[hemtmaker]

That's correct, it's not about moving the cup, it's about not overtightening the strap. Very little pressure should be on the top of the head, that will then reduce clamp. The new optional ear pads with a larger ear hole do give a bit more flexibility in positioning.

I understand what you mean. Perhaps if the cups are able to rotate towards the head just a bit more, it will help to find a better fit when the strap is loosen further

 

[pacorrea]

Does anybody know how these compare to the Aeon Flow Closed (besides the obvious differences of being open vs. closed)? Would very much appreciate any input!

 

[TMRaven]

Less annoying treble for sure, and perhaps more warmth in upper bass. I'm just going off memory here of when I had the Aeon Closed-- haven't compared the two directly side by side.

 

[musicfrommemory]

Does anybody know how these compare to the Aeon Flow Closed (besides the obvious differences of being open vs. closed)? Would very much appreciate any input!

Hi Pacorrea - that's a very interesting question - I had the Aeon closed and open on loan about 6 months ago and have the Ether 2s with me now on loan too (I purchased the Opens which I've owned for about a year).

Making the comparison with the Aeon Open and Closed may be useful to some of the guys here that already own those cans but haven't tried the Ether 2s. I will do my best to describe what I feel are the differences in purely non-professional terms.

Overall warmth on the Ether 2 is somewhere between the Open (warm) and Closed (neutral), leaning slightly towards the Open. In that sense the Ether 2s are neutral/warm. The bass and sub bass is more like the sensation of the lower end from the Closed (this is good) but go down even further (this even better) and I would suggest that the sub bass and bass are the stand-out features on the Ether 2s. The mids are somewhere closer to the Opens but not as luscious (i.e., they seem more neutral) but are rewarding in a way the Closed weren't. The highs are trickier to estimate but I'm going to say as non-offensive as the Opens (this is also good.)

The biggest difference to my ears is the detail - the detail of just about everything is just like seeing a high defintion TV for the first time. Or going back even further, a colour picture for the first time. This, with the bass, is where the rewards really are. Listening to music that I know really well, there are new acoustic qualities that I've not heard before - e.g. a synth trailing off for much, much longer than I had ever realised it did. Separation is on a different level - everything is hyper-real - I believe this is what is referred to as micro or macro detail or plankton - whatever it's called there's bundles of it. Attack is also faster with more slam than either the Open or Closed. Soundstage is improved (it's not outstanding but improved) and the general overall sensation is that the music seems terrifically balanced and (how else do I say this....) just right.

I'm going to suggest that these are headphones for long listening sessions because they hum along very nicely like you're attached to a saccharin drip. In this sense they are much more like the Opens. Comfort wise I too had some side pressure oddly enough under the zygomatic bone almost under my ear, but only on occasions, and with some alteration I'm sure they can sit very well on an averagely sized male head like mine.

I prefer a warmth to my listening and I think I'm going to trade my Lyr 3 (neutral) for a warmer tube set up to maximise my enjoyment of the Ether 2s. I am also going to purchase the Ether 2s with the current pads as I don't want to lose any of the quality of the sound (I think Dan mentioned there might be some minor loss at the lower end with the new pads - Dan, sorry if this is wrong.)

Last point is price: the Ether 2's are more than double the price of the Opens or Closed - are they worth that? That is a tricky one and I'm just not sure, partly because I haven't listened to any other cans at this price point (I own the LCD2Cs which will be sold soon) - I think the Opens are absolutely beautiful headphones - the most comfortable that I've worn that reward me in bundles of gooey syrup. The Ether 2s are a big step up and completely different - maybe the Opens were under-priced - and I think if you think you would enjoy stepping into a world of detail and clarity and oomph and bass, then step into this world.

The trouble with this hobby is that you know that around the corner there will be an Ether 3.

Hope this is useful and apologies if contrary to other perceptions.

MFM

 

[pacorrea]

Hi Pacorrea - that's a very interesting question - I had the Aeon closed and open on loan about 6 months ago and have the Ether 2s with me now on loan too (I purchased the Opens which I've owned for about a year).

Making the comparison with the Aeon Open and Closed may be useful to some of the guys here that already own those cans but haven't tried the Ether 2s. I will do my best to describe what I feel are the differences in purely non-professional terms.

Overall warmth on the Ether 2 is somewhere between the Open (warm) and Closed (neutral), leaning slightly towards the Open. In that sense the Ether 2s are neutral/warm. The bass and sub bass is more like the sensation of the lower end from the Closed (this is good) but go down even further (this even better) and I would suggest that the sub bass and bass are the stand-out features on the Ether 2s. The mids are somewhere closer to the Opens but not as luscious (i.e., they seem more neutral) but are rewarding in a way the Closed weren't. The highs are trickier to estimate but I'm going to say as non-offensive as the Opens (this is also good.)

