Best Planar Magnetic Headphones Under $1000

If you love music and would like to upgrade your headphones, a set of planar magnetic headphones could be a great investment. They can be expensive.

Fortunately, there are some fantastic options for headphones that are priced below the $1000 mark. In this article, we'll take a look at the best budget planar headphones for an unforgettable listening experience.

1. Beyerdynamic T1

Beyerdynamic is a German brand which doesn't compromise when it comes to high-end headphone design. The Beyerdynamic T1 has a classic style and is constructed from top quality materials, making it an absolute pleasure to wear. They are very comfortable and feature a soft headband with richly-padded removable ear pads. They may feel rough on the skin at first but they quickly meld to the head and ear and provide long listening sessions with no discomfort.

The T1 is a natural sound, with a well-controlled but high-pitched bass and clean mids. The highs can be vibrant and clear, however they could be too loud for those who prefer a soft treble. These headphones are ideal for listening with a critical eye, and they excel at medium and low volumes. They are able to maintain their balance when playing violent music such as blackmetal or death metal, and won't be smothered by cymbal crashes.

The T1 has a wide dynamic range. It can reproduce the extreme differences between quieter and louder songs with crystal clear clarity and accuracy. This makes them a good option for musicians who want to hear every detail and nuance of their instrument. It is also a good choice for audiophiles who appreciate the ability to distinguish between the various instruments that are played during a song.

A nice addition is the gold-plated connectors and the Beyerdynamic logo on the earcup. This is a symbol and guarantee of quality. The headphones are protected by a hard case when not in use. Included is a detachable cable and an adapter of quarter inch.

The Beyerdynamic T1 has a closed back design, and isn't portable. They aren't able to shield you from everyday noises like traffic jams or children's alarm clocks, nor will they annoy spouses. They are not designed to be used for athletic activities such as running with them as the large ear cups can easily fall off your ears. The Beyerdynamic T5p features a similar open-back design with Ear cups that are smaller, which means they could be a better choice for portable listening on the on the go.

2. HIFIMAN Ananda Nano

The HIFIMAN Nano is the most recent version of HIFIMAN's popular open-back, mid-range headphones. The Nano is an enormous leap over the original Ananda and features a brand-new nanometer-thick diaphragm with a stealth magnet for enhanced clarity. These features were also featured on the ultra-high-end Susvara headphones. These features promise low distortion and lightning-fast transient responses, and demonstrably improved clarity and dynamics.

The result is a broad and deep soundstage that has excellent separation between instruments and vocals. The Nano has a warm and mellow sound with a peak in the upper mids, which makes it ideal for hip-hop pop, and rock.

This emphasis on the upper mids comes with certain disadvantages. It produces the sound being slightly muffled, especially in the higher registers, where some of the detail is lost. The Nano isn't suitable for classical music due to the lower mids are typically overshadowed.

Bass is powerful and punchy, with good texture in the low-end and great dynamic and slam. It's more full than the bass of the original Ananda, which is ideal for contemporary music such as rock and pop as well as gaming, yet still has plenty of rumble, which is pleasing to audiophiles who want an acoustic tone that is more natural to their bass.

As you would expect, leakage is bad for headphones with an open back. It could be a problem when in noisy environments. The headphone planar magnetic is also not equipped with an audio microphone, so you won't be able to use it for mobile phone calls.

The HIFIMAN Ananda Nano has a lot to offer, and it is a highly recommended option to anyone who is looking for an open-back magnetic headphone that costs less than $1000. It's a step up from the previous model and is worth a look. The Ananda Nano comes with a travel bag, which is a great option for audiophiles who travel. The case is spacious enough to hold the Ananda Nano, its cable and a small DAC or player. Inside the case, you will also find an accessory pouch. The headphones are durable and well-made, and come with a 3 year warranty.

3. Hifiman Edition XS

When HIFIMAN introduced the Edition X, it created quite an uproar in the audiophile space. The company has now incorporated the same technology into a smaller and more affordable headphone, which is a good compromise between the Sundara and Ananda. The Edition XS uses the same aerodynamically-shaped stealth magnets and a thin "Neo Super-Nano Diaphragm" to guarantee fast response time with minimal distortion.

Like all HIFIMAN products they are robustly constructed. They are durable enough to stand up to heavy use and are comfortable to wear for long listening sessions. The cups are made with an anti-resonant fabric to minimize the sound. A tangle-free cord with an angled plug is included in the box, along with a headphone stand that can also serve as a portable storage case for the headphones.

The Edition XS planar magnetic headphones offer excellent detail resolution. You'll hear specifics in your music that you wouldn't have heard before. You may also be able to spot flaws that you may not have observed in other headphones. They offer a wide soundstage and superb imaging that fills the entire room with 3D clarity.

These headphones have an even and neutral sound quality, which means they can be used with any type of music. They are excellent at reproducing vocals as well as lead instruments accurately. However, they could lack some punch and rumble when it comes to bass. They have clear, precise high frequencies but may be too bright for some listeners.

The HIFIMAN Edition XS can be a great choice to anyone who is looking for a planar magnetic open-backed headphone that can handle noisy environments, but doesn't require the most power. The low impedance (18O) makes it easy to drive with almost every DAC or headphone amplifier, however you'll likely get the best results with an audio interface that has a built-in headphone amp. They're not the most compact headphones, and they can be a little bulky to carry around, however they come with a padded pouch for travel. These headphones are more expensive than the other choices however they're worth it for running their features and high-end quality.

4. Audeze LCD-5

The Audeze LCD-5 is the company's most recent flagship magnetic headphones that are planar. It is an entirely new design, with a brand new magnet and driver. This is not a minor improvement over their previous headphone models and For Running places the LCD-5 solidly in the high-end of the market for personal audio. The LCD-5's drivers are ultra-thin Nano-Scale diaphragms that are paired with new technology for voice coils called Parallel Uniforce and Fazor waveguides. These new features work in conjunction to control the diaphragm's movement and provide a high-resolution.

Additionally the earpads of the LCD-5 are designed to fit a larger range of heads. The pads are made of an elastic material, and the headband is lighter and smaller and therefore the LCD-5s will feel more comfortable on all ears than the previous models. They do clamp a bit more than other Audeze headphones however, and they could be a bit tight for certain models, but this will be able to be resolved with time.

Audeze LCD series has been the benchmark in the field of planar magnetic headphones for many years. Their flagship LCD-2 introduced the modern age of high-fidelity audio, followed by the LCD-3 and LCD-4. The LCD-5 continues the trend, with improvements in every aspect of the headphones' sound quality and For running design.

Compared to the LCD-2 The LCD-5's sound is more refined and less abrasive in its presentation. This is due to the increased concentration on mid-range detail retrieval as well as surgical treble accuracy and microdetail retrieval. The LCD-5s are still an extremely powerful headphone, with the ability to easily deliver massive dynamic range and full-bodied bass. They're not as powerful like an Abyss A-1266 or Hifiman HE1000SE. You will have to adjust them to achieve the best sound.

Overall overall, the Audeze LCD-5 is an outstanding set of headphones with outstanding sound quality and an impressive quality of construction. They're not for everyone, but if have the money and want an excellent headphone that will provide a stunning listening experience take a look at the LCD-5. It's worth every penny.