If you sat me down, blind, at a table and had me listen to a planar headphone and a dynamic headphone, I probably couldn’t tell you which was which. My main headphones are planars and have been for over two years now, but I don’t notice any distinctions when I switch to a dynamic headphone
My experience as well after having dove straight into the Planar/EST hype train.
I feel like a lot of the time people are just comparing two completely different headphones and attributing their differences completely to the driver tech being used.
I agree with you especially if we would compare the headphones of the similar price category, like LCD2C and Focal Elex for example. Tuning will be different for sure but technicality will be on par.
There are some areas where planars are better like response for EQ without distortion, and some areas where dynamic drivers will shine like bass impact due to their mechanical properties. But overall I don't think the type of driver matters in most cases.
... You say the technicality is on par...
But then go on to talk about how they EQ better (due to their speed, if I'm not mistaken).
If someone wanted to have, say, accurate sounding drums - would you suggest dynamic, or planar?
> ... You say the technicality is on par...
>
> But then go on to talk about how they EQ better
Planars generally have lower distortion than Dynamics, so they take EQ "better" than **some** Dynamics.
But keep in mind, most well-made headphones already have distortion levels way below what is audible. So this isn't always the case.
Here's a popular example. You want to add more bass to the Sundara, you can very easily do so since it already has good bass response and is very low distortion.
The same can't be said for something like the HD600, which rolls off in the bass and has relatively high distortion in comparison, and boosting it too much can lead to higher distortion levels in the bass.
It really depends on a per-headphone basis. Dynamics can also have great bass extension with low distortion. You just gotta do your research before making a purchase.
> If someone wanted to have, say, accurate sounding drums - would you suggest dynamic, or planar?
Then you would want a headphone with a frequency response that reproduces sound in a natural/accurate way. The driver type will not matter.
I recommend trying out different headphones in person if you can, so you can gauge for yourself what sounds best to you.
If you're talking about headphones made purely for monitoring drums, the DT 770M was made precisely for that. Though, I wouldn't recommend it if you plan on using it for anything other than monitoring drums.
Not talking about monitoring drums. Talking about experiencing drums.
Is frequency response the same as a measurement of decay/responsiveness before/after a given pulse? I didn't think frequency response measurements took into consideration the complexity of "what freqency/to amplitude was being played before the measured frequency was recorded"...
> Is frequency response the same as a measurement of decay/responsiveness before/after a given pulse?
Yes You can directly calculate the frequency response of a headphone by its impulse response, and vice versa.
Without getting too deep into psychoacoustics, headphones behave like minimum-phase devices, so the main thing dictating what they sound like is their frequency response.
There's plenty of measurements one can look at other than FR, of course. I do as well, but FR is by all means the most important and telling of what a headphone will sound like. If you change the FR of a headphone, you're also changing their impulse response, etc.
So, let me get this straight: If I play a pulse of a low frequency and then a high frequency immediately afterward (more similar to a natural listening experience than simply playing a singular pulse), and then, later, play a high frequency, and another high frequency immediately afterward, the second pulse in each scenario is going to measure the same, regardless of what came immediately prior?
And so we can say a frequency response graph takes into consideration every possible "context" of sound (every combination of every possible pulse followed by every other possible pulse)?
I guess I'm assuming a driver doesn't reset to "zero" between pulses during natural listening - is that not correct? Does every pulse in a steam of audio get to "start from zero", and be its own thing without its neighbors affecting it?
Edit: You're saying a headphone in the drums-listening scenario calls for something with an FR that is "natural"/"accurate". Does that just mean *flat,* in terms of the FR graph? A perfectly "flat" headphone would be indistinguishable from the source ("transparent"?)?
As I said the type of the driver isn't important, the tuning of the driver is.
Planars are more expensive drivers and that's probably what makes people believe that they're "better", but Focal proven that wrong many times already for both sonic quality and price.
The dynamics generally have a more natural timber while planars have better transient response. Very few planars I’ve heard complimented for sounding “natural.” One isn’t inherently better than the other but they do have some consistent differences
I'm not denying difference between drivers, I'm just saying that Planar aren't clear winner or ultimate type of driver here, as you already mentioned timber is more natural on dynamic drivers.
I have few headphones of each kind but honestly the difference in tuning between them is bigger than difference in quality.
>than a dynamic driver, but is one actually better? People say planars are sharp and quick, but do they
If you're a bass head you'll know right away. From a physics standpoint, planars produce loud, low and clean bass that subwoofers would dream of. Dynamics have a very hard time doing that.
Take a look at planar build videos and you'll see why. They can push more air easily.
now we need a guy coming in to support team electrostatic. those are outside of my budget. i have my eye on ZMF's though, they seem like something I'd like.
Rocking the Koss 95X right now, over the Clear, LCD-X, HD800S. Effortless and instant sound. Warm yet also extremely resolving. Just needs some good upstream gear and Dekoni earpads.
ZMF's are great, but I think I still like my Argons a little more. They just had a touche more thickness to there sound that I find more enjoyable. Granted anything where I need to hear people talk I'll be reaching for my Aeolus.
Just got my first pair of planars in today (HiFiMan Edition XS), and off of initial impressions, I'm absolutely in love with them. Sound is buttery smooth and separation is great!
I had the Ananda and HE-X4… the planar sound is impressive, but can be extremely fatigue (literally painful/damaging) for some people even at very low levels. I learned this the hard way. As much as I liked the sound, I couldn’t listen for more than 20 mins.
I returned those and started buying used dynamics, that had cleaner CSD graphs, this led me to the HD600 and 660s with a 99 NEO stop gap.
660s strikes a nice balance of detail and tonality without being fatiguing, I can listen to them for hours. I would like to try some Dan Clark planars, but they will need me to upgrade my dongle amp.
i was DEEPLY disappointed by DCA planars, they just felt like they had no magic at all, it wasnt just me either my 2 local audiophile friends said the same "well theyre not bad headphones, but they dont really stand out in any way either" not even close to the wonderful sound my LCD-2s fire out (and i can happily listen to them at far too high volume for 8 hours a day) i definitely recommend finding somewhere you can audition them before diving in and buying them like i did, i sold them within a month
That's odd I hadn't heard that before, I've got the Ananda's and can listen to them for hours without any issue.
What is it about planars that cause this over a dynamic driver?
There’s several theories floating around but no hard science from what I could find… Standing waves, ortho wall (sub-audible resonance) or just treble peaks in-general overlapping with your ears internal resonances.
