PacoTaco
500+ Head-Fier
Whoa! Ultrabike's one post went from 10+ likes down to 5!
I too think the T1 is too colored to be considered a league above the DT880 or even the 650. Also, planars have their strengths and weaknesses just like dynamics do-- they're not inherently better than dynamics.
On the topic of distortion, I didn't hear too much midrange distortion with the Mad Dogs and HE-400 (both having measurably lots of midrange distortion), but if it's one thing distortion in the midrange does do, it takes away from scalability of the headphones. I found that out first hand. Distortion in the bass is easily audible to me, and it's one thing open planars have a distinct advantage on compared to open dynamics-- their bass remains clean down low, whereas most open dynamics get too tubby. Closed dynamics however don't struggle with this problem if designed right.
I'd say it depends on the dynamic driver TBH. I think Sennheiser reached the pinnacle of what a dynamic can do (which is vastly smoother highs) while Fostex took it up a notch and took their dynamic drivers a different way. Dynamic drivers just handle upper mid-range and the highs a lot better, while planars do everything else better, but seemingly have the potential to exceed the dynamic drivers in every way.
The bass aspect is mostly because of how the drivers are designed. I'm wondering, with the new Ghandi headphone aside, why nobody has tried making a dynamic/planar combo before. That would be an interesting headphone.