MrSpeakers ETHER C

Yeah... And I was already "worried" about getting them because they might be too bright/thin for my taste and he (Dan) basically just admitted that indeed they are voiced that way if he's introducing these "treats" for the Ether-C! I'd still like to try them though, but I'd only buy them at a reduced price I guess...

 

Dan has said recently that the bass will only reach maximum impact after 200 hours of burn in. Maybe the units everyone heard were not burned in? I think it'd be a good idea to get a loaner around to verify, provided the funds are there.

 

YAY!!!
I really don't want to have to shell out $1500+ for these, not without listening to them first.

 

The Ether C has a light, somewhat fragile sound to them, the aesthetics are OK in person not great, the comfort is good. It's kind of head scratching why someone would pay $1500 for these when they basically sound like a less bassy Alpha Prime.

 

Because people will pay for $1500 for just about anything, when it comes to audio.

 

Now there's a 1.1 version or so... different foam on front of the driver I think... Hmmm... these needs measurements!

 

I've always liked the open Ether. But the Ether C just wasn't quite giving me the goods across the spectrum. It was a good closed hp but there was a little mid range suck out...a slight "u" shaped signature. The new 1.1 made this hp very enjoyable for me and is now in my regular rotation. Finally I've found a closed reference quality hp!!

 

Can anyone shed some light on how the Ether C compares to Alpha Dogs? On Head-fi Dan said that he was going to open up Dog -> Prime upgrades again at some point in the future. I love my Alpha Dogs. Don't find them bright at all and I'm sensitive to bright headphones. I can't listen to HE-560's because of this.

Anyway like I said. Ether C be good for someone who likes the Alpha Dog or would a Prime upgrade be better?

 

Most of us aren't really impressed with the Alpha Primes. To be honest, I prefer the Mad Dog Pros most. I feel that the Pros are the most involving set, while still retaining openness and clarity.

For the prices that Mrspeakers is offering the Ether, EtherC, and Alpha Primes for, I feel that there are better options. What are you looking for in a headphone?

 

I'm not looking for anything. Like I said I love the Alpha Dogs. Out of my stable of HD 650s, X2's and Alpha Dogs it's probably my favorite set.

I only ask because like I said above Dan mentioned on Head-Fi he'd eventually offer Alpha Prime upgrades and most of what I read about them is positive. Seeing how I love the Dogs the oppurtunity to upgrade intrigued me. I got on here and started to see negative things about them. Thing is those negative comments seemed to stem from dislike of Dan which I don't care about and then some variability in the build.

The latter concerns me. What I'd like to know though is what people here think about the Primes in their proper form. I'm not too worried about variability because if I got a messed up pair I'd just send them back until he fixed them. I'd consider buying the Ether C's sometime down the road if Primes just aren't that good but it doesn't seem seem like they are that great based off what I'm reading.

Edit: Just to be clear though I'm in no hurry to spend money. Just thought I'd ask since the discussion is flowing that way.

 

I had a chance to try out the Ether C at the DC meetup yesterday. While I would say it's better than the Primes, it's still exhibits some of the bright aspects of the open back version, and even seemed a bit more grainy in the upper mids to me.

 

Funny, but my least favorite was the MD Pro. Damn that was just way too much bass for me. @therealjay :

*overall, the Prime will be a modest improvement over the AD. IMO, not worth the money

*The EC is better technically and musically than anything he offers other than Ether (open).

These are my thoughts, ymmv.

 

Fair enough. I wasn't trying to call anyone out just seperate the SQ from everything else. Not my intention to derail the Ether C thread either just curious from the perspective of someone who likes his headphones in general where these stack up compared to the T50 mods.

In a nutshell Ether C's aren't worth the asking price and the 400 dollars he'll more then likely ask for a Prime upgrade isn't worth it either?

I have to say I'm still kind of interested because I tend to prefer a less bright headphone but soft and fuzzy doesn't inspire confidence. I'd imagine based off what you've said my 400 dollars would be better put towards a pair of TH-X00s.

 

I don't find myself listening to it at all. I have an Alpha Dog, a 400i and recently a 325e that I wasn't impressed with when I sold it, but it ended up coming back to me, and now it sounds like heaven with the Lyr 2 and NOS tubes. Go figure. Anyway, the X00 doesn't fill any niche for me. The AD is my closed headphone, the 400i is my fun planar, and the 325e is my head-bopper for rock and live music. Maybe I'm not bass-starved?