That’s my bet. Planar drivers often lean toward a compressed dynamic range and dithered / hazy delivery. That’s certainly how the Tungsten V1 sounded to my ears. While I like Dan Clark’s closed models, everything I’ve demoed resembles this too. The HiFiMan models with larger drivers sound ‘flappy’ to me. The heart and soul of the Abyss AB-1266 Phi TC (Cybermen) is this profile.
Long ago I concluded that dynamic drivers are best for perceived time-coordinated and punchy sound. Planars are a different beast.
Despite some discussions and hypotheses regarding the transformative potential of EQ, there’s generally no way to change the basic character of driver technology.
Interesting take. I’m curious as to what dynamics you are comparing them to? I have found that the HFA Dahlia with the dynamic rings installed does indeed punch harder than the Tungsten DS V2.
Many of these were audio show back-to-back comparisons. The most common dynamic models included Focal’s range (e.g., numerous examples of the Utopia) and the HD800S. There were a smattering of ZMFs too.
The dispersed, dithered character varies between planar models and I do like some. I’ve routinely found the Susvara to be mushy and bland, and I downright hated some of the recent Dan Clark models. Meze’s high end models range from nice to treble canons. Stax products are good, and the Abyss Cybermen is indeed fun. I’ve seriously considered the Audeze LCD-5 for a future purchase. I also liked the Caldera.
I don’t know if measurement technology is sensitive enough to pick up possible output variations across the face of a planar driver, nor whether any variations could be distinguished from those of a dynamic moving cone.
Interesting observations. I’ve not warmed up to planar headphones in general. I’ve owned models from Audeze, Abyss, and Dan Clark Audio. Wound up not keeping them. I found some of the same issues you pointed out. I do like the Verum 2 planar headphones. Danny Richie recommended them for audition, and they do a lot of things well.
The Sennheiser HD 600 series are still among my favorites for all around listening enjoyment. Generally not a fan of closed back headphones, but the Ultrasone Edition 15 Veritas sound good to me. Sometimes, closed back headphones are necessary.
