[franz12]

Regarding E2 fit, to make a long story short the reason some people find the fit to clamp hard but many if not most others don't has everything to do with the shape of the skull around your ear and the shape and size of the ear hole. The majority of users find the pad as designed to be comfortable, but for some the default pad fits such that it feels harder and as if there is a bit more clamp than there really is. If extra clamp affects you, there will be a solution!

I am not going to give full details until our patent filing is complete, but we will shortly be announcing a new series of pads for ETHER 2 with some interesting new technology. This has actually been part of the plan since day 1, it just took a bit longer to work through production than we thought.

First, the default pad will NOT change and ETHER 2 will continue to ship exactly as it is. However, there will be several optional pad choices that will be available for those who want a softer fit, different materials, or different voicing. The pads will be easily interchangeable with a very light, very compact mounting system that allows for pad swapping.

That's my tease. As soon as the patent is filed we'll say more. The pads will be shipping within 2-3 months, are 100% backwards compatible, your original pads will be re-usable, and there will be 2-3 new pad flavors and they will be easy to swap so you can have a flexible, comfortable listening experience.

I won't say more for now, so don't ask...

Dan, my understanding is that the headband is easily replaceable by an end user. Consider to sell or exchange a headband with a less clamping force for folks who happened to born with a larger head.

 

[Deezel177]

I'm noticing a pretty strong trend of professional reviewers almost universally claiming the comfort is excellent on E2, and on the private consumer side it seems to be more of a straight 50/50 split between those who think it's fine and those who can't seem to make it work.

I thought my LCD-2 were unwearable when I got them. The pain on my face was almost surreal, but over time and after learning how to position them correctly I adapted. To be fair I also bent the headband to reduce the clamping force some, but they're still prtty vice-like compared to other headphones I have owned. Could it be that the pressure points from the new pivot geometry on E2 are a little different and people just aren't giving it enough time to adapt?

I know Dan mentioned the stiffer pads are for sound quality reasons, but ultimately it's a combination of the pads and the cup mounting/pivot mechanism and how it distributes the force that decides the overall comfort.

I stated in my review that I was personally not a fan of how far the E2 had to stretch to fit my head, as well as the clamping force and pad thickness relative to Dan's other headphones. But, I'm glad to hear about the new pads and I hope they solve those issues effectively.

 

[dan3952]

I definitely got that as well. Great for acoustic, but mid-bass sounds off when it comes to hard-driven guitars and drum-intensive tracks. One of my test tracks was "Alive" on the Redux version of Ten, and it really brought out that shortcoming.

Thank you for your feedback. I had tried the Ether 1 briefly at my local retailer, with soft rock and acoustic music and nothing like Led Zeppelin. Perhaps I hadn't listened in enough detail, as the old model may now be available at a discount. I am sorry to hear that the Ether 2 is such a disappointment. The large, heavy, and cheaper Audeze LCD-X had been my open back pick for hard rock. I don't even like my Focal Clears for hard rock (though they are unbeatable for detail with acoustic guitars, pianos, cymbals, and strings), and use a much cheaper Shure SRH1540 closed back for rock music. I sacrifice upper midrange and treble detail in the process. The latter cans, have so much bass, that I EQ it down. Drums and bass guitars really slam, and the sound stage is good too. I could not believe what I was able to get for $330.

I will test Alive with both of my headphones.

 

[phthora]

Thank you for your feedback. I had tried the Ether 1 briefly at my local retailer, with soft rock and acoustic music and nothing like Led Zeppelin. Perhaps I hadn't listened in enough detail, as the old model may now be available at a discount. I am sorry to hear that the Ether 2 is such a disappointment. The large, heavy, and cheaper Audeze LCD-X had been my open back pick for hard rock. I don't even like my Focal Clears for hard rock (though they are unbeatable for detail with acoustic guitars, pianos, cymbals, and strings), and use a much cheaper Shure SRH1540 closed back for rock music. I sacrifice upper midrange and treble detail in the process. The latter cans, have so much bass, that I EQ it down. Drums and bass guitars really slam, and the sound stage is good too. I could not believe what I was able to get for $330.

I will test Alive with both of my headphones.

The Shure 1540/1840 definitely don't seem to get the attention that I would expect. I've always wondered why that is. I think the Clear sounds great with hard rock, but I'm guessing you find it bass light? If so, it's hard to argue with that. The X is certainly a more satisfying listen when you want some real weight to things. I hope you get a chance to hear the E2. I may be wrong about them, I want to be wrong about them. I cannot completely rule out a faulty or damaged pair (since they weren't my own). For that matter, I will have to give them a second listen.

 

[FangJoker]

The E2 sounds great with metal to me. It could be that my source pairs well with it. But I am looking at the LP and some other amps to use with other genres of music. I like these more than the Utopia, clear, 800s, and LCD4.

 

[FangJoker]

I think a slightly softer pad might be better for use with glasses for me. Clamp force is ok. I have an average sized head and it's oval and not wide

 

[dan3952]

The Shure 1540/1840 definitely don't seem to get the attention that I would expect. I've always wondered why that is. I think the Clear sounds great with hard rock, but I'm guessing you find it bass light? If so, it's hard to argue with that. The X is certainly a more satisfying listen when you want some real weight to things. I hope you get a chance to hear the E2. I may be wrong about them, I want to be wrong about them. I cannot completely rule out a faulty or damaged pair (since they weren't my own). For that matter, I will have to give them a second listen.

I've been listening to some remastered, Master quality ZZ Top, and I am 50/50: the Shures sound better for half of the tracks, and the Clears sound better for the other half.

