deathwish
New Head-Fier
The Jist:
The first planar-anything I've heard. Kinda big, kinda heavy, sounds good, shows details but not quite as good as my Grados, braided cable can fall off with movement but I do walk with them, Harman 2019 tuning, best for live, rock/metal, super deep bass that's very separated and more than a dynamic driver. For EDM or rap you may prefer bass loudness over the planars delicate and articulated bass but it's good with anything. Doesn't handle gobs of EQ as well as a dynamic without amplification but is responsive enough. My SQ IEM reference, they're very similar to my Grados but without a weird response in the highs, flat or with EQ, minus the soundstage expanse and even that is closer than being farther. Would I buy them? They're comparable to but better than the MS-1 Galaxy yet also as good as my Grado 80X so probably not, I'd rather buy the $17 MS-1 and then skip to an Edition XS, only using the MS-1 for gaming, exercising and bus rides. Maybe for walking I'd use the planar or sitting at my desk listening to Youtube or FLAC. I think anyone starting in this hobby would be absolutely floored by the planars, though, given they've never experienced mid-fi and I would definitely recommend them over a Grado 80X as a first purchase unless they're consistently using FLAC or vinyl. I've had Grados for like 15 years so they sound pretty average to me, it's not until I hear something much less capable and switch back to the Grados that things wow me again. Would I buy them over a Zero Red? If I had the money and listened to FLAC and knew how to EQ and didn't need a mic and I had a big head & ears I would, then there would be a point. Listening to them without EQ is boring, having kinda warm mids that stand out more than lows or highs, they're not thrilling, they're balanced with a slight bass boost, similar to the Zero Red just with a different overall sound that I prefer.
My other headphones/IEMs: Grado 80X, Grado MS1, Marley Smile Jamaica, Truthear Zero Red, Hidizs MS-1.
Intro:
Got a free pair from them - that doesn't mean you get to call me a shill, I'm not, there's no affiliate link and I genuinely don't care if you don't buy these, I just like reviewing things. I asked for whale blue but was sent silver. I really liked the blue, it's like a deep gray-blue. They're doing a marketing thing with whales hence the blue, like contributing to their well-being and now modeling IEM housing design after their flip-floppies. I like whales even if they're sometimes assholes to boaters. These are vented planars and apparently "large sized" at 14.5mm, I wouldn't know. I've never heard a planar before but I've got two pairs of Grados, a Zero: Red and Hidizs' MS-1 Galaxy to compare with. I'm a fan of detail and separation and hearing singers' throat struggles and hands moving around guitars but since Grados are kind of ear-piercing I'm fond of EQing. I have big expectations for planars sounding "large" from what I've read about them.
Opening the box:
The packaging is nice. Initially thought it was even heavy.
It came with a leather pouch and a small piece of velcro to bunch up the wire.
The cable looks sharp, it's bright white, relaxed-braided and the 3.5mm connector is pretty heavy and sturdy. There's four wires.
It comes with a whopper of 18 tips in 3 sizes for "vocal", "balanced" and "bass". I went straight for the bass tips but I'll probably swap them for the balanced tips for louder highs.
It comes with 3 unscrewable nozzle things on the end of the driver housing that change the sound between "high-frequency, balanced and low-frequency." Again, straight for the low frequency filter. I'll play with the others later (I ended up not because I can't A/B them and wouldn't really know) to see if these actually change the tuning. From what I can tell it's just a different inner material used and they're so similar in size I can't tell a difference if there is one. The difference according to their website would be +/- up to 6dB at 20hz and since that's not something I'm going to just toss to the wind so I'll keep the bass filter in.
I'm having trouble getting the tips on. I tried the balanced tips, same thing. It has been about 7 minutes. I can see why they'd want a good seal but this seems like a crucial design error. No matter what these things don't want to flop over the over side of the driver nozzle, the rubber tip is just too small to fit over the tuning thing. I've tried spinning it on, pressing down the middle-point really hard, yelling at it, nothing is working. Inside the rubber tip there is a bevel for the tuning nozzle to sit so I must be really bad at this. Success! Turns out I just didn't put it on the "right way". You have to indeed shove it from a 45-degree angle and then just press it hard enough on the other side to give way. My other IEMs weren't as difficult but they also didn't have a tuning filter. I suggest putting on the balanced tips from the factory to avoid the struggle. You'll find that it's already equipped with the balanced tuning filter. I suggest putting the bass filter on and calling it a day.
