Dan Clark Audio E3 Review: Interview, Measurements, Impressions

[Cecala]

I have discovered that there is unit variance with the Liric. Some reviewers swear that it is brilliant while others say otherwise. On the Headphone.com stage they confirmed this to be true. So, if you're lucky and receive a proper pair you will be happy if not then not so much. For me I will remove this unit from my list of possibilities going forward. I am not about to pay into a very expensive lottery. I am waiting for further reviews comparing the E3 to ZMF fare.

 

[plakat]

I have discovered that there is unit variance with the Liric. Some reviewers swear that it is brilliant while others say otherwise. On the Headphone.com stage they confirmed this to be true. So, if you're lucky and receive a proper pair you will be happy if not then not so much. For me I will remove this unit from my list of possibilities going forward. I am not about to pay into a very expensive lottery. I am waiting for further reviews comparing the E3 to ZMF fare.

When thinking of purchasing the E3 I took the opportunity to have a short listen to other closed models in. A similar price range, including the Liric. to me it sounded a bit dull, with a bit more midbass and less deep reaching bass than the E3. Might be due to unit variance, but this is the wrong price range for that kind of problems.

 

[BassicScience]

"I'm dreaming of a white Christmas....... present to myself."
"E3: The official headphone of Antarctica!"
"I'm truly enjoying the headphone as much as the landscape."
"Photos, or it never happened!"

 

[plakat]

"I'm dreaming of a white Christmas....... present to myself."
"E3: The official headphone of Antarctica!"
"I'm truly enjoying the headphone as much as the landscape."
"Photos, or it never happened!"

You got a nice holiday treat -- enjoy your journey!

 

[Lohb]

"I'm dreaming of a white Christmas....... present to myself."
"E3: The official headphone of Antarctica!"
"I'm truly enjoying the headphone as much as the landscape."
"Photos, or it never happened!"

Perhaps first planar can ever to reach that continent....

 

[tjkohli]

When thinking of purchasing the E3 I took the opportunity to have a short listen to other closed models in. A similar price range, including the Liric. to me it sounded a bit dull, with a bit more midbass and less deep reaching bass than the E3. Might be due to unit variance, but this is the wrong price range for that kind of problems.

I’ve heard two different Lirics, and tried mine with a few different sources. With the limited data that I have, my opinion is that Liric depends heavily on the wire (copper vs. silver) and on the source. It’s a very transparent headphone on the sense that cable material and source differences are brought through and often even exaggerated.

Of course I did not have access to more than one E3 and (because of the more exotic connections) more than one cable.

What you’re saying could be 100% true but just my two cents anecdotally.

 

[plakat]

I’ve heard two different Lirics, and tried mine with a few different sources. With the limited data that I have, my opinion is that Liric depends heavily on the wire (copper vs. silver) and on the source. It’s a very transparent headphone on the sense that cable material and source differences are brought through and often even exaggerated.

Of course I did not have access to more than one E3 and (because of the more exotic connections) more than one cable.

What you’re saying could be 100% true but just my two cents anecdotally.

I had only one Liric at hand (though I once heard one at High End in Munich, to the same effect as far as memory goes), but two E3. Those at least sounded the same. Anyway, the Liric did not catch my imagination and I now bought the E3 which I quite like so I probably won’t investigate in depth

 

[thelittletaffia]

This thread has had a lot of traffic in a few weeks.

I'm in a bit of a dilemma. Few weeks ago I ordered the Ether C Flow from a dealer, his last pair. Unfortunately the build quality or rather quality control left a lot to be desired. The cup was not fixed properly to the left channel yolk giving a very poor bass response. They have now gone back to the dealer and onto DCA. When they come back the dealer is going to have a chat about the Ether or the E3. I liked very much what I heard in the mids and highs of the Ether, had I not played a fast deep bass track the build quality may very well have gone unnoticed.

So, do I keep the Ethers, go for the E3 or indeed the Meze Liric. I want a pair of planars to compliment my Denon AH-D9200. Now I notice there is a 20% offer on the Stellia. Oh decisions decisions.

 

[gonintendo]

This thread has had a lot of traffic in a few weeks.

I'm in a bit of a dilemma. Few weeks ago I ordered the Ether C Flow from a dealer, his last pair. Unfortunately the build quality or rather quality control left a lot to be desired. The cup was not fixed properly to the left channel yolk giving a very poor bass response. They have now gone back to the dealer and onto DCA. When they come back the dealer is going to have a chat about the Ether or the E3. I liked very much what I heard in the mids and highs of the Ether, had I not played a fast deep bass track the build quality may very well have gone unnoticed.