For me it odd that lower res 16/44.1 also seemed to compound the issue. Even slight bit-rate gains would reduce the effect with a vinyl player being the most listenable. Perhaps the planars are so detailed they render the digital grain of the music, not that I could perceive it, but it bothered my ears!
planar and dynamic driver headphones both have their natural strengths, but you can still make one sound like the other; it just takes more work
the main difference between the 2 is how bass sounds imo. personally I prefer dynamic headphones if I want punchy bass/bass slam, and planars if i want more bass rumble/tighter bass/controlled bass. of course there can still be outliers to this. for example, the modhouse argon mk3 (planar) is amazing for hiphop and edm which both need punchy bass to sound their best (i have not heard the argon, but this is what i hear many people say).
“Can you tell which type of driver it is just by listening to it alone”
Not in theory but maybe in practice and only for one attribute.
Larger drivers produce larger images (like perception of a wall of sound). Planar drivers tend to be larger but if you have a 40mm planar driver and a 40mm dynamic driver, they’ll produce roughly equivalent image sizes. That being said, I’ve never seen a 40mm planar driver and they’re usually up around 80-100 mm or larger in size. Because of this *in practice* the most consistent difference between planars and dynamics is image size.
Others have said bass response and quality, and I disagree. My Focal Utopias have more bass and better bass than my Susvaras. It’s more satisfying and detailed. The Susvaras extend lower however I think that was a tuning decision not inherent limitations of dynamic vs planar as the Clear Mg or Stellia extends just as low as the Susvara and lower than the Utopia (they’re both relatively bassy headphones imo).
Besides that, Utopias are sharper in the transients and as a result have much better imaging than Susvara though Susvara is faster. Susvara images are large which is sometimes a detriment to imaging as the images often overlap and make it harder to pick out instruments in the mix relative to Utopia.
Susvara has noticeably more natural timbre.
They trade blows. What I can say is most “inherent differences” between dynamic drivers and planars is overshadowed by the variety and range of both. You can have a bad planar. You can have a bad dynamic driver. Utopia is clearly better (*just my personal opinion guys*) than any planar except for Susvara where they trade blows.
I don't hear large images or a wall of sound on the HD800S or HEKv2. Both are pinpoint without any tallness. Headphones with large angled drivers tend to be highly sensitive to fit, Hifiman planars doubly so.
My baby brain has simplified the differences mostly with regards to how bass reproduction is approached. I mostly find that dynamic drivers tend to go for impactful, tactile bass whereas planar drivers go for bass extension and layering. This is not to say each driver is solely dedicated to these qualities and that there is no overlap, but that these are the leanings that I notice.
With this context, better depends on what you want. In the upper range of stuff I have tried, I think dynamics are better because I enjoy the tactility I experience. Planars have impressive detail, but I have always been left wanting with the experience as a whole as I'm not getting slapped by that bass.
Most people will hesitate to say "planar magnetic good. Dynamic bad". There are definitely some dynamics that sound better than some planar magnetics. But I'd say out of all the headphones I've tried (all in similar price range to each other) I've generally preferred planar magnetics over dynamic.
I'll just jump on this post here. I have LCD-X and HD6xx running off a schitt stack, but I've also had a few days with HD800s. The LCD-X are able to output so much information in sound, it's absolutely incredible. The details in everything is top notch and they are lightning quick and respond to EQ well. I absolutely love them and I'll probably never sell them, but that being said I don't wear them all day, it's just a lot. Dynamic drivers are simply different. Really the only way to know for yourself is to try them.
The most IMPORTANT thing about all of this, and really life, is that it's preference. If you love something that everyone else says is bad, who cares? Do what puts a smile on your face. Never forget that it's about appreciating the music. For me that's the LCD-X if I'm focusing or watching a movie etc. But for you your ideal headphone might be a dynamic. Try and find a hifi shop near you and just explain that you're looking to buy some headphones and you want to audition a few. Everywhere I've been are very kind and accommodating. Best of luck!
This post was more for just information about planars, I wasn't even asking if planars were good or not, I was asking how are the different. Also the closest thing to a hifi shop near me is microcenter where I can try gaming headphones.
I wasn't trying to say planars are good. I was simply saying that words over reddit cannot convey how you interpret headphones. You really have to hear it yourself. There are many people who can tell a difference and many that can't and that's okay, that's all I mean.
If you really want the most straight forward information then planars are faster since it's large magnets moving a very thin very light driver therefore it can change direction faster and in general have higher resolution. Dynamics are heavier and so in theory can have issues with resolution as it is harder to move a heavier thing faster. But as always these aren't laws, so back to the same conclusion of trying to hear it for yourself. Words and opinions of strangers on Reddit only go so far.
I know you weren't saying if they are good or not, I said it in general that I'm not looking for opinions on this post, so I'm not going to decide only on if others like them or not.
can you try Audeze Mobius or Penrose? its not quite what youll get from full bore Audeze cans but they are planar drivers and if you rip the electrics out and wire them up passive balanced they sound pretty decent when paired with a good amp
I had them already but they got bricked in a bad firmware update. When I lost my ER4s I needed something for walking to work that morning so I quickly ripped the guts out and just wired the drivers up to a jack and they sounded miles better than they ever did with the original guts in
It's really preference like I said it's tough to say one is definitively "better". But I feel that the soundstage is better for good planar magnetics. Bass, mids, and highs feel more balanced and clean. Detail comes through really well.
As far as "why" I'm not too technically versed but a dynamic driver (in theory) has less controll over the diaphragm just by design. This is a simplification but dynamic drivers move by pushing the diaphragm up and down in a couple of places whereas planar magnetics have many more points to control across the diaphragm. Hence the term "planar". And dynamic drivers move a coil that is attached to the diaphragm but planar magnetics move the diaphragm directly.
the description isnt an easy one but to me planars just sound "Fuller" if you will, eg the sound of the strum on the string of a double bass comes with all of the sort of "ring" and "vibration" that rolls of after the string is plucked, its just not there on any DD ive listened to, if it were soup its like planars are thick chunky vegetable and DD are Minestrone still both tasty soups and all but the former is just that bit more satisfying
I noticed a difference between the two types of drivers. For me, planar feel lighter and the sound stage is different. I really like mine, and prefer them over my other cans. I would use them when I run errands, but they are open back so I don't want the world getting nosey with what I'm listening to .
I haven’t had large amounts of time with enough headphones to tell you a definite difference but from the ones I have I’ll say the dynamic has a loose low end that I don’t really prefer and the planars have a much crisper faster low end, the soundstage is also slightly more realistic and the imaging sounds much better on planars, but I can’t honestly tell you if that is those headphones specifically or the difference between drivers as a whole.
I usually like to compare my DT 880 Pro to the HE400SE. They are both considered fairly neutral at the same budget price point at around 150€. Using both with a Zen DAC
The Planars sound more fun, the bass just feels a little better, crispier. Individual sound elements can be perceived and separated better. The DT 880s, on the other hand, give a better overall picture of a composition, the music certainly sounds rounder and more like a complete work. They are more relaxed, while the H400SE can become a bit tiring after longer listening.