Fit:
A little heavy and a little bulky but the seal is good and they're flush enough. I can't really complain here other than the braid can fall off and then the driver. The inner part that touches my ear is rounded so the driver housing is pretty nestled in there. I will complain about the cable - the part that wraps around my ear isn't as stiff as my other IEMs. I had to look at their website models to see if I was pointing them in the right direction, whether the cable should be diagonal, horizontal or vertical, the pictures showing both seemingly vertical and at a 45-degree upwards from the driver on separate people. I don't know if it matters but I'd like the pictures to tell me what to do, I don't want to guess which degree of verticality these cables are supposed to be - visually it looks like 45 degrees. The Zero Reds are good for that - they point forwards and the driver housing is too bulky to wear them any other way. These wouldn't fit in my girlfriends' ears, the cable wouldn't wrap around her tiny ears and she said they were too heavy. I got her to hold them in place while she listened to Hall & Oates - Out Of Touch FLAC. She likes their sound. I have fairly large ears and the braided cable going upwards at a 45 degree doesn't wrap around my ear as well as the MS-1 or zero red. Change that, it doesn't quite match up with the shape of my ear, it's like my ear isn't tall enough... do I have short ears?
How do they sound?
I did hear a crackling a few times throughout listening. I figure many planars do this. I couldn't tell why it was happening. When hearing distortion it's so faint that I have to rely on all of my senses to determine why but it's usually a click too high on the bass with things sounding less coherent.
Otherwise they sound somewhere between average-for-mid-fi and really good, I'm probably not the best person to ask. I'll be listening to these for about two weeks before I give my final thoughts but I probably won't need to. I was hoping they'd be a new sound reference for me but my Grados have that covered in certain aspects. The planars do some things better than the Grados, one thing being that they're not as offensive while still being revealing up to a sensible point.
Initially I'm trying out some 16 bit FLAC files on my Android with a flat EQ with +3dB gain.
Pink Floyd - Us & Them.
I had to turn it down to 0dB, they're loud enough there. I think I heard a smidge of distortion at +3dB. At 0dB they're not quite as loud as I'd like and these would probably benefit from amplification but they don't need it.
These are making each instrument stand out a little better than I'm used to with my other IEMs and the whole presentation is beautiful which I'm surprised because I usually EQ the hell out of everything. The stock tuning is less V-shaped than I prefer, I like a more 3D-sounding tuning with less mids body. The mids end up sounding kind of bland if they're not V-shaped (but my brain does get used to it). They're not as spacious as a headphone but they're more spacious than my other IEMs. Nothing of annoyance, I could use these without EQ. The instruments and vocals don't sound pressed together. These do have a wince of a difference between a dynamic driver - they kind of sound like you can't pin-point the sound as easily. It makes it sound less efforted and more spacious. Someone told me that planars don't have the same punch as a dynamic driver, however, within just one song I can tell that these are a step up in overall sound quality because of their speed, their attack and decay being "exacting" and what I think that person meant to say was "they have less impact". Kicks on a drum kit aren't quiet but they're not over-bearing either, they sound more accurate than my other IEMs. Whatever impactfulness they're not having they're making up for in sounding very natural. The highs are very clear and importantly for me not too bright, there's no sibilance. Hearing drum rolls made me want to air-drum because each tomtom sounds very different from the next tomtom. I've been playing drums for 29 years so I have a good idea of what a natural tonality on a well-tuned (and not well-tuned) kit sounds like.
My reference track is Pink Floyd - Hey You, with a Grado 80X. The resolution is nice on these IEMs, especially if you increase 8khz but again not quite as resolving as a Grado (and even those aren't that stellar but they are up there). I've got both bass thingers on and they're still very clear, not lacking in highs but not being overly-anything, the tuning is very pleasing but I think I'd prefer the balanced tips with the bass-filter. They're similarly as capable as my Grados in making music come "alive" but the Grados probably do edge this out in clarity but their highs are regarded as overly bright and I agree. What I mean to say is that they'll both surprise you and you'll forget what the other thing sounds like because you won't care (not to mention Grados lack bass).
