[MagicMitch]

When the reviewers who have been “Moondrop fanboys” turned on that IEM (and the Blessing 3 as well), the company needs to seriously sit back and take the feedback seriously rather than positioning themselves as misunderstood genius, IMHO.

They don't need to when people buy chifi sets every single time something drops regardless of their current collection. Drop a poorly tuned Blessing 3 that everybody is going to buy due to hype and then release the Crinacle collab which fixes the tuning and double dip from people buying both sets.

 

[NymPHONOmaniac]

I … don’t like the current planar tech. Hyped myself up due to Crinacle video about Timeless 1, got a S12, was impressed for like a week, before I switched to critical listening mode and that IEM crumbled. Got myself hyped up again for the MP145. Same story.

It’s not that these are bad IEM in any way. It’s more about “why tho?”. They have timbre issues like BA sets, and they (arguably) don’t out do newer DD sets in technical performance. For similar money (Aud $300 ish), I can get a DD set if I priorities timbre and coherency and bass, or I can get a hybrid set if I prioritise midrange tech. So to me, these 14.x mm planar drivers are unfulfilled promises. Maybe the ones just around the corner might change the situation.

i dont know about all this hype thing, tbh, i prefer planar headphones which i feel are more achieve. but planar IEM potential is there and none sound very same, some have worst acoustic tuning than other...while using very same driver ironically.
anyway.
cool that you share yourr opinion mate.

i guess your not a planar Fan.

noted.

 

[o0genesis0o]

i dont know about all this hype thing, tbh, i prefer planar headphones which i feel are more achieve. but planar IEM potential is there and none sound very same, some have worst acoustic tuning than other...while using very same driver ironically.
anyway.
cool that you share yourr opinion mate.

i guess your not a planar Fan.

noted.

Planar headphones kick ass though. I expected something like Hifiman Arya or Final D8000 when it comes to planar IEM.

All good. I’ll he watching this thread for that mythical planar IEM. Thanks for opening it.

 

[NymPHONOmaniac]

So far, I've tried a decent amount of Planars ranging different price segments and platforms (IEMs and Headphones) and I think planars have their ways to go.

As genesis said, planars are plagued with having a metallic and thin timbre which might be fine if you intend to listen to music specifically so dissect the mix of a song, but not very enjoyable over longer listening sessions.

The best so far that I've heard to blend the speed of planar with a relatively natural timbre is the original Zetian Wu. It wasn't a detail monster like other planars at the time, but it was also the most enjoyable to listen to.

The only area right now that I think planars can dominate in is the budget mostly because the competition is more concerned with tuning than technicalities, so a technical-oriented set could offer a different listening experience to those that don't have a big budget.

Here are the planar IEMs that I've tried
Tangzu Zetian Wu
Tangzu Zetian Wu Heyday
Muse HiFi Power
Moondrop Stellaris
Audeze iSine 20
KZ PR2 (revised)
KZ PR3
Audeze Euclid
7hz Timeless
Letshuoer S12/Pro
Simphonio P0

nice man, which is your favorite among those? and why if possible

very interesting variety

as for timbre its true 90% of planar IEMs have some of it

 

[redrol]

Hahaha, to me, it's the most misunderstood planar iem I currently owned. Was completely destroyed and torn by reviewers since they took the angle of Moondrop VSDF and Harman tunings as the starting point which tbf is the closest thing to the comparison.

But alas, it is one of the set that represent my stands this hobby as I'm a composer myself and my ideas are often misunderstood by the general public (not that I'm trying to see from Moondrop perspective but more from the lence of what Stellaris turned out to be as a product). I will give credit to Zeos where his video about the iem opened my eye to see it in a different light intentionally or not.

It is okay to be different, but do it well. And I think Stellaris is at the very least a rather interesting iem as a lesson about perspective for me. It is not a set I would reach for most stuff my library, but I would do so on more electronic or experimental tracks. It is pretty fun set and not many people mentioned how amazing Stellaris handle bass-subbass region for a planar. Simply superb.

I reviewed it and basically its unlistenable.. and also doesn't come close to fitting properly. Talk about high biased sound. In no universe is it anything close to natural.

 

[baskingshark]

If we are talking about pure planar IEMS (not those square planar/microplanar types, which are not legit planar tech in my book), then these are the ones I've tried/owned in alphabetical order:


7Hz Timeless
Audeze Euclid
Campfire Supermoon
DUNU Talos (in pure planar mode with BA deactivated)
Hidizs MP145
Kefine Klanar
Letshuoer S12 Pro
Letshuoer S15
Moondrop Stellaris
NiceHCK F1
Sivga Nightingale
Tangzu Zetian Wu
TinHIFI P1


The planar IEMs generally beat single DDs in technicalities, transients and even treble extension, though perhaps they don't move bass air/decay that well as single DD types. These planar IEMs may also not have not that accurate timbral accuracy, I guess it is cause of the lightning quick transients and rapid decay they bring to the table, so notes sound a bit truncated in delay.

