[jarnopp]

Hi fellas... my apology if this is a stupid question, but I am serious. I own Sundara right now and it is incredibly detailed. I am contemplating on Ether 2, but honestly how much more details can a set of headphones get compared with Sundara ? Would E2 really be FAR more detailed than Sundara or would it be more about subtle improvements like timbre and staging ? Thanks.

I think your best bet is to audition your headphones against others you are considering. The Source AV is perhaps near you and they have the E2.

 

[LCMusicLover]

I am really enjoying E2 from my new (to me) FiiO M15.

And I marvel at the way the E2 headstage can change on different tracks.

In 'Rolling On' from the Mark Knofler/Emmy Lou Harris collaboration, her voice is 'right there' in your face. Meanwhile on 'Marrakesh Night Market', Loreena McKennitt's is 'way back' in a very lush, 3-d image.

In both cases the image is very precise.

Definitely recommend this pairing.

 

[milkdudd]

I bought my E2 pre-owned so I can't know how many hours were on them. And while I do admit this is probably my imagination, they just seem to sound better and better all the time connected to my V281 amp

 

[Pappucho]

I’m at can jam in NY and just bought a pair of these. I tried a lot of headphones here and these were the most musical for me. I can understand why a lot of other headphones have a higher “wow” factor with people and sell better but to me these just conveyed what was on the recording more accurately and musically. They might seem boring to those that are accustomed to accentuated highs or bass but the e2 don’t “cheat” in that regard. If it’s there you’ll hear it, if it’s not you won’t. Everything from classical, jazz and rock sounded great on these. Ill share some additional thoughts when I spend more time with them. I just wanted to share my initial thoughts.

 

[gazuntite]

Hello there.

I'm lucky enough to have bought the Ether 2's recently. It's been a rollercoaster of emotions lol. From adoring them to wanting to return them and everything in between - to the point that I had to turn the UPS geezer away this morning when he came to pick them up for a return! I'm sure it can be put down to my lack of experience with high-end headphones but I've definitely felt rather ambivalent towards them at times over the last couple of weeks. However, I think something happened over the last couple of days where either my EQ settings clicked, my ears got used to them or the headphones themselves ran in but they really sound amazing.

Bearing in mind my only frame-of-reference is the HD660S and a few months with the LCD-2, I was somewhat underwhelmed for the first week but they've probably had 90/100 hours of use now and I love them - sounding much warmer yet incredibly detailed and precise. I was very careful with volume levels for the first week and I've found the Oratory EQ settings rather heavy-handed so have modified them to something more subtle using Peace. Initially they sounded brash and shouty and I felt rather disappointed, but now they sound really refined and embarrass certain poorly-engineered albums. I had to be tough on myself because £1800 for headphones is no joke but due to living circumstances I wanted to invest in headphones rather than hi-fi.

I've so far had none of the crinkle issues and the comfort is lovely although I must have a small bonce because I have the strap as tight as it'll go. At 44 my neck crinkles enough as it is so if the planar crinkle is there it's masked by my aging neck! Only complaint with the strap is that I'm tempted to clip something to it to stop them expanding - even some hot-melt glue might help so as not to be permanent.

My only other minor complaint is that although I bought them new the perforated pads seem to lift off when I'm away. Perhaps I got a returned set but I'm still happy as I know I'll use the stocks and/or suede when I move house. I've only tried the perforated pads as I'm moving house soon and wanted to save the others for a treat when I'm more settled! I'm using them through a Geshelli JNOG and Geshelli Erish and a nice cable from CustomCans in the UK. I also have their Archel 2.5 which I was going to reserve for my recently refurbished HD660Ss for films etc although the E2s sound lovely and warm through that. If anyone has any comments about pairing them with that amp/DAC combo please let me know - although I'm very happy with them and very glad that I decided to spend money on cans rather than any other equipment.

I'm currently listening to the following:

Mark Pritchard - Under the Sun.
John Martyn - Solid Air.
Paul Jebanasam - Continuum.
Smashing Pumpkins - Gish/Siamese Dream.
Bonnie Prince Billy - Greatest Palace Music.
Dwight Yoakam - all of his albums because he's amazing.
Steel Pulse - Handsworth Revolution.
A range of UK DnB/Bass/Techno music.

So a wide range and the E2s seem to bring out the best in them although I spend a lot of time switching between gains/volumes/EQs.

Apologies for the essay but I'm very excited that my patience paid off because after a couple of weeks of ups and downs these cans really shine - even if I don't have the correct audiophile words to do them justice.

