What are your favorite planar's from $350 to $1,000?

[TheRH]

What are your favorite planar's from $350 to $1,000?

 

[descloud]

Hifiman HE-500 since that's what I currently have as my best planar.

 

[ThanatosVI]

Sub 500: Hifiman Sundara
Sub 1000: Audeze LCD-2C
Closed: Audeze LCD 2 closed back

 

[bagwell359]

Hifiman HE-500 since that's what I currently have as my best planar.

I mused 3 days ago - maybe it's time to sell the 500's, then two nights in a row I listened to about 20 tracks total, and then answered myself - Are you crazy?

With no work/extras you can usually get them from $375-425. There is nothing new under $500 that can touch them. I think they might be under the Ananda (that way), but with these additions (fuzzor, dynamat, MrSpeakers Ether Angled pads, O2 speaker cable, EQ) - to me they crush the Ananda.

At a thousand if you haggle a bit you can get a used HE6se and that kills the LCD2* or the Arya.

In between those two you can get a HEX v2 for about $675-725, just have to use an EQ - very viable)

In another 3 months or so I expect the Arya to be available used (finally) at $1k. In six months even less as I anticipate a HFM move to a new model or an Arya II. Arya needs an EQ too, but with it, its the best named here.

 

[arielext]

At around $450 / $500 you can get a fully custom made closed/open back planar with wooden cups. The manufacturer will keep you up 2 date with the progress from start till finish.
Sash très v2 are the ones I'm referring to: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/sash-deux-tres-impressive-planars-from-ukraine.909992/
On top of all that: they sound very nice. Very addictive sound!

 

[gadadgo]

LCD-2C or LCD-X if buying used

 

[gibby]

following

 

[MakubexGB]

following

Ditto

 

[Kukuk]

As far as buying new, the Sundara is pretty much the king of sub-$500 headphones. It really is something special, and irrespective of price, I still think it's a better headphone than the Audeze LCD-2C.

If you're willing to buy used, there's no doubt in my mind: HE-500. They're getting harder and harder to find, but to me, they are the best value in all of headphones. They are a proper summit-fi headphone, and you can usually get them for under $400. (I think I got mine for $325) I would even go so far as to say if you find someone really gouging the price at like $600, they'd still be a steal. I almost can't oversell the HE-500; they're not miles behind my Abyss AB-1266, and I preferred them to a good number of truly high end headphones, like my old MDR-Z1R, HD800, AKG K812, Klipsch HP-3, etc.

The HE-560, while not quite as good as the HE-500, is still a solid headphone, and a lot easier to find. It took me a long time to really like them, as they are a little drier sounding than the HE-500, but eventually they clicked for me. Maybe not super musical, but they are, IMO, a solid reference headphone. The biggest downside to them is they are super hard to drive.

 

[coletrain104]

Getting a deal on HE-6se is great, especially if you can get Focuspads for them, as the pair they come with has a really forward mid-treble presence. This IMO is a step up from HE-500 in sound, has the updated headband which is lighter and comfier, and the headphone is lighter as well. If you don't have (or plan to have) at least a 1.5 W at 50 ohm amp it may not be ideal though. It loses some dynamics without some power behind it, but its dynamics and slam are its' strong suits (along with gorgeous mids and a present but refined treble, given the Focuspads). I had HE-Xv2 as well, and if Ananda improves on the treble presence they should be really excellent. The big-driver hifimans like Ananda tend not to have the slam of the smaller designs, but carry a tall and deep soundstage with a lot of detail and definition in the bass. Just not much thump, whereas the HE-6se has a ton of slam. As different as they are, I really like both approaches.

 

[Ieonasj]

what to buy better me for neutral warm sound aeon2 closed 900eur vs audeze lcd-2c closed -600eur . both new.

 

[gadadgo]

what to buy better me for neutral warm sound aeon2 closed 900eur vs audeze lcd-2c closed -600eur . both new.

In my experience audeze lcd-2c felt warmer

 

[Ieonasj]

In my experience audeze lcd-2c felt warmer

i got lcd-2cb , nice neutral warm sound , but later got neutral sound focal stellia. so, my new audeze used few times now collecting dust , waits new home

 

[bagwell359]

I mused 3 days ago - maybe it's time to sell the 500's, then two nights in a row I listened to about 20 tracks total, and then answered myself - Are you crazy?

With no work/extras you can usually get them from $375-425. There is nothing new under $500 that can touch them. I think they might be under the Ananda (that way), but with these additions (fuzzor, dynamat, MrSpeakers Ether Angled pads, O2 speaker cable, EQ) - to me they crush the Ananda.

At a thousand if you haggle a bit you can get a used HE6se and that kills the LCD2* or the Arya.

In between those two you can get a HEX v2 for about $675-725, just have to use an EQ - very viable)

In another 3 months or so I expect the Arya to be available used (finally) at $1k. In six months even less as I anticipate a HFM move to a new model or an Arya II. Arya needs an EQ too, but with it, its the best named here.

If you have the mods, parametric EQ and the juice, the 500's and SE's top the any Ananda IMO. The stealth Arya was being sold by HFM for $999 last week, and the really great OG HEK v2 for $1299. Those are viable competitors, and in the case of the HEK v2 really better except the richness of the 500 150-1200 Hz and SE bass impact but its better at most else including the stage size. Arya is exciting but a little hot/ear gain for me.

I really love the OG LCD-4, but the all LCD-2/3 I owned or heard are not usable w/o parametric, whereas for the SE v1 its important to have but the 500 and SE v2 can go forward w/o it.

HEX v2 - have one for 4 years, like it, but even with careful parametric EQ, cables it's a midrange can. Doesn't do bass impact and the highs are soft like tubey tubes. I label them early morning or late night cans - sort of like Empyies. You want intense, they don't do it.

Big fan of DCA's but like E1 (need EQ in the treble), Voce, the new flagships, but Aeon's? Not my cuppa.

Again, its all my subjective/taste/experience...

 

[GREQ]

Used HE-500 or HE-6.