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MrSpeakers ETHER C

Discussion in 'Headphones' started by The Alchemist, Oct 24, 2015.

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  1. JewBear

    JewBear Almost "Made"

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    The hype train is starting to derail:

    [​IMG]

    His comments about the mid-range seem to be similar to what @OJneg observed.
     
    JewBear, Nov 4, 2015
    #21
  2. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    I heard the same thing, but on an earlier iteration. It does appear that Hands heard a totally different Ether C at RMAF than I did at the SchiitShow. I trust Hands, so I figure the tuning might have evolved.

    I'd like to make the Ether-C a priority after the Dharma - for evaluation.
     
    purr1n, Nov 4, 2015
    #22
  3. HitmanFluffy

    HitmanFluffy Hoping to see real genitals someday!

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    I'd gotten to try a production unit at my local dealer, albeit using a craptastic Centrance DACMini as a source because I didn't bring my GO450. It wasn't painfully bad in any sense but the bass was surprisingly even more anemic than the open version and the mids were thin and hollow. I took out a pair of HD600s to A-B just to be sure and the thin mids became even more apparent.
     
    HitmanFluffy, Nov 4, 2015
    #23
  4. JewBear

    JewBear Almost "Made"

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    Looks like it's not the closed unicorn, I've been looking for. May just buy a ZMF Blackwood as there is a sale going on.
     
    JewBear, Nov 4, 2015
    #24
  5. Pyruvate

    Pyruvate Friend

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    Well, there is that new closed Hifiman that we can look forward to. It'll be awhile though, since only a prototype was revealed at RMAF.
     
    Pyruvate, Nov 4, 2015
    #25
  6. jexby

    jexby Posole Prince

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    Exit stage left....
    ah yes, the close HiFiMan prototype was sort of an after thought at RMAF, compared to HEX.
    looked like a portable can where the cups had user replaceable closed or open (grill) facings.

    didn't listen to it myself, but am only expecting PM-2 or PM-3 competition not expecting a new TOTL closed has been developed.

    btw, all 3 Ether-C i heard (Cavailli table, schiit table, some other table) all sounded the same level of poor.
    if Ether-C has tuning evolving, it's um. well. something.
     
    jexby, Nov 4, 2015
    #26
  7. Hands

    Hands Overzealous Auto Flusher - Measurbator

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    That closed HFM better have been in a super alpha state. It did not sound good. Felt cheap, too. Issues aside, I would still have much rather taken one of the new MK3 T20/40/50RP models over the closed HFM or Ether C.
     
    Hands, Nov 5, 2015
    #27
  8. HitmanFluffy

    HitmanFluffy Hoping to see real genitals someday!

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    The Ether-C is the more egregious sinner on price alone. How on earth are people trying these out and getting blown away (enough to drop $1,500) if HF posters are to be believed?
     
    HitmanFluffy, Nov 5, 2015
    #28
  9. JewBear

    JewBear Almost "Made"

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    To be fair, if Dan did spend a lot of time on R&D for his new driver, and on the carbon fibre driver cups I could see the price being justified.
     
    JewBear, Nov 5, 2015
    #29
  10. BioniclePhile

    BioniclePhile The Terminal Man - Friend

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    I'm still wondering if he'll try and make some cheaper cans with different drivers, or if he's gonna keep coasting on the Mad/Alpha/Ultra/Kool Dog headphones for a while.
     
    BioniclePhile, Nov 5, 2015
    #30
  11. kapanak

    kapanak Canucklehead - Friend

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    Frankly, Dan sees himself and his company as the second coming of Audeze and Hifiman, given how they both started out from Head-Fi ortho thread. So, I doubt he'll go mid-fi pricing again with a new product. At least not anytime soon.

    He's also one of the higher paying Huddler/Head-Fi customers, and provides a lot of free samples to other reviewers elsewhere too.

    Speaking of the Dog lineup, he said that MrSpeakers stopped producing anything in the lineup after Ether release. Given they are still on sale for all models, that must be a lot of spare already produced parts they are assembling, or people are simply not buying modded MKII T50RPs anymore.

    And speaking of the new driver, we still don't know anything about it. Maybe @No_One411 should send his Ether on a tour again :rolleyes::p:p:D
     
    kapanak, Nov 5, 2015
    #31
  12. Hands

    Hands Overzealous Auto Flusher - Measurbator

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    Yeah, but not if they don't sound good...Throwing effort and money into something doesn't necessarily mean good results that are worthwhile. Sad fact of life.
     