 

[bagwell359]

I bought my E2 pre-owned so I can't know how many hours were on them. And while I do admit this is probably my imagination, they just seem to sound better and better all the time connected to my V281 amp

Fine pieces. Not heard together but I bet it's good.

 

[audiowhatfi]

Hello there, planning to purchase a Ether2.
What amplifier do you prefer? I'm thinking on a Burson Soloist 3X to put with my audio rig (dac is the new Holo Audio Spring 3 KTE ), or going to a full power DAP solution like Fiio M17 (in its desktop mode can provide up to 3W). I hear before some Burson products which I like them, not heard Fiio M17
I live in Spain, and I can find easily this products on hifi shops among others Chinese brands (Shanling, A&K, Ibasso), iFi iCan Pro, some Violectric, Bryston, Musical Fidelity, Questyle,...
Thanks in advance

I had a burson conductor 3 reference paired with the ether 2 and it was a fantastic combination as well as the soloist 3x! Those amps provide an excellent amount of power to the ether 2 and gave it a more open sound then with some other amps I tried. So going Burson is a safe bet

 

[Contrails]

Anyone compare the Ether 2 against a LCD-3/4?

 

[thefitz]

Against the LCD-3: Less honky, faster, less treble spice, arguably more cohesive image, larger soundstage, I'd say more resolution overall. Much, much lighter.

Against the LCD-4: Slightly less honky dependng on pads, not nearly as fast and detailed, similar 4kHz notch, way less treble clarity overall, a step down in macro and nicrodetails.

Going by after-market prices, I think the $900 price for the LCD-3, $1200 price for the Ether 2, and $2000ish for the LCD-4 is a fair reflection of the three sets' relative performance.

Having owned them all, I do think the LCD-4 is a "better value" at $2k than the LCD-3 is at $900. The LCD-4 is in a different class, truly.

But which set can you wear and listen 2 for 10h nonstop and not have a solitary drop of fatigue? The Ether 2.

After an uninterrupted 10h listen of the Ether 2 you'll have to pee desperately and likely be starving, but I assure you your ears will be relaxed and your neck will feel great.

 

[FiGuY1017]

Just received a pair of ether 2 and I was really confused for awhile as they seem warm even with perf pads but also shouty and bright everyonce in a while. I switched to suede and pulled them forward on my ears and everything seems to have gotten better. Love the tonality of these as a compliment to Susvara. Amps are Flux Labs Volot and Kinki Studio Thr-1 DAC is M2 Tech Young Mkiv/ VGMkII

 

[SuperRoo]

I have ether 2 too. Perforated pads are my faves. I like to pull them forward. Also, I use Peace EQ with them.

 

[FiGuY1017]

I have ether 2 too. Perforated pads are my faves. I like to pull them forward. Also, I use Peace EQ with them.

I must say for female vocals these are stunning! Unfortunately my sued pads are crumbling, I'd like to buy some new ones but afraid they'll do the same as these

 

[XGeneX88]

I must say for female vocals these are stunning! Unfortunately my sued pads are crumbling, I'd like to buy some new ones but afraid they'll do the same as these

The pads should last a while, I wouldn’t worry. Also you may find someone willing to sell their used pads.

 

[Alenotta]

I must say for female vocals these are stunning! Unfortunately my sued pads are crumbling, I'd like to buy some new ones but afraid they'll do the same as these

Oh no of course you liked the suede pads the most! I really liked the perf, but on the liquid platinum with some gold lions I def didn't have any of the shouty quality. My DAC I'm using is SMSL m400 which also skews warm/musical. I found them to be a great mix of warm and resolving in this setup. Before getting this amp I was using the drop CTH which sounded a little thinner and brighter. Probably because it just didn't have the juice to fill them out. They definitely seem to morph with changes in your chain. Also, I believe I've read they like a balanced out. Try emailing DCA they may replace the suede pads. They sent me the replacements for the headband guides no problem.

 

[LCMusicLover]

Oh no of course you liked the suede pads the most! I really liked the perf, but on the liquid platinum with some gold lions I def didn't have any of the shouty quality. My DAC I'm using is SMSL m400 which also skews warm/musical. I found them to be a great mix of warm and resolving in this setup. Before getting this amp I was using the drop CTH which sounded a little thinner and brighter. Probably because it just didn't have the juice to fill them out. They definitely seem to morph with changes in your chain. Also, I believe I've read they like a balanced out. Try emailing DCA they may replace the suede pads. They sent me the replacements for the headband guides no problem.

Stick some Siemens CCa tubes in there — serious thunder!

I know, ridiculously expensive. I was lucky enough to catch 2 pair for reasonable prices ( ~ $200/pair) pre-Covid. Tube prices had been going up before that, but prices sky-rocketed in 2020.