I'm now trying EQ on it, the same one that I use for Hidizs' MS-1 and... that bass is something new that I don't think I've ever heard save for hifi car systems with multiple subwoofers. It's just better. It's textured better, it casts itself out better, it reels itself in better. It has this rolling-textured quality to it where it indeed seems way-separated from everything else and I will say it is better than the dual driver in the Zero Red in terms of sound quality. I'll have to make a new EQ for this because my MS-1 EQ is too-scooped.
Now I'm listening to rap, 320 MP3, Tom Macdonald - Dear Rappers. These things hit deep! There was a part in the song where the bass "blipped" loudly at like 22hz and it felt/sounded like pure weightedness. Overall they do have less bass loudness than a dynamic driver. It has what I'll describe as a weighted "THPP"-sound in its bass, it's airier, faster and deeper whereas a dynamic driver sounds closer to a "DOOF" and its high pass is capped below 20hz, the planar extending lower by just enough to be worthier. The planar does a better job at making music sound emotional and gripping. I think this is the first time I'll be able to discern what the word "note weight" means: it's exactly as it sounds, it's how well a note stays planted, eg. basslines with this IEM sound very "firm" and it adds to the depth of all genres - making them sound amplified when they aren't. Separation on the sub, mid and high bass is phenomenal. It's like they've stuffed a tiny subwoofer in it whereas my other IEMs sound more like louder bookshelf speakers that just happen to get low.
On other rap songs like this: they just sound average-good. Maybe it's not that musical of a song.
Now I'm listening to a band called Highly Suspect. Their music has a live type of sound without actually being live. The planars do an excellent job at taking music like this and making it shine, revealing more detail in vocals: or
Now listening to a bass heavy EDM song and testing their bass distortion limit, I found it with +8db @ 31hz, +3dB @ 62hz, with 0dB gain. You don't want to ask it to be much more impactful than it already is, it will struggle. I've settled on +6dB @ 31hz, +3dB @62hz, +3dB @ 125hz but I have to use -3dB gain which is fine, I'll eventually turn everything down by 3dB and set gain to zero.
Which made me realize that where this IEM also shines is its mids because they're so smooth, 125hz-1khz is easily EQ'd into whatever sound you prefer. Where the MS-1 can sound more plastic-y the planar timbre is more pleasing.
Slowed EDM like this: has insanely low bass (it's only 24hz), the energy it puts out is so pleasing. Piano, synths and drums sound infinitely better on a planar.
Now I'm listening to them from my PC, just listening to Youtube with the Edge browser EQ set to "party" and these things are just bomb with certain music but with anything bass heavy they'll distort past 90% volume. When listening to "(20-40) Bob Marley - Natural Mystic (Rebassed by XCLSV)" the low bass it outputs is entirely new to me in a headphone, it sounds like it could hit 10hz deeper than my MS1 and Zero Red and it's LOUDER but only seemingly around 20hz, the energy and separation are incredible. Most of my music doesn't go that low so I wasn't hearing its potential until now. I prefer listening to Youtube with the planars - the MS1 can get too bright and the Zero Red is just average, the planar sneaking in between them.
Here is something odd; the Youtube track I usually listen to first is Eminems' Mockingbird rebassed by channel XCSLV. It hits as low as 18hz. The planars are having a harder time making that as loud as my other IEMs yet with Bob Marley they're louder. So it's not clear cut that their bandwidth hits lower/louder, it's music-dependent.
Now I'm listening to whale sounds, a random video on Reddit. Cool. Anyways.
Now I'm listening to fast-kicks in metal bands on Youtube to see if planars don't mud them up: metal heads who like fast double bass will absolutely love these, they separate the "oomph" from the "drums sound" so they sound layered and remain clear.
I tried gaming with the planars with the MS1 mic. The mic didn't work but the sound was better than the MS1, especially the imagining because I could hear better where people were running around me in COD, I could basically pin-point where other players were whereas with the MS-1 it was more so "over there". Both are acceptable but the planar has an edge.
