[Dragonmilenario]

All these references lauding E3 for studio mixing is making me (a mere music listener) less hyped about trying a friend's E3 (hopefully in a couple months when I visit during a business trip), LOL.

I "LOL" because when I started in audio (2-channel speaker as a pre-teen, and not too long thereafter joined head-fi looking for earbuds/IEMs) I was all about neutrality as it was pounded into my head by my uncle and his friends (the guys who got me interested in audio). Over my time at head-fi, and growing into my own preferences, I've distinctly moved away from neutrality for *my* music enjoyment.

I don’t consider the E3 to be analytical-sounding headphones.

I recently bought the Liric 2 and I could compare it with the E3. For me, there isn’t a clear winner; well, anyone who buys one of these headphones is a winner because both sound fantastic.

I decided to go with the Liric 2 because I needed a more ‘portable’ and easy-to-drive solution for relaxed walking and these kinds of situations.

I think most of the comparisons of these two marvelous closed-backs are very accurate. To me, the Liric 2 has more present and fun bass, the mids are very nice in both, more present in the E3 and more relaxed in the Meze’s iteration. The highs in the E3 are more mellow and musical, while in the Liric 2 they are sharper and edgier, very similar to the Hifiman profile, not sibilant or harsh but definitely present.

Also, the Liric 2 has more layering and instrument separation. To me, the Liric 2 could be the king in that regard; it’s really something worth considering. The E3 is more wide and three-dimensional and could be more easily mistaken for an open-back headphone.

I think in this price range, you could go wrong with these two, but also I think it’s important to try them because, for example, I had some issues with my glasses and the isolation on the E3, and I’ve heard some others have had this same problem, but with the Liric 2.

 

[ronin22]

Can anyone suggest an AIO amp/dac to drive these with? I've got limited desk space and would like something compact. Was close to pulling the trigger on the Violectric 226, but decided to keep looking after reading about how the DAC in it may not be so great. Budget under 2k.

Topping DX9

 

[bagwell359]

I thought the Violectric amps paired best with high Ohm headphones like the HD800s, as they were designed 10+ years ago when high impedance headphones was where the market was moving.
Wavetheory says that the Mjolnir 3 is a better bit for headphones with low Ohms than the V222. But I have no idea, I've never tried either.

The v281 drives the HE-6 6 screw, Susvara, and HE-6 SE quite well. It is the only SS amp I really like w/ the HD-600 as well.

 

[Patu]

I don’t consider the E3 to be analytical-sounding headphones.

I recently bought the Liric 2 and I could compare it with the E3. For me, there isn’t a clear winner; well, anyone who buys one of these headphones is a winner because both sound fantastic.

I decided to go with the Liric 2 because I needed a more ‘portable’ and easy-to-drive solution for relaxed walking and these kinds of situations.

I think most of the comparisons of these two marvelous closed-backs are very accurate. To me, the Liric 2 has more present and fun bass, the mids are very nice in both, more present in the E3 and more relaxed in the Meze’s iteration. The highs in the E3 are more mellow and musical, while in the Liric 2 they are sharper and edgier, very similar to the Hifiman profile, not sibilant or harsh but definitely present.

Also, the Liric 2 has more layering and instrument separation. To me, the Liric 2 could be the king in that regard; it’s really something worth considering. The E3 is more wide and three-dimensional and could be more easily mistaken for an open-back headphone.

I think in this price range, you could go wrong with these two, but also I think it’s important to try them because, for example, I had some issues with my glasses and the isolation on the E3, and I’ve heard some others have had this same problem, but with the Liric 2.

I quickly auditioned the Liric II at the dealer today and I was somewhat disappointed. I must say that it sounded very ordinary compared to E3, which immediately striked me as something very special. Driven with Violectric V380, E3 sounds bigger, deeper and wider with stronger and more powerful bass performance. IMO it’s also more resolving than Liric II. With this short demo, I’d place Liric II closer to Aeon 2 Noire’s than E3.