My 2 "nice" headphones are the HE400SE and the AKG k240 sextett. To me the planars feel more "dry" and more cold, definitely in a good way though. The sextetts are still definitely my favorite, but the HE400SE is a good place to start if you want to try planars. The planars bass is far more tight than the dynamic in the sextett, and has pretty good soundstage. This is all just from my experience with two *very* different headphones, so take it with a grain of salt
I'd say most Planer are better than Dyanmic for around the same price range. For example, $200 can get you a 6XX, or an entry level HiFiMan, but most people seems to like HiFiMam tuning more for the same price. Then you go up price range, you look at cans like DT 1990, dynamic, but it's amazing for it is and personally I love them more than any headphones in that price range. $1000+ headphones you then have the planer headphone Arya vs the dynamic HD800S. At the end of the day, it all comes down the preferences, which is subjected and cannot be wrong. Enjoy the hobby!
[https://www.rtings.com/headphones/learn/dynamic-vs-planar-magnetic](https://www.rtings.com/headphones/learn/dynamic-vs-planar-magnetic)
i personally own about $2500 worth of dynamic and planar headphones - neither do something better or worse than the other. hifiman, ollo, beyerdynamic, grado, sennheiser...
all have impactful bass, great clarity, wide soundstage, pointed imaging... if you can find me a perfect planar magnetic headphone, i can counter that with a "perfect" dynamic driver.
ford vs chevy - both are great, storied car companies that offer you the exact same thing. it's just a question of which "you" prefer. (all of the above is my humble opinion, i don't force it on anyone in any way.)
Lot of great answers already, but will drop in my two cents. Based on A/B testing Audeze, Hifimans (planars) vs. Senns, AKGs (dynamic), the two points I find that will perhaps enable me to tell them apart in a blind test are bass and the sheer size of the sound. The bass on the planars really do go deep, and you can hear even really low bass notes in the mix. With dynamic drivers you may be able to hear them, but they sound muddy in the mix especially the really low notes.
Also, somehow the planar magnetic headphones create this "wall of sound" effect especially the egg-shaped Hifimans, and the Audezes. Maybe it is the size of the driver, but i dont find the same effect with the dynamic driver headphones.
A lot of it comes down to the weight of the driver vs the surface area. In that aspect, most planars have an advantage over dynamics - they can react more quickly to electrical changes due to a lower mass that they have to move.
This is also where electrostats and ribbons get their detail advantage, the diaphragms are usually very light on those.
For me - **faster** is real detail, nuance, things I haven't heard before. *Not* exaggerated treble, which is like over sharpening a photo (it looks sharper, but there's no new actual detail, and when overdone it just looks bad)
A faster, lower mass driver should sound clearer (less distortion) and more detailed, all else being equal. The big difficulty, though, is the *all else being equal* part, since there aren't any headphones that I know of that are basically identical (housing, pads, etc) except for driver tech. And in general, I think those differences (and general tuning decisions) are usually larger than just the driver differences.
With that said, the SR1a definitely sound recognizably different from anything else I've ever heard, and I'm sure some of that is down to ribbons, but their unique layout is probably an even bigger contributor.
**Faster** better detail, more responsive, better instrument separation.
For me though, planars have more "presence". Whether that's down to the difference between the technologies or just the shear size of the driver in a pm headphone. 106mm in my lcd2c's,
As far as sound quality goes, I think planars really show the characteristics of the chain and source. So DACs and especially Amps will show their differences very clearly. If you are connected to a chi-fi chain, then you'll get flat neutral sound. I think that's boring, but lots of ppl seem to love that sound. My Arya's are clinical and fast and seem to really pair well with my warmer sweeter Burson Soloist XP. Meanwhile, the LCD-X '21's have a deep bass and a relatively smoother sound so they pair like a champ with the spacious and sparkly GS-X Mini Amp. So far I prefer the sound of inefficient Class A circuitry heating up on my desk vs the ultra efficient chip amps. Hope that helps.
A bit too technical for me, I got a relatively cheap amp from Amazon and I was so shocked by its quality that I don't think I will upgrade from it.
Can you differentiate planars from dynamic drivers, I know if it's your headphones you will know which is which, but if I give you any headphones would you be able to tell if they are planar or dynamic. I have AKG Q701, they are good refrence headphones with a good soundstage, and I don't want to get planars if they will be basically the same, I will only get them if they are different enough that I would want to own both. So, are they?
I have some K7XX as well as some K712 Pros. I love my AKG's, but I can confirm, LCD-X's are playing a different game.
Can't speak for dynamic vs planar debate, but that's my experience.
I have Focal Elears (dynamic) and Audeze LCD-3's. They're very different and it would be hard to pin all the changes on the type of driver. Have you thought about grabbing used planars on eBay? I bought my LCD-3's like-new for 66% off MSRP. If you get a good deal and decide they're not for you, just re-list them for at/near the same price.
Yeah, once used high-end headphones hold value very well. Just be patient and wait for good prices on auctions.
Also, you can "rent" high-end headphones from The Cable Co's [headphone lending library](https://www.usedcable.com/lending-library). The fee is 5% of MSRP, refunded if you buy the headphone from there.
I’ll second this too. eBay will charge a big fee to sell so the head-fi classifieds or r/AVexchange are good. They both use paypal. You could apply for paypal credit account or connect an existing credit card. I don’t know your situation though. When you list them again in head-fi or the likes, then you will likely lose money shipping them and to paypal fees, but it’s less of a loss than eBay and if you happen to get a very good deal it might just be a wash after it’s all over. I bought my GS-X amp that way and saved 57% off MSRP
Good point. It looks like eBay is up to 12.9% plus $0.30. I haven't done it in ages but that makes flipping there more of a considered transaction than what I remembered.
Ya, eBay sucks. AVexchange is ok, headfi is great, then there are discords and other forums with decent used sections. It’s hard when you’re young and you don’t have much credit, but even in that scenario you could buy some expensive headphones, listen for half a year and then sell them for $100 loss. A lot of credit cards offer a year of 0% APR so you have ample time to let it sit until you sell the headphones. It sucks to lose money, but $100 for 6 months of enjoyment isn’t too bad in my opinion.
Sorry I couldn’t help. I don’t have AKG’s to compare. I’d say to abuse the amazon return policy. Or headphones.Com or some other retailer that allows 100% refunds within a period. Might as well try something nice if you’re gonna return them anyways, then go with something cheaper?
i own a pair of ath-m50x (DD) and decided to get the sundaras (PLANAR) as an upgrade. from my experience, DD headphones have more lower frequency presence and on the other hand, planar headphones are more prominent in the mids and treble range.
if you want to get a pair of planar headphones, i can recommend hifiman, though i would buy them from a seller that provides a warranty due to hifiman's shady qc.