I started comparing a FLAC file on my PC of Daft Punks Fragments Of Time to an "HQ" Youtube version and the FLAC does sound better, giving more volume and depth and everything. Youtube isn't the best source to judge headphones but I don't have much FLAC on my PC, only The Police, Pink Floyd, Daft Punk and Peter Gabriel. For testing planars you definitely want to listen to The Police, their bass player uses a lot of sweeps. Youtube will just make everything sound muddy and won't be the best thing to use as a source with planars. Listening to Peter Gabriels album So without EQ is a little boring but with EQ it's just thrilling. I admit that my EQ sounds a little hollow to let in more bass and crystal clear highs. When I shut it off it sounds like an old radio, it's quite a difference. Swapping for my Grados they sound so similar in everything but soundstage or largeness. Where the Grados have a weirdness in their highs response the planars do not but they both sound pretty similar with my windows media player V-shape EQ, even flat. Consider me sold on the planars default sound but I bet a planar headphone would be so much better than what an IEM can offer. The only thing this thing can offer is isolation but they are kind of open-backed in a way being vented. I also worry cat hair will get in them, am I paranoid? They also get as loud as my Grados which is nice. I wish I could hear something much better than both of these things because while they're apples & oranges they're both just fruit.
EQ:
There's too many ways that you can EQ a thing. I start flat and adjust, go flat and adjust the next and so on, then I get angry that I usually have to turn down 31hz, then I throw out the revision and turn it up again, then I want more punch so I increase 125hz, I want more realism so I increase 8khz, the relationship between 500hz-2k has to be so freaking perfect yet also comply with my OCD and only using 0.5dB incriments, the highs have to be sparkling but not harsh across my whole playlist which is a lot to ask. I go through every possibly combination, I question my existence and then finally pick the one that I originally wanted because it slapped and if I need to I just turn down the gain per song even though I wanted to use everything at 0dB. Over the next days I listen intently for "ear offenses".
This is how I add a V-shape EQ on pretty much anything but it'd definitely be best with with amplification as +3dB @ 62hz is a lot to ask from a phone. Meanwhile on my PC I add +12dB @ 31hz and they don't struggle with classic rock but probably would with rap which I don't have in FLAC.
I use this with -3dB gain on anything that slaps hard but for calmer music 0dB is okay.
31hz: +6dB
This adds sub bass, almost unnoticably if there is none in a song. Often this is why your music will distort and you could get away with +3dB and not really notice anything missing. If your song is distorting with 0dB gain it's most likely because of this.
62hz: +3dB
This adds kick impact. On this IEM it does a lot but it can't handle more than this.
125hz: +3dB
This makes the entire EQ darker and aids in the kick impact. Increasing this on this IEM specifically does a lot.
250hz: 0dB
This you don't want to touch, it's good where it is.
500hz: -1.5dB
This will remove some body but will make everything else stand out, 500hz is arguably the most annoying frequency. Removing a few dB from 500hz gives the illusion of clearing up everything else.
1000hz: -1dB
You don't want this much above 500hz but you do want it above 500hz. Between 1khz and 2khz is where you want to be careful with an exponential increase, I'll often double the difference between 500hz and 1khz for 2khz for a starting point.
2000hz: +0.5dB
This frequency is tricky. It will grab your ears attention and sometimes be harsh and it will make people sound literally small or large, where the difference between 0dB and 1dB might be noticably either weird or well-matched to everything else as if the person in front of the mic is the proper size of a human. It also adds distance between the vocals and everything else. This one is the hardest for me to adjust but it's very important.
4000hz: +4dB - ignore the pic showing +4.5dB.
This is going to actually aid in how the kicks sound, it will bring out the attack and decay and brighten the kicks, not to be confused with the impact of the kicks. Too low and it will sound like something is missing, too high and it will make the relationship with 8khz weird.
8000hz: +7.5dB
This is where you get realism. +4dB is pretty good but +6dB to +7dB really brings it out.
16000hz: +6dB
I put this right in between 4khz and 8khz for basically no reason other than I don't want it at zero nor +15dB. You can crank this to +15dB and barely notice a difference: listen to hi-hats to judge where this should be, generally lower than 8khz but probably not by much.
