[evernessince]

Thanks for your reply.

Please let me know which other totl headphone has been replaced after only two years by a comparable headphone that is half the price.
Most other top line headphones have a shelf life of far more than two years.

I am not certain what the point of your reply is. Would you be a satisfied owner of a new, expensive car that was replaced after two years by a comparable or better model for half the price? And that car loses value as you drive it away from the dealer.

Cheers

People who are early adopters should not expect their purchases to hold value well. You are paying to have access to new tech first. As an extension of buying on the bleeding edge there's always the chance the same will be available later at a much lower price. I lost some $600 in value on my AM5 platform upgrade and I completely expected that. It would be worse if my purchase didn't loose value as that would mean there's been no significant improvement to the product either from a performance or price perspective. Prices coming down can only be good for the market, not only do people with a smaller budget get access to better tech but it allows companies to release new products at the same flagship pricing as the previous flagship. If the price doesn't come down you get what happened in the PC GPU market where prices increase each generation and performance per dollar barley moves.

 

[jamato8]

I have some nice desktop amps but for the most part, the DX320MAX can power everything very well. That is with detail, fine bass response and control and a very nice open sound. No other dap type device has been able to equal the DX320MAX and I have heard most all of the better daps, thanks to a friend who buys everything. lol

The E3 seems like it would be a great headphone to enjoy. I like a bit more raw sound than something that is polite. Real music, live music, isn't polite. I was listening to some last night and do often, and that is always my gauge, not other recorded music and systems. I used to play violin and the raw sound of that is wonderful and it isn't always sweet and kind, it can be very raw and airy with that void in the surrounding space. Something the SR3 and the R10 (if refoamed correctly) can do.

 

[mrspeakers]

I have some nice desktop amps but for the most part, the DX320MAX can power everything very well. That is with detail, fine bass response and control and a very nice open sound. No other dap type device has been able to equal the DX320MAX and I have heard most all of the better daps, thanks to a friend who buys everything. lol

The E3 seems like it would be a great headphone to enjoy. I like a bit more raw sound than something that is polite. Real music, live music, isn't polite. I was listening to some last night and do often, and that is always my gauge, not other recorded music and systems. I used to play violin and the raw sound of that is wonderful and it isn't always sweet and kind, it can be very raw and airy with that void in the surrounding space. Something the SR3 and the R10 (if refoamed correctly) can do.

All our AMTS a designs have the ability to adjust tone through positioning. All headphones have some positioning dependence but with AMTS it’s predictable.

The default recommendation is to have the back/top of your ear against the top rear of the back/top of the ear pad for the warmest mids.
if you want more bite move your ear to the center of the ear well, or even slide the headphone further back.

These adjustments pretty reliably allow control of the upper midrange for those who want a brighter experience, adjusting around 2.5-5.5Khz.

 

[jamato8]

All our AMTS a designs have the ability to adjust tone through positioning. All headphones have some positioning dependence but with AMTS it’s predictable.

The default recommendation is to have the back/top of your ear against the top rear of the back/top of the ear pad for the warmest mids.
if you want more bite move your ear to the center of the ear well, or even slide the headphone further back.

These adjustments pretty reliably allow control of the upper midrange for those who want a brighter experience, adjusting around 2.5-5.5Khz.

Thanks. I have to remind myself of this all the time. I need to work more with the Expanse. I like a bit more raw sound and feel I need to work on positioning with them. The Expanse are for appearance, my favorite. Yes, have them on now and the Expanse really change a lot in sound as you move them around.

 

[ThEvil0nE]

All our AMTS a designs have the ability to adjust tone through positioning. All headphones have some positioning dependence but with AMTS it’s predictable.

The default recommendation is to have the back/top of your ear against the top rear of the back/top of the ear pad for the warmest mids.
if you want more bite move your ear to the center of the ear well, or even slide the headphone further back.

These adjustments pretty reliably allow control of the upper midrange for those who want a brighter experience, adjusting around 2.5-5.5Khz.

Same effects hold true for most phones with roomier pads

 

[gammi]

I think 1w will be fine for most people unless they’re cranking it. Remember doubling power equals just 3db…

Even in the bass? My personal experience with the Expanse is that I notice a big improvement in bass when I switch from my 1.5W DAP (G5) to my 12W Bliss. Even going from the 6W Jotunheim 2 to the Bliss, I notice more bass impact.

I have no doubts a 1W DAP can drive the E3 to sufficient volume but I'd be surprised if it manages to have bass impact at that wattage. I know the E3 is more efficient than the Expanse but not that much, no?

 

[ThEvil0nE]

Even in the bass? My personal experience with the Expanse is that I notice a big improvement in bass when I switch from my 1.5W DAP (G5) to my 12W Bliss. Even going from the 6W Jotunheim 2 to the Bliss, I notice more bass impact.

