Bandoss Avija Planar Magnetic Headphones

The Bandoss Avija comes out of a one man workshop in Alba, in Italy's Piedmont wine country, where retired engineer Frank Bandoss set out to build the planar magnetic headphone he wanted for himself. What began as a personal project became, after encouragement from friends and early listeners, his first publicly available design. The honeycomb pattern on the grille gave the headphone its name: Avija is the local dialect word for bee. Built entirely from aerospace grade aluminum and tuned for a warm, mature signature rather than a clinical one, the Avija has quickly become one of the most talked about names in summit-fi headphones.

Type & Technology

• Open-back, planar magnetic, over-ear headphone
• Hand-built in Alba, Italy by Bandoss Project Srl
• Large-format planar driver, developed in-house rather than adapted from an off-the-shelf module
• Unibody, aerospace grade anodized aluminum chassis
• Available in Gunmetal and Gold, Bandoss's standard finishes, plus a deep Purple (Pantone 8823 C) offered as a Mimic Audio exclusive

Sound Character

• Mature, warm, and deeply balanced tuning with a dark, textured tilt
• Strong bass and midrange presence paired with smooth, non-fatiguing treble
• Built for long, emotionally engaged listening rather than clinical analysis
• Rewards genuinely high-power, high-current amplification. Bandoss is upfront that a modest system will not show the Avija at its best

Build & Comfort

• Aerospace grade anodized aluminum in a single unified frame, chosen to eliminate the micro-vibrations that can blur detail
• Fixed, non-rotating earcups by design, prioritizing structural rigidity over desk convenience
• Headband engineered from anatomical data to hold a constant 4N of clamping force regardless of head size, finished with a hand-worked genuine Italian leather suspension strap
• Velour ear cushions as standard, tuned specifically for the Avija's driver. Genuine leather pads are available as an upgrade
• Designed with no planned obsolescence. Bandoss builds every unit to last generations

Best For

Listeners who already own summit-fi amplification and want a warmer, more textured alternative to the brighter, more analytical flagships in this tier. The Avija is best paired with an amp capable of real power and current delivery. If your current chain does not reach that level, Bandoss's own advice is to wait, since the Avija will not show its best side on a modest setup.

What's in the Box

Avija headphones with velour ear cushions installed, paired with a Marco Custom Cables graphene upgrade cable, handcrafted in Sydney, in place of the stock cable. Case details to be confirmed before this goes live.

Specifications