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Acoustic Research AR-H1 Planar Magnetic Headphones

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01 / 09

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Acoustic Research AR-H1 Planar Magnetic Headphones

Name: Acoustic Research AR-H1 Planar Magnetic Headphones
Brand: Acoustic Research
SKU: acoustic-research-ar-h1-planar-magnetic-headphones
Price: 249.99 USD
Availability: OutOfStock
Rating: 4.210526 (19 reviews)

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Product Description

Acoustic Research has a legacy of producing high-end audio, so when the company debuted its new planar magnetic headphone at 2017’s Munich High End Show, audiophiles were duly impressed. Since then, the AR-H1 open-back headphone has won "Editors' Choice" from PC Magazine, "Top Pick" from Sound & Vision, and a Gold Medal Award at the 2018 Japan Visual Grand Prix Read More

Customer Reviews

4.2

(19 reviews)

(8)

(9)

(1)

(0)

(1)

By Feature

Build Quality

5.0

(1)

Sound

5.0

(1)

Comfort

5.0

(1)

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BucDarkness

Dec 18, 2018

Verified Buyer

Great sounding plan-mag cans. AR definitely did their R&D on these. I'm a bass head but I love the deep accuracy of bass and crystal of the treble. Vocals are strong and not overbearing. I love everything from Hip-Hop to Coltrane jazz, Kraftwerk electro to Old school Funk and R&B,SRV to Hendrix and these handle it all well. A steel for the price. My favorite alongside my Senn HD700,AT MSR7, and 1More Quad IEM'S. Can't wait for my Massdropx Koss ESP's to arrive for my first dip into that Electrostatic sound.

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WhiskeyJacks

Dec 25, 2018

BucDarknessHey I was wondering how does one add a review on this product? I am trying to post my review and impressions on this headphone to balanced out the negative feedback this headphone has unfairly received. I do not see an option for write your own review or post review anywhere when I am logged in, If you can let me know I would appreciate it, even if it is just posting another resource to read.

Der_Klaviermann

217

Dec 26, 2018

WhiskeyJacksYou can only post a review if you bought the headphones from MD. Otherwise, you can post your review in the discussion tap.

BIGEARS888

Dec 20, 2018

Verified Buyer

Th Acoustic Research AR H1 I Thought was so Good That I Purchased 3 one for my self and 2 as Gifts There Worth over $1,000 and at the Flash Sale on MASSDROP Were under $300 I Wish I Had Bought another Set BASS is Good Mid Range Excellent and Hi Range is Wonderfull With a Big Broad Sound Stage That Rivals More Expensive Headphones God Bless Merry Christmas.

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ChunkDavis

Feb 19, 2019

Verified Buyer

Overall: A bit underpowered and need an amp for well recorded classical music . Dynamic range is great. I’ve listened to 40+ hours of different music on them so far and have not been disappointed. I can’t compare them to other Planar Magnetic phones sinc I haven’t tried any others - only other pair of nice headphones are in-ear RHA t-20i’s and it was about time to try something that I could use for more than 90 mins without fatigue. I’ve heard other AKG, BOSE, and Sennheiser and would say they sound great but just “different”. Bass: Super clear. Upright Basses including my own sound like real. Opening of Strausburg/St Denise by Roy Hargrove sounds like you’re in the room with the Bassist right in front of you. Def not bassy enough for “bass-heads” Mids: perfect. Can hear violas, and other mid range instruments very clearly and distinctly in most well recorded classical tracks. treble: sparkly as heck. Not too sparkly but very open and vibrant. Didn’t blow me away vocals/Speech: pretty awesome. I can hear a lot of detail that I’ve never heard. Comfort: Eh.. not as cushy as some other brands. They’re ok. They feel clunky and they do not fold in any way. I just leave them at home for that reason. I would recommend them to people if they are in the market for open back, but if this is your “introduction pair” try something else in this price range.