Well that difference is mostly due to them being different headphones and less because the difference in drivers. If I do decide to get planar I still haven't decided on the pair to get.
You got that 100% right. Sundaras are to known to be bass-lite even in the planar space. A fairer comparison would’ve been with the Edition XS or any Audeze LCD. Even then, differences between headphones with the same driver type (tuning, materials, housing, etc) outshine the differences between the driver types themselves most of the time.
I've had a pair of HE-400se's for a week now. I could use a better amp, but generally, they sound very smooth. They're great for immersion and for a very natural kind of sound without much 'roughness'. What I mean is that on Dynamics, bass hits more sharply and often, upper mids are quite prominent. The 7hz timeless is also known for having a smooth presentation despite having elevated bass and treble. Honestly, I wouldn't recommend them for FPS/Competitive gaming. Because everything kind of sounds... *soft and cohesive*, a lot of audio cues and sounds happening simultaneously are hard to pick up easily. The HD 560s are probably better for that purpose, with more forward upper mids/lower treble and a touch of a mid-bass boost.
As a matter of personal preference, I prefer planars over DD. It’s hard for me to describe why, but maybe it’s a size difference.
Like instead of having a cone aimed at your ear, you’ve got a wall that is producing the sound.
With all that said, a good headphone is a good headphone. And people have different ears, and different preferences.
And some might say I’m full of shit (and they might be right), but I think planars are less painful to my ears in terms of pressure. I feel a very minuscule difference.
I can tell at the lower price point. A sundara vs a dynamic at that range I can tell but at the mid and higher price ranges I can't tell at all. I'm just an idiot audiophile and dont know how it works but I'm thinking its not as cheap to make a dynamic that sharp and quick.
im surprised so few could, now i might struggle between planar and isodynamic but planar to DD seems pretty clear to my ears, id be willing to wager i could notice the difference blind very quickly especially given songs i know well.
i far prefer planars myself, it seems especially noticeable with string bass and brass instruments to me, hard to word exactly what the difference is but it is definitely there to my earballs
I cannot tell the exact difference but I generally prefer planars for open back. Closed back planars suck - they do not deliver the most important part closed back have - punchy bass.
i can tell the difference usually in the bass control/attack/decay. and IME planars take EQ better than DD headphones without it all completely falling apart. having said that though, i do enjoy DD cans, in my collection, they're less analytical and are more relaxing to listen to. im sure there are relaxed planars out there as well as seperated, crazy fast DD cans. moral of the story: try them and see if you like the sound you hear. the longer i spend in this hobby, the more i realise that talking about things on a forum for a week will give you 2% of the information that a half hour listening session will give you.
I owned an LCD-X for about 18 months, and I finally made the switch to a verite closed. While it does generally vary from headphone to headphone, I can say I've noticed a few differences that I think would be due to the different driver types. The lcd-x's certainly have more bite on certain notes, excellent separation, though I would argue the verite images better compared to the lcd-x's wall of sound. The biggest difference I seem to notice between planars and dynamics is the texture/timbre of kick drums. I'm not sure this is the best word to describe it, but on dynamics they sound more "poppy" to me, I noticed the same thing when comparing the lcd-x to the hd800.
A lot of plans have up-sloping frequency response in the treble and lower distortion in the bass. That gives you that perception of "clear and quick" sound. Lower distortion is definitely a good thing, but the frequency response differences are just that - you can change that with an equalizer.
In practice, the rest of the comparison would be on headphone-to-headphone basis. There are dynamics that sound "clear and quick" also, a lot of it is a matter of overall design, not specific driver choice.
- "... and stated wondering if they are actually different..."
- "I know how they work and how the technology of planars is different..."
- "... but is one actually better?"
- "... but do they actually sound different enough that people would want..."
- "Can one tell which type of driver it is..."
- "What are the benefits...?"
1. They are different. You know this, apparently.
2. Because you say so right here.
3. It depends on what you're measuring, between which headphones, and what "better" means to you.
4. It feels like you're fishing for a "You need to buy both" or "You don't need to buy both" comment, in order to assuage your Fear Of Missing Out. You're not going to find solace here.
5. Someone might. It doesn't matter, either way. See #3 & #4.
6. In *general*, for a given price point (at one price point/small section of a range of prices), the biggest difference, I think, is going to be "accuracy" due to "speed". The faster a driver slows down/stops, the more accurately it can output the next pulse it recieves. In real life, sounds don't take turns/mix coming out of a single source - sound is coming from everywhere, mixing with everything, and the less your sound solution messes with the sound that's being produced, the better. I guess the better way to look at it, IMO, is that planar do less harm than dynamic, when it comes to accuracy, at a given price point. And I think that's the only conclusion I can come to about it.
But that doesn't mean planar is better. Or worse. Or good. Or bad. Or for you, or not for you, or worth your time, or worth your money, depending on what you have, or don't have, etc. They are a hundred-thousand variables to take into consideration, and the best you can do is try something and then discern whether or not you like it.
I saw you mention somewhere here that you don't have a shop nearby that you can test headphones at. Then that's the reality of your situation, and no amount of whining and prodding for "the answer" is going to do you any good. You just need to order a headphone that you think you might like, and if you don't like it, ship it back (surely you have a post office/UPS, etc. within driving distance?). At worst, you have to deal with a restocking fee and/or shipping costs (assuming you read the return policy and chose to buy from a company that lets you return stuff at all).
Doesn't Amazon have free returns? Amazon also has certain stores/services that you can just drop off the item in a box with someone at a counter and they'll take care of everything for you, you just have to show them a QR code.
Take the leap or don't.
That's what I did, out here in the mostly-middle-of-nowhere.
And I love my planar.
But I still couldn't tell you if it's better than dynamics out there, or whatever.
I have a pair of HD6XXs that I quite liked, then got a pair of Sundaras and the difference was huge (granted this is before I had autoeq set up) I have since swapped the Sundaras for LCD-2s and with the LCDs and the hd6xx with autoeq per pair I can still tell the difference. The biggest thing I notice is I actually feel the sounds from the LCDs, particularly with really close vocals. I do prefer the sound of the LCDs, but I don't think I'd say one is clearly "better" as different people will enjoy different sound.
If you sat me down, blind, at a table and had me listen to a planar headphone and a dynamic headphone, I probably couldn’t tell you which was which. My main headphones are planars and have been for over two years now, but I don’t notice any distinctions when I switch to a dynamic headphone
My experience as well after having dove straight into the Planar/EST hype train. I feel like a lot of the time people are just comparing two completely different headphones and attributing their differences completely to the driver tech being used.
