Dan Clark Audio E3 Review: Interview, Measurements, Impressions

[hanumanbob]

I am quite content with Mojo 2 as a dac feeding my Jotunheim 2…

I also love the WOO WA11 as a portable solution.

 

[jarnopp]

People like TT2/mojo2 because they haven't heard better.

Ha! You may not like Mojo2…but there is no way you can say TT2 is an inferior choice to any headphone DAC/AMP solution available. In terms of technicality, power, etc.

 

[FlyingFungus]

I heard the E3 recently and while technically brilliant, for some reason I just wasn't blown away by it. It sounded perfect, but to me, not that exciting. Maybe it was the source (an RME ADI-2) or my music selection. It was a short demo as well, just 2 songs.

 

[Lucikun]

I heard the E3 recently and while technically brilliant, for some reason I just wasn't blown away by it. It sounded perfect, but to me, not that exciting. Maybe it was the source (an RME ADI-2) or my music selection. It was a short demo as well, just 2 songs.

Took me a day to get accustomed to the sound. I’ve loved it ever since.

 

[Frabera]

Any serious person can judge any serious audio equipment with only 2 songs, this a joke !

 

[FlyingFungus]

Any serious person can judge any serious audio equipment with only 2 songs, this a joke !

Well call it what you want, that was my initial impression. Yes it was only 2 songs, not enough time to formulate a proper opinion, but initial impression I found it lacking fun despite being technically amazing.

 

[Toddy]

I heard the E3 recently and while technically brilliant, for some reason I just wasn't blown away by it. It sounded perfect, but to me, not that exciting. Maybe it was the source (an RME ADI-2) or my music selection. It was a short demo as well, just 2 songs.

If the RME was also used as the amp, it could have been the culprit. It simply has not enough juice. Although its DAC is a really good source (or part of it.) Which is why I use it with Topping A90D just for its power of almost 10W per channel.

 

[ThEvil0nE]

I heard the E3 recently and while technically brilliant, for some reason I just wasn't blown away by it. It sounded perfect, but to me, not that exciting. Maybe it was the source (an RME ADI-2) or my music selection. It was a short demo as well, just 2 songs.

You're kinda halfway there for the better part with just the RME, you need an able amp.

 

[DP42]

Well call it what you want, that was my initial impression. Yes it was only 2 songs, not enough time to formulate a proper opinion, but initial impression I found it lacking fun despite being technically amazing.

Sometimes technically amazing is the fun

 

[thelittletaffia]

I heard the E3 recently and while technically brilliant, for some reason I just wasn't blown away by it. It sounded perfect, but to me, not that exciting. Maybe it was the source (an RME ADI-2) or my music selection. It was a short demo as well, just 2 songs.

I haven't got a horse in this race as I'm not an E3 owner but I do think that two songs is not enough to be able to give an opinion either way. Perhaps your expectations were too high given the hype that the E3 has generated especially with your current headphones in your signature being all dynamic drivers. Dynamic drivers can be more exciting, especially with closed backs because of the constraints and tuning of individual models. I've also found that planars and something of a different beast than dynamics.

We all, more likely than not, have favourite tracks that we use for auditions. Some will show up the strengths of a particular model of headphone others may surprise you with a lack of what your looking for in that model. That's why, to me, it's important to vary your music when auditioning. I certainly have whole albums that I prefer listening to on either the planars or dynamics.

If you can get a home loan with the E3s then that is going to give you a true impression of them one way or the other. I've rejected two pair of headphones in the last few months, one of which had glowing reviews in the press yet I didn't like one of them one little bit and that was the Focal Radiance. Expectations with headphones, or any bit of kit to be honest, can work against you on a very quick audition because the grey matter needs to have time to adjust to the new sound.

As for power everyone will have a favourite amp, some will give good synergy some will not but again that personal. I'm using a Lehmann Linear, a design which is decades old. It's power and neutrality has never failed to power anything I've thrown at it.

 

[ObjectiveSubjectivist]

Greetings from Munich




NOMAX

PS.lol

Is that a redbull shot?

 

[droid23]

Got mine today.
OOTB impression, yes, they indeed sound pretty open, but I don't want to go into any more detail since I only have a few hours on them...
...but holy moly, they need some serious juice and they truly need the provided headroom of the rather powerful Topping DX9, I have to crank the volume up way above 50% for low volume listening and to listen really punchy for some time, it's a good 85% (you can see it in the pic, I have to go from -100 dB to -14 dB) to have enough proper bass rumble.

The roughly 7200 mW provided by the DX9 for the E3 according to its specs are just enough so it seems

 

[ahmonge]

If 0dB implies max power on the DX9, the power corresponding to -14 dB is 287 mW

 

[droid23]

If 0dB implies max power on the DX9, the power corresponding to -14 dB is 287 mW

-99 dB is near zero output loudness. 0 db is max.
So we have a 0-100 scale in -dB units which can be translated, step wise, in % and then reversed. -15 dB would be 85% of power used according to my understanding. When you look at the spec sheet of the DX9, it outputs:

10000mW × 2 @16Ω THD+N<1%
7080mW × 2 @32Ω THD+N<1%
4250mW × 2 @64Ω THD+N<1%
950mW × 2 @300Ω THD+N<1%
460mW × 2 @600Ω THD+N<1%

So, with 0 dB on the Topping, you theoretically get a roughly around 7200 mW output power at the E3's 27 Ohm impedance.
Or am I missing something here?

 

[ObjectiveSubjectivist]

-99 dB is near zero output loudness. 0 db is max.
So we have a 0-100 scale in -dB units which can be translated, step wise, in % and then reversed. -15 dB would be 85% of power used according to my understanding. When you look at the spec sheet of the DX9, it outputs:

10000mW × 2 @16Ω THD+N<1%
7080mW × 2 @32Ω THD+N<1%
4250mW × 2 @64Ω THD+N<1%
950mW × 2 @300Ω THD+N<1%
460mW × 2 @600Ω THD+N<1%

So, with 0 dB on the Topping, you theoretically get a roughly around 7200 mW output power at the E3's 27 Ohm impedance.
Or am I missing something here?

Db is not linear scale.