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Gold Planar GL2000 Planar Magnetic Open-Back Headphones
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Gold Planar GL2000 Planar Magnetic Open-Back Headphones
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Product Description
Pushing the boundaries of planar magnetic design, Gold Planar is going big in the GL2000: a flagship pair of headphones with never-before-seen drivers. Raising the bar head and shoulders over many other planar magnetic drivers, Gold Planar increased the surface area and magnet strength of the drivers on the GL2000 to optimize airflow and responsiveness Read More
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keyboard_arrow_downMuscle_Cow
928
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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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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.
(Edited)
OmegaDoge
3
Mar 3, 2021
Saw that, too. But I only made it halfway. The impression I got was that he was afraid of it getting too loud and powerful and it was like putting actual speakers very close to his head. I think he also thinks it doesn't sound bad, just different. And he likes it more than the HEDDphone, I think. BGGAR also did a review on the GL850 and he seems to like it enough. The impression I got from him was that the GL850s hit harder and present a more natural low-end than any other pair he ever tried, which is quite interesting.
But I already upgraded my cans and have an amp coming in about 2 weeks, so I won't be upgrading for a while. I will be watching how the AMT-based headphones will progress, though. It's still relatively new tech and I am very excited to see how it develops.
Anonymous_Audiophile
22
Mar 5, 2021
OmegaDogeAnother one to watch is I think the gl1200, the ribbon driver headphones. So far only the raal sr1a uses that. From what I've heard Gold Planar is the oem for these companies so they have experience in manufacturing these special drivers but not designing. Either that or they are straight up stealing tech
hentaimaster7
15
Dec 3, 2020
Price difference aside, how do these compare to the Sennheiser 600HDs? Thanks fellas.
postwarscars
1367
Dec 13, 2020
Regardless of what helped, Jitterbug or drivers, I'm happy to hear it improved!
sixelannif
218
Jan 7, 2021
hi there. One piece of advice to try and debug your crackling without messing anything up:
Download a Linux install image (if you don't know which, just search for Xubuntu ) and flash it onto a usb drive (google will help if you don't know how), then reboot into that.
This pretty much take all software/drivers stuff out of the picture because it's a completely different operating system, so then if you still get crackling it is certainly hardware related (suppose it could still be the motherboard's firmware but that's unlikely).
Sure this doesn't help fix the problem but at least you'll know if it's hardware or software related before pontentially wasting a bunch of time and/or money on a solution.
BiodynaGuy
6
Jan 8, 2021
Bring it Back! It was 5 more days until drop end. I was just about to place an order for the double-sided version.
zhugunic
172
Jan 19, 2021
jay7onaTaobao, there is a link above. But it is out of stock for the double sided already.
Colton321
21
Jan 10, 2021
Im getting really fed up with the bullshit around these headphones. Zeos pimps it and tons sell, and yet, where are all the reviews? Plenty sold before they went into backorder.
Where are the normal peoples reviews? Why are hundreds of people that bought these completely in the dark about the how these headphones sound? The retailers say nothing and the Youtube pimps like Zeos dance around all the specific questions in here.
BASS. TREBLE. MIDS. SOUNDSTAGE. PUMP. SMACK. WHERE ARE THE DETAILS? WHERES THE CHART FOR THE SOUND SIGNATURE OF THE DOUBLE MAGS?
Watching Zeos play a fucking panning ping pong ball as if that’s supposed to impress me isn’t enough, and he’s making money from all these retail sales.
HERES THE WORST PART. If you bought these through Linsoul, get ready to be robbed. Like class action lawsuit robbed. You have 7 days to return them, and they will keep 35% of the sale. So if you bought the Double Mags, they’re going to steal $223.65 off of you. Plain and simple. Luckily, they aren’t even being made again until end of January, so I would strongly suggest that if no one else comes out of the woods to review these soon, ask for a refund ASAP. And I mean reviews by an unbiased person, who doesn’t stand to make a percentage of sales.
Muscle_Cow
928
Jan 14, 2021
Going to create a new post thats way too damn long.
I think they could be extremely good for competitive gaming due to imaging and positional accuracy which they are awesome at... only concern is there might be fatigue in certain frequencies like high pitch metallic sounds or dings.... need to see
Der_Holzfaeller
4
Jan 14, 2021
Muscle_CowThank you for your first impressions. I am very interested in your final thoughts. :)
Shure
68
Jan 17, 2021
Hot off the press: Check out time stamp 7:30 before you order, one of the good reviewers out there in my opinion.
https://youtu.be/kS1bhzRe-Kk
(Edited)
Muscle_Cow
928
Jan 25, 2021
I'm sure you will, they are a really great set of headphones for their price. As I mentioned in my write up, they aren't to replace the Arya as that set is still superior overall, but they are extremely good for their price and really start to close the gap between the Arya and others which is insane at less than half the cost... a true perfect addition to any audiophiles arsenal.
Zeos
648
Jan 6, 2021
I can't take these off my head.. Double Magnet version on the Dethonray Honey H1. My friend with Abyss Diana asked why he needs these if he has those.. I told him Diana are "Detail" these are "Placement" Ive never had sounds move about the space in and out of my head with such impressive ease.
Chevyt1963
45
Jan 9, 2021
Saw you video where you addressed these questions and more. I've pre-ordered the double magnet version. Thank you for the review and the recorded sound demo.
