Mr. Speakers ETHER Flow Headphone(?) Upgrade(?)

I am using Glenn OTL amp and this is the best I heard my HD800 SD. And when I my friend came over to try his HD650 with my amp, I was impressed so much with the pairing that I decided to get one for myself.

I heard the HEK in one of the local meet and I thought it was good but I did not like something about the treble. I can't explain but something bothered me and of course the price didn't help also. I was hoping the Flow is the answer. I also heard the Ether C, however the pairing with the Liquid Carbon gave me headache.

 

Thanks Hands. No more Flow for me. I will follow your Elear modding with interest. Cheers.

 

what would you say abhout the bass on it better than the hd800? and how does the sound stage compare to the he1000?

 

Lol IDK seems that people on this site love headphones I didn't like (HD650, HD800) and hate headphone I do like (LCD-X, Ether Flow)... There are more but I am only mentioning headphones I have owned or own.

At least we can all agree the Utopia's are amazing (wish I could afford these)

 

The Flow has been getting a lot of not so great feedback in the past few pages of the thread.

What I probably remember is the different sound signature of the Flows when comparing them to my open Ethers which I'm not sure makes the Flows a "better" headphone aka a more technically competent headphone.

Right now I'm using my (original) open Ethers with Tylls EQ settings in Equilibrium which I believe is probably playing more to my sound signal signature preferences.

What's interesting is in Tylls original Ether review is he was touting how "well the Ethers respond to EQ" and was saying he was going to start reviewing all headphones with EQ enabled. I don't think a review since then has used EQ.

TLDR : thanks for keeping it real with the Flows, I'll stick with my Ethers + EQ settings for now

 

Everything that Marvey said I agree.
Not much more to say, but if you want more perspective,
I would add is that the Flow has a compressed layering of detailing that will give you a smaller soundstage than most open can like an LCD -X or the superior Code-x.

It presents a "front row" perspective and a "juicy" type sound with bass elevation and treble elevation in presence region,
which presents a type signature of more a fun can and not an accurate can at all.

I also found this a can not good for extended listening , for me, because of the overall signature.
I only kept it a few days to show some friends, but within first few minutes I found to sound to exaggerate the presence & detailing in a certain way to sound energetic in a very nervous way.
edit**
The HD800 also elevate presence region, but in a detailed spacious way.


That's the way I would describe it's signature to me...
exited and nervous with exaggerated & compressed detailing into a smaller soundstage than what should be,
and into a front row perspective with a fun non-accurate very lively signature without coming across as a harsh can but a smooth can with much presence to give sound a "live" feel...

So although the build quality is truly excellent and better than most,
the sound is up to you to accept.
To me it is a fun can, but not a main can to have.
I don't foresee any front modding that could change its overall signature because of no access to the rear or inside of unit.

Edit2**
I still consider the Flow easily an improvement over original Ether in soundstage and bass and clarity.

 

Well I personally hated the HD800 and 800S with or without mods.. I felt it was too thin and lean sounding. While paired with a really nice OTL amp (I tried them with a Decware CSP3) they can sound better, I feel this just masked the issues rather than revealing what they are capable of.

I felt the HD650 was oookkk but not great, while the mids sounded buttery smooth, the bass was bloated, slow and wooly which was a turn off for me. To make it worse the treble seems rolled off, not bad though but add that to the bass issues and as a whole it was not a compelling set for me. Yes I also tried the mods on this site.

I do agree that the LCD-X has issues, which is exactly why I sold them. They are way to heavy (sadly true with the whole LCD line) and the worst offender was the transition from upper mids to treble though. I have personally not had the opportunity to hear the LCD-2 R2 pre-fazor (have heard the LCD2 R1 or original one, whatever you call it) and a newer late 2015 edition. I personally liked the X (2016 edition) better than both.

Of all the headphones I have owned I personally feel the Flow’s have the least offending issues. Is it perfect “no” no headphones are. Do I hear a treble spike “yes” a little but it seems minor to my ears and the fact that the rest of the headphone is not thin sounding seems to make it almost unnoticeable “to me”. I too hope this gets better with some updated front dampening, which it most likely will.

The positives outweigh the negatives IMHO, it has the planer bass (which I personally like) good mids and minimal issues with the treble (which is very hard to do with planars) all of which smoothly transision from one to the other. They have a decently wide soundstage with decent imaging but can still be used on singer songwriter music without sounding unrealistically distant.

When all is said and done though, we can all agree the prices of headphones have gotten a little out of control and yes I think 1800 is probably too much for this headphone, in fact 1800 is probably to much for any headphone. I myself have an understanding wife and the funds to spend a little to much on things I enjoy.

 

I felt similar about the HD650 until I heard member "thegunner100" HD650 with the Jotunheim and was floored.
It was quite a transformation to a neutral, musical, dynamic impactful can.
A real eye opener which seemed superior this way.

The Jotunheim made the Flow improve as well,
especially in the bass which was more controled and delicate.
We had the HEK and the HD800 there but the HD650 seemed to be the highlight and we kept going back to.

 

Trading out my flagship headphone + $200 for the Ether, thinking to upgrade the Ether to Ether Flow (another $350 or $500 + shipping). Call me stupid.

 

Anyone can suggest I go for the essential flow upgrade, or the complete flow upgrade, coming from an original Ether?

 

There's two upgrades? I thought I was reading something about buddhism or something for a moment.

 

Does this mean to your ears the C Flow was even leaner than the C 1.1?

 

LOL I think they are, and you pay a lot to fix it.

Yes two, so hard to choose between. Again I am stupid and I have allodoxaphobia.