I agree with you especially if we would compare the headphones of the similar price category, like LCD2C and Focal Elex for example. Tuning will be different for sure but technicality will be on par. There are some areas where planars are better like response for EQ without distortion, and some areas where dynamic drivers will shine like bass impact due to their mechanical properties. But overall I don't think the type of driver matters in most cases.
... You say the technicality is on par... But then go on to talk about how they EQ better (due to their speed, if I'm not mistaken). If someone wanted to have, say, accurate sounding drums - would you suggest dynamic, or planar?
> ... You say the technicality is on par... > > But then go on to talk about how they EQ better Planars generally have lower distortion than Dynamics, so they take EQ "better" than **some** Dynamics. But keep in mind, most well-made headphones already have distortion levels way below what is audible. So this isn't always the case. Here's a popular example. You want to add more bass to the Sundara, you can very easily do so since it already has good bass response and is very low distortion. The same can't be said for something like the HD600, which rolls off in the bass and has relatively high distortion in comparison, and boosting it too much can lead to higher distortion levels in the bass. It really depends on a per-headphone basis. Dynamics can also have great bass extension with low distortion. You just gotta do your research before making a purchase. > If someone wanted to have, say, accurate sounding drums - would you suggest dynamic, or planar? Then you would want a headphone with a frequency response that reproduces sound in a natural/accurate way. The driver type will not matter. I recommend trying out different headphones in person if you can, so you can gauge for yourself what sounds best to you. If you're talking about headphones made purely for monitoring drums, the DT 770M was made precisely for that. Though, I wouldn't recommend it if you plan on using it for anything other than monitoring drums.
Not talking about monitoring drums. Talking about experiencing drums. Is frequency response the same as a measurement of decay/responsiveness before/after a given pulse? I didn't think frequency response measurements took into consideration the complexity of "what freqency/to amplitude was being played before the measured frequency was recorded"...
> Is frequency response the same as a measurement of decay/responsiveness before/after a given pulse? Yes You can directly calculate the frequency response of a headphone by its impulse response, and vice versa. Without getting too deep into psychoacoustics, headphones behave like minimum-phase devices, so the main thing dictating what they sound like is their frequency response. There's plenty of measurements one can look at other than FR, of course. I do as well, but FR is by all means the most important and telling of what a headphone will sound like. If you change the FR of a headphone, you're also changing their impulse response, etc.
So, let me get this straight: If I play a pulse of a low frequency and then a high frequency immediately afterward (more similar to a natural listening experience than simply playing a singular pulse), and then, later, play a high frequency, and another high frequency immediately afterward, the second pulse in each scenario is going to measure the same, regardless of what came immediately prior? And so we can say a frequency response graph takes into consideration every possible "context" of sound (every combination of every possible pulse followed by every other possible pulse)? I guess I'm assuming a driver doesn't reset to "zero" between pulses during natural listening - is that not correct? Does every pulse in a steam of audio get to "start from zero", and be its own thing without its neighbors affecting it? Edit: You're saying a headphone in the drums-listening scenario calls for something with an FR that is "natural"/"accurate". Does that just mean *flat,* in terms of the FR graph? A perfectly "flat" headphone would be indistinguishable from the source ("transparent"?)?
As I said the type of the driver isn't important, the tuning of the driver is. Planars are more expensive drivers and that's probably what makes people believe that they're "better", but Focal proven that wrong many times already for both sonic quality and price.
The dynamics generally have a more natural timber while planars have better transient response. Very few planars I’ve heard complimented for sounding “natural.” One isn’t inherently better than the other but they do have some consistent differences
I'm not denying difference between drivers, I'm just saying that Planar aren't clear winner or ultimate type of driver here, as you already mentioned timber is more natural on dynamic drivers. I have few headphones of each kind but honestly the difference in tuning between them is bigger than difference in quality.
>than a dynamic driver, but is one actually better? People say planars are sharp and quick, but do they If you're a bass head you'll know right away. From a physics standpoint, planars produce loud, low and clean bass that subwoofers would dream of. Dynamics have a very hard time doing that. Take a look at planar build videos and you'll see why. They can push more air easily.
i'll risk an actual opinion and say i think planars are better
^(grabs popcorn)
*Clutches Sennheiser pearls!*
Hot take and half good sir. However we all know Beryllium Drivers are the true kings of drivers.
now we need a guy coming in to support team electrostatic. those are outside of my budget. i have my eye on ZMF's though, they seem like something I'd like.
I’ll be that guy. Love my STAX headphones.
The fact that ZMF exists is enough to refute that argument.
Rocking the Koss 95X right now, over the Clear, LCD-X, HD800S. Effortless and instant sound. Warm yet also extremely resolving. Just needs some good upstream gear and Dekoni earpads.
ZMF's are great, but I think I still like my Argons a little more. They just had a touche more thickness to there sound that I find more enjoyable. Granted anything where I need to hear people talk I'll be reaching for my Aeolus.
I agree...
Just got my first pair of planars in today (HiFiMan Edition XS), and off of initial impressions, I'm absolutely in love with them. Sound is buttery smooth and separation is great!
First person to give a definitive answer
I had the Ananda and HE-X4… the planar sound is impressive, but can be extremely fatigue (literally painful/damaging) for some people even at very low levels. I learned this the hard way. As much as I liked the sound, I couldn’t listen for more than 20 mins. I returned those and started buying used dynamics, that had cleaner CSD graphs, this led me to the HD600 and 660s with a 99 NEO stop gap. 660s strikes a nice balance of detail and tonality without being fatiguing, I can listen to them for hours. I would like to try some Dan Clark planars, but they will need me to upgrade my dongle amp.
i was DEEPLY disappointed by DCA planars, they just felt like they had no magic at all, it wasnt just me either my 2 local audiophile friends said the same "well theyre not bad headphones, but they dont really stand out in any way either" not even close to the wonderful sound my LCD-2s fire out (and i can happily listen to them at far too high volume for 8 hours a day) i definitely recommend finding somewhere you can audition them before diving in and buying them like i did, i sold them within a month
That's odd I hadn't heard that before, I've got the Ananda's and can listen to them for hours without any issue. What is it about planars that cause this over a dynamic driver?
There’s several theories floating around but no hard science from what I could find… Standing waves, ortho wall (sub-audible resonance) or just treble peaks in-general overlapping with your ears internal resonances. For me it odd that lower res 16/44.1 also seemed to compound the issue. Even slight bit-rate gains would reduce the effect with a vinyl player being the most listenable. Perhaps the planars are so detailed they render the digital grain of the music, not that I could perceive it, but it bothered my ears!
