[Steve Wilcox]

I love my Ether 2s, but the synthetic ear pads (I replaced the stock synthetic perforated leather with synthetic suede) look and feel cheap and nasty compared to my ZMF and Audeze leather pads. I wonder if anyone has found any leather pads that work with the E2s or whether Dan has considered coming up with a leather option?

 

[freelancr]

I love my Ether 2s, but the synthetic ear pads (I replaced the stock synthetic perforated leather with synthetic suede) look and feel cheap and nasty compared to my ZMF and Audeze leather pads. I wonder if anyone has found any leather pads that work with the E2s or whether Dan has considered coming up with a leather option?

I had the exact same issue. Funny. Here's how I fixed it.

DIY sheepskin leather earpad replacement for 35$.​

You need thin double sided tape. Got this from Amazon DE: Amazon.de 1
The good thing about this tape is that one side has strong and the other side weak adhesive power. So removing the leather pads later is easy.

I ordered these sheepskin earpads: Angled sheepskin Round earpad 100mm for Siberia for Beyerdynamic Headphones Ear Pads Premium Leather Perforated Soft Memory Foam|Earphone Accessories| - AliExpress 1
To my surprise they have the exact same measurements as the original Dan Clark pads. Even the declining thickness is perfect.

Assembly is super easy. Cut several thin tape strips and stick them on the pad rim with the strong glue side. The weak side has just enough strength to hold the pads in the cup.

Now I can even hear sheep bleat praises to the Ether 2s if the track is mastered well.

 

[milkdudd]

Very impressive, where there's a will there's a way. The only sound signature I know is with the perforated pads. How does it sound with your mod compared to them?

 

[freelancr]

Very impressive, where there's a will there's a way. The only sound signature I know is with the perforated pads. How does it sound with your mod compared to them?

My sonic memory is very short. As far as i can tell it's the same as with the faux leather pads.

 

[milkdudd]

My sonic memory is very short. As far as i can tell it's the same as with the faux leather pads.

Yes I understand, unless I switch back and forth quickly it's tough to judge differences. What's the big difference, improved comfort or a better seal because that's important too. Thanks

 

[freelancr]

Yes I understand, unless I switch back and forth quickly it's tough to judge differences. What's the big difference, improved comfort or a better seal because that's important too. Thanks

For me it's simply that I dislike synthetic materials on my skin. My couch at home is also real leather. Especially in the summertime when sweating comes into play. Leather just feels and smells better.

 

[Steve Wilcox]

I had the exact same issue. Funny. Here's how I fixed it.

DIY sheepskin leather earpad replacement for 35$.​

You need thin double sided tape. Got this from Amazon DE: Amazon.de 1
The good thing about this tape is that one side has strong and the other side weak adhesive power. So removing the leather pads later is easy.

I ordered these sheepskin earpads: Angled sheepskin Round earpad 100mm for Siberia for Beyerdynamic Headphones Ear Pads Premium Leather Perforated Soft Memory Foam|Earphone Accessories| - AliExpress 1
To my surprise they have the exact same measurements as the original Dan Clark pads. Even the declining thickness is perfect.

Assembly is super easy. Cut several thin tape strips and stick them on the pad rim with the strong glue side. The weak side has just enough strength to hold the pads in the cup.

Now I can even hear sheep bleat praises to the Ether 2s if the track is mastered well.

That's super helpful. Thank you so much. Photos and links too!

I've ordered both items and I'll post with my impressions in due course.

I had been thinking of trying some ZMF lamb skin Universe pads that I don't use as they look to be a similar size and shape to the E2 faux suede pads. I could still try this if these pads have a detrimental impact on sound.

 

[Steve Wilcox]

I had the exact same issue. Funny. Here's how I fixed it.

DIY sheepskin leather earpad replacement for 35$.​

You need thin double sided tape. Got this from Amazon DE: Amazon.de 1
The good thing about this tape is that one side has strong and the other side weak adhesive power. So removing the leather pads later is easy.

I ordered these sheepskin earpads: Angled sheepskin Round earpad 100mm for Siberia for Beyerdynamic Headphones Ear Pads Premium Leather Perforated Soft Memory Foam|Earphone Accessories| - AliExpress 1
To my surprise they have the exact same measurements as the original Dan Clark pads. Even the declining thickness is perfect.

Assembly is super easy. Cut several thin tape strips and stick them on the pad rim with the strong glue side. The weak side has just enough strength to hold the pads in the cup.

Now I can even hear sheep bleat praises to the Ether 2s if the track is mastered well.

I received my 'Siberia' pads today and have tried them out. The sticky tape I ordered from the link seems to be single sided only so i used a kid's glue stick - very mild stuff that just rubs off if need be. You don't need a strong glue as the pads are being pushed into the headphones when you wear them - you just need enough so they don't fall off when you're not using them.

The pads fit quite nicely. There's about 1-2 mm to spare around the edge but they look very neat.

Comfort and feel wise I find them to be an improvement. Slightly softer than the Ether 2 synthetic pads but still a little pressure on the area behind my ears. The leather just feels so much nicer than the synthetic stuff.

