Gold Planar GL2000 Planar Magnetic Open-Back Headphones Discussions | Drop

Jan 14, 2021

(Apologize in advance if this rambles on, I originally wrote this at 4AM in Notepad just taking notes to get info out for people before the Drop ended) Here are some first impression notes I took down after a 2+ hours listening session vs Arya once I ended my Stream tonight. Burn in on the GL2000 is less than 8 hours when these first notes were all taken. I generally try to keep my comments as plain or layman as possible but I'll try to add some audiophile terms in here for the real ones. Keep in mind that the HifiMan Arya is $1500+ and this is $600. (You can creep me at https://www.twitch.tv/musclecow if you want to follow and hang out one time, I'm generally gaming at the moment but might explore more things soon as well... usually always trying different headsets out on stream if you got questions :] ) And thanks to those that stopped in last night, that was very enjoyable during my raid :) Build is solid... comfort is superb. Wears light weight on the head to me. I'm using the pads that are perforated on the exterior only, solid interior (deeper pads, loads of ear space). Take note that the ear cups are a silver painted plastic while the yoke and headband are a lightweight aluminum. Testing Gear: Drop THX 789 Amplifier Balanced from Topping D70 DAC from Tidal on my PC. Using a XLR Balanced connection for both headsets. RANDOM SONGS SAMPLED (Not yet at desired burn in time of 48 hours when comments made, keep that in mind) Adele - Hello (Better on the Arya) Arya: Better bass hits, Adele feels more engaged and more pleasant to listen to, more of an experience like you are there and she is serenading in your ear... she loves your cologne. GL2000: Vocals are very clear and pleasant to. Very close to Arya but lacks slightly on the external reaching sounds and ambiance that the Arya portrays. Adele still sings in your ear and likes you a lot, but just not as much. The banger hit at the end around 4minutes on hits good, but just can't compete with Arya. Hella good for this price point. Yosi Horikawa - Timbres Arya: Larger notes, sounds reach higher up and further out. More of a musical experience. GL2000: Absolutely zero detail lost, hear every single little nuance (I never knew this song had so many different, separate sounds in it). You can literally track where every single marble/pebble go via the sound and all sounds are independent and separated. Yosi Horikawa - In the Distance Arya: Once again, more of an experience. Larger stage and sound coverage. You feel like you are "in" the music. Almost fell asleep to this one being so relaxed. Much more depth and layering to the sounds. GL2000: Not as wide as a sound scape, nor as much coverage in front of you. Details are pulled out and delivered to you like FedEx. Wind sounds crisper and clearer, can hear artist breaths. Smash Into Pieces - In Need of Medicine ARYA: Chorus singing has vocals layered on top of each other and vocals almost meld together at times between the singers, male vocals not as prominent when singing together. Not a wide song in general, but slightly more space here. GL2000: Each vocal is easily distinguishable the whole time. Song sounds sharper overall, nicely presented. Both headphones have similar and enjoyable guitar rifts. Smash Into Pieces - Let me be your Superhero ARYA: Thicker Bass, a little more thump - but not too much more here. Once again more sound space. Guitar might not be just as sharp sounding in shredding, but music seems to have slightly more "meat" to it (low-end) GL2000: Overall more clear guitar rifts and cymbals are slightly more noticeable on these. Go to 00:48, the nice little rift that follows that is slightly more pronounced and enjoyable 'shredding' sound on the GL2000. Rene Marie - Bloero/Suzanne (Live) [not my usual music but really nice] ARYA: Very intimate and satisfying vocals with instruments staged in the background perfectly, sounds like you are right there in the front row. GL2000: Vocals ever so slightly further away, instruments all still very distinguishable but the room sounds smaller than on Arya. Still sounds amazing but the Arya does do it better. Lindsey Sterling - Any Song ARYA: Violin sounds epic on these, better staging and bass. Overall slightly more enjoyable due to size of music. GL2000: Violin sounds epic on these, at times the digital synthesizer sounds, sound better (like the sounds digitally added into the Crystallize song). General Notes: ARYA Comments/Comparisons -Vocals can be closer more intimate with the other music behind them in endless layers and space. -More Sound Space Around the Head (Up, Down, Left, Right, A, B, Select and Start). -More feeling of being "in" the music, or more of an experience. -Details there for you to find if you search, not presented as easily or as forward as the GL2000, but search and you will find them all. -Songs can be different every time you listen to them. Each time you listen you may find a new sound in the layers of music you've never heard before. -More overall bass, reaches lower and rumbles a little harder. -More depth to the sound, and decay goes further out. -Requires more power to drive GL2000 Comments/Comparisons -Easier to drive, similar to Focal Elear power requirements -Better Imaging, you can easily track where every sound comes from and goes to, yet with less overall staging, space and depth than the Arya has -Because of imaging and accuracy, could be very good for competitive gaming, I'm just slightly concerned on certain frequencies that some games could have might be fatiguing; I haven't had this yet, but certain repetitive high pitch metallic ticks or tings might do it -Extremely detailed and resolving -Detail is brought forward, and pulled out of the music to be served to you to consume as your heart desires; you will hear it ALL without effort -Vocals perform fantastic on this and can match that of the Arya on many occasions for both male and female -GL2000 played all the genres