What are planar magnetic headphones?

Most gaming headsets you see in the store use what’s called dynamic drivers, and they’ve been the standard for decades. But they aren’t the only kind of headphone technology around. Today’s audiophiles often swear by planar magnetic headphones, which can take audio experiences to the next level. Here’s what you need to know about what makes planar magnetic headphones special and how this technology affects the quality of your cans — and your gaming.

What are planar magnetic headphones?

Since dynamic drivers are most common, let’s cover them first. Dynamic drivers use a voice coil attached to a cone diaphragm. This design can produce strong audio at an affordable price, but planar magnetic drivers have some distinct advantages.

Planar magnetic drivers work like this: a thin, flat diaphragm with conductive traces is suspended between strong magnetic fields. When current flows through those traces, the magnetic force moves the entire diaphragm surface, generating sound. Because the diaphragm is driven evenly across its whole area, planar magnetic headphones typically minimize distortion and achieve highly accurate sound reproduction. For audiophiles, this accuracy is a huge boon. Whether you need to hear ultra-precise audio cues in Rainbow Six or want every note of Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds’ Dragon Road background music to land with peak clarity, planar magnetic headphones get the job done.

The advantages of planar magnetic headphones

With planar magnetic cans, you’ll get exceptional detail in your audio. No soft musical note or subtle audio cue will go missing — each one will sound off loud and clear, giving you a truly rich soundscape. If you want to hear every single detail of the world collapsing around you in Battlefield 6, planar magnetic headphones may be the move.

Planar magnetic headphone technology lets the drivers fire off sound and stop on a dime. Compared to a lot of dynamic drivers, you get cleaner, sharper transients — so there’s way less smearing or blurring. In Call of Duty, that means footsteps and gunshots come through crisp and are easy to pick out. And if you’re listening to plucky jazz or fast classical runs, those notes snap in right on cue instead of softening or blending together.

Additionally, you get a low-distortion experience. You’ll hear voices, game sound effects, and musical elements as they’re intended to be heard. You won’t have to worry about fuzziness muddling notes in your favorite song or a game character’s voice sounding scratchier than it should due to treble distortion.

Planar magnetic headphones often offer wide frequency response, thanks to drivers that maintain control even with deep bass and sharp highs. Whether you’re listening to a song with very high notes or bass-heavy dubstep wubs, you’ll get a clean, accurate listening experience. Since they often deliver such a wide range of sounds, planar magnetic headphones are great for a huge variety of use cases. Maybe you like listening to a squeaky streamer on Twitch or have a friend with a super deep voice on Discord. With a good pair of planar magnetic cans, you'll hear every sound they make with crystal clarity.

ROG Kithara: the planar magnetic headphone solution for gamers

Any gamer can benefit from the incredible clarity of good planar magnetic headphones. Which is why, if you want better audio for gaming, music, movie watching, and everything else, you owe it to yourself to check out the open-back ROG Kithara gaming headset. These cans are a co-production between HIFIMAN and ROG, meaning you know they’re guaranteed to be great — they're approved by the best in the business. We built them to satisfy audiophiles and hardcore gamers in equal measure, pairing next-level sound with the conveniences of a plug-and-play gaming headset.

For peak versatility, the headset features swappable 4.4mm, 6.3mm, and 3.5mm single-ended plugs as well as a USB-C to dual 3.5mm adapter so you can easily connect it to your DACs, amps, mixers, and gaming devices. This offers the connectivity you need for hardcore audiophile pursuits as well as casual listening and gaming endeavors. The ROG Kithara even packs a detachable full-band MEMS boom microphone, ensuring any gamer wearing the headset can conveniently dive into Discord chats with confidence. Then, when the squad call wraps up, unplug the mic and enjoy your Kithara as a killer pair of headphones. They can be whichever kind of cans you need, whenever you need.

The headset’s open-back build augments the planar magnetic sound experience across all use cases. This design allows sounds to more effectively separate, so you hear every layer of a game’s soundscape with clarity and depth. Likewise, open-back construction gives music additional clarity, allowing every note the space to sing. No matter what you're listening to, it'll sound better with the ROG Kithara.

To learn more about the ROG Kithara, click here. Whether you’re a hardcore gamer, audio aficionado, or a hybrid of the two, these are the cans to consider when it’s time for your next upgrade.