The first planar-anything I've heard. Kinda big, kinda heavy, sounds good, shows details but not quite as good as my Grados, braided cable can fall off with movement but I do walk with them, Harman 2019 tuning, best for live, rock/metal, super deep bass that's very separated and more than a dynamic driver. For EDM or rap you may prefer bass loudness over the planars delicate and articulated bass but it's good with anything. Doesn't handle gobs of EQ as well as a dynamic without amplification but is responsive enough. My SQ IEM reference, they're very similar to my Grados but without a weird response in the highs, flat or with EQ, minus the soundstage expanse and even that is closer than being farther. Would I buy them? They're comparable to but better than the MS-1 Galaxy yet also as good as my Grado 80X so probably not, I'd rather buy the $17 MS-1 and then skip to an Edition XS, only using the MS-1 for gaming, exercising and bus rides. Maybe for walking I'd use the planar or sitting at my desk listening to Youtube or FLAC. I think anyone starting in this hobby would be absolutely floored by the planars, though, given they've never experienced mid-fi and I would definitely recommend them over a Grado 80X as a first purchase unless they're consistently using FLAC or vinyl. I've had Grados for like 15 years so they sound pretty average to me, it's not until I hear something much less capable and switch back to the Grados that things wow me again. Would I buy them over a Zero Red? If I had the money and listened to FLAC and knew how to EQ and didn't need a mic and I had a big head & ears I would, then there would be a point. Listening to them without EQ is boring, having kinda warm mids that stand out more than lows or highs, they're not thrilling, they're balanced with a slight bass boost, similar to the Zero Red just with a different overall sound that I prefer.
My other headphones/IEMs: Grado 80X, Grado MS1, Marley Smile Jamaica, Truthear Zero Red, Hidizs MS-1.
Intro:
Got a free pair from them - that doesn't mean you get to call me a shill, I'm not, there's no affiliate link and I genuinely don't care if you don't buy these, I just like reviewing things. I asked for whale blue but was sent silver. I really liked the blue, it's like a deep gray-blue. They're doing a marketing thing with whales hence the blue, like contributing to their well-being and now modeling IEM housing design after their flip-floppies. I like whales even if they're sometimes assholes to boaters. These are vented planars and apparently "large sized" at 14.5mm, I wouldn't know. I've never heard a planar before but I've got two pairs of Grados, a Zero: Red and Hidizs' MS-1 Galaxy to compare with. I'm a fan of detail and separation and hearing singers' throat struggles and hands moving around guitars but since Grados are kind of ear-piercing I'm fond of EQing. I have big expectations for planars sounding "large" from what I've read about them.
Opening the box:
The packaging is nice. Initially thought it was even heavy.
It came with a leather pouch and a small piece of velcro to bunch up the wire.
The cable looks sharp, it's bright white, relaxed-braided and the 3.5mm connector is pretty heavy and sturdy. There's four wires.
It comes with a whopper of 18 tips in 3 sizes for "vocal", "balanced" and "bass". I went straight for the bass tips but I'll probably swap them for the balanced tips for louder highs.
It comes with 3 unscrewable nozzle things on the end of the driver housing that change the sound between "high-frequency, balanced and low-frequency." Again, straight for the low frequency filter. I'll play with the others later (I ended up not because I can't A/B them and wouldn't really know) to see if these actually change the tuning. From what I can tell it's just a different inner material used and they're so similar in size I can't tell a difference if there is one. The difference according to their website would be +/- up to 6dB at 20hz and since that's not something I'm going to just toss to the wind so I'll keep the bass filter in.
I'm having trouble getting the tips on. I tried the balanced tips, same thing. It has been about 7 minutes. I can see why they'd want a good seal but this seems like a crucial design error. No matter what these things don't want to flop over the over side of the driver nozzle, the rubber tip is just too small to fit over the tuning thing. I've tried spinning it on, pressing down the middle-point really hard, yelling at it, nothing is working. Inside the rubber tip there is a bevel for the tuning nozzle to sit so I must be really bad at this. Success! Turns out I just didn't put it on the "right way". You have to indeed shove it from a 45-degree angle and then just press it hard enough on the other side to give way. My other IEMs weren't as difficult but they also didn't have a tuning filter. I suggest putting on the balanced tips from the factory to avoid the struggle. You'll find that it's already equipped with the balanced tuning filter. I suggest putting the bass filter on and calling it a day.