of music that I listened to very well -Bass is defined and accurate but doesn't rumble as much as Arya. Still very good for planar -Truly a WOW experience at this price point, and if you are new to the audiophile space this could be an interesting headphone to start with or upgrade to -Improves with burn in, manufacturer recommends 48HR burn in -If you have never heard an Arya, this will blow you away and hold you over until you can afford the Arya at over double the cost (but not double the sound, just does it better - Arya has a very unique sound experience) Random Notes: -GL2000 spoon feeds you detail and information whether you want it or not, you are getting it all. This might be fatiguing to some over a long time... Although I love this feature, I can see how it might be sensory overload for some or fatiguing with time. -Arya has more layers and depth to the sound (the sound can at times fade off forever and flow easily all around you), but the GL2000 has more defined layers of sound most of the time, albeit less overall layers it seems. -Arya has a more warm sound presentation due to the insane detail retrieval of the GL2000, and so far the GL2000 is one of the most detailed headphones I've heard. *****If you STRONGLY favour warmth and bass over anything else, you probably won't like the GL2000 too much.****** TIP: You can insert some cheap thin foam oval cut outs into the earpad to tame some of the highs if its too much or fatiguing for you, but you will lose detail with this mod of course. Headphone still sounds great, seems to add a little more bass oomph too. This easy mod can let you have slightly different sound profiles with 1 headphone. I enjoy it both ways, but the detail of this headphone is what makes it special and is it's strong card for sure. Closing... (for now..) If I could only keep one of these, it would still be the Arya since I love the -STILL- unique way that it presents sound to you and I find it has a more enjoyable listening experience overall, but it also has a MSRP of ~$1600 vs ~$630 of this set. But man, the GL2000 does sound damn good for this price point and the fact it can almost compare to the Arya is insane. I'm really excited to see what more Gold Planar will bring in time to come. ------------------------------------------------------------ Jan15 Midnight Update: I've just been playing around with some crappy mics I had in my gear set and tried to make a few recordings... going to probably get some better ones and improve this over time but for now, here are 2 recordings of Bathroom Dance from Joker on Arya and GL2000... take these with a grain of salt because I have no where tweaked or perfected any of this process, these are just after an hour of trial and error and using little $80 binaural mics... but at 1:20 and on you can see the difference in low end at least and it kinda showcases sound profiles... work in progress!!! :) Sound Sample dropbox link at bottom. ------------------------------------------------------------ Jan 15th 9AM Update: Sound seems to be improving after burning in the headphone playing music on a block for over 24 hours. Comparing the song "Don't Start Now" by Dua Lipa sounds amazing on both sets. Vocals are really damn good on the GL2000! Still no question that the Arya is superior but I feel like the GL2000 does get better with burn in. Main differences here is that the Arya sounds more open, fuller sound with a stronger low end. Vocals are so close on both sets, and the instrumental bits are a little more crisp on the GL2000. Decay happens quicker on the GL2000 as the Arya carries sounds out further. Soundstage is really good on the GL2000 just not as large as Arya. The parts where the piano comes in and the banger hits, does sound a lot more satisfying and complete on the Arya. GL2000 still has incredible sound separation. For an extra more price equal comparison, I threw on my Focal Elear (+Utopia Pads) on this same song after exclusively listening to the GL2000 and Arya the past couple days... and damn, it did not sound as good as the last 10 plays, it sounds a lot more boosted in the low end on the Elear and it loses lots of the upper clarity/detail with the vocals sounding suppressed. The GL2000 destroys the Elear in terms of vocals performance, sound stage, detail retrieval, sound separation and imaging. The Elear is the clear winner in terms of Bass+Rumble and Warmth, it is definitely the more 'fun' sounding headphone between the two. The GL2000 is more resolving and just straight up produces better sound experience overall for this track over the Elear. *PS: the Elear is essentially the same headphone as the Elex. I'll try to get a recording of all 3 sets on this song and add to the Dropbox link at the bottom of this post... take with a grain of salt i have not made these recordings before and I'm just playing with my gear but hopefully you can take something away from it. ------------------------------------------------------------ Headphone Sound Samples: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/jz94c0n0rhtmn5h/AADRnn6-shZYJZ9W4gn5uV_qa?dl=0&lst= *Joker ones aren't that great as they were my first attempt at making a sample. Others are getting better. PS Join my Discord if you want, I will probably work to build a small audiophile/gaming community and could do more sound bits like this once I learn the ropes. This invite link should put you into the sound samples section, and I can assign your Roles once you join. If I miss you for a role, just post in general chat. Discord Invite Link to Audiophile Section: https://discord.gg/58TwxkTPBe ------------------------------------------------------------ REMEMBER! Everyone prefers different sounds, frequencies, tones and qualities. While this may be amazing for some, some people might really dislike how much detail it actually has and it will become a casual listener unless you mod slightly with foam inserts to taste. The DT 1990 Pro does not bother me at all, so use that as a reference point for treble tolerance.

