Andover Audio PM-50 planar magnetic headphone: Audiophile sound, tolerable price tag

Andover Audio’s PM-50 headphone is one of the few but growing number of headphone models built around ultra high-resolution planar magnetic drivers (50mm, in this case). This $500 over-the-ear, open-backed model does a fine job of distracting and diverting the listener—at least for a while—from the isolation and boredom that comes with enforced social distancing.

New and favorite music and movies seem vividly alive, present, and more in your face with these entertainers balancing on your head. The PM-50 have a clarity, airiness, and spatial positioning skill set so precise and three-dimensional I can close my eyes and feel like I’m in the recording studio, club, or concert hall with the performers.

PLANAR MAGNETIC EXPLAINED

Planar magnetic