Fit:
A little heavy and a little bulky but the seal is good and they're flush enough. I can't really complain here other than the braid can fall off and then the driver. The inner part that touches my ear is rounded so the driver housing is pretty nestled in there. I will complain about the cable - the part that wraps around my ear isn't as stiff as my other IEMs. I had to look at their website models to see if I was pointing them in the right direction, whether the cable should be diagonal, horizontal or vertical, the pictures showing both seemingly vertical and at a 45-degree upwards from the driver on separate people. I don't know if it matters but I'd like the pictures to tell me what to do, I don't want to guess which degree of verticality these cables are supposed to be - visually it looks like 45 degrees. The Zero Reds are good for that - they point forwards and the driver housing is too bulky to wear them any other way. These wouldn't fit in my girlfriends' ears, the cable wouldn't wrap around her tiny ears and she said they were too heavy. I got her to hold them in place while she listened to Hall & Oates - Out Of Touch FLAC. She likes their sound. I have fairly large ears and the braided cable going upwards at a 45 degree doesn't wrap around my ear as well as the MS-1 or zero red. Change that, it doesn't quite match up with the shape of my ear, it's like my ear isn't tall enough... do I have short ears?
How do they sound?
I did hear a crackling a few times throughout listening. I figure many planars do this. I couldn't tell why it was happening. When hearing distortion it's so faint that I have to rely on all of my senses to determine why but it's usually a click too high on the bass with things sounding less coherent.
Otherwise they sound somewhere between average-for-mid-fi and really good, I'm probably not the best person to ask. I'll be listening to these for about two weeks before I give my final thoughts but I probably won't need to. I was hoping they'd be a new sound reference for me but my Grados have that covered in certain aspects. The planars do some things better than the Grados, one thing being that they're not as offensive while still being revealing up to a sensible point.
Initially I'm trying out some 16 bit FLAC files on my Android with a flat EQ with +3dB gain.
Pink Floyd - Us & Them.
I had to turn it down to 0dB, they're loud enough there. I think I heard a smidge of distortion at +3dB. At 0dB they're not quite as loud as I'd like and these would probably benefit from amplification but they don't need it.
These are making each instrument stand out a little better than I'm used to with my other IEMs and the whole presentation is beautiful which I'm surprised because I usually EQ the hell out of everything. The stock tuning is less V-shaped than I prefer, I like a more 3D-sounding tuning with less mids body. The mids end up sounding kind of bland if they're not V-shaped (but my brain does get used to it). They're not as spacious as a headphone but they're more spacious than my other IEMs. Nothing of annoyance, I could use these without EQ. The instruments and vocals don't sound pressed together. These do have a wince of a difference between a dynamic driver - they kind of sound like you can't pin-point the sound as easily. It makes it sound less efforted and more spacious. Someone told me that planars don't have the same punch as a dynamic driver, however, within just one song I can tell that these are a step up in overall sound quality because of their speed, their attack and decay being "exacting" and what I think that person meant to say was "they have less impact". Kicks on a drum kit aren't quiet but they're not over-bearing either, they sound more accurate than my other IEMs. Whatever impactfulness they're not having they're making up for in sounding very natural. The highs are very clear and importantly for me not too bright, there's no sibilance. Hearing drum rolls made me want to air-drum because each tomtom sounds very different from the next tomtom. I've been playing drums for 29 years so I have a good idea of what a natural tonality on a well-tuned (and not well-tuned) kit sounds like.
My reference track is Pink Floyd - Hey You, with a Grado 80X. The resolution is nice on these IEMs, especially if you increase 8khz but again not quite as resolving as a Grado (and even those aren't that stellar but they are up there). I've got both bass thingers on and they're still very clear, not lacking in highs but not being overly-anything, the tuning is very pleasing but I think I'd prefer the balanced tips with the bass-filter. They're similarly as capable as my Grados in making music come "alive" but the Grados probably do edge this out in clarity but their highs are regarded as overly bright and I agree. What I mean to say is that they'll both surprise you and you'll forget what the other thing sounds like because you won't care (not to mention Grados lack bass).