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Jan 14, 2021

Muscle_CowAs an Arya owner I know I appreciated the comparison between the two, and it was well done. It gave good points that would be asked by anyone interested in the two. So nice comparison/review it was informative.

Jan 14, 2021

Muscle_CowAwesome review. Was really waiting for this. So I guess we can say that the GL2000 Double Magnet version is more like the HiFiMAN Sundara in the sense that it sort of forces details in your face and down your throat, right?

Tumblebeat

Jan 14, 2021

Muscle_CowThank you, this is a very nice review! I have the same setup; AAA 789 + D70, No Arya, but waiting for my GL2000 from DROP to arrive... Maybe I will own an Arya one day as well. If my wife will not kill me after receiving this order ;-)

Jan 14, 2021

Muscle_CowLots of good info. I had the Arya and HD 800s and actually prefer the Ananda(at half the price) sound sig a little more for music genre's like Rock/Hard Rock/Metal & "Fun" Gaming and Movies/TV. Arya are great though. I might eventually get the GL2000 at some point... but for now I'm holding off. The Ananda are all I need for now. Now I'm curious about the Gold Planar GL850 with an Air Motion Transformer driver. I'm really looking to make my next headphone purchase something that might be a bit revolutionary/ground breaking. Thanks for the in depth review. Very helpful to many! 👍

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JanModig

Jan 14, 2021

Muscle_CowThanks for good first impression review! I expect a maturing after a couple of weeks burn in. Please keep us posted./JM

aldarrin

Jan 14, 2021

Muscle_CowThat sounds like an AMAZING gaming headphone!

InstaAxeToast

Jan 14, 2021

Muscle_CowDamn! How late did you stay up? :D That is quite the writeup, it is very much appreciated. I cannot wait to get them. It was quite nice chatting to you on stream last night.

zhugunic

172

Jan 14, 2021

JTB888GL850 has been released already. I heard it is superior than GL2000, but at double the price. GL1200(ribbon headphone) looks interesting too.

coreypine

118

Jan 14, 2021

Muscle_CowBest review I have read yet, thank you.

bjvp182

224

Jan 14, 2021

Muscle_CowThank you for the informative review. I also appreciate you going the route of wording it all in an easy to understand package with explanations being drawn from your experience with them. Really cant wait for these to arrive, and me to indulge.

Jan 14, 2021

JTB888Where as I felt comfortable enough with the Sundara when reviewing it I then ordered the Ananda... very good midrange, definitely pushed forward but sounded exceptional with certain genres and in games. Also, bass went down low too for a mid forward headphone. I did have some issues with some brightness in lower treble but nothing that was a deal breaker and would of kept it. Alas, the way it got was pressing into the pressure points underneath my ears and it was painful( I prefer the ability to swivel with headphones ) so I returned them and bought the Arya which are more balanced but require more power to sound its best.