I have no doubts a 1W DAP can drive the E3 to sufficient volume but I'd be surprised if it manages to have bass impact at that wattage. I know the E3 is more efficient than the Expanse but not that much, no?

That’s where headroom comes into play, either lack thereof or more-of. At comfortably low listening should be fine but sometimes just “fine” won’t cut it.

 

[plakat]

Power distribution in music is something like 70/20/10 or 60/30/10 — depending on style etc.
So more dynamic bass results in much more power requirement. Loud enough is not the only thing, dynamic bass may simply require more headroom.
So if 1W is needed for adequately driving the E3, I’d look for something like 2W output. But that may be my personal headroom fetish of course… in the end trying out will tell you more. But if it’s loud enough but sounds somewhat flat, maybe cross check with a more powerful amp.

 

[gammi]

That’s where headroom comes into play, either lack thereof or more-of. At comfortably low listening should be fine but sometimes just “fine” won’t cut it.

Yeah, 1W definitely can drive the E3 to loud levels but swedishpat was asking specifically about bass and for that, I have my doubts based on my experience with the Expanse. Admittedly the E3 is a bit more efficient than the Expanse, perhaps I will be pleasantly surprised.

Also of course not all watts are equal, things like slew rate can make one 1W amp sound more punchy than another. This is one thing DAPs lack, they simply can't drive current as well as speaker amps with 25lb transformers, darn limits of physics.

 

[Salted Peanut]

I think 1w will be fine for most people unless they’re cranking it. Remember doubling power equals just 3db…

I often get a bit confused with the different opinions regarding this. So I will ask the man himself, if you don’t mind. I normally listen between 65 and 85 db, never higher than 85 db, and I use a Chord Mojo 2. Will the Mojo 2 drive these efficiently/more than acceptable? Thanks (this headphone really intrigues me).

 

[mrspeakers]

Same effects hold true for most phones with roomier pads

To be clearer it is my conjecture, which is validated only by limited testing of other headphones and I don’t want to imply this is a definitive statement…

The difference with AMTS is the effect of position is pretty consistent across users because AMTS reduces standing waves, thus tonal changes are driven by how the AMTS interacts with your ear, vs random standing waves Established as a function of pad and ear geometry. In conventional headphones I have not seen a predictable correlation between position and tone changes While with AMTS a position changes tone in a predictable manner For thisreeason.

Again, I want to be clear this is an opinion/hypothesis based on limited data regarding position effects of other headphones, though I am confident about the AMTS function.

I often get a bit confused with the different opinions regarding this. So I will ask the man himself, if you don’t mind. I normally listen between 65 and 85 db, never higher than 85 db, and I use a Chord Mojo 2. Will the Mojo 2 drive these efficiently/more than acceptable? Thanks (this headphone really intrigues me).

You will have plenty of headroom at those volumes. I use my MJ2 at those levels all the time, it’s my go to for puttering around the house…

 

[Salted Peanut]

To be clearer it is my conjecture, which is validated only by limited testing of other headphones and I don’t want to imply this is a definitive statement…

The difference with AMTS is the effect of position is pretty consistent across users because AMTS reduces standing waves, thus tonal changes are driven by how the AMTS interacts with your ear, vs random standing waves Established as a function of pad and ear geometry. In conventional headphones I have not seen a predictable correlation between position and tone changes While with AMTS a position changes tone in a predictable manner For thisreeason.

Again, I want to be clear this is an opinion/hypothesis based on limited data regarding position effects of other headphones, though I am confident about the AMTS function.


You will have plenty of headroom at those volumes. I use my MJ2 at those levels all the time, it’s my go to for puttering around the house…

Thank you - much appreciated.

 

[jamato8]

All our AMTS a designs have the ability to adjust tone through positioning. All headphones have some positioning dependence but with AMTS it’s predictable.

The default recommendation is to have the back/top of your ear against the top rear of the back/top of the ear pad for the warmest mids.
if you want more bite move your ear to the center of the ear well, or even slide the headphone further back.

These adjustments pretty reliably allow control of the upper midrange for those who want a brighter experience, adjusting around 2.5-5.5Khz.

Got it dialed in now and also switched to a different amp. Plenty of everything now.

 

[lwd]

Mojo2?

If the E3s are easier to drive that the Stealth/Expanse then the Mojo 2 might just get the job done. I tried the Expanse with Mojo and it wasn’t far off. The Mojo pairs very well with the Noire, but that is pretty easy to drive.

 

[M-83]

I’d love to know how E3 compares to Mrspeakers Alpha Prime (yup still rocking a pair ) and Audeze LCD-3.

There’s something still special about Prime, even though I’d love it to have more mid and sub bass.