🔶 GoldPlanar GL2000

My guesstimate is impeding airflow to the driver. Sounds normal after you open it up.

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Sounds plausible, actually. Really good guess, thanks!

Can someone explain why some people think they are worth 2000 dollars while some people think they are worth 200?

Has anyone said they’re worth $2k :open_mouth:

I think zeos said $1000-2000.

I kind of agree when I have the leather pads on. I tried the gel brainwavz and it was too sharp for me. The leather had better bass for one reason or another, to my ears.

Between the relaxed sound of the leather pads and the overall good job of detail retrieval, and separation, I could see paying $1000 and being happy with it for daily all-around use cases.

HD800S is a masterful classical music headphone more so than the 2000’s. And I’m sure other headphones sound more enjoyable for people compared to the GL2000’s for other genres.

Sometimes I think in the price bracket, maybe anything over $400/500 that I’ve seen and heard, headphone choices can be very personal and varied by situation.

Bottom line, I’m not comfortable saying it is definitively worth $1000 more so than something else, for everyone. It is for me.

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im sure its because they do something special that some people like that not many others do. but the more technical people dont seem to like it. the freq response is worse than a 100 dollar headphone. to be fair thats not everything not even close but its things like that that add up to not being a value. you expect certain things for 600$ and that freq response is not it. i think from what ive heard they do some cool stuff with bass and imaging or soundstage that make them special maybe even resolution. but to say a 99% plastic planar is worth 2000 dollars is starting on the edge of delusion im afraid.

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The decisive factor is the vocal range. They have a huge dip in the mid-high freq range and that is a kind of a sin if you want a good and realistic frequency response. I believe that is an attempt to a psychoacustic effect in order to give an impression of a bigger sound.

I have to admit I have really come around on these ones. I was down with them but after a prolonged listening period I am starting to hear the “sin” more and more. The sound simply lacks presence. It is a shame because I really love their bass section.
Today I have took the Sundara off the shelf again and I was surprised I instantly and instinctively preferred their sound. I have tried to defend my splurge somehow but I have to admit Sundara do sound better to me. I thought I could make do of that weird frequency response but my brain does not seem of the same opinion. Once you see it clearly is fairly hard to deny they mess that part up.

TL;DR: They mess up a crucial part of the response range.

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Absolutely, everyone has preferences. I have way too many headphones. :wink:

I don’t know about their higher standards. Many of us also have high-end headphones. I can accept that they may have different tastes. Heck, I disagree with Zeos on many of his recommendations. By throwing the GL2000 under the bus, and assuming many don’t know what they are hearing is being disingenuous. Why tried so hard to discredit, makes one question their motives.

I just want to listen to my music, and these headphones are perfect for my tuning preferences. Omnivorous for all kinds of music, this is enough for its value.
Big soundstage, high resolution, natural and deep low frequency dives, crazy imaging, easy driving. It beats all the headphones I’ve ever listened to. For me, it at least worth 800$.
(What the hell is compression, I just want to be happy :broken_heart: and I love this pair of headphones. :rofl:)

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I am also feeling a kind of “counter-hype” train. I believe it is in response of Zeos and BGGR comparing them to 1k+$ headphones while having a subpar frequency response.

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If GL2000 has a subpar frequency response, than what does the LCD-2 have at $1000? It’s even darker lmao and same mid dip

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I am torn apart even if I do care about compression and the frequency response range. They have something they do right and if you can pass over what they get wrong I can see their charm.

I have never listened to the LCD-2, I can’t really tell. But from a theoretical standpoint the GL2000 go a bit against the laws of a natural sound. I find it hard to believe it though they have as harsh as a dip as the GL2000 have. I mean, it would be a rare coincidence two headphones have the same highly unusual deviation from the standard.

Edit: I have looked at their graph and they do not have a dip, they push back a more extended region in a way that is more uniform, For “dip” I mean a sudden stark difference in values on a restricted range of frequencies. That is what make the sound less natural (perhaps “organic” is a better word),

I can barely stand the LCD2’s thick sound, it’s too rich and not omnivorous (my library is really diverse, and omnivorous counts

I guess it is similar to many people hating on Magnepan speakers. They measure like crap, due to their planar dipole characteristics, but they have that special liveliness and atmosphere that dynamic speakers just can not reproduce. I am one of those that love Magnepans. When setup just right, they are amazing, there is nothing like them, very immersive, live venue like.

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I was talking about Z not the people who bought the headphone. remember Z created this entire thing single handedly. i mean think about how crazy that is. one man made a starting company go from barely on the radar to every reviewer getting a pair and people going crazy. You could argue thats a good thing for audio but i would argue it adds to the divide currently in the audio community. Of course if someone likes something i would never take that away from them. but if that person is also responsible for the sales and is getting paid from that hype i start to have major issues. which is why i mentioned the standards of reviewers. DMS and and the guys at the headphone show even though they make less money and have less reach work far harder to review every product and buy measurement rigs because they value their standards and their image as objective. Z mentions money and sales in every single video ive watched recently. It is really rubbing me the wrong way.

his unboxing of the new clear koss cans that cost 20$ where he got 8 pairs for free he said “im gunna rush this video to market so i can put these in the yard sale and make some money” it sucks because he got me into audio 2 years ago. but after this and the HOLO dac review and many others its just an entertainment channel and nothing more.

This is what pasta had to say when questioned about making people pay 80$ for 15$ headphones “But you want free entertainment, free music, free movies… gimme gimme gimme DANCE MONKEY DANCE :joy::rofl:” i do hope everyone enjoys these headphones! i wont clog the thread anymore.

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I’m suspicious no one mentioned compression until that review. I just want decent headphones to beat my phantoms :slight_smile: also slagged of in the review :slight_smile:

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Count me out, I have just changed my idea again. I guess I am happy with both of them (or neither of them). Perhaps I just get bored quickly of the same sound. I guess I will leave it at that.

In the end these are all technical terms that you can do without. I am happy knowing I can enjoy music indistinctly on multiple headphones. At least I do not regret buying the GL2000. I may add that because those frequencies are recessed they are not as tiring as the Sundara and that they are not as recessed as I thought but I believe that adding anything more it’s just becoming hyper rationalization.

I actually find the hype to bring life and interest to brands and gear I may not have otherwise. The community kind of wakes up to niche products, or products some reviewers miss.

There’s also something to be said about how we all have different tastes, and if we have a reviewer who has similar tastes generally to us, it’s great to discover something they and us might really genuinely love - even if it’s merely “over hyped” to others’ ears.

Maybe in some way we are manipulated in a cynical sense…but at the same time we should do our own due diligence to mitigate personal loss if we don’t like the product. Look for return policies. Look at the market place and see what you could resell for. Cross reference glowing reviews with other reviews and commentaries on forums.

I would rather someone share their personal awesome experience than mask it.

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