Jan 14, 2021

zhugunicYeah, I'm curious about the GL850 because I've never heard a headphone with the Air Motion Transformer driver or something like the GL1200(Ribbon). I know these headphones will cost way more money... but like I said I'm holding off on buying any new headphones unless they are doing something a lot different from what I already own or have heard already. I'd be willing to pay a more premium price for a headphone that's totally on another level that's doing something somewhat ground breaking. The GL2000 seem interesting... but nothing to go nuts over

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Jan 14, 2021

WhiskeyJacksI know what you're saying. I don't understand why HIFIman doesn't seem to care about comfort level the way they should. All headphones should have a little bit of swivel ability to accommodate each persons head size and give the ability for adjustments of the cups to find that comfort zone of how you like the pads resting on the side of your face. It's kind of like if a company made an automobile and doesn't allow you the ability to adjust the car seat to where you are comfortable driving. They should do a revision on the Ananda so they swivel a little like the Arya. It's doable

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Der_Holzfaeller

Jan 14, 2021

Muscle_CowVery nice review. I habe the Focal Elear and the Hifiman Ananda and i am interested like you now in the GL2000 but in the Arya too. So is your comparison perfect for me. :) I hope i can compare the both by my self.

BaconFat

Jan 15, 2021

Muscle_CowAwesome review! I love the comparison! Well done. I can't wait to hear it for myself now. I'm all about the detail as well. 2 thumbs up (well, 2 in real life -- 1 on here)

Jan 15, 2021

InstaAxeToastHaha I stayed up way too late since I wanted to try to have some kind of information for the 100s of people here that were thinking on this headphone before the Drop ended. I've been letting the headphone play all day on a block to burn in so I can update my thoughts as my ears mature to its sound. I definitely passed out today for a long nap. Thanks for all the nice replies guys, and I'm glad I could give something to you to chew on before this Drop ends. Hopefully some others can give their thoughts too, I don't have a Sundara to compare against unfortunately so maybe someone else has one that got these already. I have a HifiMan HE-560 v4 from Adorama that I could compare a little to though. I had to do the Arya comparison first though since I saw lots of comments wondering if these would match that pair or the Ananda, but alas my Arya is still king (to me at least). One thing to add is that the Silver Ear Cups themselves are a silver painted plastic, while the yokes and headband seem to be a very lightweight aluminum. Also for those wondering, I got mine from Taobao but they have since sold out. ... Taobao DOES have a GL1000 Closed Walnut that's half the cost .... interesting.... tempting... oh no

Blackrao

Jan 15, 2021

Muscle_CowA comparison to this price point would be fine, like Ananda is basically similar size and close in price would be perfect, or like Elex

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Jan 15, 2021

BlackraoI don't own the Ananda or the Elex, but I have the Focal Elear which is essentially the same headphone as the Elex. I do have the Elex and Utopia pads as well so I could compare those, I just wanted to compare against the Arya first for my own reasons/wants and also because there were comments around wondering if these could match the Arya after the Hype generated so I wanted to tackle that ASAP before the Drop ended is all :) The comparison wasn't meant to be a VS as in what one you should buy between them, it was more of to determine if this can really punch that high up and if it was a clone or not. Now it looks like Drop extended this another 3 or 4 days so maybe I can compare another set.

Jan 15, 2021

Muscle_CowShit ..so the hype is kinda real.. I'm slowly losing hope of finding enough reviews to make my $500 to maintain their residence in me wallet. Are you sure you don't need to re-review this???

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Colton321

Jan 15, 2021

Muscle_CowAnd there it is. You just confirmed my return of these headphones. Thanks for the in depth review. We need more people other than YouTube pimps reviewing these. Zeos is hilarious to listen to but I’ve never agreed with him on headphones. Honestly I feel like he’s reacting to the actual mic placement and mix quality most of the time and mistaking it for a headphones “clarity” or “imaging”. If more actual producers and mixers reviewed headphones, a lot of people would be better off. tldr: 600 dollars for a gaming headset with too much fatigue.

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Colton321

Jan 15, 2021

irwan_aProbably better off getting some DT1990 Pros for the price.

Jan 15, 2021

Colton321omg..thanks!! there's hope again...now keep steering me towards the lighttt peopleee

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BaconFat

Jan 15, 2021

Muscle_CowHmmm a DT1990 vs GL2000 comparison would be cool.

