When I was a kid, I had a pair of those really awesome planar magnetic speakers from “Monsoon”. Surprisingly, I managed to hold onto those things and they’re currently connected to my mac mini. I need to get a DAC and preamp to really drive them appropriately, but they’re sorta rigged into the system currently regardless and honestly even with my patchwork bullshit setup they still sound very respectable. I do plan on getting a Schiit DAC and maybe one of those preamps they sell to drive them how they should be driven, but it’s not in the cards right this moment.

I did, however, pick up a pair of those Hifiman HE-400X planar magnetic headphones, and they sound really goddamn nice. I do have the right amp to drive them, and the pairing is quite melodious to say the least. The clarity is pretty wild. You can hear so much detail in the sound that it almost feels like it’s revealing a different song to you. It’s bizarre, honestly. Yes, they’re bargain barrel. No, I don’t care. They are true planar magnetics and the quality is high enough for my simple tastes. Plus they’re only $100, which is a third what you usually could expect to pay just to get into the planar magnetic space on an entry level. I would definitely say they’re a solid choice for someone who wants to dip a toe into more exotic audio equipment.