ETHER 2: Impressions and Discussion

[davesa]

which model of ZMF cans? I have an Auteur and a Verite closed, as well as the Ether 2. The Ether 2 is light and very comfortable

It is an open headphone so you will hear sounds around you... can you control your listening environment? I listen to the Ether 2 for hours at a time easily.

Obviously the Ether 2 is planer, where the ZMF use a more traditional driver... all 3 sound amazing - the Auteur is a really fun headphone, where the Ether and Verite closed are more resolving. There are a LOT of pad choices for the ZMF that let you experiment with the sound and the cable on the ZMF is the same as the Audeze. The Ether 2 does have some more pad choices now as well - when I bought mine you only received one set of pads but now when you buy it you get three. One more set than you get when you buy ZMF.

The Ether 2 is easy to drive - I have driven it with Schiit Jot, Monoprice THX887, and my LTA tube amp and all perform well with it. It sounds really great on the LTA.

 

[InstantSilence]

which model of ZMF cans? I have an Auteur and a Verite closed, as well as the Ether 2. The Ether 2 is light and very comfortable

It is an open headphone so you will hear sounds around you... can you control your listening environment? I listen to the Ether 2 for hours at a time easily.

Obviously the Ether 2 is planer, where the ZMF use a more traditional driver... all 3 sound amazing - the Auteur is a really fun headphone, where the Ether and Verite closed are more resolving. There are a LOT of pad choices for the ZMF that let you experiment with the sound and the cable on the ZMF is the same as the Audeze. The Ether 2 does have some more pad choices now as well - when I bought mine you only received one set of pads but now when you buy it you get three. One more set than you get when you buy ZMF.

The Ether 2 is easy to drive - I have driven it with Schiit Jot, Monoprice THX887, and my LTA tube amp and all perform well with it. It sounds really great on the LTA.

Open or closed it doesn't matter to me.
I'm interested in something that has super smooth treble and no peaks in upper mids.
What do you mean by the Auteur to be fun?

 

[LCMusicLover]

That does, thank you. If I could trouble you, since you mention the 1000se and I see the HEDD in your signature, can you provide some comparisons to those also? The HEDD is the only one I am familiar with.

HEKse is easy — not that different from v2. Versus v2, se have a little fuller mids, significantly easier to drive, a little more bass extension, but otherwise, same tonality, slightly less airy (probably due to elevated presence range which also creates the fuller mids). When I got the se and was comparing to v2, I didn’t hear any dramatic changes and wondered whether the upgrade was worth the ~$600 it cost. But over a few hours of comparison I realized that the se was subtly better in several ways. But the ‘fuller’ sound is most notable.

Hedd vs E2 is a bigger difference. Hedd are less ‘linear’ w/ more bass power & impact. Comfort is also very different — Hedd are much heavier, and the pressure on top of head is significant.

 

[jarnopp]

HEKse is easy — not that different from v2. Versus v2, se have a little fuller mids, significantly easier to drive, a little more bass extension, but otherwise, same tonality, slightly less airy (probably due to elevated presence range which also creates the fuller mids). When I got the se and was comparing to v2, I didn’t hear any dramatic changes and wondered whether the upgrade was worth the ~$600 it cost. But over a few hours of comparison I realized that the se was subtly better in several ways. But the ‘fuller’ sound is most notable.

Hedd vs E2 is a bigger difference. Hedd are less ‘linear’ w/ more bass power & impact. Comfort is also very different — Hedd are much heavier, and the pressure on top of head is significant.

Thanks again. I’m sure the comfort is night and day, judging from how the A2C feel compared to just about everything else. HEDD are very impactful to me, not just in the bass, but everywhere, as if you are just surrounded by the presence of music. But as you mentioned, maybe still not the most transparent or accurate? That’s what I would hope to hear in the E2.

 

[LCMusicLover]

...
What do you mean by the Auteur to be fun?

On the analytical/musical spectrum, Auteur is over on the musical side. Great w/ rhythmically driven music like Afro-Celt Sound System.

 

[MakubexGB]

Open or closed it doesn't matter to me.
I'm interested in something that has super smooth treble and no peaks in upper mids.
What do you mean by the Auteur to be fun?

