We'd been wanting to hear this for a while.... - Bandoss Avija Impressions
The $5,000 Bandoss Avija open-back planar magnetic headphone offers a mid-focused sound, but do the Audeze LCD-4 comparisons make sense?
The Bandoss Avija is a $5,000 large-diaphragm open-back planar magnetic headphone that has generated considerable buzz.
Despite pre-conceived expectations of a dark, perhaps even Audeze-style presentation, the Bandoss Avija presents a distinctly mid-focused sound signature to our ears. The primary defining feature is a noticeable elevation around 1 kHz, which adds a distinct "clackiness" to snare drums and brings vocals forward. While there is a mild recession through the 2 kHz to 4 kHz ear-gain region, that prominent 1 kHz energy prevents the headphone from sounding dark or smoothed over in the upper midrange.
In the high frequencies, the Avija avoids the dramatic upper-treble "shimmer" typical of classic Audeze tunings. Instead, it exhibits a touch of hardness around 5 kHz to 7 kHz while keeping a reasonable amount of top-end air. It is a far less aggressive treble coloration, though it leaves the headphone feeling slightly lean on low-mids and bass relative to its center-midrange energy.
Final Thoughts
While it doesn't quite replicate the lush, thunderous magic of the Audeze LCD-4, the Avija offers a decently compelling listen, it just didn't quite "wow" either of us. But just because it didn't immediately blow us away, that doesn't mean some people aren't going to love it.
