Dan Clark Audio E3 Review: Interview, Measurements, Impressions

[CFGamescape]

Tough choice between an E3 and a used Stealth these days! Excellent quality stealths going for $2200-$2300 now on Head-Fi which is the same price, if not cheaper, than a brand new E3 (after taxes). E3 def seems like it's bringing down Stealth prices on the used market, making the choice even more difficult!

Getting the Club DCA 15% discount made the choice pretty easy for me. If you bought a DCA headphone from DCA directly or from an authorized dealer with a receipt, you should be able to get the discount.

 

[SlothRock]

Getting the Club DCA 15% discount made the choice pretty easy for me. If you bought a DCA headphone from DCA directly or from an authorized dealer with a receipt, you should be able to get the discount.

Do you get that 15% discount on the E3 as well or only on future purchases after you buy the E3 at full price?

 

[gonintendo]

Do you get that 15% discount on the E3 as well or only on future purchases after you buy the E3 at full price?

you get it on any subsequent DCA after you buy your first one at full price (doesn't have to be an E3)

 

[dougq]

Yeah 1700 vs 2400 is still a no brainer in terms of value. If I see an expanse to that low or there is an open back e3 equivalent I will jump on it.

 

[mrspeakers]

So, I really like the sound as is without any EQ. But I think it could use some more air. The sub and mid bass are epic and mids are just right without being too forward like the new Audezes or recessed like the Hifimans. It’s just missing the air for me like the Hifimans. However, my biggest gripe is that the headband is very stiff and causing a noticeable pain spot on my head and I also started feeling some neck stiffness as well. Has anyone else noticed this? Will this headband soften? It doesn’t seem like a softening leather.

Hi, and thanks for sharing your thoughts!

The headband will slowly take a set to your head shape, but you can help "form" it a bit by bending it to increase the radius on both sides of the hotspot to reduce pressure there...

In general, headphones that measure like a ruler below 1KHz (pretty much all open planars for example) but have similar top ends will emphasize the upper registers relative to E3 because their bass isn't as prominent... If you have a headphone with measured flat bass and a midrange recession, which I think is what you described, then the highs will surely stand out more. The reason is an aspect of our hearing called masking, where higher-level information "masks" lower-level information at other frequencies.

As you get used to E3 one option to consider is not going back and forth to let your ears "normalize" to the new sound for a few days. Our ears get used to what we're familiar with... You may find that the highs are more balanced now, or you may still want more. If you do, as you noted EQ you might consider a High-Shelf DSP filter of +2 or 3dB, Q=0.7, and F=8000 and see how you like it, and adjust the frequency and level to taste...

 

[BassicScience]

So, I really like the sound as is without any EQ. But I think it could use some more air. The sub and mid bass are epic and mids are just right without being too forward like the new Audezes or recessed like the Hifimans. It’s just missing the air for me like the Hifimans. However, my biggest gripe is that the headband is very stiff and causing a noticeable pain spot on my head and I also started feeling some neck stiffness as well. Has anyone else noticed this? Will this headband soften? It doesn’t seem like a softening leather.

The headband is definitely on the stiffer side, but it doesn't cause me any discomfort. I feel a tiny bit of pressure at the bottom of the earpads, but expect that to lessen over time. Overall, I consider the E3 to be a 9-9.5 out of 10 for comfort (if Susvara is a 10). The E3 is also a solid step up from the AEON 2 Noire in both comfort and build quality, for those considering the upgrade.

How are you defining "air"? I don't ever find myself wanting any more treble with the E3. If anything, it can sometimes verge on sounding just a tad hot, notably with trumpets and other horns on certain recordings. The E3's rendering of cymbal tone is spot-on, among the very best I've heard on any headphone. Plucked strings have beautiful shimmer and sparkle.

Or do you mean "air" in the sense of a large and open soundstage? If so, I agree that Susvara holds a clear edge there. While the E3 has a fantastic stage for a closed-back headphone, the best open-backs always win that competition, in my experience. FWIW, the biggest improvement I noticed moving the E3 from the DAC3 to my Vera Audio (Purifi-based) speaker amp was a larger, airier soundstage.

 

[mrspeakers]

FWIW, the biggest improvement I noticed moving the E3 from the DAC3 to my Vera Audio (Purifi-based) speaker amp was a larger, airier soundstage.

Running stereo pair bridged to be sure to have enough juice?
Its amazing how low the noise floor on the good D designs can be, power on dead quiet with high efficiency, I think it’s just great tech.
I have 4x 2KW Hypex amps for the tops on my MEH speaker setup for Burning Man, they have superb clarity yet we can run it off one 2800W with the PA at 130db and the amps just get warm… and you can’t hear any noise until head is right up to the horn.

Sorry to get OT but it didn’t occur to me before how good a choice a class D speaker amp at that level is with the noise floor…

 

[plakat]

Running stereo pair bridged to be sure to have enough juice?
Its amazing how low the noise floor on the good D designs can be, power on dead quiet with high efficiency, I think it’s just great tech.
I have 4x 2KW Hypex amps for the tops on my MEH speaker setup for Burning Man, they have superb clarity yet we can run it off one 2800W with the PA at 130db and the amps just get warm… and you can’t hear any noise until head is right up to the horn.

Sorry to get OT but it didn’t occur to me before how good a choice a class D speaker amp at that level is with the noise floor…

Hm, maybe I shouldn't have sold my Digam K10 rack after all
After powering Sub arrays at open air concerts they could have had a second life juicing up my E3...

 

[plakat]

However, my biggest gripe is that the headband is very stiff and causing a noticeable pain spot on my head and I also started feeling some neck stiffness as well. Has anyone else noticed this? Will this headband soften? It doesn’t seem like a softening leather.

I also feel the stiffness of the headband and tried to remedy this as @mrspeakers suggested, i.e. by bending it a bit. Works OK, but the effect is gone once I pack it up into its case: the cups are more square than the Stealth cups and bend the headband back into "flat at top".

 

[ThEvil0nE]

This is so refreshing seeing the midrange getting the most attention than the typical earth moving bass, twinkly sparkles as far the eyes can see and soundstage wider than the open sea horizon in the forums.. 'bout damn time

 

[Cecala]

I also feel the stiffness of the headband and tried to remedy this as @mrspeakers suggested, i.e. by bending it a bit. Works OK, but the effect is gone once I pack it up into its case: the cups are more square than the Stealth cups and bend the headband back into "flat at top".

I read in a review that over time the stiffness will abate. It's new so give it some time to soften.

 

[Cecala]

This is so refreshing seeing the midrange getting the most attention than the typical earth moving bass, twinkly sparkles as far the eyes can see and soundstage wider than the open sea horizon in the forums.. 'bout damn time

Are you speaking from experience?

 

[ThEvil0nE]

Are you speaking from experience?

The most common description you get are neutral, natural and it's there.

 

[Nomax]

Yesterday I was visiting someone with the E3 and listened to it on his two different tube amps........simply horrible
(The bass was really bloated, became spongy and clearly lost precision)

NOMAX

 

[plakat]

Yesterday I was visiting someone with the E3 and listened to it on his two different tube amps........simply horrible
(The bass was really bloated, became spongy and clearly lost precision)

NOMAX

OTL tube amps? If so, that is technically not a good match: the E3 has low impedance and low efficiency, both things that OTL tube amps don’t cope with too well.