The4thaggie
80
Jan 9, 2021
ZeosWhat you describe is what I experience every day with my Verite Closed. The battle of VC vs GL2000 will begin Wednesday when mine arrives. Yes. $2700 Leopardwoods vs $600 planars.
What you describe as placement I’ve described being able to spatially tell you where I am in the stands left of center at a Pink Floyd concert. With Verite Closed, I almost don’t need graphics to play well mastered games.
Our sole person with a pair is having a hard time telling them apart from Arya. Not surprising as GP is an OEM driver company. What are the chances the drivers are very similar?
(Edited)
Shure
68
Jan 9, 2021
Beware of Zeo’s!
He fully sold me on the M1060’s when I started my audiophile journey and now they’re my least favorite pair of cans (I fortunately now have money to purchase higher end headphones—including the LCD2C), although they are not relatively bad whatsoever! He hyped the shit out of those. Just sayin. I recall he implied they were LCD2C “giant killers”, not true at all. My strong suggestion would be to see other impressions before purchasing anything hyped by Zeo’s.
(Edited)
JTB888
78
Jan 11, 2021
ShureI like watching many of the headphone reviews on YouTube to get a variety of input on a certain headphone... but what probably influences me more are forums like this or even Amazon reviews from people who bought a certain headphone. Because someone who shelled out their own cash will be totally honest reviewing that headphone
(Edited)
customerbot5000
9
Jan 12, 2021
JTB888"...Because someone who shelled out their own cash will be totally honest reviewing that headphone"
unless they've been suckered in to the 'sunk cost fallacy'
BigBallBag
106
Jan 13, 2021
granularcloudsIt's not mine, it's a friend of mine who has contacts and has a pair. Borrowed it for a week.
skeeb23
13
Feb 6, 2021
Watching Andrew stream a Q&A on these right now...good information and nice to see. Question for you: I know you said you used these in gaming too...andrew was saying he didn't think the imaging would be as accurate on these as in a dynamic HP. What are your thoughts? I'm hoping they are good because right now I use my TYGR 300 and if they aren't better than that at the cost they are that will be a bummer. Thought about the Elex or even the Zeus as my next dynamic though if I don't find these good enough to game in also.
Muscle_Cow
928
Feb 8, 2021
skeeb23Honestly, I really like the GL2000 for gaming. They are insanely accurate in imaging for tracking down opponents and I almost feel like I have an easier time hearing footsteps and tracking them on these than a lot of my other cans that I own. It's at the point where I instantly notice an improvement in my performance when I use these.... maybe its placebo but I dunno, they are fantastic.
Muscle_Cow
928
Jan 17, 2021
*NOTE: This is for the Double Sided version only - post 48 hour burn in comments*
Okay, here is my Not-Really-TLDR review follow up to my first impressions novel post before the Drop ends for anyone on the fence. All of my original statements in that post still pretty much hold true, but the GL2000 ages like a fine wine.
So, the GL2000 definitely improves in sound after the 48 hour burn in recommended by the manufacturer. Since my initial post/review, the soundstage seems to of widened with the sound filling out more, I haven't had any fatigue or painful sibilance, and there seems to be a very slight thickening of bass rumble but its still a flat-ish bass response, though the bass is very responsive and plentiful - But don't expect any boosted sub-bass from this set. *It also sounds great on a hybrid tube amp (XDuoo TA-20) which adds oomph.*
GL2000 has incredible imaging, technical ability, resolution and detail retrieval all up there with the Arya, while the vocal performance performs well above the GL2000's price point. The Arya still beats it out in overall soundstage (airy), sound depth/decay, and fullness to bass/lower mids... but it's a lot closer after the burn in and at times it's getting tough to differentiate. If you have not heard the Arya before and someone handed the GL2000 to you and told you it was one, you'd probably believe them - that is until you actually hear the Arya ;]
As long as you are NOT a bass head, or a heavy listener of hardcore rap with repetitive and boring over accentuated sub bass beats talking about money and nice ladies, or someone who does not like detailed headphones... you will like this a lot. Turn on any Yosi Horikawa song, sit back and relax in total bliss.
Hype or not, I spent my own money on this set as well as my Arya and while I'd love to justify the price difference... it is really hard to because this headset performs extremely well for its price and destroys headphones like the Monoprice M1570. I actually had my eye on this set before the hype so I'm glad it happened or else I might of missed this gem. Truly worth it, I'll be reaching for this a lot.
Shout out to the real hero @zhugunic for making me and some others aware of where we could get this fast (sold out now though). Don't forget to join the growing discord and chill with other audio/gaming nerds like me, link in my profile!
Here's bonus headphone p0rn, later and enjoy... I know I will !
(Edited)
Blackrao
1
Jan 28, 2021
now that the mentioned the sendy aiva, how do the GL2000 compare to Sendy Aiva in terms of like bass, soundstage, detail, and speed?
Anonymous_Audiophile
22
Mar 3, 2021
Muscle_CowI love your description of modern rap hahaha... Rappers are a bunch of people either flexing their unhealthy lifestyles or pretending to be oppressed when they are millionaires.
The Arya is better overall than these, what about the Ananda? I am considering gl2000, Ananda, m1570 and elex
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