 

[boomyak]

The v281 drives the HE-6 6 screw, Susvara, and HE-6 SE quite well. It is the only SS amp I really like w/ the HD-600 as well.

That's good to know, thanks!

 

[Dragonmilenario]

I quickly auditioned the Liric II at the dealer today and I was somewhat disappointed. I must say that it sounded very ordinary compared to E3, which immediately striked me as something very special. Driven with Violectric V380, E3 sounds bigger, deeper and wider with stronger and more powerful bass performance. IMO it’s also more resolving than Liric II. With this short demo, I’d place Liric II closer to Aeon 2 Noire’s than E3.

IMHO, the most significant differences between the Aeon 2 Noire and the Liric 2 are the technicalities. The Liric 2 has more technical capability than the Aeon, and in some aspects, even more than the E3. I think a lot of people get lost in the tone and the timbre but don’t delve much deeper. Some people prefer the timbre of the HD6xx over the Susvara, and many call the HD6xx their tonal reference, but does that make the Sennheiser headphones better than the Hifiman? The Aeon 2 Noire closed is a very nice closed-back headphone for the price; maybe some prefer its timbre over the Liric 2.

However, the Liric 2 has better sub-bass extension, better voice texture and naturality, and a universe of better instrument separation and layer structure than the Aeon 2. But it’s my take and my ears, and everyone hears differently

 

[liujun050612]

Heard the Liric 2 at the dealer store. Yes. It's better than the first gen. But to my ears I have to say it is still not good enough to justify 2k price tag. I agree that Liric 2 can only compete with Focal Celestee or Aeon 2 Noire. At the same price tag as E3, I won't say E3 blow Liric 2 out of water, but significantly better in almost every way. Better layering, better separation, better sound stage, you name it. The only advantage of Liric 2 is it is very easy to drive. Almost can be driven by any source, no need amp if you have tight budget. But E3 certainly do need.

 

[thelittletaffia]

Heard the Liric 2 at the dealer store. Yes. It's better than the first gen. But to my ears I have to say it is still not good enough to justify 2k price tag. I agree that Liric 2 can only compete with Focal Celestee or Aeon 2 Noire. At the same price tag as E3, I won't say E3 blow Liric 2 out of water, but significantly better in almost every way. Better layering, better separation, better sound stage, you name it. The only advantage of Liric 2 is it is very easy to drive. Almost can be driven by any source, no need amp if you have tight budget. But E3 certainly do need.

When the E3 was announced I bought the Ether C Flow for an exceptionally good price. Unfortunately the Ethers suffered from build quality issues and had to go back to the dealer. To be fair the dealer said he would refund me fully and send the Ethers off for repair. Five months later and there was still no sign of the Ethers returning. I thought about the E3 but the problem with the Ethers put me off. Now I have the Meze Lirics and yesterday got a mail from the dealer that the Ethers were back. Too late. Somewhat put me off DCA products, not so much the poor build quality, an easy fix really, it was the time taken for the repair.

Shame really as the E3s were getting good reviews and I perhaps should have tried a pair. However the Lirics are going quite nicely. Like any headphone they have strenghts and weaknesses. A lot of reviewers are pitching the E3s against the Lirics, most coming down in favour of the E3 but agree there's not a huge gulf between them. I've tried the Celestee, or rather the Radiance at home for 10 days and thought them poor. The Liric is streets ahead of the Focals.

Will I buy another DCA product, I'll never say never.

 

[liujun050612]

When the E3 was announced I bought the Ether C Flow for an exceptionally good price. Unfortunately the Ethers suffered from build quality issues and had to go back to the dealer. To be fair the dealer said he would refund me fully and send the Ethers off for repair. Five months later and there was still no sign of the Ethers returning. I thought about the E3 but the problem with the Ethers put me off. Now I have the Meze Lirics and yesterday got a mail from the dealer that the Ethers were back. Too late. Somewhat put me off DCA products, not so much the poor build quality, an easy fix really, it was the time taken for the repair.