Soundwise, I feel there is bit of a dip. The base is a little more hard hitting, more visceral like my LCD 2s, but there's also a bit of a veil and they are less linear. Not as silky smooth, less ethereal, than the faux suede Ether 2 pads.

I thought that while I'm at it I'd try some ZMF perforated Lamb Skin Universe pads that came as an extra with my Auteurs. They are a little too big so they kind of bulge out of the Ether 2s and I'm not sure how well they'll stick long term. They offer much the same advantages as the 'siberia' pads in terms of feel and comfort. However, I'm liking the sound of these more than both the siberias and the Ether 2 synthetic pads. There's none of that veil the siberias have. They are very linear and, I think, have a better soundstage than the Ether 2 synthetic pads. The music really seems to come alive with these pads.

I should stress that these are very much first impressions. But for now, the Universe pads have given my Ether 2s a new lease of life and I'm a happy bunny.

 

[luiscesar]

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

 

[searchingtom]

Hi. Make sure you get the latest model as some of the early units had issues. I use a Naim Uniti Atom Headphone Edition into a Feliks Audio Anniversary Edition Euforia. Simply sublime. I mostly listen to string quartets, jazz vocals and trumpet music, some mild rock.

 

[matts19]

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.

VC is supposed to have big macro dynamics and a bit more treble energy than E2. VC is also said to have aggressive sound. This sounds contradictory to your explanation which says that VC is smoother. Would you elaborate more on the differences ? I'm just looking for laid back listening without getting fatigued - if you had to choose ONE, which one would you say gives less listening fatigue ? Thanks.

 

[LCMusicLover]

VC is supposed to have big macro dynamics and a bit more treble energy than E2. VC is also said to have aggressive sound. This sounds contradictory to your explanation which says that VC is smoother. Would you elaborate more on the differences ? I'm just looking for laid back listening without getting fatigued - if you had to choose ONE, which one would you say gives less listening fatigue ? Thanks.

< butting in >
I consider my E2 to be my smoothest set -- out of HEKse, Utopia, Auteur, Hedd, E2 -- by a fair margin. They get all of my headtime at night. Can't help you vs VC though.
< /butting in >

 

[Steve Wilcox]

< butting in >
I consider my E2 to be my smoothest set -- out of HEKse, Utopia, Auteur, Hedd, E2 -- by a fair margin. They get all of my headtime at night. Can't help you vs VC though.
< /butting in >

I have both the Ether 2s and the Verite Closed. They're both fantastic headphones and I honestly couldn't pick one over the other as my favourite. But for what you're after, I'd say the E2s are marginally less fatigueing. Their lightness and openness also helps with long listening sessions. That said, I've had problems with comfort. It took me a long while to stretch out the nitonol headband to reduce the clamp force and I don't like any of the E2 synthetic pads. I recently started using ZMF perforated Lamb Skin Universe pads on the E2s which are not a perfect fit but have elevated both comfort and sound considerably. I really wish Dan would make some decent leather pads for these cans.

Or, you could save youself a lot of money by getting the ZMF Auteurs which are perhaps a little less resolving than the E2s and VCs but are just so 'right' in every way, and to my ears, not inferior.

 

[jarnopp]

I received my 'Siberia' pads today and have tried them out. The sticky tape I ordered from the link seems to be single sided only so i used a kid's glue stick - very mild stuff that just rubs off if need be. You don't need a strong glue as the pads are being pushed into the headphones when you wear them - you just need enough so they don't fall off when you're not using them.

The pads fit quite nicely. There's about 1-2 mm to spare around the edge but they look very neat.

Comfort and feel wise I find them to be an improvement. Slightly softer than the Ether 2 synthetic pads but still a little pressure on the area behind my ears. The leather just feels so much nicer than the synthetic stuff.

Soundwise, I feel there is bit of a dip. The base is a little more hard hitting, more visceral like my LCD 2s, but there's also a bit of a veil and they are less linear. Not as silky smooth, less ethereal, than the faux suede Ether 2 pads.

I thought that while I'm at it I'd try some ZMF perforated Lamb Skin Universe pads that came as an extra with my Auteurs. They are a little too big so they kind of bulge out of the Ether 2s and I'm not sure how well they'll stick long term. They offer much the same advantages as the 'siberia' pads in terms of feel and comfort. However, I'm liking the sound of these more than both the siberias and the Ether 2 synthetic pads. There's none of that veil the siberias have. They are very linear and, I think, have a better soundstage than the Ether 2 synthetic pads. The music really seems to come alive with these pads.

I should stress that these are very much first impressions. But for now, the Universe pads have given my Ether 2s a new lease of life and I'm a happy bunny.

A lot of pad rolling for tuning. I’d settled on the stock velour pads for their sweetness, even though they were really dark. We’ll, Chord Mojo 2 landed and has “UHD” DSP and you can tune the sound. I’m listening now and it seems to retain the sweetness but also provides a more neutral/Hartman curve. Here is the adjustment curve applied by Mojo 2:

 

[matts19]

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.