In 2022, planar magnetic headphones stopped feeling like exotic equipment reserved for people who own three amplifiers and call cables a “loom.” Strong models were available from roughly $150 to several thousand dollars, giving music lovers, gamers, and home-studio creators more ways to hear the fast transients, clean bass, and spacious imaging that made planar drivers famous.
This retrospective guide focuses on the models that made the strongest case during 2022. The selections balance sound quality, comfort, build, amplifier demands, practical use, and period value. Some remain excellent used-market buys; others have since received replacements or price cuts. Either way, they show why 2022 was a particularly good year to go flatdiaphragm-wise, at least.
Quick Picks: Best Planar Magnetic Headphones of 2022
- Best overall: HiFiMan Sundara
- Best entry-level: HiFiMan HE400se
- Best under $500: HiFiMan Edition XS
- Best for studio work: Audeze LCD-X
- Best warm sound: Audeze LCD-2 Classic
- Best closed-back: Dan Clark Audio AEON 2 Noire
- Best luxury portable option: Meze Audio LIRIC
- Best large-driver value: Monolith M1070
What Makes Planar Magnetic Headphones Different?
A dynamic headphone moves a cone-shaped diaphragm with a voice coil. A planar magnetic driver places conductive traces across a thin, flat diaphragm suspended between magnets. Because force is distributed across more of the surface, a good planar driver can move with excellent control, producing low distortion, rapid transients, and bass that extends deeply without turning soft or boomy. The usual trade-offs are higher weight, lower efficiency, and greater cost. Physics gives with one hand and hands you a neck workout with the other.
Driver type alone does not guarantee great sound. Tuning, pads, enclosure design, fit, and quality control still matter. The best planar magnetic headphones succeed because the entire product works together, not because the word “planar” appears on the box in an especially dramatic font.
The Best Planar Magnetic Headphones for 2022
1. HiFiMan Sundara Best Overall
The Sundara sat in the sweet spot of the 2022 market. It offered a balanced presentation, crisp attacks, articulate bass, open staging, and enough treble energy to sound lively without making every cymbal resemble dropped silverware. Its strength was proportion: detail, tone, and space stayed in sensible balance.
The open-back design made it a quiet-room headphone, not a commuter companion. It leaked freely and blocked almost no outside noise, but that openness helped produce a natural sense of space. HiFiMan listed the revised version at 32 ohms, 92 dB sensitivity, and 342 grams, while RTINGS praised its comfort and sturdy construction.
Best for: Listeners who want one versatile home headphone for rock, jazz, acoustic music, electronic tracks, and critical listening.
2. HiFiMan HE400se Best Entry-Level Planar
The HE400se gave beginners a convincing planar experience without requiring an alarming conversation with their bank. It delivered a neutral-leaning sound, respectable bass extension, roomy imaging, and comfortable pads at a price that competed with mainstream dynamic headphones.
The build was basic, and its 91 dB efficiency meant a decent dongle DAC or desktop amplifier could improve dynamics over a weak laptop jack. HiFiMan specified 25-ohm impedance and roughly 390 grams. RTINGS found it comfortable and consistent but emphasized that its open-back cups offered no meaningful isolation.
Best for: Budget buyers, students, and curious first-time audiophiles listening in a quiet room.
3. HiFiMan Edition XS Best Under $500
The Edition XS was one of 2022’s most aggressive values. Its oversized cups created a broad, tall soundstage, while its driver delivered deep bass, clean layering, and resolution that challenged more expensive headphones. Compared with the Sundara, it sounded larger and more cinematic.
Fit was the main caution. The large cups and simple headband could feel loose on smaller heads. With 18-ohm impedance and 92 dB sensitivity, it benefited from an amplifier with healthy current delivery. HiFiMan specified a response of 8 Hz to 50 kHz and a 405-gram weight; Headfonia’s 2022 review also highlighted the revised headband and sturdy design.
Best for: Soundstage lovers, orchestral listeners, movie fans, and buyers chasing high-end scale below flagship prices.
