DivineCurrent
500+ Head-Fier
I have very limited experience with planar headphones, but I am comparing the Hifiman HE-400i and the Senn HD650 specifically. Not so much sound quality in the subjective sense, but the amount of capability each headphone has. For example, due to the smooth nature of the HD650, it doesn't have that artificial treble spike that gives the impression of more detail. However, the HE-400i does have a slight 8 khz spike. I guess my question is this: is the reason the 400i seems to have more detail directly because of the treble spike, or is it because of the fact it is a planar? I had the Beyer DT 880 a while ago, which is a dynamic but also has that 8-9 khz spike, but didn't bring out nearly as many imperfections of recordings as the HE-400i, like pops and cracks. (Which may be due to greater treble extension.)