Jan 15, 2021

Colton321 @Colton321 I didn't explicitly say that they were bad or that they were fatiguing but that they may be for some depending on the audio you are listening to. My concern would be with fatigue in repeated high pitch metallic tings or ticks that could be in some video games, but some foam insert would solve that easily. But yes, multiple people's opinions is alwayssss a good thing. Can never totally rely on a couple people because absolutely everyone has different tastes and different ears. We all perceive sounds differently and have unique preferences. They are really good headphones, and I was comparing them to the Arya's sound which is more than double the price. In terms of what you were looking for, no I do not think you would like these since you said you wanted emphasized bass which these do not have. Though they do have a very good soundstage, just not as good as an Arya or HD800S soundstage. I've been letting them burn in most of the day today so i could do some listening tests later today to compare them against the DT1990 Pro and may Focal Elear or Monoprice M1570s which are all closer in price points. @irwan_a I will be revisiting some sound sampling after they burn in more and my ears mature to them, but so far they are really good headphones for their price especially if you want something with a lot of resolution, detail retrieval and accuracy.

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Jan 15, 2021

Colton321oh and don't TLDR to a gaming headset with too much fatigue... that's so wrong lol. These are also incredible for vocals and any music like Lindsey Sterling's stuff plus more.

Jan 15, 2021

Muscle_CowThanks so much for the comparison. I also ordered mine from ToaBao and they should be here soon. I am looking forward to hearing them for myself.

Jan 15, 2021

Muscle_CowWhat headphones have you heard that do emphasized Bass the best without sounding muddy and bloated? Seems like every "Bass Head" set I've heard always needs to be EQ'd to sound right. Audeze comes to mind

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Jan 15, 2021

BaconFatPost Updated Above with: Jan 15th AM Update: Sound seems to be improving after burning in the headphone playing music on a block for over 24 hours. Comparing the song "Don't Start Now" by Dua Lipa sounds amazing on both sets. Vocals are really damn good on the GL2000! Still no question that the Arya is superior but I feel like the GL2000 does get better with burn in. Main differences here is that the Arya sounds more open, fuller sound with a stronger low end. Vocals are so close on both sets, and the instrumental bits are a little more crisp on the GL2000. Decay happens quicker on the GL2000 as the Arya carries sounds out further. Soundstage is really good on the GL2000 just not as large as Arya. The parts where the piano comes in and the banger hits, does sound a lot more satisfying and complete on the Arya. GL2000 still has incredible sound separation. For an extra more price equal comparison, I threw on my Focal Elear (+Utopia Pads) on this same song after exclusively listening to the GL2000 and Arya the past couple days... and damn, it did not sound as good as the last 10 plays, it sounds a lot more boosted in the low end on the Elear and it loses lots of the upper clarity/detail with the vocals sounding suppressed. The GL2000 destroys the Elear in terms of vocals performance, sound stage, detail retrieval, sound separation and imaging. The Elear is the clear winner in terms of Bass+Rumble and Warmth, it is definitely the more 'fun' sounding headphone between the two. The GL2000 is more resolving and just straight up produces better sound experience overall for this track over the Elear. *PS: the Elear is essentially the same headphone as the Elex. I'll try to get a recording of all 3 sets on this song and add to the Dropbox link at the bottom of this post... take with a grain of salt i have not made these recordings before and I'm just playing with my gear but hopefully you can take something away from it. https://www.dropbox.com/sh/jz94c0n0rhtmn5h/AADRnn6-shZYJZ9W4gn5uV_qa?dl=0

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Jan 15, 2021

JTB888Yea I get the same feeling. As soon as a headphone goes too heavy on the Bass, things get weird. I have the E-MU Teak and the Massdrop Foxtex TR-X00 Purplehearts and those are both really good Bass headphones that still sound amazing. I really really love my E-MU Teaks, they are so underrated.

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Jan 15, 2021

Muscle_CowI am tuned in! Keep these reviews coming. On a side note, I really can't wrap my head around those requesting to have this compared to 'similar-priced-mid-range' cans especially those with polarizing sound signatures when this is already trading blows with the Arya. Woof.