But planar IEMs have come a long way since last year. It used to be considered an expensive exotic technology, but with economies of scale, we saw them drop below $100 USD.

I do think that planar IEMs are currently not the finished article, the tech is still evolving, but give it a few more months, I'm sure the technology will get more refined (and cheaper), which is always good for us in this hobby.

 

[NymPHONOmaniac]

I own two...Audeze LCDi4 and 7hz Timeless. Also, my CA Fibae 5 has planar drivers for its high end, but also DD and BAs.

Audeze LCDi4 is the TOTL planar at this time, IMHO.

interesting choice in mid tier to high end segment. another one that get praise and is on my ''must try'' list is a tribrid like the Fibae, its the Oriolus Szalayi. Praise seem real at the time....

ive give a look at LCDi4 graph:

it seem mid-centric to me. did vocal are warmly or brightly rendered?

due to its over sized 30mm driver and open back design, i expect crazy soundstage....

i really need to try those and explore out of chifi offering too. only non chifi planar i own is IMR RAH and it's an hybrid

 

[NymPHONOmaniac]

If we are talking about pure planar IEMS (not those square planar/microplanar types, which are not legit planar tech in my book), then these are the ones I've tried/owned in alphabetical order:


7Hz Timeless
Audeze Euclid
Campfire Supermoon
DUNU Talos (in pure planar mode with BA deactivated)
Hidizs MP145
Kefine Klanar
Letshuoer S12 Pro
Letshuoer S15
Moondrop Stellaris
NiceHCK F1
Sivga Nightingale
Tangzu Zetian Wu
TinHIFI P1


The planar IEMs generally beat single DDs in technicalities, transients and even treble extension, though perhaps they don't move bass air/decay that well as single DD types. These planar IEMs may also not have not that accurate timbral accuracy, I guess it is cause of the lightning quick transients and rapid decay they bring to the table, so notes sound a bit truncated in delay.

But planar IEMs have come a long way since last year. It used to be considered an expensive exotic technology, but with economies of scale, we saw them drop below $100 USD.

I do think that planar IEMs are currently not the finished article, the tech is still evolving, but give it a few more months, I'm sure the technology will get more refined (and cheaper), which is always good for us in this hobby.

Well said mate and i 100% agree.
in fact this transient response can be so speedy that it can go excited and shouty and raise THD at they end, at least bass wise their often micro distotion ruining they air, i call euphony, its there too with Tangzu Wu, less so with Heyday.
properly tuning the planar driver seem the hard part, Salnote Dioko is one of my benchmark in term of failing this purpose with a mix of damping and acoustic resonance that make no sens to my ears.

anyway, i still feel its a bit stagnant, we have chifi golden era which tend to be base i same planar driver tuned differently. even S12 is overhyped imo, but now thats its 100$ it isnt. that the real revolution: affordability.

KZ push this to it's paroxysm with questionnable result but it seem to please alot of people so at they end i do respect ultrra affordable planar...i mean, people buy PR3 for 30$ thats plain insane.

so now the question would be, whats your fav planar list mate? it would be cool to had and update best IEM list of those who are willing to share. ill update mine soon and add more details...

 

[baskingshark]

Well said mate and i 100% agree.
in fact this transient response can be so speedy that it can go excited and shouty and raise THD at they end, at least bass wise their often micro distotion ruining they air, i call euphony, its there too with Tangzu Wu, less so with Heyday.
properly tuning the planar driver seem the hard part, Salnote Dioko is one of my benchmark in term of failing this purpose with a mix of damping and acoustic resonance that make no sens to my ears.

anyway, i still feel its a bit stagnant, we have chifi golden era which tend to be base i same planar driver tuned differently. even S12 is overhyped imo, but now thats its 100$ it isnt. that the real revolution: affordability.

KZ push this to it's paroxysm with questionnable result but it seem to please alot of people so at they end i do respect ultrra affordable planar...i mean, people buy PR3 for 30$ thats plain insane.

so now the question would be, whats your fav planar list mate? it would be cool to had and update best IEM list of those who are willing to share. ill update mine soon and add more details...

Hmm I think the MP145 is probably my favourite of the bunch. It melds timbre and technicalities nicely, without too much compromise in either, is relatively affordable, and has 3 tuning nozzles to vary the sound signature.

The shells are huge though.

 

[odnimusic]

When the reviewers who have been “Moondrop fanboys” turned on that IEM (and the Blessing 3 as well), the company needs to seriously sit back and take the feedback seriously rather than positioning themselves as misunderstood genius, IMHO.

Sure, I wasn't disagreeing. Tbh, I don't think moondrop think of it as a misunderstood genius IMHO. They just don't care at all.

But earlier I speak only for myself, from my perspective, subjectively, and only me and I wasn't really asking other to do so. Because we all in this audio journey for different reasons. And for me, aside from using it as a tool for work and enjoy music, it is also a tool in which I seek to find inspiration and to be put in different headspace.

A persons' trash can be another person's treasure. well, Highly contextual in this case. Hehehe, hope you at least get a bit of where I'm coming from. I certain am not endorsing Stellaris if that's what you think I was doing.