Shame really as the E3s were getting good reviews and I perhaps should have tried a pair. However the Lirics are going quite nicely. Like any headphone they have strenghts and weaknesses. A lot of reviewers are pitching the E3s against the Lirics, most coming down in favour of the E3 but agree there's not a huge gulf between them. I've tried the Celestee, or rather the Radiance at home for 10 days and thought them poor. The Liric is streets ahead of the Focals.

Will I buy another DCA product, I'll never say never.

The Ether is one of early headphones that Dan developed. At that time, there was no foldable hinge mechanism system like today's E3. Now the build quality is of course much durable compare to Ether. If DCA come with a future version of E3 that is easier to drive by DAPs, I will definitely take another one. And at that time, they will dominate the high end portable headphone market. There is almost no high end headphone companies can do headphones this compact, fit this comfortable, sound this good at this reasonable price. Unbelievable. Extremely rare to the high end headphone market. I prefer E3 even better than my Focal Stellia. For only half the price and sound as good as Stellia, this is one of my best purchase. To me definitely worth every penny.

 

[boomyak]

All these references lauding E3 for studio mixing is making me (a mere music listener) less hyped about trying a friend's E3 (hopefully in a couple months when I visit during a business trip), LOL.

I "LOL" because when I started in audio (2-channel speaker as a pre-teen, and not too long thereafter joined head-fi looking for earbuds/IEMs) I was all about neutrality as it was pounded into my head by my uncle and his friends (the guys who got me interested in audio). Over my time at head-fi, and growing into my own preferences, I've distinctly moved away from neutrality for *my* music enjoyment.

It's funny because I'm coming at it from the other end, I'm a mastering engineer and have been into pro audio for 20 years, but never touched the "audiophile" market until these E3's.

I'd say that adhering broadly to a flat response curve should be a goal for pro audio and audiophiles alike. Producers, mixing engineers, mastering engineers, we all put tremendous effort into our work. We're VERY AWARE of what the extended subs and airy treble are doing, you shouldn't need to heighten them, and in fact doing so will often be detrimental to the balance we've poured blood sweat and tears into achieving.

A neutral frequency curve is like setting the white balance on a TV or monitor. You want white to look like white, it's just a calibration point. The wrong way to do this would be: instead of a white screen, use a rainbow image. Then adjust the white balance so that this colourful picture looks "the best" to you. Sure that picture will look good, but the next picture will look wrong. Audio freq curves are the same, flat-ish is just our agreed upon starting point.

Adding +4 bass to your car's hi-fi might sound good on some tracks, but might sound crap on others. At least you have manual control over that EQ, and can change it track by track (although that seems tedious). Buying headphones, IEMs, or floor speakers which have a baked-in coloured freq curve is like having a permanant "+4 BASS" that you can never turn off. Some tracks will sound good, some will just sound plain wrong.

Like I said, I'm new to the audiophile world. It's interesting how different y'all are from the pro audio world. We love mastering-level gear with 0.25dB stepped controls of specific frequencies. Predictable, repeatable, recallable, precise, accurate. Meanwhile in audiophile land it's just a guessing game of what headphone will pair with what amplifier will pair with what DAC to get that "synergy" for sound good. It's like we're performing theoretical physics on a blackboard, while y'all are using crystals and incense to divine the perfect headphone/amp/dac pairing.

 

[boomyak]

For reference, the counter to my above argument is that some tracks are just mixed like poop, and you have to take it into your own hands to fix it. This is unfortunate, but a reality. I'd still say that using a software/hardware EQ solution would be preferable than a baked-in colouration to your audio gear. But to each their own

 

[Patu]

IMHO, the most significant differences between the Aeon 2 Noire and the Liric 2 are the technicalities. The Liric 2 has more technical capability than the Aeon, and in some aspects, even more than the E3. I think a lot of people get lost in the tone and the timbre but don’t delve much deeper. Some people prefer the timbre of the HD6xx over the Susvara, and many call the HD6xx their tonal reference, but does that make the Sennheiser headphones better than the Hifiman? The Aeon 2 Noire closed is a very nice closed-back headphone for the price; maybe some prefer its timbre over the Liric 2.

