Best Planar Magnetic Headphones to Purchase in 2023

Best Planar Magnetic Headphones

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Best Planar Magnetic Headphones
2024

The planar magnetic technology used with this type of headphone will help improve the quality of the sound you hear. Instead of coil movement to make the diaphragm go through the motions, you have a magnetic current causing the diaphragm to move to and fro.

This helps to improve the response of the diaphragm and with that much better and clearer sound quality. Unfortunately, this comes with quite a high price point attached to the listening device so don’t expect any deals here.

In this review, we tried to get a headphone that is affordable but with great quality and technology in one package to improve your music experience. Audeze almost didn’t make the list as they are so expensive but it makes 100% sense to have them listed here.

Read Also: Best Budget IEMs

Best Planar Magnetic Headphones Reviews

Editor’s Pick
HIFIMAN HE-400I Over Ear Full-Size Planar Magnetic Headphones

The HIFIMAN HE-400i is a high quality, full-size planar magnetic headphone designed for critical listening in the home or studio.

They have long been considered a powerful player in the Planar Magnetic headphone space and the HE-400i is a fan with PM headphone lovers.

Budget Pick
Monolith M570 Over Ear Open Back Planar Magnetic Driver Headphone

With an extended soundstage, lush, rich sound, and excellent build quality, The Monolith M570 brings a massive price to performance ratio to the headphone market.

Planar Magnetic headphones generally don’t fit in to a ‘budget category’ but this is about as affordable as you will get while maintaining good quality audio.

Premium Option
Audeze LCD-X Best Planar Magnetic Headphones

The Audeze LCD-X Planar Magnetic Headphones aren’t really even close to the top of the premium list that some headphones in this class reach, but we wanted to keep it real. The Audeze LCD-X sit in the middle of the Audeze range in terms of price but punch hard in terms of audio quality.

Definitely something that will make you appreciate good audio quality.

Best we get in to the detail here is a list for quick reference. If you think we need to include something we’ve missed then let us know in the comments below.

Planar Magnetic HeadphonePriceBrand
1: Deva Over-Ear Planar Magnetic Headphone From Hifiman$$$Hifiman
2: Sivga P-ll Over-Ear Planar Magnetic Earphone$$$$Sivga
3: Monolith M570 Planar Magnetic Driver Headphone$$Monoprice
4: Hifiman HE-400l Over-Head Planar Magnetic Headphones$$$Hifiman
5: Oppo PM-3 Open Back Planar Magnetic Headphone$$$$$Oppo
6: Audeze LCD-X Planar Magnetic Headphones$$$$$Audeze
Best planar magnetic headphones listed (affordable one’s that is)

1: Deva Over-Ear Planar Magnetic Headphone From Hifiman

“Deva

This headphone from Hifiman comes with a great many features included to improve the overall listening experience without outside interference. It is also manufactured with high standards of craftsmanship to help deliver what it is intended to do, great sound.

Review

This headphone comes equipped with the option to use the unique adaptor to improve the options on the device. It can be inserted into the stereo jack for an enhanced listening experience and to add more features to the headphone.

It is also designed to fit the ears comfortably and over the head with a padded headband to provide greater comfort. The headphone is also equipped with soft padded ear cushions, so it will not irritate your ears after a long session.

This headphone from Hifiman comes with a unique, very thin diaphragm to provide you with a full range of sonics. It will also improve the driver’s response time and provide you with a nice and clear, detailed image.

With the very easy to use features, it is an excellent and easy to use headphone that will provide you with hours of high-quality sound. And that is enhanced by the overall design of the headphones with many extra features to improve sound quality.

It also provides you with four discrete pathway options to deliver over 20 dB of higher power handling for improved sound delivery. You also get great versatility with a variety of connection options, such as BlueTooth, USB, or cable.

But there are some negative things about this Hifiman headphone, and one is that there is no storage case included. That will mean your expensive piece of equipment is not adequately protected when it is not in use.

Another one is that there is no volume control attached to the headphone to make your listening experience even more comfortable and convenient. So that means you will be completely dependent on the volume and other controls of your amplifier or another source.

Pros

  • Fits quite comfortably on the ears
  • Made from high-quality materials
  • It is quite easy to use this headphone
  • A variety of connection options

Cons

  • You do not get a storage case
  • There is no volume control on the headphone

Read the latest reviews for the
Deva Over-Ear Planar Magnetic Headphone From Hifiman

2: Sivga P-ll Over-Ear Planar Magnetic Earphone

“Sivga

This well-designed headphone comes with many extra features included to provide you with long hours of delightful listening. And because of the quality engineering that comes with it, you will be able to listen to your favorite music for many years to come.

