So I want to try planars for the first time and they are both at my exact price range. I want something that sounds really dark, crunchy and very sharp. I’m also using an aune b1 class a amp and need it to be able to get quite loud (I am a hardcore drummer and NEED to hear every click of the metronome). Any thoughts on which to choose?
I’ve never tried the GP, but the 4xx isn’t dark at all so I’d steer clear of Hifiman if you don’t want a bright headphone.
Is it sharp though? Cause the Goldplanar didn’t sound that sharp or crunchy…
It does well with percussion but I’m not really into heavy rock so my basis for that is Queen’s live albums. It certainly has faster, cleaner hits than something like a Sennheiser.
I looked up the Aune B1 and the specs seem to suggest it wouldn’t push the 4xx very loud though. I’m pushing ~1.5W per channel to get mine to a point I’d consider loud but comfortable. That’s one of the things I’ve found with planars, the bass can sound a bit soft until you push them loud.