Mrspeakers Ether C Final Thoughts

The E36 series BMWs were (and are) wonderful.

I had an opportunity to run an E36 M3 around Silverstone back to back with an F355 ... while the Ferrari was a faster drive, the E36 was just as tactile and controllable. If you'd put the Ferrari's motor in the BMW I'm not at all sure the Ferrari would still have come out ahead.

 

IME E46 > F30 > E30 > E90 > E36

I'm tired of the E30 nowadays, every hipster and their cat drives one. Though to be fair the only M3s I've driven are the E46 and E90, the rest were standard 3 series (some 318s, a 325, 328 and 335)

 

The Lexus F-sport stuff seems not too boring. But it's still a bit of apples vs tangelos.

 

Never driven the M3 post the E36. I'm not sure the non-M models are a relevant comparison for me ... excepting a brief dalliance with a E66 variant 7-series, my other BMWs were all M-modesl. Since then, I moved on (not necessarily up) to the 911 and then to Aston, where I've stayed for the last 11 years.

Can't imagine plunking down the cash for a Panamera when the Rapide exists ... but as @purrin says, maybe there wasn't a lot of choice in the matter.

 

Huh, didn't know that was a thing in English too... It's Fabricacion Ordinaria Rotura Diaria in Spanish, loosely translates to ordinary fabrication daily breakdown.

 

so to put this thread back on topic, I assume the Ether open you were comparing it to at the time was also a 1.1. This is probably my past biases speaking but I am having trouble coming to grips with the idea that a closed headphone can really match the technicalities of an open headphone. I've heard the Ether (pre 1.1) and I liked it for the most part, I just wished the bass had been more present and extended, and the treble was cleaner.

 

Bingo. In the last couple months, I've driven the M4, new Maro, and E92 M3. The Maro was probably the best overall package, and easily better than the M4. The M3 gets points from me for its sound, DCT, and the fact I could see out of it. I also loved the way it made power. The M4 just felt like it did absolutely nothing right. It was heavy, the steering felt like a video game, and the engine was unimpressive. That being said, I thought the Maro could be a little sharper and more responsive, but that will likely be resolved with the 1LE and ZL1. The ZL1 is on my next car short list, though the weight worries me. My WRX was more enjoyable to drive than all 3.

Also, Honda is a benchmark company when it comes to weight. It's staggering how well engineered their cars are.

Oh f**k me if they did this. They could take the E46, fix the big issues (sub frame, VANOS, etc.) and put the M-DCT in it, and I'd trade in my WRX for it immediately.