I love my E2, and they are smooth but, the ZMF Verite Closed are even smoother/darker. The VC are the smoothest cans I own. So if your priority is smooth listening, the ZMF VC are hard to beat, especially with all the different pad choices you can play around with (big spacious pads, such as the Eikon Suede, are particularly smooth).

That said, the E2 are more comfortable for long sessions, IMO, due to their light weight.

 

[Steve Wilcox]

I have both the E2s and the VCs and they're both fantastic cans. They're not dissimilar in sound signature and you're not really making any compromises by choosing the VC as a closed can. That said, if I had to choose one or the other I think I'd make the choice based on use case - if you need a degree of isolation, the VCs are probably better; if you're usually listening in a quiet environment the E2s perhaps edge it with their light weight and open feel.

 

[InstantSilence]

I have both the E2s and the VCs and they're both fantastic cans. They're not dissimilar in sound signature and you're not really making any compromises by choosing the VC as a closed can. That said, if I had to choose one or the other I think I'd make the choice based on use case - if you need a degree of isolation, the VCs are probably better; if you're usually listening in a quiet environment the E2s perhaps edge it with their light weight and open feel.

I'm more interested in whxih one provides a higher resolution Along side with 0 listening fatigue and peaks in the FR

 

[Hifiearspeakers]

I'm more interested in whxih one provides a higher resolution Along side with 0 listening fatigue and peaks in the FR

The Verite for sure. It’s very smooth and very resolving with plenty of sub bass and mid bass punch.

 

[ThePeave]

I've had the Ether 2s for a couple years and just got the Verite Closed, so I'll try to chime in on this comparison as well. My pad preferences are the perforated pads for the E2s and the universe pads on the VC so far, as I found these to have the most natural sound signature to my ear. With these pads, the signatures are overall fairly similar, with the VC having a bit more bass and perhaps slightly more upper table energy. The VC are a more engaging listen overal with noticeably more tactile punch in the base and I think are a bit more resolving. The E2 have very well extended bass, but lack a bit in terms of tactility and rumble compared to the VC. I don't have a problem with treble fatigue on either, even with extended listening sessions, though if you did have an issue with this I'm sure you could find a set of pads for either that would help. They are both very comfortable, and while the E2 has a significant advantage on weight, the VC is surprisingly comfortable given its weight, though it doesn't quite disappear on my head the way the E2 does.

 

[ZappaMan]

@mrspeakers how are you using your tt2 with your ether2, have you tried both single ended and xlr - out of interest

 

[mrspeakers]

@mrspeakers how are you using your tt2 with your ether2, have you tried both single ended and xlr - out of interest

I love the TT2, but it's single-ended only. The pairing with E2 is fantastic, the TT2 is just so smooth, powerful, sweet and clear it's right on the money for my taste, plus the dynamics and the bass are stellar. I also use it just as a DAC sometimes to drive my WA5, and as the source for my BHSE. Especially when used with the m-scalar my overall impression of the TT2 is that it sounds closer to super low noise analog masters than any digital I've heard.

 

[ra990]

I love the TT2, but it's single-ended only. The pairing with E2 is fantastic, the TT2 is just so smooth, powerful, sweet and clear it's right on the money for my taste, plus the dynamics and the bass are stellar. I also use it just as a DAC sometimes to drive my WA5, and as the source for my BHSE. Especially when used with the m-scalar my overall impression of the TT2 is that it sounds closer to super low noise analog masters than any digital I've heard.

Thank you for your impressions. I think he was asking about the rear xlr outs, wjich can be used to drive difficult headphones. As you said though, there's no need, the single ended outs are perfect with the Ether 2. I've tried them on both ends and preferred the SE out to the Ether 2 and A2O.

 

[EleventyPlusOne]

Hello! I’ve been curious about the Ether 2s after enjoying a pair of Aeon Opens for the past year or so. I listen to just about every genre but has anyone who’s listened to both be able to compare? I also have a pair of LCD-3s as a frame of reference but figured someone else may have gone up the DCA product families.

 

[jj69]

Quick question. Is a new pair of Ether 2's typically packaged in a sealed box wrapped in cellophane, or is the box unsealed? Just trying to determine if I received a new or used pair.