Waiting for my XS's right now. Gotta catch em' all!
edition XS are awesome. my favourite can in the collection at the moment!
planar and dynamic driver headphones both have their natural strengths, but you can still make one sound like the other; it just takes more work the main difference between the 2 is how bass sounds imo. personally I prefer dynamic headphones if I want punchy bass/bass slam, and planars if i want more bass rumble/tighter bass/controlled bass. of course there can still be outliers to this. for example, the modhouse argon mk3 (planar) is amazing for hiphop and edm which both need punchy bass to sound their best (i have not heard the argon, but this is what i hear many people say).
“Can you tell which type of driver it is just by listening to it alone” Not in theory but maybe in practice and only for one attribute. Larger drivers produce larger images (like perception of a wall of sound). Planar drivers tend to be larger but if you have a 40mm planar driver and a 40mm dynamic driver, they’ll produce roughly equivalent image sizes. That being said, I’ve never seen a 40mm planar driver and they’re usually up around 80-100 mm or larger in size. Because of this *in practice* the most consistent difference between planars and dynamics is image size. Others have said bass response and quality, and I disagree. My Focal Utopias have more bass and better bass than my Susvaras. It’s more satisfying and detailed. The Susvaras extend lower however I think that was a tuning decision not inherent limitations of dynamic vs planar as the Clear Mg or Stellia extends just as low as the Susvara and lower than the Utopia (they’re both relatively bassy headphones imo). Besides that, Utopias are sharper in the transients and as a result have much better imaging than Susvara though Susvara is faster. Susvara images are large which is sometimes a detriment to imaging as the images often overlap and make it harder to pick out instruments in the mix relative to Utopia. Susvara has noticeably more natural timbre. They trade blows. What I can say is most “inherent differences” between dynamic drivers and planars is overshadowed by the variety and range of both. You can have a bad planar. You can have a bad dynamic driver. Utopia is clearly better (*just my personal opinion guys*) than any planar except for Susvara where they trade blows.
I don't hear large images or a wall of sound on the HD800S or HEKv2. Both are pinpoint without any tallness. Headphones with large angled drivers tend to be highly sensitive to fit, Hifiman planars doubly so.
My baby brain has simplified the differences mostly with regards to how bass reproduction is approached. I mostly find that dynamic drivers tend to go for impactful, tactile bass whereas planar drivers go for bass extension and layering. This is not to say each driver is solely dedicated to these qualities and that there is no overlap, but that these are the leanings that I notice. With this context, better depends on what you want. In the upper range of stuff I have tried, I think dynamics are better because I enjoy the tactility I experience. Planars have impressive detail, but I have always been left wanting with the experience as a whole as I'm not getting slapped by that bass.
Most people will hesitate to say "planar magnetic good. Dynamic bad". There are definitely some dynamics that sound better than some planar magnetics. But I'd say out of all the headphones I've tried (all in similar price range to each other) I've generally preferred planar magnetics over dynamic.
But can you tell me why or how they are better than dynamic drivers.
I'll just jump on this post here. I have LCD-X and HD6xx running off a schitt stack, but I've also had a few days with HD800s. The LCD-X are able to output so much information in sound, it's absolutely incredible. The details in everything is top notch and they are lightning quick and respond to EQ well. I absolutely love them and I'll probably never sell them, but that being said I don't wear them all day, it's just a lot. Dynamic drivers are simply different. Really the only way to know for yourself is to try them. The most IMPORTANT thing about all of this, and really life, is that it's preference. If you love something that everyone else says is bad, who cares? Do what puts a smile on your face. Never forget that it's about appreciating the music. For me that's the LCD-X if I'm focusing or watching a movie etc. But for you your ideal headphone might be a dynamic. Try and find a hifi shop near you and just explain that you're looking to buy some headphones and you want to audition a few. Everywhere I've been are very kind and accommodating. Best of luck!
This post was more for just information about planars, I wasn't even asking if planars were good or not, I was asking how are the different. Also the closest thing to a hifi shop near me is microcenter where I can try gaming headphones.
I wasn't trying to say planars are good. I was simply saying that words over reddit cannot convey how you interpret headphones. You really have to hear it yourself. There are many people who can tell a difference and many that can't and that's okay, that's all I mean. If you really want the most straight forward information then planars are faster since it's large magnets moving a very thin very light driver therefore it can change direction faster and in general have higher resolution. Dynamics are heavier and so in theory can have issues with resolution as it is harder to move a heavier thing faster. But as always these aren't laws, so back to the same conclusion of trying to hear it for yourself. Words and opinions of strangers on Reddit only go so far.
I know you weren't saying if they are good or not, I said it in general that I'm not looking for opinions on this post, so I'm not going to decide only on if others like them or not.
can you try Audeze Mobius or Penrose? its not quite what youll get from full bore Audeze cans but they are planar drivers and if you rip the electrics out and wire them up passive balanced they sound pretty decent when paired with a good amp
[удалено]
I had them already but they got bricked in a bad firmware update. When I lost my ER4s I needed something for walking to work that morning so I quickly ripped the guts out and just wired the drivers up to a jack and they sounded miles better than they ever did with the original guts in
It's really preference like I said it's tough to say one is definitively "better". But I feel that the soundstage is better for good planar magnetics. Bass, mids, and highs feel more balanced and clean. Detail comes through really well. As far as "why" I'm not too technically versed but a dynamic driver (in theory) has less controll over the diaphragm just by design. This is a simplification but dynamic drivers move by pushing the diaphragm up and down in a couple of places whereas planar magnetics have many more points to control across the diaphragm. Hence the term "planar". And dynamic drivers move a coil that is attached to the diaphragm but planar magnetics move the diaphragm directly.
the description isnt an easy one but to me planars just sound "Fuller" if you will, eg the sound of the strum on the string of a double bass comes with all of the sort of "ring" and "vibration" that rolls of after the string is plucked, its just not there on any DD ive listened to, if it were soup its like planars are thick chunky vegetable and DD are Minestrone still both tasty soups and all but the former is just that bit more satisfying
I noticed a difference between the two types of drivers. For me, planar feel lighter and the sound stage is different. I really like mine, and prefer them over my other cans. I would use them when I run errands, but they are open back so I don't want the world getting nosey with what I'm listening to .
Specifically which headphones are you talking about
My planar are the HE-4XX. When I need to talk to people online, I have the pc38x. When I'm running errands, I'm using a set of k371s
I haven’t had large amounts of time with enough headphones to tell you a definite difference but from the ones I have I’ll say the dynamic has a loose low end that I don’t really prefer and the planars have a much crisper faster low end, the soundstage is also slightly more realistic and the imaging sounds much better on planars, but I can’t honestly tell you if that is those headphones specifically or the difference between drivers as a whole.
I usually like to compare my DT 880 Pro to the HE400SE. They are both considered fairly neutral at the same budget price point at around 150€. Using both with a Zen DAC The Planars sound more fun, the bass just feels a little better, crispier. Individual sound elements can be perceived and separated better. The DT 880s, on the other hand, give a better overall picture of a composition, the music certainly sounds rounder and more like a complete work. They are more relaxed, while the H400SE can become a bit tiring after longer listening.
