I have to agree, I love the mod! It opens up the headphone, increases the airy-ness, clarity and dynamic. Takes away the nasally sound in the vocals too! I absolutely love the soundstage and instrument separation of the GL2000!!
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I run these headphones on my monolith THX dac/amp combo with DIRAC on and I got to say they became my instant favorite headphones. DIRAC fixes the gripes of the headphones while increasing soundstage.
Iām on the same setup. I have yet to encounter a headphone that I like using Dirac with, but this ampās built-in EQ is what saved and then perfected these headphones for me. Iāve tried EQ software and there always seems to be something sloppy about it, but the amp EQ always performs flawlessly.
The instrument separation and sound stage is really good on these headphones after the mod. I grab these over my Diana v2 and Th900 on certain type on music.
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Interesting, what Planar would you recommend for a similar price ?
he5xx, sundara, used aeon 2 or aeon RT, focal elegia used ananda, he6se used with good amp. all of those are better IMO
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what makes the he5xx better than the GL2K? Had some interest in that one.
it sounds much more open maybe not as much bass but the freq response is more smooth the sound is more crisp and fun. not bright at all zeos review is completely wrong as far as everyone ive talked to for the 5xx i got mine for 180 used like new. with EQ it wipes the floor with most under 500 or so. but specifically the gl2k since DMS and others say its worth around 2-300 it falls under the āunder 500ā in this case. 5xx is like a slightly lesser version of sundara. its more fun in my opinion and most would say the sundara is better than gl2k so its a win in this case for sure. gl2k wasnt horrible so dont feel bad.
I dont feel bad about the GL2k at all. I enjoy them. These threads are what really make me want to sell them but after every session, I change my mind and keep them and enjoy them. They have a spot in my collection. Always looking for something different and was hoping the 5xx would be something more affordable to check out along the way. I want to get the new revision of the sundaras to compare to the GL2k since it seems to be the closest competitor. Might check out the 5xx to check out how much more open they can be but sadly, not a fan of EQ.
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i mean its freq response in comparison to most planars especially the gl2k is quite good. so if you dont like EQ it needs it alot less than the gl2k. the open nature is amazing and other than the bass it is so much more crisp and fast and fun than most and i did not find the bass bad at all like some people said. idk maybe they changed the pads or mine seal well but the bass is great just not huge slam . for the price its an insane deal. i like them about as much as my ananda without EQ and they are more comfortable than ananda by a long shot. and lighter than any other planar ive seen.
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Can you please compare the HE5XX and the Ananda? Thank you
hmm its interesting. the ananda has a little bit of wow factor that the 5xx do not have, i think its their huge driver size and how its made that give it this crazy speaker sound. although the 5xx gets close than most. the ananda has more sub bass but less slam and with EQ the 5xx has better bass in general and without EQ id say its close for bass. i think the mids and highs as far as freq response are more pleasing on the 5xx the ananda can get sharp and detailed but a little hot up top and peaky the 5xx is smoother and more pleasing for most people out of the box. also much more comfortable and lighter those huge ear cups on ananda made me return them its hanging off my jaw. i think the ananda is technically better as far as little details and cool tricks but for 1/5 the price the 5xx is hard to pass up. like a slightly different sundara more fun but less detailed but not in a bad way.
Thanks. Is Ananda worth it in your opinion for 700 USD?
no. maybe used for 500 if it fits your head. it is super long and in order to get your ear in the center of the driver you have to have the bottom of the cup almost off your jaw. but otherwise its a great headphone better than sundara for sure and below the he6se . with EQ it is best under 1500 in my opinion other than EQd he6se which is one of the best headphones of all time.
Not sure if anyone posted this review yet.
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I am listening my GL2000 on FiiO BTR5 with 2.5 balanced connector adapter. Sounds good and it is portable 
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Wait, he thinks the sound stage is the biggest issue? I thought itās vice versa, hmmā¦
I think hype is over long time ago now. I clearly see that no one is buying these anymore due to lack of new reviews and posts online.
I wonder what they are mentioning about the soundstage is the compression that z and dms talked about.
I just got mine in today from Drop. Took 2 weeks from shipment to BC Canada. No additional tax (which is nice).
My feelings are mixed. Iām fairly new to the HiFi world. Got my first dac (ifi zen dac) and āhi-fiā headphones (hd560s) 2 months ago.
I was worried about the power needed to drive these. As far as the volume goes, these can definitely be uncomfortably loud with just the zen dac.
First song played: mehā¦ I expected almost a āVirtual surround soundā experience. Initial thought was "they arenāt as clear (maybe compressed), lack a bit of dynamic range compared to hd560s, but did sound slightly wider in terms of the soundstage. Are they worth 2-3x the price of the 560s? Sadlyā¦ noā¦
5hrs into using them: maybe they opened up a bit? Or is it just a placebo? I EQed them within the first 10 minutes. They EQ very well and that āuncompressedā the sound quite a bit. Soundstage is still wider than the Senh but by no means a surround sound experience. Imaging seems very good though.
10 hours into using them: Iām in bed. Fearful that Iām not getting the full experience, I ordered the L30 amp (at least to try and return if fails) and a 3.5mm dual cable. I wanted to try the zen can but that cannot be sourced for a decent price here. Left them to run pink noise overnight.
Iām torn. I was super hyped to get a high resolution headphone that will give me a close to surround sound experience with great imaging and separation. A few songs actually sounded decent, but overall, my 560s with the $100 smls tube amp sound better on some things. I very much hope that the issue is due to the fact that Iām trying to drive them with the zen can which can push a tiny ~30mW (or something). I just figured it would be too quiet if there was not enough power. Yes they do sound more open than the Senh but with absolutely no āwowā factor. A little underwhelming with all this hype actually. If 560s had sounds 1" from my head, then these are 3-4" away - better, but by no means amazing (maybe itās just my unrealistic expectations) Havenāt decided on pads yet. D-hybrid pads seem a bit more open but my initial (first 5 min) take was that leathers were better. Maybe itās just that Iām not squeezing the max out of these yet?
Iām wondering if anyone else had a similar experience? Is it possible that they are under powered even though I can make my ears bleed with the zen dac? Iāll probably try to mod them before the amp even arrives.
Laying in bed now, I hope that I am just a silly guy that just needs to burn them in, give them a lot more power, and EQ to taste. Only time will tellā¦ Amp arrives in 2 daysā¦ 2 longā¦ long daysā¦
EDIT/UPDATE #1: Waiting for amp/cable to be delivered. Will try these on the SMLS SP100 tube as well. Did the mod - removed everything from the outside. They get quite a bit brighter and a bit more open. Stay tuned for more.
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