Audiophile Skeptics try Audiophile Headphones

We are audiophile skeptics, and here is a set of audiophile headphones: the Verum 2, which are planar magnetic. We work on sound for video, mostly dialogue, though we’ve also done some music mixing. Thank you to Verum for sending over the Verum 2 headphones — the only thing we paid for was postage.

There are three main driver technologies in headphones. Dynamic (voice coil) drivers are the most common and affordable — like a speaker cone, a voice coil moves in an electromagnetic field produced by the current sent through copper wire. Planar magnetic drivers use a large flat diaphragm suspended between two arrays of magnets, with the diaphragm itself carrying a conductive coating that the current runs through; the bigger surface area compared to a small cone means they usually operate with less distortion — so, for example, dialogue over a music bed sounds clearer and less smeared together. Electrostatic drivers are the least common, using an ultra-lightweight diaphragm suspended between perforated metal plates with opposite charges, also very low distortion, but requiring specialized amplifiers since they work on electrostatic principles rather than electromagnetism.

Comparing headphones we know well: the Beyerdynamic DT700 Pro X (closed-back) is our go-to reference — very well-rounded, no part of the frequency range sticks out unusually, comfort rating 9/10, and yes, good for mixing dialogue. First bass audible around 25 Hz, some odd valleys between 4-5 kHz and 7-8 kHz, but very comfortable with good passive isolation, though like all closed-backs it sounds a bit stuffy or claustrophobic and stereo imaging suffers a little compared to open-back.

The Atom Audio H200 (closed) didn’t do as well with dense material like heavy rock — it can feel overwhelming, like it’s firing straight into your skull, not quite big enough to give things space. Comfort rating 7/10; you could use them to mix but they wouldn’t be a first choice for long sessions. Very good passive isolation for noisy locations, and they come with a tuning plugin that helps.

Moving to open-back: the Beyerdynamic DT900 Pro X sounds like the DT700 but more expansive, wider stereo image, more space for high-mid-heavy tracks, very comfortable, good for mixing in quiet environments. First bass around 30 Hz, fairly neutral with a slight tilt toward brightness, though slightly veiled or less pinpoint-precise compared to some others we tested. The Sennheiser HD800S sounded fairly similar overall to the DT900 Pro X, maybe slightly more precise per frequency, with some odd peaks/valleys around 8-9 kHz, extremely comfortable due to very low clamping force (though that made them hard to fit for one of us), and an even more open, room-like imaging quality — closer to being in an acoustically treated room with good monitors, though still recognizably “headphones.”

Finally, the Verum 2 planar magnetics: ultra-real bass, mid detail, harmonics, and vocal reproduction that felt very lifelike and proportional, a great stereo image reflecting echo, reverb, and room tone well, and excellent passive isolation. Bass extended down to about 33 Hz with phenomenal control, better than even the pricier Sennheiser HD800S in our impression. Pretty neutral up to about 5 kHz with some peaks/valleys between 6-15 kHz. They were the most comfortable headphones tested thanks to memory-foam ear cups and a rotating leather-strap headband. An important caveat: your hardware is only half the equation — whether you get that “immersive” playback experience depends heavily on how a given track was mixed; hardware can’t create detail that isn’t in the recording, it can only let you hear what’s there. At $500, these are impressively good value, and are handmade in Ukraine. We’re not necessarily going to switch to mixing in them, but we’ll definitely enjoy music on them. Thanks for watching — get out there and make some great sound.