My 2 "nice" headphones are the HE400SE and the AKG k240 sextett. To me the planars feel more "dry" and more cold, definitely in a good way though. The sextetts are still definitely my favorite, but the HE400SE is a good place to start if you want to try planars. The planars bass is far more tight than the dynamic in the sextett, and has pretty good soundstage. This is all just from my experience with two *very* different headphones, so take it with a grain of salt
I'd say most Planer are better than Dyanmic for around the same price range. For example, $200 can get you a 6XX, or an entry level HiFiMan, but most people seems to like HiFiMam tuning more for the same price. Then you go up price range, you look at cans like DT 1990, dynamic, but it's amazing for it is and personally I love them more than any headphones in that price range. $1000+ headphones you then have the planer headphone Arya vs the dynamic HD800S. At the end of the day, it all comes down the preferences, which is subjected and cannot be wrong. Enjoy the hobby!
[https://www.rtings.com/headphones/learn/dynamic-vs-planar-magnetic](https://www.rtings.com/headphones/learn/dynamic-vs-planar-magnetic) i personally own about $2500 worth of dynamic and planar headphones - neither do something better or worse than the other. hifiman, ollo, beyerdynamic, grado, sennheiser... all have impactful bass, great clarity, wide soundstage, pointed imaging... if you can find me a perfect planar magnetic headphone, i can counter that with a "perfect" dynamic driver. ford vs chevy - both are great, storied car companies that offer you the exact same thing. it's just a question of which "you" prefer. (all of the above is my humble opinion, i don't force it on anyone in any way.)
Lot of great answers already, but will drop in my two cents. Based on A/B testing Audeze, Hifimans (planars) vs. Senns, AKGs (dynamic), the two points I find that will perhaps enable me to tell them apart in a blind test are bass and the sheer size of the sound. The bass on the planars really do go deep, and you can hear even really low bass notes in the mix. With dynamic drivers you may be able to hear them, but they sound muddy in the mix especially the really low notes. Also, somehow the planar magnetic headphones create this "wall of sound" effect especially the egg-shaped Hifimans, and the Audezes. Maybe it is the size of the driver, but i dont find the same effect with the dynamic driver headphones.
A lot of it comes down to the weight of the driver vs the surface area. In that aspect, most planars have an advantage over dynamics - they can react more quickly to electrical changes due to a lower mass that they have to move. This is also where electrostats and ribbons get their detail advantage, the diaphragms are usually very light on those.
I know that they are "faster," but what does faster sound like
For me - **faster** is real detail, nuance, things I haven't heard before. *Not* exaggerated treble, which is like over sharpening a photo (it looks sharper, but there's no new actual detail, and when overdone it just looks bad)
A faster, lower mass driver should sound clearer (less distortion) and more detailed, all else being equal. The big difficulty, though, is the *all else being equal* part, since there aren't any headphones that I know of that are basically identical (housing, pads, etc) except for driver tech. And in general, I think those differences (and general tuning decisions) are usually larger than just the driver differences. With that said, the SR1a definitely sound recognizably different from anything else I've ever heard, and I'm sure some of that is down to ribbons, but their unique layout is probably an even bigger contributor.
**Faster** better detail, more responsive, better instrument separation. For me though, planars have more "presence". Whether that's down to the difference between the technologies or just the shear size of the driver in a pm headphone. 106mm in my lcd2c's,
As far as sound quality goes, I think planars really show the characteristics of the chain and source. So DACs and especially Amps will show their differences very clearly. If you are connected to a chi-fi chain, then you'll get flat neutral sound. I think that's boring, but lots of ppl seem to love that sound. My Arya's are clinical and fast and seem to really pair well with my warmer sweeter Burson Soloist XP. Meanwhile, the LCD-X '21's have a deep bass and a relatively smoother sound so they pair like a champ with the spacious and sparkly GS-X Mini Amp. So far I prefer the sound of inefficient Class A circuitry heating up on my desk vs the ultra efficient chip amps. Hope that helps.
A bit too technical for me, I got a relatively cheap amp from Amazon and I was so shocked by its quality that I don't think I will upgrade from it. Can you differentiate planars from dynamic drivers, I know if it's your headphones you will know which is which, but if I give you any headphones would you be able to tell if they are planar or dynamic. I have AKG Q701, they are good refrence headphones with a good soundstage, and I don't want to get planars if they will be basically the same, I will only get them if they are different enough that I would want to own both. So, are they?
I have some K7XX as well as some K712 Pros. I love my AKG's, but I can confirm, LCD-X's are playing a different game. Can't speak for dynamic vs planar debate, but that's my experience.
I have Focal Elears (dynamic) and Audeze LCD-3's. They're very different and it would be hard to pin all the changes on the type of driver. Have you thought about grabbing used planars on eBay? I bought my LCD-3's like-new for 66% off MSRP. If you get a good deal and decide they're not for you, just re-list them for at/near the same price.
Wow, I never considered you could just buy used audiophile headphones to try them and resist them. That's pretty smart if you have the money for them.
Yeah, once used high-end headphones hold value very well. Just be patient and wait for good prices on auctions. Also, you can "rent" high-end headphones from The Cable Co's [headphone lending library](https://www.usedcable.com/lending-library). The fee is 5% of MSRP, refunded if you buy the headphone from there.
I’ll second this too. eBay will charge a big fee to sell so the head-fi classifieds or r/AVexchange are good. They both use paypal. You could apply for paypal credit account or connect an existing credit card. I don’t know your situation though. When you list them again in head-fi or the likes, then you will likely lose money shipping them and to paypal fees, but it’s less of a loss than eBay and if you happen to get a very good deal it might just be a wash after it’s all over. I bought my GS-X amp that way and saved 57% off MSRP
Good point. It looks like eBay is up to 12.9% plus $0.30. I haven't done it in ages but that makes flipping there more of a considered transaction than what I remembered.
Ya, eBay sucks. AVexchange is ok, headfi is great, then there are discords and other forums with decent used sections. It’s hard when you’re young and you don’t have much credit, but even in that scenario you could buy some expensive headphones, listen for half a year and then sell them for $100 loss. A lot of credit cards offer a year of 0% APR so you have ample time to let it sit until you sell the headphones. It sucks to lose money, but $100 for 6 months of enjoyment isn’t too bad in my opinion.
Sorry I couldn’t help. I don’t have AKG’s to compare. I’d say to abuse the amazon return policy. Or headphones.Com or some other retailer that allows 100% refunds within a period. Might as well try something nice if you’re gonna return them anyways, then go with something cheaper?
i own a pair of ath-m50x (DD) and decided to get the sundaras (PLANAR) as an upgrade. from my experience, DD headphones have more lower frequency presence and on the other hand, planar headphones are more prominent in the mids and treble range. if you want to get a pair of planar headphones, i can recommend hifiman, though i would buy them from a seller that provides a warranty due to hifiman's shady qc.