4. Audeze LCD-X Best for Mixing and Studio Work
The revised LCD-X entered 2022 with a strong reputation among producers and engineers. It combined forceful bass, low distortion, and dense detail with improved tonal balance. Reverb tails, low-frequency masking, compression artifacts, and editing mistakes were easier to hearuseful when a mix needed honesty rather than encouragement.
The 106 mm drivers helped produce impressive scale, but the headphone weighed 612 grams. Audeze specified 20-ohm impedance, 103 dB sensitivity per milliwatt, and a 10 Hz to 50 kHz response. Independent measurements indicated that it could reach high levels without exotic voltage, although a quality interface or amplifier remained the sensible partner.
Best for: Mixing, mastering checks, music production, and listeners who favor bass authority and microscopic detail over portability.
5. Audeze LCD-2 Classic Best Warm, Relaxed Sound
The LCD-2 Classic was the antidote to bright, hyper-analytical headphones. It favored weight, smoothness, rich mids, and a relaxed top end. Guitars sounded substantial, vocals gained body, and bass arrived with the confidence of a much larger speaker system.
That warmth made it less suitable for strict neutrality, but highly enjoyable for long sessions. Its open-back design used a 106 mm driver, 70-ohm impedance, 101 dB sensitivity, and a 544-gram chassis. The non-Fazor configuration was designed to retain the character of early LCD-2 models.
Best for: Blues, soul, classic rock, vocals, and treble-sensitive listeners who prefer a full-bodied presentation.
6. Dan Clark Audio AEON 2 Noire Best Closed-Back Planar
The AEON 2 Noire stood out because it was closed, foldable, relatively light, and genuinely practical. Its carbon-fiber cups, teardrop pads, and flexible headband gave it a sophisticated design without making it look like laboratory safety equipment.
The Noire version used perforated pads and a tuning intended to follow the Harman target more closely than the standard AEON 2 Closed. It sounded clean, controlled, and balanced, though less explosively dynamic than an Audeze LCD model. Headphones.com highlighted the AEON 2 family’s unusual combination of tonal quality, portability, low weight, and isolation.
Best for: Shared homes, offices, transportable systems, and listeners who need isolation without surrendering audiophile detail.
7. Meze Audio LIRIC Best Luxury Portable Option
The original LIRIC brought Meze’s upscale design to a closed-back planar that was far easier to transport than most flagships. Premium materials, removable cables, moderate weight, and sculpted cups made it feel like a finished luxury product rather than studio equipment wearing jewelry.
Its sound emphasized speed, detail, and impactful bass, with a lively upper range that could be exciting or intense depending on the recording. Its isodynamic hybrid-array driver divided the radiating surface into zones intended to direct different frequency ranges more effectively toward the ear. SoundGuys noted the unusual driver arrangement and its ambitious acoustic design.
Best for: Premium buyers who want a closed-back planar for home, office, hotel, or transportable listening.
8. Monolith M1070 Best Large-Driver Value
The Monolith M1070 was for listeners who believed headphones should look capable of communicating with a submarine. Its large open cups housed 106 mm planar drivers, producing a broad, weighty presentation that suited electronic music, rock, and film scores.
Its weakness was literal bigness. The M1070 was heavy, visually imposing, and best left near a favorite chair. Refinement did not match the best Audeze or HiFiMan models, but frequent discounts made it an appealing route to large-diaphragm planar bass and scale.
Best for: Value hunters who prioritize size, bass presence, and immersion over portability.
How to Choose the Right Planar Magnetic Headphones
Open-Back or Closed-Back?
Open backs usually sound more spacious but leak music and admit outside noise. Choose them for private rooms. Closed backs provide isolation and flexibility, though they may sound more confined. The AEON 2 Noire and LIRIC were practical choices; the Sundara and Edition XS delivered stronger home-listening value.
Do You Need an Amplifier?
Impedance is only part of the answer; sensitivity matters too. The LCD-X was fairly efficient, while the HE400se, Edition XS, and AEON 2 Noire benefited more from dedicated amplification. A clean DAC/amp with adequate output can improve headroom, bass control, and punch. Headphones.com’s 2022 guide likewise emphasized matching headphones to the actual source and use case instead of chasing specifications in isolation.