Led Zeppelin, for loud tracks like Black Dog, Kashmir, and Whole Lotta Love (the last one containing perhaps one of the loudest bass guitar riffs ever recorded), I preferred the Shures for reproducing mid and low bass. As for Rolling Stones's Street Fighting Man, the amount of detail was jaw dropping with stringed instruments, when using the Clears. I preferred how drums, bass guitars, and distorted electric guitars sounded on the Shures. Acoustic guitars sounded good on both, but with a bit more detail when using the the Clears. Drums just "slam" with the Shures. I think it's an open back vs. closed back thing. There's more expensive closed back headphones that would have more detail overall than the Shures, and good bass (like perhaps the LCD-2C).

I call the SRH1540 "rock and roller" cans. They are DJ grade utilitarian: they are built like a tank, have a small case, and come with a plain looking cable. Manufacturers of phones that go for over a $1000 seem to be concerned with keeping up appearances: those come with a bigger case and more packaging than is necessary, and frilly looking cables.

You may want to compare the SRH1540 and SRH1840 Inner Fidelity data sheets: the Mylar driver used in the latter model has distortion that is unacceptably high to me below 800 Hz, I can hear it when it's over 1%. The former has its own driver that isn't used in any other headphone.

 

[S-O8]

Your ears, my ears

...and E2 is (for me) a nice laid-back alternative. All comes down to individual preferences.

You mention positive comparisons w/ PM-2; how do the E2 & PM-2 stages compare? (3d staging is a huge part of E2 appeal for me.)

Ether 2 is a lot better. You feel really involved. Oppo is a similar kind of sound (I suppose it would be given it is also a Planar) but hasn't the depth of the E2.

 

[thebkt]

Regarding E2 fit, to make a long story short the reason some people find the fit to clamp hard but many if not most others don't has everything to do with the shape of the skull around your ear and the shape and size of the ear hole. The majority of users find the pad as designed to be comfortable, but for some the default pad fits such that it feels harder and as if there is a bit more clamp than there really is. If extra clamp affects you, there will be a solution!

I am not going to give full details until our patent filing is complete, but we will shortly be announcing a new series of pads for ETHER 2 with some interesting new technology. This has actually been part of the plan since day 1, it just took a bit longer to work through production than we thought.

First, the default pad will NOT change and ETHER 2 will continue to ship exactly as it is. However, there will be several optional pad choices that will be available for those who want a softer fit, different materials, or different voicing. The pads will be easily interchangeable with a very light, very compact mounting system that allows for pad swapping.

That's my tease. As soon as the patent is filed we'll say more. The pads will be shipping within 2-3 months, are 100% backwards compatible, your original pads will be re-usable, and there will be 2-3 new pad flavors and they will be easy to swap so you can have a flexible, comfortable listening experience.

I won't say more for now, so don't ask...

Awesome news. But one request that begs no immediate response would be to ensure that there's an option for big eared folks like myself. It would be great to have an option similar to the e-stat pad for ether 1. Personally my ears just fit in my aeons and didn't with the standard ether pads. The option of the e-stat pad sealed the deal for me, as I otherwise wouldn't have been able to live with the standard pad for extended periods.

 

[Xcalibur255]

I stated in my review that I was personally not a fan of how far the E2 had to stretch to fit my head, as well as the clamping force and pad thickness relative to Dan's other headphones. But, I'm glad to hear about the new pads and I hope they solve those issues effectively.

Right you are. I shouldn't make such blanket statements without thinking about it I suppose.

Your review is also the single most useful review I have seen on the headphone. You touch on technical aspects of sound that most people don't and I think it lends a much deeper perspective.

 

[TMRaven]

I don't find the Ether2 to be an uncomfortable headphone, just not as comfortable ear-side as the Aeon Open. I'd still put them up as like an 8/10 or 9/10 in comfort overall though. I find both the Aeon Open and Ether2 to give me a small hotspot on my head after about an hour. The only headphones I've found that haven't given me a hotspot have been the HE-560, HD650, and AD700. If optional, larger suspension straps were an option too, I'd be all for that.

To add to comfort, if another pair of pads were made softer, I think they'd also have to be deeper as well, so they don't compress to the point of one's ears touching the foam over the driver.

 

[CoFire]

The Shure 1540/1840 definitely don't seem to get the attention that I would expect. I've always wondered why that is. I think the Clear sounds great with hard rock, but I'm guessing you find it bass light? If so, it's hard to argue with that. The X is certainly a more satisfying listen when you want some real weight to things. I hope you get a chance to hear the E2. I may be wrong about them, I want to be wrong about them. I cannot completely rule out a faulty or damaged pair (since they weren't my own). For that matter, I will have to give them a second listen.

For what it's worth, the E2 pair in question was sent back to Mr. Speakers, tested and deemed to sound as designed. So it can be ruled out as a potentially faulty pair. It sounds as designed.

 

[phthora]

For what it's worth, the E2 pair in question was sent back to Mr. Speakers, tested and deemed to sound as designed. So it can be ruled out as a potentially faulty pair. It sounds as designed.

Well, that's disappointing. Time to unsub and look into the Arya...

 

[S-O8]

Bass is really, really nice to be fair. Only my Sony Z1R have more and that is not 'real' in comparison but I do like it.

That is compared to the following btw : Grado PS500e, GS1000e, Oppo PM-2, PM-3, Focal Utopia and Clear, Sony Z1R.

 

[JerkChicken]

i find them to be my most comfortable pair out of my current and past heaphones. The clamp is just right for my head and doesn't feel like its going to fall off. The worst clamp force i've experienced was the HD660s and on the other end of the spectrum, my th900 mk2 felt like it was going to fall off if i made any sudden movements.

I wear these 6-8 hours a day almost every day and i can't wait to experiment with some new pads.