What is planar?

[Simon_E]

What are planar headphones. I am looking at a pair of Sennheiser HD800S phones but a friend tells me I must go "planar". I'm not sure what the tech is. I don't have a separate headphone amp (and no plans to get one) so I'll connect to the headphone amp in my NAD C389. The Senn's are an older model but seem highly rated in reviews but I worry that new tech has superseded them (planar??)

 

[Shrek]

What are planar headphones. I am looking at a pair of Sennheiser HD800S phones but a friend tells me I must go "planar". I'm not sure what the tech is. I don't have a separate headphone amp (and no plans to get one) so I'll connect to the headphone amp in my NAD C389. The Senn's are an older model but seem highly rated in reviews but I worry that new tech has superseded them (planar??)

Planar Magnetic Headphones vs Dynamic Driver Headphones

You may have come across a number of headphones that are advertised as having "planar magnetic" drivers. But the question is, what does this mean?

headphones.com

 

[Simon_E]

Planar Magnetic Headphones vs Dynamic Driver Headphones

You may have come across a number of headphones that are advertised as having "planar magnetic" drivers. But the question is, what does this mean?

headphones.com

thx for the link

 

[Gray]

I am looking at a pair of Sennheiser HD800S

If you're thinking about spending that sort of money, you need to be sure that your NAD justifies it.
Because the best headphone amps will make the most of whatever headphones you go for....I know you said:
'I don't have a separate headphone amp (and no plans to get one)'

 

[Al ears]

If you're thinking about spending that sort of money, you need to be sure that your NAD justifies it.
Because the best headphone amps will make the most of whatever headphones you go for....I know you said:
'I don't have a separate headphone amp (and no plans to get one)'

Indeed, you would need to know what that integrated headphone amp is capable of driving. Some certainly would not have enough power to drive certain planar magnetics to their full potential.
I know that mine, good though it is, probably would not so I have no intention of going down that route.

 

[Jasonovich]

What are planar headphones. I am looking at a pair of Sennheiser HD800S phones but a friend tells me I must go "planar". I'm not sure what the tech is. I don't have a separate headphone amp (and no plans to get one) so I'll connect to the headphone amp in my NAD C389. The Senn's are an older model but seem highly rated in reviews but I worry that new tech has superseded them (planar??)

A planar magnetic driver produces sound by having magnets act on a flat plane. The diaphragm in this type of driver sits between two arrays of magnets, which create a magnetic field. The magnets, not the voice coil, move the diaphragm.
Conventional dynamic drivers use magnetic voice coil to drive the speaker.

When you listen to planar magnet headphones you're not in a cage, you're in an open field, the sound is vast but if you're use to listening to dynamic headphones, you'll have all the drama and when you replace your cans first time with planar magnet headphones, you'll think hmmm, boring......but wait, here it comes, the bass has mass, you can touch it, the treble is so detailed. Sound stage is wide, airy.
There are short comings with both but generally I tend to like planars better.

Planar magnets are not immune to bad designs just like the dynamic cousins, some may sound awful and some are simply sublime.

View: https://youtu.be/sYaLBPUZnkY?si=ufFWyEwzi9mbEuvn