The biggest difference to my ears is the detail - the detail of just about everything is just like seeing a high defintion TV for the first time. Or going back even further, a colour picture for the first time. This, with the bass, is where the rewards really are. Listening to music that I know really well, there are new acoustic qualities that I've not heard before - e.g. a synth trailing off for much, much longer than I had ever realised it did. Separation is on a different level - everything is hyper-real - I believe this is what is referred to as micro or macro detail or plankton - whatever it's called there's bundles of it. Attack is also faster with more slam than either the Open or Closed. Soundstage is improved (it's not outstanding but improved) and the general overall sensation is that the music seems terrifically balanced and (how else do I say this....) just right.

I'm going to suggest that these are headphones for long listening sessions because they hum along very nicely like you're attached to a saccharin drip. In this sense they are much more like the Opens. Comfort wise I too had some side pressure oddly enough under the zygomatic bone almost under my ear, but only on occasions, and with some alteration I'm sure they can sit very well on an averagely sized male head like mine.

I prefer a warmth to my listening and I think I'm going to trade my Lyr 3 (neutral) for a warmer tube set up to maximise my enjoyment of the Ether 2s. I am also going to purchase the Ether 2s with the current pads as I don't want to lose any of the quality of the sound (I think Dan mentioned there might be some minor loss at the lower end with the new pads - Dan, sorry if this is wrong.)

Last point is price: the Ether 2's are more than double the price of the Opens or Closed - are they worth that? That is a tricky one and I'm just not sure, partly because I haven't listened to any other cans at this price point (I own the LCD2Cs which will be sold soon) - I think the Opens are absolutely beautiful headphones - the most comfortable that I've worn that reward me in bundles of gooey syrup. The Ether 2s are a big step up and completely different - maybe the Opens were under-priced - and I think if you think you would enjoy stepping into a world of detail and clarity and oomph and bass, then step into this world.

The trouble with this hobby is that you know that around the corner there will be an Ether 3.

Hope this is useful and apologies if contrary to other perceptions.

MFM

Thank you for the detailed reply. It means a lot to hear it from somebody who has owned both headphones.

When you mentioned that the Ether 2 are a step up in resolution, I can't help but think what extent that may have to do with the upgraded cable they now ship with the Ether 2. When I upgraded from the stock cable to the Wywires, the Aeon's jumped to a resolution level nearly rivaling my Focal Utopias (I just put these up for sale). However, your comment about the bass and sub-bass is very interesting... that's the one area where the Aeon's have certainly always impressed.

 

[heliosphann]

When I upgraded from the stock cable to the Wywires, the Aeon's jumped to a resolution level nearly rivaling my Focal Utopias (I just put these up for sale).

Wait... What?

 

[pacorrea]

Wait... What?

Let me clarify...the Utopia's still have more detail retrieval but with that came (in my case) a drier musical reproduction lacking some of the musicality and weight of the Aeon's. The difference in detail retrieval between the stock cable Aeon and Utopia was stark, with the Wywires much much less so.

 

[musicfrommemory]

Thank you for the detailed reply. It means a lot to hear it from somebody who has owned both headphones.

When you mentioned that the Ether 2 are a step up in resolution, I can't help but think what extent that may have to do with the upgraded cable they now ship with the Ether 2. When I upgraded from the stock cable to the Wywires, the Aeon's jumped to a resolution level nearly rivaling my Focal Utopias (I just put these up for sale). However, your comment about the bass and sub-bass is very interesting... that's the one area where the Aeon's have certainly always impressed.

When I read your post here the penny dropped and I'll bet that the upgraded cable on the Ether 2 has quite a bit to do with the considerably increased price point and the hugely improved detail - i went to CanJam London and met Dan (MrSpeakers) and was quizzing him on how I can make improvements to the Aeon Open sound - he immediately pulled out a pair of WyWires platinum and said 'Cables!' - and he had me try the WyWires platinum (~$500) on a pair of Aeon Opens and without doubt that is much closer to the Ether2 detail...

 

[JM1979]

I’m pretty sure the improvement in SQ and additional cost of the Ether2s is more related to a completely different, redesigned driver as opposed to cables.

Not saying the cables don’t have an impact but the way this pages reads to me is like Dan slapped a new cable on his old models, got better performance and then doubled the price.

 

[pacorrea]

I’m pretty sure the improvement in SQ and additional cost of the Ether2s is more related to a completely different, redesigned driver as opposed to cables.

Not saying the cables don’t have an impact but the way this pages reads to me is like Dan slapped a new cable on his old models, got better performance and then doubled the price.[/ Out of all the headphone manufacturers I’ve come across Dan seems among the most fair in his pricing model, so I doubt that such a big jump in price would only justify a nicer cable.