However, the Liric 2 has better sub-bass extension, better voice texture and naturality, and a universe of better instrument separation and layer structure than the Aeon 2. But it’s my take and my ears, and everyone hears differently

The E3’s expansive staging, something I’ve never heard from closed back headphone before, is probably the main reason which made the Liric 2 sound more ordinary. Everything played more in-your-head. It’s the same with A2 Noire’s when you compare them against E3. Everything is packed tighter in the soundstage, which obviously makes everything sound more crammed/packed and not as resolving and clear.

Also the bass performance on E3’s is simply insane. This is something which shows only with the beefier amplifier. With FiiO K7, it’s nothing extraordinary but with Violectric, it’s like subwoofers taped on your ears. You hear everything. Liric 2 might have a touch more midbass punch but the overall bass performance, depth, reach and naturalness of it, is nowhere near the E3.

 

[Dragonmilenario]

The E3’s expansive staging, something I’ve never heard from closed back headphone before, is probably the main reason which made the Liric 2 sound more ordinary. Everything played more in-your-head. It’s the same with A2 Noire’s when you compare them against E3. Everything is packed tighter in the soundstage, which obviously makes everything sound more crammed/packed and not as resolving and clear.

Also the bass performance on E3’s is simply insane. This is something which shows only with the beefier amplifier. With FiiO K7, it’s nothing extraordinary but with Violectric, it’s like subwoofers taped on your ears. You hear everything. Liric 2 might have a touch more midbass punch but the overall bass performance, depth, reach and naturalness of it, is nowhere near the E3.

I respect your opinion and, like I said, everyone hears differently. One of the tracks I use when I try headphones in the store is “Give Up Baby Go” from Peach Pit. At the 00:46 mark, the bass player starts using his instrument, and the extension, presence, quality, and decay are, for me, better in the Liric 2. But anyway, it’s an E3 topic, and I don’t want to sully with my opinion about other headphones The E3 are some of the best-sounding headphones on the market (closed-back or not), and that’s the important thing.

To me, needing a more portable solution and easy to drive, the Liric 2 was the correct choice, and maybe I was biased at the store to like the Meze’s more than the Clark’s

Enjoy the E3; we are very lucky to have this kind of headphones available and enjoy our music in such an impressive way.

 

[Patu]

I respect your opinion and, like I said, everyone hears differently. One of the tracks I use when I try headphones in the store is “Give Up Baby Go” from Peach Pit. At the 00:46 mark, the bass player starts using his instrument, and the extension, presence, quality, and decay are, for me, better in the Liric 2. But anyway, it’s an E3 topic, and I don’t want to sully with my opinion about other headphones The E3 are some of the best-sounding headphones on the market (closed-back or not), and that’s the important thing.

To me, needing a more portable solution and easy to drive, the Liric 2 was the correct choice, and maybe I was biased at the store to like the Meze’s more than the Clark’s

Enjoy the E3; we are very lucky to have this kind of headphones available and enjoy our music in such an impressive way.

Yeah I might sound overly negative about Liric 2. It’s not a bad headphone, definitely not. Fun to listen to and it’s slightly more comfortable and portable than E3. E3 feels heavier and little bit ”loose” on the head. The feel of Liric 2 is of very high quality. But still the overall sound quality wasn’t worth 2k€ to me.

I don’t own either one of these headphones but I will most probably buy E3 in near future.

 

[Waddiewadkins]

Yeah I might sound overly negative about Liric 2. It’s not a bad headphone, definitely not. Fun to listen to and it’s slightly more comfortable and portable than E3. E3 feels heavier and little bit ”loose” on the head. The feel of Liric 2 is of very high quality. But still the overall sound quality wasn’t worth 2k€ to me.

I don’t own either one of these headphones but I will most probably buy E3 in near future.

So one nailed on description of E3 I reckon is that it's the HD800s of closed backs.. Sennheiser is dismantling E3s right now