical chops, but it is $1.3K USD and huge diminishing returns abound.
 
Jun 27, 2023 at 10:12 PM Post #4 of 18
IAtaman said:
What advantages do you perceive with planar IEMs if you don't mind me asking?
Click to expand...

Generally, planar IEMs have very fast transients and low distortions, so they generally have better micro-details, imaging, transients and instrument separation than an equivalently priced single DD. Exceptions abound of course, but the planar IEMs have this advantage in general.
 
Jun 28, 2023 at 4:37 AM Post #5 of 18
baskingshark said:
Generally, planar IEMs have very fast transients and low distortions, so they generally have better micro-details, imaging, transients and instrument separation than an equivalently priced single DD. Exceptions abound of course, but the planar IEMs have this advantage in general.
Click to expand...
Okay. That sounds interesting. Any measurements or data you can point at?
 
Last edited:
Jun 28, 2023 at 10:37 AM Post #7 of 18
Jun 28, 2023 at 11:02 AM Post #9 of 18
baskingshark said:
https://www.rtings.com/headphones/learn/dynamic-vs-planar-magnetic
Click to expand...
The document at the link you shared is talking about over ear headphones, not in ear ones. Applicability of the ideas mentioned there to in-ear headphones aside, even the source you shared is saying that dynamics image better, and although one would expect lower distortion from planars in theory, they seem to be much less reliable in practice.

"However based strictly on our results, the distortion values of planar headphones fluctuate a lot more."

And there are zero references to transients.

At this stage I am getting the feeling that I misunderstood by assuming what you said was a fact as it seems to be mostly your personal perception?
 
Last edited:
Jun 28, 2023 at 11:12 AM Post #10 of 18
IAtaman said:
The document at the link you shared is talking about over ear headphones, not in ear ones. Applicability of the ideas mentioned there to in-ear headphones aside, even the source you shared is saying that dynamics image better, and although one would expect lower distortion from planars yet they seem to be much less reliable.

"However based strictly on our results, the distortion values of planar headphones fluctuate a lot more."

And there are zero references to transients.

At this stage I am getting the feeling that I misunderstood by assuming what you said was a fact as it seems to be mostly your personal perception?
Click to expand...

I have never stated my above statement to be fact (perhaps you might have misconstrued this as so), but am trying to help others on this forum with their queries, based on what I have experienced. You are free to believe me or not, but the best is to trust your own ears (perhaps you can try to audition some planar IEMs if possible). Having heard and owned around 10 - 12 planar IEMs, I can state that they give better transients and technical chops than a single DD IEM at the same price point (in general).

FWIW, planar tech in headphones and IEMs work on a similar principle, just that IEM planars are smaller in size. Planars in IEMs are quite a new trend that kicked off mostly in 2022, so you are not gonna see much big scale data as the tech is still in its infancy.
 
Jun 28, 2023 at 1:23 PM Post #11 of 18
baskingshark said:
I have never stated my above statement to be fact (perhaps you might have misconstrued this as so), but am trying to help others on this forum with their queries, based on what I have experienced. You are free to believe me or not, but the best is to trust your own ears (perhaps you can try to audition some planar IEMs if possible). Having heard and owned around 10 - 12 planar IEMs, I can state that they give better transients and technical chops than a single DD IEM at the same price point (in general).

FWIW, planar tech in headphones and IEMs work on a similar principle, just that IEM planars are smaller in size. Planars in IEMs are quite a new trend that kicked off mostly in 2022, so you are not gonna see much big scale data as the tech is still in its infancy.
Click to expand...
Yes, definitely, as I have admitted previously, that misunderstanding is 100% on my part.

I do have a few planar IEMs. Some of them are good, some of them are not so much. Marketing material says otherwise of course but in my experience, there isn't anything particularly different about planar IEMs that can be attributed to the driver technology. When you compare a 50-60mm dynamic driver to a 100x100mm planar, planar might have the potential to have a better distortion profile maybe, but when minimized to 10-15mm, I think most of that potential advantage disappears.

As you said, they became popular in 2022, and my personal opinion is that they are gonna eventually dim back down to niche obscurity.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 2 (members: 0, guests: 2)
Back
Top