Agreed...knowing Dan and how fair his pricing model is I doubt such a big price jump would only result in a nicer cable. There is most definitely a lot more going on.

On a separate note, I have read that the Ether 2 and Hugo 2 make an amazing pairing. As someone who appreciates the details but also finds too much detail fatiguing and cold, where do you think these fall on the casual/analytical spectrum? Or do you find they straddle the very fine line between both? Any further input from someone who has the future pairing I’d be using would be appreciated.

 

[pacorrea]

When I read your post here the penny dropped and I'll bet that the upgraded cable on the Ether 2 has quite a bit to do with the considerably increased price point and the hugely improved detail - i went to CanJam London and met Dan (MrSpeakers) and was quizzing him on how I can make improvements to the Aeon Open sound - he immediately pulled out a pair of WyWires platinum and said 'Cables!' - and he had me try the WyWires platinum (~$500) on a pair of Aeon Opens and without doubt that is much closer to the Ether2 detail...

I also took Dans advice on this. Money well spent.

 

[mrspeakers]

We had to custom produce the ETHER 2 driver material. The increase in resolution comes from that, the redesigned flow, new damping configuration, and the cable. Everything in the system contributes to this...

 

[llcook51]

Hi Pacorrea - that's a very interesting question - I had the Aeon closed and open on loan about 6 months ago and have the Ether 2s with me now on loan too (I purchased the Opens which I've owned for about a year).

Making the comparison with the Aeon Open and Closed may be useful to some of the guys here that already own those cans but haven't tried the Ether 2s. I will do my best to describe what I feel are the differences in purely non-professional terms.

Overall warmth on the Ether 2 is somewhere between the Open (warm) and Closed (neutral), leaning slightly towards the Open. In that sense the Ether 2s are neutral/warm. The bass and sub bass is more like the sensation of the lower end from the Closed (this is good) but go down even further (this even better) and I would suggest that the sub bass and bass are the stand-out features on the Ether 2s. The mids are somewhere closer to the Opens but not as luscious (i.e., they seem more neutral) but are rewarding in a way the Closed weren't. The highs are trickier to estimate but I'm going to say as non-offensive as the Opens (this is also good.)

The biggest difference to my ears is the detail - the detail of just about everything is just like seeing a high defintion TV for the first time. Or going back even further, a colour picture for the first time. This, with the bass, is where the rewards really are. Listening to music that I know really well, there are new acoustic qualities that I've not heard before - e.g. a synth trailing off for much, much longer than I had ever realised it did. Separation is on a different level - everything is hyper-real - I believe this is what is referred to as micro or macro detail or plankton - whatever it's called there's bundles of it. Attack is also faster with more slam than either the Open or Closed. Soundstage is improved (it's not outstanding but improved) and the general overall sensation is that the music seems terrifically balanced and (how else do I say this....) just right.

I'm going to suggest that these are headphones for long listening sessions because they hum along very nicely like you're attached to a saccharin drip. In this sense they are much more like the Opens. Comfort wise I too had some side pressure oddly enough under the zygomatic bone almost under my ear, but only on occasions, and with some alteration I'm sure they can sit very well on an averagely sized male head like mine.

I prefer a warmth to my listening and I think I'm going to trade my Lyr 3 (neutral) for a warmer tube set up to maximise my enjoyment of the Ether 2s. I am also going to purchase the Ether 2s with the current pads as I don't want to lose any of the quality of the sound (I think Dan mentioned there might be some minor loss at the lower end with the new pads - Dan, sorry if this is wrong.)

Last point is price: the Ether 2's are more than double the price of the Opens or Closed - are they worth that? That is a tricky one and I'm just not sure, partly because I haven't listened to any other cans at this price point (I own the LCD2Cs which will be sold soon) - I think the Opens are absolutely beautiful headphones - the most comfortable that I've worn that reward me in bundles of gooey syrup. The Ether 2s are a big step up and completely different - maybe the Opens were under-priced - and I think if you think you would enjoy stepping into a world of detail and clarity and oomph and bass, then step into this world.

The trouble with this hobby is that you know that around the corner there will be an Ether 3.

Hope this is useful and apologies if contrary to other perceptions.

MFM

Great sommary and comparison. Thanks. I am enjoying my E2s immensely.

 

[alota]

It didn't seem to me that e2 is bright or fatiguing.

 

[heliosphann]

Agreed...knowing Dan and how fair his pricing model is I doubt such a big price jump would only result in a nicer cable. There is most definitely a lot more going on.

On a separate note, I have read that the Ether 2 and Hugo 2 make an amazing pairing. As someone who appreciates the details but also finds too much detail fatiguing and cold, where do you think these fall on the casual/analytical spectrum? Or do you find they straddle the very fine line between both? Any further input from someone who has the future pairing I’d be using would be appreciated.

Hugo 2 + Ether 2 = Great 4 Ur Ears