Review

When it comes to comfort and ease of use, these headphones are great for people with average-sized heads. That said, the headband sheaths are made from high-quality materials that fit snugly and softly on top of the head.

The earmuffs are also made from high-quality leather materials to make them fit comfortably over the ears for improved convenience. And because of the open back design, it will also provide you with a much better listening experience while listening to music.

The frame of this headphone is made from high-quality stainless steel that comes with a matte coloring scheme. It is also designed to fit quite snugly on the head thanks to the clamping effect which also makes them very durable.

When it comes to the sound quality of this headphone from Sivga, it is enhanced with a nano-size double-sided diaphragm. This means you get a super-fast response and a very clear sound.

There is a lot of effort inserted in the headphone’s manufacturing process to provide you with comfort and great sound. The overall design of the headphone and the high-quality materials used will support this excellent quality.

Unfortunately, this headphone might have some shortcomings, and one of them is that it will not completely work with all your devices. It will, for instance, not support all iPhones, and that might be a negative thing when you decide to get a headphone.

There is also the problem that you do not get volume control included with the headphone. This means you will be dependent on the controls of other devices to improve your listening experience.

Pros

  • Made strong and durable to last
  • Comes with many extra features included
  • Great for all types of music
  • It is quite easy to use these earphones

Cons

  • Might not work well with all devices
  • There is no volume control on the headphones

Read the latest reviews for the
Sivga P-ll Over-Ear Planar Magnetic Earphone

3: Monolith M570 Planar Magnetic Driver Headphone from Monoprice

“Monolith

You will experience great music effects and many advanced features when you use this headphone for your listening sessions. It comes with quite a decent price tag but with quality features that make you assume it would cost far more than the current price.

Review

The design of this headphone will help to improve your overall music listening experience quite drastically, with many great features included. It comes with an open-back design to provide you with better sound quality without adding more to the headphones’ cost.

The earmuffs are designed to provide comfort for your ears and prevent fatigue when you have a long music session. They are made from high-quality materials and the cushioning will help to increase overall comfort.

It also comes with a very well padded headband that will fit snugly over the head. The headband is also made from high-quality materials that make it strong and durable to last for very long.

The extended soundstage of this headphone from Monoprice will deliver great and clear music to your ears. It is further enhanced with the overall ergonomic design of the headphone to deliver that intended sound to your ears.

Excellent quality comes at quite a high price point, but that is not the case with this Monolith headphone from Monoprice. And the very long, five-year warranty that accompanies the headphones means you get great support and peace of mind from your music listening device.

Unfortunately, you will not receive a protective case that would add to your headphones’ safety. This means there might be accidental damage to the headphone when it is not in use.

And on top of that, there is also no volume control installed on this headphone, so you can not use it in all music applications.

Pros

  • It is quite easy to use the headphone
  • Comes with many extra features included
  • This equipment is made strong and durable
  • Has quite a high output range

Cons

  • You do not get a protective case
  • There is no volume control installed on the headphones

Read the latest reviews for the
Monolith M570 Planar Magnetic Driver Headphone from Monoprice

4: Hifiman HE-400l Over-Head Planar Magnetic Headphones

“Hifiman

As it is with all the headphones you get from this manufacturer, you will get great quality and craftsmanship that instills trust. So with this reliable and durable headphone, you can prepare yourself for many hours of a joyful and comfortable music listening experience.

Review

With a very uniquely designed headband included with this headphone, you will not experience discomfort and early fatigue while listening to your favorite music. It is designed with an improved pressure pattern to make the headphone fit snugly on top of your head.

The very comfortable ear covers that come with the headphone will improve the overall comfort of the headphones drastically. The earmuffs are designed to be much lighter than other ear covers and will fit quite comfortably over the ears.

By using single-ended drivers, the headphone will deliver an improved and energetic sound to your ears for a better listening experience. And it will also provide you with a lively sound stage as well as spatial imaging and increased efficiency.

The headphones’ overall design will help make it more durable and more reliable to last much longer for many enjoyable hours of music. It is also supported by the new reinforced steel yokes that are used for increased rigidity of the headphone.

With the planar magnetic headphone technology used with the headphone, you can easily have superior music quality delivered to your ears. And with a large-diaphragm installed with the headphone, it will allow for higher signal input and better quality bass and treble.

Unfortunately, this headphone only makes use of the direct cable connection to other devices for your daily music-listening sessions. This takes away some of the versatility and mobility and easy access from this headphone from Hifiman.

You also do not get a protective case included with the headphone to protect it from accidental damage when not in use. There might also be some quality concerns when it comes to the cable connection to the headphones.

