TALLMAN, NY, USA: having introduced its original open-back reference-grade headphones with planar drivers design to widespread critical acclaim three years ago as a radical departure from traditional dynamic designs, Avantone Pro is proud to announce the availability of Planar the II — taking its best and making it better by reducing the weight of that already surprisingly low-weight Planar predecessor to ensure even greater comfort during long-haul mix and listening sessions while continuing to take advantage of the amazing accuracy, high-end detail, clarity, natural bass, and response time that can clearly be attributed to its namesake planar drivers, duly making it an ideal solution for mix engineers, musicians, podcasters, live-streamers, and hi-fi enthusiasts alike — as of June 21…
An appreciation of some science goes some way towards an appreciation of Planar the II’s namesake planar drivers;
with that, of course, comes an appreciation of the advantages of Avantone Pro’s advanced open-back reference-grade headphones themselves. Traditional moving-coil (dynamic) drivers deploy an asymmetric single-magnet design that begets an asymmetric waveform, driving audio from a single point to create an unnatural spheroid wavefront that relies on the surround’s elasticity to return the driver to the neutral position — pushing but not pulling, in other words. What this really boils down to, though, is a distorted misrepresentation of audio reproduction. Reality dictates that planar drivers, conversely, operate via a matrix of neodymium magnets that both push and pull from both sides of its incredibly thin, ultralight diaphragm across its entire surface area, thereby creating a more naturalistic wavefront with very little harmonic distortion and incredibly fast response time. It is, in fact, these symmetrical vibrations that are responsible for Planar the II’s trademark tight bass and breathtaking soundstage. An attendant 30 kHz ceiling is, impressively, also well worth noting.
Needless to say, Planar the II really represents the sum total of Avantone Pro’s extensive experience in meeting the demands of music professionals. Planar the II employs a perfectly tuned open-back architecture, designed to eliminate the pressure build-up, acoustic resonance, and frequency curve typical of closed-back headphones, further ensuring that any monitored music is represented as accurately as possible. Put it this way: when working with Planar the II, the air and breath in every vocal, the long decays of shimmering reverb tails, and the tight, punchy bass that hits hard can clearly be heard — and all without being overhyped.
Of course, Avantone Pro has far from sacrificing the need for comfort when designing Planar the II as an audiophile-grade quality product perfectly suited to any situation where music matters most by making the advanced open-back reference-grade headphones more lightweight than the already surprisingly low-weight classic Planar design that preceded them. This is further bolstered by cozy ear pads that will surely stay comfortable during long-haul mix and listening sessions. Speaking of comfort, the Planar the II package also comes complete with a high-grade, removable, two-metre-long, noise-free 3.5mm cable that can be plugged into either side to suit workflow or handedness. Handily, an eco-friendly shoulder bag with room for accessories — and a pouch for that cable — is also included in the purchase.
Planar the II is available — in a color choice of Black, Creme, or Red — at Avantone Pro’s US Dealers (https://www.avantonepro.com/en/dealers) with a MAP (Minimum Advertised Price) of $399.00 USD. (MSRP — Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price — in the European Union is €532.00 EUR, including VAT, with international dealers listed by country here: https://www.avantonepro.com/en/international-dealers)
For further information, please visit the dedicated Planar the II webpage here: https://www.avantonepro.com/en/products/planar-ii
About Avantone Pro (www.avantonepro.com)
As a producer of affordable high-quality studio monitors, reference headphones, microphones, and accessories, Avantone Pro is a different kind of audio company — a creative vehicle, in effect, enabling its core team to bring to market the things viewed as missing in the industry. Indeed, this could be anything as simple as meeting a particular price point to give excellent quality for reasonable pricing to a product that simply does not exist until built by that team. Far from using the shotgun approach to creating a product line, however, each and every product produced has passion and purpose driving it forward. Regardless of whether attracting a two- or four-figure price tag, attention to design is consistent throughout all Avantone Pro products. Performance comes first, of course, but a great deal of design time is spent creating visually attractive products. Put it this way: the company collectively enjoys classic, timeless designs itself; it is convinced, therefore, that others feel the same way! With its microphones and monitors used in studios around the world — whether within home-based project setups or world-renowned multi-million-dollar facilities, Avantone Pro is sensitive to the real-world operating budgets of bigger and smaller studios alike but also appreciates struggling songwriters/artists who are passionate about creating great music yet must adhere to budget limitations based on common sense spending. Since it strives to offer products that anyone would be proud to own and have long-term use of in the quest for creating great music, even those on a budget can comfortably access Avantone Pro’s world-class sound.
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