I'm now trying EQ on it, the same one that I use for Hidizs' MS-1 and... that bass is something new that I don't think I've ever heard save for hifi car systems with multiple subwoofers. It's just better. It's textured better, it casts itself out better, it reels itself in better. It has this rolling-textured quality to it where it indeed seems way-separated from everything else and I will say it is better than the dual driver in the Zero Red in terms of sound quality. I'll have to make a new EQ for this because my MS-1 EQ is too-scooped.
Now I'm listening to rap, 320 MP3, Tom Macdonald - Dear Rappers. These things hit deep! There was a part in the song where the bass "blipped" loudly at like 22hz and it felt/sounded like pure weightedness. Overall they do have less bass loudness than a dynamic driver. It has what I'll describe as a weighted "THPP"-sound in its bass, it's airier, faster and deeper whereas a dynamic driver sounds closer to a "DOOF" and its high pass is capped below 20hz, the planar extending lower by just enough to be worthier. The planar does a better job at making music sound emotional and gripping. I think this is the first time I'll be able to discern what the word "note weight" means: it's exactly as it sounds, it's how well a note stays planted, eg. basslines with this IEM sound very "firm" and it adds to the depth of all genres - making them sound amplified when they aren't. Separation on the sub, mid and high bass is phenomenal. It's like they've stuffed a tiny subwoofer in it whereas my other IEMs sound more like louder bookshelf speakers that just happen to get low.
On other rap songs like this: they just sound average-good. Maybe it's not that musical of a song.
Now I'm listening to a band called Highly Suspect. Their music has a live type of sound without actually being live. The planars do an excellent job at taking music like this and making it shine, revealing more detail in vocals: or
Now listening to a bass heavy EDM song and testing their bass distortion limit, I found it with +8db @ 31hz, +3dB @ 62hz, with 0dB gain. You don't want to ask it to be much more impactful than it already is, it will struggle. I've settled on +6dB @ 31hz, +3dB @62hz, +3dB @ 125hz but I have to use -3dB gain which is fine, I'll eventually turn everything down by 3dB and set gain to zero.
Which made me realize that where this IEM also shines is its mids because they're so smooth, 125hz-1khz is easily EQ'd into whatever sound you prefer. Where the MS-1 can sound more plastic-y the planar timbre is more pleasing.
Slowed EDM like this: has insanely low bass (it's only 24hz), the energy it puts out is so pleasing. Piano, synths and drums sound infinitely better on a planar.
Now I'm listening to them from my PC, just listening to Youtube with the Edge browser EQ set to "party" and these things are just bomb with certain music but with anything bass heavy they'll distort past 90% volume. When listening to "(20-40) Bob Marley - Natural Mystic (Rebassed by XCLSV)" the low bass it outputs is entirely new to me in a headphone, it sounds like it could hit 10hz deeper than my MS1 and Zero Red and it's LOUDER but only seemingly around 20hz, the energy and separation are incredible. Most of my music doesn't go that low so I wasn't hearing its potential until now. I prefer listening to Youtube with the planars - the MS1 can get too bright and the Zero Red is just average, the planar sneaking in between them.
Here is something odd; the Youtube track I usually listen to first is Eminems' Mockingbird rebassed by channel XCSLV. It hits as low as 18hz. The planars are having a harder time making that as loud as my other IEMs yet with Bob Marley they're louder. So it's not clear cut that their bandwidth hits lower/louder, it's music-dependent.
Now I'm listening to whale sounds, a random video on Reddit. Cool. Anyways.
Now I'm listening to fast-kicks in metal bands on Youtube to see if planars don't mud them up: metal heads who like fast double bass will absolutely love these, they separate the "oomph" from the "drums sound" so they sound layered and remain clear.
I tried gaming with the planars with the MS1 mic. The mic didn't work but the sound was better than the MS1, especially the imagining because I could hear better where people were running around me in COD, I could basically pin-point where other players were whereas with the MS-1 it was more so "over there". Both are acceptable but the planar has an edge.