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OMan

119

Mar 20, 2019

Verified Buyer

AR-H1 Planar Magnetic are extremely nice headphones, and I will recommend them anytime. Sound quality is so good for anytime of music. I have more than a few headphones. I will consider the AR-H1 at the same level than the HD6XX, which are my reference headphones. They are a little different. The bass in the AR-H1 is like longer. The HD6XX is more compact. At the same time, the HD6XX sounds like it can go lower. It is hard to explain. The AR-H1 is very comfortable to wear. Even though, the pads are somehow shallow it does not bother my hears. They can get hot in warm weather, but by opening the headphones for a second or two is enough to release the heat. I do hear the same songs with the same equipment from the same source to compare headphones. In relation to the bass, they can handle bass really well. Low and My House by Flo Rida do not distort even at the highest volume using the MassDrop Liquid Carbon X DAC and AMP. Using the Chord Mojo, I could not handle full volume but no distortion either. Rotation by Herb Albert the Bongos lows sound so good. Female voice sound so exquisite. Listening to Lovers by Shigeru Umebayashi you fell in love with Kathleen Battle, even though she is famous for being difficult to love! ( I have used this expression in other reviews). The soundstage is as good as the HD6XX. You feel you are in a big room. Positioning, you can picture where the instruments sound is coming from. Money for Nothing by Dire Straits and Hotel California: from the start of the songs how the different instruments come together. You can hear the main guitar at the centre, the other guitar to the left, then metallic plate on the right, and then drums at the centre back. So the positioning is great. They are fun headphones. Hotel California and The House of the Rising Sun guitar sounds so there in from of you. Feels so Good by Chuck Mangione, the trumpet highs are very clear, and the background guitar is very clear too. Listening to Enigma, ABBA, Aqua, Johnny Cash, Chopin, Bach, Mariza, Placido Domingo, Shakira, Thalia, and many others is fun. Headphones for any music. I am very happy with these headphones. Are they worth the US$256 I paid for them? Yes, they are. I bought a set of Beats Studio for over $100 more than and these are many times better in every area. DAC \ Amp used: Chord Mojo and Massdrop Liquid Carbon X + SDAC. Music source: Spotify Premium, and Tidal HIFI \ Master. These earphones are better than (no in any particular order): · Sennheiser HD548 · Mitchell & Johnson JP1 and MJ1 · ThinkSound ON2 Headphones · PSP M4U1 Headphones · Beats Studios

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WHO23

106

Feb 3, 2019

Verified Buyer

These make a good first headphone, but it might very quickly be replaced especially for this community. This also makes excellent gift for a friend who's new to audiophile quality audio as it can be used with mobile devices, is fairly portable, has good packaging and looks great. If you already have a Sennheiser HD58X and HD6XX already and have proper gear setups, then I wouldn't recommend this. Comparing the AR-H1 to the Hifiman HE4XX, the AR-H1 has more sub-bass which is an amazing wall of sound on a planar magnetic headphone. When it comes to the mids, the AR-H1 not the smoothest headphone. Both planar headphones are not natural for vocals but they don't get to the point where it's distracting.

(Edited)

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luca.einsle

Feb 22, 2020

WHO23These headphones need an amplifier. Their impedance of 33 ohms might be low, but sensitivity matters just as much, if not more. My headphones have an impedance of 13 ohm and i still need a fairly powerful amplifier for them.

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bigcjm

Dec 29, 2018

Verified Buyer

5 stars at the price massdrop has these for. Not going to attempt to describe the sound the professional reviews did a decent job of that.. I'll say outside of rap and dance/house these a absolutely incredible. Very very fast and out of my current lineup of headphones these are the only ones I crave. Acoustic Research you got these right....

(Edited)

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DaveMFox6Tweeker

Dec 18, 2018

Verified Buyer

The Acoustic Research AR-H1 are very well designed headphones. The planar drivers are very fast, smooth, and low THD. Unbalanced wiring sounds great. I’m waiting for connectors to build a balanced drive. I expect an improvement. The phones are light and very comfortable. The low end response is tight and extended. Detail is better than dynamic phones. Percussion instruments are so accurate. Thank you AR.

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Roger2

Dec 18, 2018

Verified Buyer

Very well made handsome headphones with a smooth balanced sound. They exceeded my expectations and I would recommend them.

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TheRequiem

249

Aug 27, 2020

Verified Buyer

Very good

These punch way above their price in sound signature and weight. Heavily Recommended.

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nukaquartz23

Mar 10, 2019

Verified Buyer

Very quality build and great sounding headphones. Main complaints would be comfort and the cables. Headband likes to slide off to the side sometimes causing the studs on the headpad to dig into my head. Also they seem to have quite the clamp unless they're position just right. As far as the cables go, for some reason the left headphone cable likes to lose connection randomly sometimes, could just be a faulty cable but still annoying none the less. Other than those two things, pretty damn good headphones.

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