Jan 15, 2021

irwan_aYea I mean I didn't expect it to beat the Arya, but the fact that it has some qualities that the Arya has (just not as good) is very valuable at this price point. I'm really enjoying it. Side note, uploaded 3 more sound samples of "Don't Start Now" comparing the GL2000, Elear and Arya. These samples turned out better than the Joker ones I tried last night. https://www.dropbox.com/sh/jz94c0n0rhtmn5h/AADRnn6-shZYJZ9W4gn5uV_qa?dl=0

BaconFat

Jan 15, 2021

Muscle_CowOn the Chinese information paper you get with the GL2000, it says they require 48 hours of burn in time. You're making me jealous with all these reviews haha thanks for the updates! Keep em comin'. But, don't beat yourself up. Have a smoke and/or burger in between songs xD

Jan 15, 2021

OmegaDogeSee my experiences with the Sundara is opposite to that it has detail but doesn't shove it forward and is very agile, light, even ethereal in character where notes are presented but quickly. The Ananda due to its higher mid peak I felt was very detailed oriented maybe even similar to the gl2000 where I felt due to the brighter and more detailed forward signature of the Ananda( which had forward midrange which I enjoyed) that it sounded awesome with certain genre's and also with well mastered files. That would be a very good comparison.

Jan 15, 2021

JTB888Definitely doable, they'd basically make some minor cup modifications, and then install a new yoke and band. But the new headbands on the 5 and 6se revisions seem to be getting popular( I cannot say anything about there comfort as I have yet to use one, but I can give a thumbs up on aesthics)

Jan 15, 2021

WhiskeyJacksYou referring to this one?

If so, I snagged the HifiMan HE-560 v4 from Adorama during the black friday sale and that headband is super comfortable and light weight. There is swivel built into the headband that allows it to rotate left and right slightly from the exit point... I like it much better than the 4XX headband.

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Jan 15, 2021

BaconFatYep he needs to let them play for a little while and then do another update. Got a feeling it's going to be really close between the two after the burn in period.

Jan 15, 2021

Muscle_CowHow much was it going for on black Friday Zale? I saw the revision 4 for 400 on ebay new. I use to the first version for a good year or two... damn under appreciated headphone

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Jan 15, 2021

WhiskeyJacksWas 260, super good deal. I really do enjoy the HifiMan sound, they do planar very well.

Jan 16, 2021

WhiskeyJacksAhhh okay. The Sundara is my first very detailed pair so I guess I was just caught off guard with all the new details and sound that I never even knew existed. I guess I mistook that for "shoving it down my throat" lol. Thanks for this. I understand now.

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Mysin

Jan 16, 2021

Muscle_Cow @Muscle_Cow Hey man, thanks for the review. Would you say the Arya's sound $1,000 better than the GL2000's? (Considering the price difference). From what I've gathered from your review, I'd guess the Arya's sound around $400 better (Kinda shootin' in the dark there lol). If so then these really are a steal. Thanks again!

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Jan 16, 2021

MysinIn my opinion, after you pass the $500 sweet spot price point for a headphone the price to performance ratio starts to shrink dramatically and at that point, you are not always paying for better sound per dollar but rather you are spending more money to buy into a specific sound that you enjoy and desire. I really can't say the Arya sound any X amount of dollars better since they are really a sound experience of their own and no recording can portray that properly. I will say that the sound quality you are getting from these is top notch for that $500 price entry and won't be beat by many (if any) headsets in that range as long as you value a highly detailed, resolving, airy, accurate, forward and bright-leaning sound with superb vocal performance.

Mysin

Jan 16, 2021

Muscle_Cow @Muscle_Cow Wow, great answer. Thank you for enlightening me on your viewpoint.

Jan 16, 2021

MysinI haven't been doing this headphone thing as much as others have... but I've been able to hear a few of the higher end headphones on the market like the open back Arya and HD 800s... and the closed back Denon AH-D9200. All 3 of these headphones are roughly in the $1500 to $1700 dollar range unless you can find a sale or buy them used. All 3 were pretty great sounding but a bit overpriced imo. Anyway, for my personal musical taste, gaming and movies/tv listening.... I prefer the $700 Ananda over all 3 of these headphones which are more than double the Ananda's price. I feel like the Ananda are the benchmark at $700 and punch way higher than it's price tag. The other 3 headphones I mentioned should be closer to the $1200 price range. So the best advice is probably just let your ears make your decision for you on a headphone... not the price tag. I've got a $30 pair of Koss KPH30i headphones that many argue sound better than headphones costing hundreds of dollars. 😳

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Jan 16, 2021

JTB888Huh. I can get the Arya where I am at around $1300, and seeing as it's often praised for being a unique experience, I might just hold off on these and aim for the Arya. That, or we wait for reviews on the GL850 (which are $1600 or $1000 on Taobao) heh.