    Hands, Nov 5, 2015
    #32
  13. PoochZag

    PoochZag The Shadow knows - Friend

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    In his recent AMA on Reddit, he implies that he doesn't want to be a completely high end company once the t50rp molded products expire. So we'll see

    https://www.reddit.com/r/headphones/comments/3hlc1c/i_am_dan_clark_aka_mrspeakers_askmeanything/

    I forget where (maybe also that AMA) where he said they were recently able to buy pallets of t50rp MKII and they should have stock of those products at least through the holidays.

    Do the open Ethers suffer the same flaws as the C, from anyone that's heard both? I see a lot of reviews that like the opens for neutrality and detail, but not much of anything here
     
    PoochZag, Nov 5, 2015
    #33
  14. Hands

    Hands Overzealous Auto Flusher - Measurbator

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    Ether open is fairly neutral, just a bit lean down low and with a slight treble glare (not what I'd call bright). They also have a slightly grey background and aren't as dynamic sounding as I'd like. So, not my thing. Not engaging enough. A wee bit boring. Too pricey but actually more good than not. Way better than the Ether C I heard. My guess is some amps and music genres could pair well with the Ether Open.
     
    Hands, Nov 5, 2015
    #34
  15. nnotis

    nnotis New

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    The Ether Open measured very well by Tyll. Distortion looks great. If the Cs turn out to be much the same, but with different frequency response peaks and valleys, they might be fixable with EQ. I'm curious to hear how Tyll does EQing the Opens. Hopefully, they take well to it.
     
    nnotis, Nov 5, 2015
    #35
  16. gbeast

    gbeast Mighty Moral Power Ranger

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    hands can you compare the Ether C or regular Ether to the Omni ? in the technical aspects? Is it worth the jump in price?
     
    gbeast, Nov 8, 2015
    #36
  17. Ice-man

    Ice-man Friend

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    I have both open and closed in house right now. The open is very neutral and very musical. Bass hits much better than my hd800 and the mids have a nice golden tone which helps as I listen to lot's of vocal centric music. Amp and DAC influence both these headphones substantially. Mjo2 and Gungnir MB are a great front end for these IMO.

    The closed adds a little more treble extension and sub bass to my ears. About 2-3 db on the sub bass. But the closed does not have those same golden mids. Both headphones benefit significantly from 150 hours of burn in IMO. I don't usually see much change with burn in but with both the closed and open Ether, I would label the improvement significant.
     
    Ice-man, Nov 9, 2015
    #37
  18. Hands

    Hands Overzealous Auto Flusher - Measurbator

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    Oh wow, totally different beasts. I really, really hated the Ether C. It sounded broken to me. And maybe it was. Almost no bass, really wonky midrange. That's all I really care to say about it.

    The Ether open is relatively neutral. It's a bit too lean down low for my tastes, and the treble has a hint of glare to it (very minor). Something about it is just not as engaging to listen to as I would like, but it's a good headphone. Worth a listen.

    The Omni is interesting. It is surprisingly open and airy sounding for being mostly closed. Really sounds closer to an open headphone than anything. It also does a decent job negating the hard left/right staging I get from a lot of planars, which is one thing the Ether open suffers from a bit. Omni actually seems to present a stage to the left, center, and right.

    Omni is considerably bassier than either of these headphones. Bassier even than the HD650. Maybe a bit too thick sounding for some. Omni has a nice midrange. It too has a bit of a glare in the treble like the Ether, but overall sounds less bright than the Ether. The Omni's glare is a bit lower in the treble, which may or may not bother you more vs. Ether depending on tastes and your music selection. With the front damping Zach supplies on the Omni, it can sound slightly dull in the upper-treble. The end user can always tweak the front damping to his or her tastes, though.

    To me, the Omni is much more lively and dynamic than the Ether. For a T50RP mod, the Omni is pretty coherent, fast, clean, and detailed. I do expect the Ether open with the right amp to be a bit better technically, with slightly lower distortion and such.

    Really more like comparing apples and oranges. They all have their strengths and weaknesses, and some will prefer one over the other for different reasons.
     
    Hands, Nov 9, 2015
    #38
  19. gbeast

    gbeast Mighty Moral Power Ranger

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    Which one would you pick. My tastes day Omni then. I hate thin. The lower treble upper midrange glare on the omni is somewhat annoying but overall I find it very well tuned. I wonder if the blackwoodbmakes that glare stronger.

    You seem a bit unimpressed by the ethers. I don't find it apples to oranges though and thank you for the comparison!
     
    gbeast, Nov 9, 2015
    #39
  20. Hands

    Hands Overzealous Auto Flusher - Measurbator

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    I meant more the targeted response is pretty different between the Omni and either Ether, open or closed. I prefer the Omni over the Ether, though both have some issues that just make me want to go back to my trusty HD650. I can't remember exactly what Zach said about the various woods. You'd have to ask him what sort of affect they have on sound.
     
    Hands, Nov 9, 2015
    #40
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