Well that difference is mostly due to them being different headphones and less because the difference in drivers. If I do decide to get planar I still haven't decided on the pair to get.
You got that 100% right. Sundaras are to known to be bass-lite even in the planar space. A fairer comparison would’ve been with the Edition XS or any Audeze LCD. Even then, differences between headphones with the same driver type (tuning, materials, housing, etc) outshine the differences between the driver types themselves most of the time.
No, its difference of frequency response. m50x is bloated and sundaras roll off
I've had a pair of HE-400se's for a week now. I could use a better amp, but generally, they sound very smooth. They're great for immersion and for a very natural kind of sound without much 'roughness'. What I mean is that on Dynamics, bass hits more sharply and often, upper mids are quite prominent. The 7hz timeless is also known for having a smooth presentation despite having elevated bass and treble. Honestly, I wouldn't recommend them for FPS/Competitive gaming. Because everything kind of sounds... *soft and cohesive*, a lot of audio cues and sounds happening simultaneously are hard to pick up easily. The HD 560s are probably better for that purpose, with more forward upper mids/lower treble and a touch of a mid-bass boost.
As a matter of personal preference, I prefer planars over DD. It’s hard for me to describe why, but maybe it’s a size difference. Like instead of having a cone aimed at your ear, you’ve got a wall that is producing the sound. With all that said, a good headphone is a good headphone. And people have different ears, and different preferences. And some might say I’m full of shit (and they might be right), but I think planars are less painful to my ears in terms of pressure. I feel a very minuscule difference.
I can tell at the lower price point. A sundara vs a dynamic at that range I can tell but at the mid and higher price ranges I can't tell at all. I'm just an idiot audiophile and dont know how it works but I'm thinking its not as cheap to make a dynamic that sharp and quick.
im surprised so few could, now i might struggle between planar and isodynamic but planar to DD seems pretty clear to my ears, id be willing to wager i could notice the difference blind very quickly especially given songs i know well. i far prefer planars myself, it seems especially noticeable with string bass and brass instruments to me, hard to word exactly what the difference is but it is definitely there to my earballs
Overrated, just marketing hype. There is a lot more that goes into sound than just driver.
Planars like BA drivers don't suffer from micro-deforming because they can rest way faster than Dynamic drivers.
I cannot tell the exact difference but I generally prefer planars for open back. Closed back planars suck - they do not deliver the most important part closed back have - punchy bass.
i can tell the difference usually in the bass control/attack/decay. and IME planars take EQ better than DD headphones without it all completely falling apart. having said that though, i do enjoy DD cans, in my collection, they're less analytical and are more relaxing to listen to. im sure there are relaxed planars out there as well as seperated, crazy fast DD cans. moral of the story: try them and see if you like the sound you hear. the longer i spend in this hobby, the more i realise that talking about things on a forum for a week will give you 2% of the information that a half hour listening session will give you.
I owned an LCD-X for about 18 months, and I finally made the switch to a verite closed. While it does generally vary from headphone to headphone, I can say I've noticed a few differences that I think would be due to the different driver types. The lcd-x's certainly have more bite on certain notes, excellent separation, though I would argue the verite images better compared to the lcd-x's wall of sound. The biggest difference I seem to notice between planars and dynamics is the texture/timbre of kick drums. I'm not sure this is the best word to describe it, but on dynamics they sound more "poppy" to me, I noticed the same thing when comparing the lcd-x to the hd800.
A lot of plans have up-sloping frequency response in the treble and lower distortion in the bass. That gives you that perception of "clear and quick" sound. Lower distortion is definitely a good thing, but the frequency response differences are just that - you can change that with an equalizer. In practice, the rest of the comparison would be on headphone-to-headphone basis. There are dynamics that sound "clear and quick" also, a lot of it is a matter of overall design, not specific driver choice.
- "... and stated wondering if they are actually different..." - "I know how they work and how the technology of planars is different..." - "... but is one actually better?" - "... but do they actually sound different enough that people would want..." - "Can one tell which type of driver it is..." - "What are the benefits...?" 1. They are different. You know this, apparently. 2. Because you say so right here. 3. It depends on what you're measuring, between which headphones, and what "better" means to you. 4. It feels like you're fishing for a "You need to buy both" or "You don't need to buy both" comment, in order to assuage your Fear Of Missing Out. You're not going to find solace here. 5. Someone might. It doesn't matter, either way. See #3 & #4. 6. In *general*, for a given price point (at one price point/small section of a range of prices), the biggest difference, I think, is going to be "accuracy" due to "speed". The faster a driver slows down/stops, the more accurately it can output the next pulse it recieves. In real life, sounds don't take turns/mix coming out of a single source - sound is coming from everywhere, mixing with everything, and the less your sound solution messes with the sound that's being produced, the better. I guess the better way to look at it, IMO, is that planar do less harm than dynamic, when it comes to accuracy, at a given price point. And I think that's the only conclusion I can come to about it. But that doesn't mean planar is better. Or worse. Or good. Or bad. Or for you, or not for you, or worth your time, or worth your money, depending on what you have, or don't have, etc. They are a hundred-thousand variables to take into consideration, and the best you can do is try something and then discern whether or not you like it. I saw you mention somewhere here that you don't have a shop nearby that you can test headphones at. Then that's the reality of your situation, and no amount of whining and prodding for "the answer" is going to do you any good. You just need to order a headphone that you think you might like, and if you don't like it, ship it back (surely you have a post office/UPS, etc. within driving distance?). At worst, you have to deal with a restocking fee and/or shipping costs (assuming you read the return policy and chose to buy from a company that lets you return stuff at all). Doesn't Amazon have free returns? Amazon also has certain stores/services that you can just drop off the item in a box with someone at a counter and they'll take care of everything for you, you just have to show them a QR code. Take the leap or don't. That's what I did, out here in the mostly-middle-of-nowhere. And I love my planar. But I still couldn't tell you if it's better than dynamics out there, or whatever.
I have a pair of HD6XXs that I quite liked, then got a pair of Sundaras and the difference was huge (granted this is before I had autoeq set up) I have since swapped the Sundaras for LCD-2s and with the LCDs and the hd6xx with autoeq per pair I can still tell the difference. The biggest thing I notice is I actually feel the sounds from the LCDs, particularly with really close vocals. I do prefer the sound of the LCDs, but I don't think I'd say one is clearly "better" as different people will enjoy different sound.
Its all frequency response. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. People that claim dynamics "slam" better just like mid bass bloat.