[ogodei]

I listened to these at Axpona yesterday on the same amp as Fastnbulbous.  The amp was some sort of hybrid, KGSShv board with tubes (and separate mono volume controls for the left and right channels, oddly enough).  I don't know how much of it was the amp but the bass on these things was crazy good for an electrostat.   Overall they sounded good, couldn't say how good without a better listening environment.
 
At "well under $3000" I would be buying these to find out.

 

[bosiemoncrieff]

I have a feeling they will dethrone sr009. My only hope is that they improve the built quality.

 

[Fastnbulbous]

What's wrong with the build quality? Did you see them at Axpona? They seemed different than older prototypes I've seen in pics/videos.

 

[Venture Guy]

Back to the low-cost amp question. How about the Stax SRM-353X? Spritzer, the electrostatic amp god, says it is the best sounding of the current Stax offerings. And, it goes for "only" $925...

 

[bearFNF]

Anyone have word on a pre-order for these? I liked what I heard and would like to add them to my collection.

 

[ogodei]

At the show Dan was somewhat vague but end of the year was mentioned.

 

[nvfan]

At the show Dan was somewhat vague but end of the year was mentioned.

Last year in August Dan said it was going to be in end of 2016. Then it became early 2017. Then mid 2017. Now end of 2017.

Actually at this rate I'd be surprised to see it before 2018.

 

[Fastnbulbous]

Odd, I talked to him at Axpona and he said they could start shipping in July.

I fantasized about being able to order an iFi Energizer/Ether E combo for a great discount at Adorama, but chances are slim that would happen -- I don't think MrSpeakers have the production capacity to do that sort of deal like Audeze is. Yet. But yes, hopefully they'll offer some sort of discount on a preorder. I'm in.

 

[ogodei]

Your memory might be better than mine...

 

[Fastnbulbous]

We chatted for a bit. He said he remembered my site name from my email from my Aeon pre-order, and also when I put in a review request for the Ether E. I said that I write mostly about music but have been reviewing gear occasionally in recent years. He was straightforward about there only being a handful of review models that will go to the major reviewers first, which is understandable. I asked about his experience with the iFi Pro Energizer prototype, and he said there were some issues they had to resolve so he'll have to hear the final version before giving an opinion. When asked about the Ether E status he gave a list of the things they had left to do. I said, so, not until 2018 then? He said oh no, they can likely start shipping by July.

I'm sure that could change, but fingers crossed!

 

[ogodei]

I thought Mr. Speakers m.o. was to take pre-orders months in advance of any planned delivery date. For instance, the AEON started pre-orders January 29 with a target ship date of April 30. So, do we think we skip that process this time?

 

[Fastnbulbous]

Good question, hopefully they'll have an answer soon.

 

[greenkiwi]

My guess is that as soon as they are ready to ramp up for production, the pre-orders will open up.

 

[Thaudiophile]

I went to Axpona yesterday and unfortunately Sennheiser didn't bring the HE 1, because they said they couldn't get a spot in the Quiet Room. I find that odd, but whatever. I did get to listen to the HiFiMAN Shangri-La, Stax SR-009 and MrSpeakers Ether E. While they all had different source components, I did manage to hear at least one common track via Tidal, Mingus' II B.S. With just 10 minutes each, I only heard a few other things, some heavy rock like Zeppelin, some vocals like Ella Fitzgerald. Both the Shangri-La and 009 had some uncomfortable moments that felt like dissonance, or could have been just so revealing that they laid bare flaws in the recordings. The vocals on the Shangri-La were especially grating. But I was blown away by the MrSpeakers. Definitely the most revealing, wide soundstage experience I've had with headphones aside from perhaps my brief encounter with the Orpheus last year. The headphones felt relatively light and comfortable, to the point where I imagine I could forget I'm wearing them and get lost in the music, which is the ultimate goal. I asked Dan how the release schedule is coming, and he gave a list of things they have to finish and perfect for the final version. I asked if that meant not until next year? He said oh no, they likely could ship by July! I was surprised by that, I didn't think it would be that soon! Very exciting. Also as mentioned previously, the price will be "well under" $3,000.

Sorry my iPhone camera is half broken (flash doesn't work).

Have you compared Ether E to the new Abyss ab 1266 phi, you said ether e has a wide soundstage, so how does its soundstage compare to Abyss ab 1266 phi?

 

[nvfan]

Have you compared Ether E to the new Abyss ab 1266 phi, you said ether e has a wide soundstage, so how does its soundstage compare to Abyss ab 1266 phi?

Abyss Phi is more like somewhere between Stax SR009 and LCD-4 in terms of soundstage size, Ether E is has vast soundstage.