 

[odnimusic]

I reviewed it and basically its unlistenable.. and also doesn't come close to fitting properly. Talk about high biased sound. In no universe is it anything close to natural.

Hahaha, I wasn't making a case for it that it is a natural sounding set. In fact, just like you, I think it is a highly biased sound. And I'm okay with that. For I have a use case for it in my work as a composer creatively speaking. Again, I am not endorsing the iem since it is highly niche and certainly a terrible choice if one is looking for something that sounds remotely resembling a natural sound. hahaha

 

[odnimusic]

Well said mate and i 100% agree.
in fact this transient response can be so speedy that it can go excited and shouty and raise THD at they end, at least bass wise their often micro distotion ruining they air, i call euphony, its there too with Tangzu Wu, less so with Heyday.
properly tuning the planar driver seem the hard part, Salnote Dioko is one of my benchmark in term of failing this purpose with a mix of damping and acoustic resonance that make no sens to my ears.

anyway, i still feel its a bit stagnant, we have chifi golden era which tend to be base i same planar driver tuned differently. even S12 is overhyped imo, but now thats its 100$ it isnt. that the real revolution: affordability.

KZ push this to it's paroxysm with questionnable result but it seem to please alot of people so at they end i do respect ultrra affordable planar...i mean, people buy PR3 for 30$ thats plain insane.

so now the question would be, whats your fav planar list mate? it would be cool to had and update best IEM list of those who are willing to share. ill update mine soon and add more details...

Yeah, We may be entering another planar era where with the recent release of MP145 and D15 (just to name a few, I am aware they're so much traction further down that price bracket). Timeless II is now being postpone tho it felt so weird watching some of these early reviews for it's going to be a bit weird referencing them later when it will be release since it's probably going to be a bit different.

 

[o0genesis0o]

interesting choice in mid tier to high end segment. another one that get praise and is on my ''must try'' list is a tribrid like the Fibae, its the Oriolus Szalayi. Praise seem real at the time....

ive give a look at LCDi4 graph:


it seem mid-centric to me. did vocal are warmly or brightly rendered?

due to its over sized 30mm driver and open back design, i expect crazy soundstage....

i really need to try those and explore out of chifi offering too. only non chifi planar i own is IMR RAH and it's an hybrid

LCDi4 is unlistenable without their DSP cable to EQ, IMHO. They are also very difficult to wear. You would look like a TIE fighter with two flat plates poking out of your ears. Zero isolation.

Fun experience comes at a very stiff price. Though I can see the potential. Those drivers sound quite special.

 

[emdeevee]

LCDi4 is unlistenable without their DSP cable to EQ, IMHO. They are also very difficult to wear. You would look like a TIE fighter with two flat plates poking out of your ears. Zero isolation.

Fun experience comes at a very stiff price. Though I can see the potential. Those drivers sound quite special.

No, it's listenable with any good EQ, you just need to research what those settings are. Still, it's a lot of work and yes, there's some Sci Fi look happening there. But that sound when tamed is nearly unbeatable.

 

[NymPHONOmaniac]

ive look at headfonic site because it seem he barely review all planar IEM on planet earth....


i didnt even know Unique Melody release a planar IEM, the ME1, which has the third lowest ranking of them all.

highest is, well this LCi4 while Isine LX is the lowest rated.

RAH has its planar IEM too, the CL2.

Goldplanar GL12 is second lowest ranking and ive always been sceptikal about this chifi company...

MP145 and Audeze stuff are the one with 8.5/10 and above.

im curious to try Audeze Euclid, AWW Nightingale

https://headfonics.com/category/iem-earphones/planar-magnetic/


Lately i tremendously enjoy the Letshuoer S15, its one of few planar that i find timbre truely natural and i think it have to do with unique passive radiator....

i was surprise today to see Crin giving A+ to Tangzu WU....A-, 3stars value. it was among those ''best natural timbre'' planar before S15 make them sound super noisy in texture...

ive review S15 here (if they were 250$, i would hype them way more....)
Pros:
-extremely addictive warm neutral tonality with slight bass boost
-rich, lush and natural mid range
-among best planar bass in term of roundness and density of impact
-vibrant elastic bass response that have both punch and rumble
-excellent bass line layering
-most natural planar timbre i've heard
-good note weight for piano, drum, harpsichord, toms etc
-wide dense and enveloping female vocal and woodwinds instruments
-smooth yet intricate and refined treble
-wide soundstage
-effortless sound layering
-fatigue free for long listening
-good macro dynamic, holographic way
-not the hardest planar to drive
-light and comfortable housing
-excellent modular cable

Cons:
-not for treble head
-not the most sparkly and brilliant highs
-spatiality lack a bit of depth
-bass separation have some warmth
-not the cleanest sounding IEM
-average imaging
-not for harman target fan boi
-not the most competitively priced planar
-audacious design aesthetic will not please everyone



https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/letshuoer-s15.26842/reviews#review-32323