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Jan 16, 2021

OmegaDogeIf you are willing the shell out the extra money for an Arya, you will not be disappointed at all. My only complaint with the Arya is that the headband looks a little gaudy or ugly on the noggin but I mean... who cares right? lol

Manbear

237

Jan 16, 2021

Muscle_Cowit seems that you are describing a slightly more detailed Ananda. I currently own Arya and wondered about whether or not I should sell Arya and take the plunge on the GL2000. It doesn’t sound like Arya owners would be happy with the choice unless they want to save some money (the only reason I would do it). I actually did sell my original Arya for Ananda and returned them after a week looking for used Arya again. While I never A-B’d the two, I had very similar impressions to yours, with Ananda being short a bit in detail retrieval compared to GL2000. I feel like Arya strikes that balance between detail, tonality, soundstage and beautiful sub bass extension such that I and many would ultimately be disappointed if replacing with GL2000. This damn hobby can so easily justify spending more $ than I ever cared to spend!

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Jan 16, 2021

ManbearHere's how I see the HIFIMAN Sundara, Ananda and Arya which I've owned all of and compared them back and forth on a Monolith Dac/Amp testing them balanced and unbalanced and using EQ if necessary. All 3 are excellent headphones... but let's talk diminishing returns here for your wallets sake. For me the Ananda is worth double the price of the Sundara... but the Arya are not worth double the price of the Ananda. Like I've already said in other posts, I prefer the Ananda sound signature more than the Arya and the 800s. Both are overpriced imo. And while the GL2000 seem like they are a solid headphone... I feel they are being overhyped

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Jan 16, 2021

ManbearIMO, and after going through Muscle_Cow's comparison tracks for the two, I think you are right on the money. I feel like the GL2000 is barely 3/4 of the Arya, let down by it's meh lower freq response (EQ anyone?). Arya is an all rounder out of the box and a good one at that. However, for the price the GL2000 is going for, it's simply a ridiculous deal. Yup, I get it now.

Manbear

237

Jan 16, 2021

JTB888It seems the law of diminishing returns applies heavily to nearly all headphone manufacturers ie: Focal Elex vs Clear, Audeze LCD-X vs LCD-4, etc, etc... even ZMFs! I could not agree more that Arya feels overpriced compared to Ananda, but still I immediately regretted the purchase after owning Arya even with a massive cost savings. Clearly a lot of psychology at play with audio gear :)

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Jan 16, 2021

Muscle_CowAny changes to sound after 48hrs?

(Edited)

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Jan 16, 2021

Manbear @Manbear Don't get rid of your Arya, you will regret losing the unique sound it can produce... but the GL2000 is definitely a nice addition to the collection ;) it's technical performance and ability to produce super fast sounds is very impressive even in the low end. In terms of after 48 hours, sound seems to be filling out more and it may just be my brain getting confused from so much listening but the stage does seem wider now than it was - still not quite Arya levels of wide but larger than a lot of other sets and definitely larger and more accurate than DT1990. The decay seems to be increasing too. These are so damn good for this price. I'll probably make a new TLDR post to just give an update in short form since this thread has gotten huge lol. Our community here sure knows how to keep a convo rolling ;)

Jan 16, 2021

Muscle_CowAwesome thank you so much for sharing your thoughts. I knew they were good when BGGAR said so but glad to have third party confirmation so to speak.

coreypine

118

Jan 23, 2021

OmegaDogeI was considering the GL2000 after all the Zeos hype and other few positive reviews. But there are not enough reviews in total and there are some creditable negative reviews out there as well. Like you, I was thinking about the Arya. I had the Ananda and found it very good, detailed, wide, deep bass, et. but to my ears, it was a flat sound and lacked musicality which I like. So, I sold my Ananda and DT 177x and bought the Arya, open-box, from the Hifiman website -$1,300 (no tax or ship costs). The Arya arrived yesterday and out of the box, they sound wonderful...my best yet. After a good burn-in, these will be my flagship plannars. Down the road, I may swap my Elex for the Clear and hopefully be done. Bottom line, if you can afford the Arya, skip the mid-tier stuff like the GL2000 and go for it. Why not?

Jan 27, 2021

coreypineI was thinking of skipping the "mid-end" stuff (Ananda, GL200, etc.) and going straight to the Arya. I'm really, really interested in it because people always described it as unique. In the end, though, I jumped ship and decided to get the HiFiMAN HE-6SE V2 from Adorama instead for around $760 (including shipping) lol. I swear, my bank account's cursing me right now. So, once again, the Arya is on hold.