Pros

  • It is made strong and quite durable
  • Comes with many extra features included
  • It is easy to use this headphone
  • A comfortable fit over the ears

Cons

  • This headphone only uses a direct cable connection
  • No protective case include for protection

Read the latest reviews for the
Hifiman HE-400l Over-Head Planar Magnetic Headphones

5: Oppo PM-3 Open Back Planar Magnetic Headphone From Oppo Digital

“Oppo

With great sound quality and high-end craftsmanship put into one package, you can not go wrong with this planar magnetic headphone from Oppo. And on top of that, you get many extra features to improve your music listening experience and make it worth the money.

Review

This earphone is compatible to be used with almost all mobile devices that use popular operating systems such as Android and iOS. And it will be able to be connected to your home PC and gaming consoles quite easily and quickly for a great sound experience.

With the great planar magnetic drivers included with this headphone, you will be able to experience higher quality music. And it will allow you to make use of all the great features that come included with the Planar magnetic drive.

A close back design of the earmuffs means you will have greater privacy and isolation while using the headphones. It will also provide more exceptional sound quality, where you will have no sound leakage while listening to your favorite music.

These headphones are made from high-quality materials to make them last much longer and to be quite durable. The comfortable, lightweight design will provide overall comfort and prevent fatigue while using the headphone for a long music listening session.

With sufficient padding on the earmuffs, it will provide a comfortable fit over the ears to prevent irritation to the ears. The headband also comes with enough padding to make it fit comfortably and snugly on the head.

But as it is with the lower-priced and entry-level planar magnetic headphones, this one also does not come with a volume control installed. So that means you will be dependent on the controls of your other devices that you use the headphone with.

And then there is the issue with the materials used with this headphone that are of mediocre quality. That means the padding on the earmuffs and the headband might start loosening their efficiency when it starts to degrade after only a short time.

Pros

  • It comes with a protective case included
  • Made from high-quality materials
  • It is quite easy to use this headphone
  • Comes with many extra features included

Cons

  • There is no volume control added to the headphone
  • Materials used are a bit mediocre

Read the latest reviews for the
Oppo PM-3 Open Back Planar Magnetic Headphone From Oppo Digital

6: Audeze LCD-X Planar Magnetic Headphones

“Audeze

It wouldn’t be a complete list without a set of Audeze. They, along with Hifiman have championed the Planar Magnetic headphone space for a long time.

The challenge was, which Audeze unit to choose? The LCD line or the in-ear planar magnetic models like the LCDi4? As this is a post about Headphones, we’ll stay clear of the in-ear planar magnetic options for now.

The last pair of Audeze I auditioned was in a Yodobashi Camera store in Tokyo, Japan but it was a bit noisy to really appreciate the nuances.

Review

The LCD-X has 106mm diaphragms and a bunch of proprietary elects that are unique to Audeze’s planar magnetic headphone technology. Fazor events to name one. This allows a very deep starting point of 5Hz and can extend all the way out to 50 kHz. As this is beyond what you can hear, we’ll just say they have an amazing frequency response.

Made in America will appeal to some with the Audeze range being hand-crafted and engineered in California.

The comfort levels on these is really nice – the ear pads are deep, luxurious leather. So you’ll be able to spend a little longer in your Eames chair enjoying the sounds that envelop you.

Interestingly these are being adopted by more and more studio engineers. While we would prefer the Beyerdynamic DT-1990 Pro for that purpose, you can see why at this quality level the Audeze are being picked up for studio work.

If you want to upgrade from your HE400i’s, then these are a great next step.

Pros

  • Comfort plus with lush leather ear cups
  • Amazing frequency response
  • Hand crafted (in the USA)
  • Impedance is low – easy to drive

Cons

  • Price is a little higher than most.
  • On the heavier side, weight-wise.

Read the latest reviews for the
Audeze LCD-X Planar Magnetic Headphones

Conclusion

The best headphone in this lineup is also one of the most expensive ones and comes with great features attached. And that is the Hifiman HE-400l that will provide you with an amazing music experience.

In second place will be the much cheaper but just as good Hifiman Deva, with great features and technology included.

There are other planar magnetic headphone companies out there, including Audeze, but it seemed these were the top picks at this time based on price and features.

Read Also: Best Headphones for under $500

HIFIMAN HE 400i Best Planar Magnetic Headphones
HIFIMAN HE-400i Planar Magnetic Headphones
Build Quality
Sound Quality
Comfort
Value for Money
Reader Rating0 Votes
What we like (Pros)
What we like less (Cons)
4.9

Slava is a man of mystery and no-one seems to know exactly where he is at any point in time. When he isn't enjoying writing about all things audio and technical he can be found researching his next project of interest. The man never rests.

This post was last updated on 2024-03-13 / Some images from Amazon Product API & some links may be affiliate links which may earn us a commission from purchases.


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