Comfort Is a Performance Feature
Check total weight, clamp force, pad depth, and headband pressure. Large HiFiMan models can fit loosely on smaller heads; Audeze LCD headphones can feel heavy; Dan Clark designs are lighter but may clamp more firmly. Your skull is part of the audio chain, whether the specification sheet admits it or not.
Consider Equalization
Many planars tolerate moderate EQ well because of their low distortion. A bass shelf can add impact, while a narrow treble reduction can soften a bright peak. Make small changes, level-match comparisons, and remember that fit differences alter what reaches each listener’s eardrum.
Real-World Listening Experiences With 2022 Planar Headphones
The first noticeable change when moving from an ordinary consumer headphone to a good planar model was rarely simply “more bass” or “more treble.” It was organization. Dense recordings became easier to unpack. On Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams,” the Sundara and Edition XS could keep the kick drum, bass line, vocal, and shimmering percussion in separate spaces without making the track sound dissected. The Edition XS created the larger stage; the Sundara felt more compact and tonally centered.
Bass-heavy music revealed another planar strength: speed without starvation. On Kendrick Lamar’s “DNA.,” a capable planar could hit hard, stop cleanly, and expose texture inside the lowest notes. The LCD-X delivered the most physical authority of this group, while the HE400se showed why it was such a bargain. The cheaper HiFiMan did not equal the Audeze in depth or refinement, but it avoided the one-note thump common to many consumer bass-boosted headphones.
Long classical and soundtrack sessions favored the Edition XS. Large orchestral passages had room to expand, and quieter parts remained audible when the arrangement became crowded. That sense of scale also worked well for open-world games. Directional effects appeared beyond the ear cups and were easy to place. The drawback arrived when somebody else entered the room: open-back headphones shared the soundtrack with everyone nearby, including people who had not requested the same battle theme for the fifteenth time.
The AEON 2 Noire offered a more practical experience. It did not create the enormous stage of the Edition XS, but it preserved detail while reducing household noise and preventing leakage. In a home office, that advantage often mattered more than another slice of spaciousness. Its folding design also made it less absurd to pack, although a capable portable amplifier remained a better companion than a weak phone jack.
Comfort became decisive after two or three albums. The LCD-X sounded commanding, but its mass was always present. Listeners sitting upright in a supportive chair often adapted; those leaning over a laptop could feel the weight pulling at the neck. The LCD-2 Classic shared some of that heft but rewarded patience with a softer, richer tone that made imperfect older recordings easier to enjoy.
The LIRIC provided the most polished ownership experience. It looked appropriate in a living room, office, or hotel rather than only beside a rack of audio equipment. Its closed cups offered useful isolation, and its energetic tuning brought excitement to electronic and pop recordings. However, its premium price made auditioning essential. A beautiful finish could not guarantee that a particular treble balance would agree with a particular pair of ears.
The broader lesson of 2022 was simple: planar headphones were no longer one expensive category. The HE400se offered an affordable first taste, the Sundara balanced almost everything, the Edition XS delivered scale, the AEON 2 Noire solved isolation, and the LCD-X served serious production work. The best experience came from choosing for the room, source, head shape, and musicnot from choosing the largest number on the price tag.
Conclusion
The HiFiMan Sundara was the best planar magnetic headphone for most buyers in 2022 because it combined balanced tuning, technical ability, comfort, and attainable pricing. The HE400se was the budget gateway, the Edition XS delivered the biggest sub-$500 spectacle, the LCD-X served professionals, and the AEON 2 Noire handled isolation.
Planars still had familiar compromises: open models leaked, closed models lost some airiness, and many benefited from extra amplification. Yet their clean bass, low distortion, speed, and separation were available at more prices than ever. That made 2022 a landmark year for planar magnetic headphones.
Note: This historical guide reflects models, specifications, reviews, and typical U.S. pricing available during 2022. Current prices, availability, revisions, and successor models may differ.