So, do I keep the Ethers, go for the E3 or indeed the Meze Liric. I want a pair of planars to compliment my Denon AH-D9200. Now I notice there is a 20% offer on the Stellia. Oh decisions decisions.

E3 is definitely the way to go

 

[liujun050612]

This thread has had a lot of traffic in a few weeks.

I'm in a bit of a dilemma. Few weeks ago I ordered the Ether C Flow from a dealer, his last pair. Unfortunately the build quality or rather quality control left a lot to be desired. The cup was not fixed properly to the left channel yolk giving a very poor bass response. They have now gone back to the dealer and onto DCA. When they come back the dealer is going to have a chat about the Ether or the E3. I liked very much what I heard in the mids and highs of the Ether, had I not played a fast deep bass track the build quality may very well have gone unnoticed.

So, do I keep the Ethers, go for the E3 or indeed the Meze Liric. I want a pair of planars to compliment my Denon AH-D9200. Now I notice there is a 20% offer on the Stellia. Oh decisions decisions.

If you want easy to drive, go with the Stellia. Sound wise, both sound very similar. Stellia is warmer. E3 edge out Stellia slightly for details. Although E3 is portable enough, it is very hard to drive. You probably need to carry chord mojo 2 or a brick on the go. Lric is also easy to drive. But it does not sound nearly as good as Stellia or E3. At 2k price point, I don't think it worth the price tag.

I am still thinking if Kann ultra could drive E3 well. If no pocketable dap currently can drive E3 properly, I will treat E3 as a home setup rather than portable. In this case, I will keep my kann alpha and Celestee as a portable setup only. If I really want to take E3 out, I will carry my hugo 2.

 

[dougq]

This thread has had a lot of traffic in a few weeks.

I'm in a bit of a dilemma. Few weeks ago I ordered the Ether C Flow from a dealer, his last pair. Unfortunately the build quality or rather quality control left a lot to be desired. The cup was not fixed properly to the left channel yolk giving a very poor bass response. They have now gone back to the dealer and onto DCA. When they come back the dealer is going to have a chat about the Ether or the E3. I liked very much what I heard in the mids and highs of the Ether, had I not played a fast deep bass track the build quality may very well have gone unnoticed.

So, do I keep the Ethers, go for the E3 or indeed the Meze Liric. I want a pair of planars to compliment my Denon AH-D9200. Now I notice there is a 20% offer on the Stellia. Oh decisions decisions.

This is an e3 thread so the bias will be towards the e3. I owned the stellias, get the e3. The only advantage of the stellias is efficiency. The e3 are pretty easy to drive but not direct out of your phone easy to drive.

 

[tjkohli]

If you want easy to drive, go with the Stellia. Sound wise, both sound very similar. Stellia is warmer. E3 edge out Stellia slightly for details. Although E3 is portable enough, it is very hard to drive. You probably need to carry chord mojo 2 or a brick on the go. Lric is also easy to drive. But it does not sound nearly as good as Stellia or E3. At 2k price point, I don't think it worth the price tag.

I am still thinking if Kann ultra could drive E3 well. If no pocketable dap currently can drive E3 properly, I will treat E3 as a home setup rather than portable. In this case, I will keep my kann alpha and Celestee as a portable setup only. If I really want to take E3 out, I will carry my hugo 2.

The Liric sound fantastic compared to the E3 and the Stella (which I only heard briefly). Perhaps you need to “break them in”

 

[liujun050612]

This is an e3 thread so the bias will be towards the e3. I owned the stellias, get the e3. The only advantage of the stellias is efficiency. The e3 are pretty easy to drive but not direct out of your phone easy to drive.

Well, it depends on your listening levels. If you are listening at low volume (70 db or below I will say), almost every portable dap or dac will work. Most DAP don't work well at higher volume to E3 due to low or limited current/ battery powered, which typical planar magnetic headphones demands. I suggest try both at the dealer, test your favorite songs before you buy. I will definitely keep both. But if you can only have one and you already have a good amp (chord hugo 2, mojo 2, RME 4pro se, ifi dsd diablo 2 for example) go with the E3.

 

[liujun050612]

The Liric sound fantastic compared to the E3 and the Stella (which I only heard briefly). Perhaps you need to “break them in”

To my ears the Lric sounds good, but E3 sounds even better if you have a good amp.

 

[tjkohli]

To my ears the Lric sounds good, but E3 sounds even better if you have a good amp.

I have a JDS Element III Mk.2 and I tried both the Liric and the E3 with it side by side. I feel they are both very (to within a margin of opinion) close but the Liric had more sub-bass and more treble extension, with more upper detail.