Jan 27, 2021

Muscle_CowYeah, I still feel that is a great deal. I know people complained that they do not care for the new headbands, but personally, I think this one is better than the 4xx, Sundara(which is fine but no swivel to left or right can cause pressure point pain) Anada( due to the shapes of the cups definitely causes pain between jaw and ear for myself, was the main reason I returned and went to the Ananda) and the older square system with suspension band( which I find comfortable on my Arya but can say it may not look all that cool). If I didn't spend what little money I had put aside for my hobbies towards a newer custom and expensive keyboard I would probably pick a portable headphone from when I am doing dog walking or even just cleaning around the house. I considered buying the He 6 v2 but then thought why sidegrade for a desktop solution when I already have one even if it was good a sale. So trying anything exceptional or surprisingly good? Either headphones or my an amp pairing with the Arya( I currently use the Platinum from Monoprice/Cavalli line with bugle boys installed.

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Jan 27, 2021

OmegaDogeJust make sure you have a beefy amp for that set, as I recall it does require quite a bit of power to get it going. I know that @jaydunndiddit bought one of those last year (perhaps the v1 with the older band) from Adorama so if he's lurking he might be able to give some insight on that comment but yea, I do hear it's a very nice set though.

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Jan 27, 2021

Muscle_CowI have been reading that the HE-6 family is legendary for being very hard to drive (people are using speaker amps for these so), and that might be a bit of a problem because I only have the Topping L30. I've read that even the Topping A90 isn't beefy enough to power them. But I did some research and they can get reasonably loud with the Topping L30 on high gain. I'll just have to trust in that and not try it on beefier amps so I don't know what I'm missing out on. Else I might end up having to sell a few of my fingers in an attempt to buy a proper amp.

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Jan 27, 2021

OmegaDogeYea I mean, any amp should be able to make it make some sort of sound, but it will be very quiet and be no where near it's real potential. I don't think that the L30 will have the heft for that set to be honest, but I could be wrong. Maybe the v2 is different?

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Jan 28, 2021

Muscle_CowThe specifications sheet say that it has an impedance of 50 Ohms and sensitivity of 83.5 db. I think it's just a tad bit more efficient than sa 6SE.

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jaydunndiddit

3263

Jan 28, 2021

OmegaDogeI have the HE6se V1 and they indeed do crave power. I run them on the THX789 balanced (so 6wpc) and at Gain 2, usually have the knob at 12/1 o'clock. Here, they sound quite good. I have the HE adapter and tap them into an unused Zone on my Yamaha Aventage A3080 and with the extra power there you do get some sonic improvements. Nothing life changing or earth shattering, but the sound comes off as a lot more effortless and smooth. Low end has more heft and they're a lot less prone to the sound breaking up. They just sound a lot more composed compared to being ran off the 789. Again, it isn't a huge difference, but it's welcomed. Personally, I would remove the grills on the earcups as a simple "mod" as that made a bigger difference to my ears right off the bat. And if you don't like it, it's easily reversible. For me, it takes that upper treble peak and makes them a lot smoother and less glaring. I'm also using some angled sheepskin pads from the TH900 and like what they've done to the sound as well compared to either of the stock pads which I'm not a fan of.

(Edited)

Jan 28, 2021

jaydunndidditThanks for these recommendations. I have never tried modding any of my headphones so I'm sort of reluctant to change anything aside from the cables. I'll see what I can do about the amp, though. Thanks for the insights!

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jaydunndiddit

3263

Jan 28, 2021

OmegaDogeThat's what I love about the old round-cup model HiFiMans -- they're easy to mod and reversible. It reminds me of the fun of modding the various Fostex TR50 models. For the HE6, there is a little ring on the outside cup that holds the grill in place. Just pop that off carefully and the grill falls right out. To reinstall, just place the grill back and pop in the retainer ring and you're golden. Same with the pads. The round cup models use a popular, standard size as a lot of other brands so you have an incredible amount of options. I stuck with Fostex as they have angled pads of the same stock HFM height but I believe Audeze and ZMF make thicker angled pads if that's your preference as they are also a little bigger/roomier. Also, easy change as the HE6 comes with an extra cup ring that isn't glued on. Just be careful with it as it is softer plastic and the tabs do start to deform the more pad swaps you do if you aren't careful.

Anonymous_Audiophile

Mar 3, 2021

OmegaDogezeos reviewed the gl850. Better get the arya

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