I started comparing a FLAC file on my PC of Daft Punks Fragments Of Time to an "HQ" Youtube version and the FLAC does sound better, giving more volume and depth and everything. Youtube isn't the best source to judge headphones but I don't have much FLAC on my PC, only The Police, Pink Floyd, Daft Punk and Peter Gabriel. For testing planars you definitely want to listen to The Police, their bass player uses a lot of sweeps. Youtube will just make everything sound muddy and won't be the best thing to use as a source with planars. Listening to Peter Gabriels album So without EQ is a little boring but with EQ it's just thrilling. I admit that my EQ sounds a little hollow to let in more bass and crystal clear highs. When I shut it off it sounds like an old radio, it's quite a difference. Swapping for my Grados they sound so similar in everything but soundstage or largeness. Where the Grados have a weirdness in their highs response the planars do not but they both sound pretty similar with my windows media player V-shape EQ, even flat. Consider me sold on the planars default sound but I bet a planar headphone would be so much better than what an IEM can offer. The only thing this thing can offer is isolation but they are kind of open-backed in a way being vented. I also worry cat hair will get in them, am I paranoid? They also get as loud as my Grados which is nice. I wish I could hear something much better than both of these things because while they're apples & oranges they're both just fruit.
EQ:
There's too many ways that you can EQ a thing. I start flat and adjust, go flat and adjust the next and so on, then I get angry that I usually have to turn down 31hz, then I throw out the revision and turn it up again, then I want more punch so I increase 125hz, I want more realism so I increase 8khz, the relationship between 500hz-2k has to be so freaking perfect yet also comply with my OCD and only using 0.5dB incriments, the highs have to be sparkling but not harsh across my whole playlist which is a lot to ask. I go through every possibly combination, I question my existence and then finally pick the one that I originally wanted because it slapped and if I need to I just turn down the gain per song even though I wanted to use everything at 0dB. Over the next days I listen intently for "ear offenses".
This is how I add a V-shape EQ on pretty much anything but it'd definitely be best with with amplification as +3dB @ 62hz is a lot to ask from a phone. Meanwhile on my PC I add +12dB @ 31hz and they don't struggle with classic rock but probably would with rap which I don't have in FLAC.
I use this with -3dB gain on anything that slaps hard but for calmer music 0dB is okay.
31hz: +6dB
This adds sub bass, almost unnoticably if there is none in a song. Often this is why your music will distort and you could get away with +3dB and not really notice anything missing. If your song is distorting with 0dB gain it's most likely because of this.
62hz: +3dB
This adds kick impact. On this IEM it does a lot but it can't handle more than this.
125hz: +3dB
This makes the entire EQ darker and aids in the kick impact. Increasing this on this IEM specifically does a lot.
250hz: 0dB
This you don't want to touch, it's good where it is.
500hz: -1.5dB
This will remove some body but will make everything else stand out, 500hz is arguably the most annoying frequency. Removing a few dB from 500hz gives the illusion of clearing up everything else.
1000hz: -1dB
You don't want this much above 500hz but you do want it above 500hz. Between 1khz and 2khz is where you want to be careful with an exponential increase, I'll often double the difference between 500hz and 1khz for 2khz for a starting point.
2000hz: +0.5dB
This frequency is tricky. It will grab your ears attention and sometimes be harsh and it will make people sound literally small or large, where the difference between 0dB and 1dB might be noticably either weird or well-matched to everything else as if the person in front of the mic is the proper size of a human. It also adds distance between the vocals and everything else. This one is the hardest for me to adjust but it's very important.
4000hz: +4dB - ignore the pic showing +4.5dB.
This is going to actually aid in how the kicks sound, it will bring out the attack and decay and brighten the kicks, not to be confused with the impact of the kicks. Too low and it will sound like something is missing, too high and it will make the relationship with 8khz weird.
8000hz: +7.5dB
This is where you get realism. +4dB is pretty good but +6dB to +7dB really brings it out.
16000hz: +6dB
I put this right in between 4khz and 8khz for basically no reason other than I don't want it at zero nor +15dB. You can crank this to +15dB and barely notice a difference: listen to hi-hats to judge where this should be, generally lower than 8khz but probably not by much.
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