[Theoman]

order mine on the Aug 22 with two cables xlr for the best amp built Oppo HA-1

 

[vikinguy]

How are the 2.5s?

Mine are fantastic. The stage is massive for a closed back headphone. Everything sounds incredibly sweet. The bass is epic, so well controlled. Excellent texture.

Build is REALLY excellent.

Love em!

Now I want the new bigger xtc open next!

 

[andrewchoppa]

How are the 2.5s?

Bloody sensational-I hope Haha!! I get them 5/9 but I will definitely post my thoughts.

 

[bobbeh]

Mine are fantastic. The stage is massive for a closed back headphone. Everything sounds incredibly sweet. The bass is epic, so well controlled. Excellent texture.

Build is REALLY excellent.

Love em!

Now I want the new bigger xtc op

Im really curious to see how they compare to the standard XTC2s! Might need to upgrade if they really are a big step up!

 

[andrewchoppa]

Ok, well my Euforic 2.5 closed-backs arrived today in Australia, not even 1 week from John sending out from USA!! Tick 1

They were packaged so bloody well and protected with a note from John saying extra protection for Australia (I didn't know if he was talking about Sydney Funnel Webs, Tiger Snakes, angry boxing kangaroos or sharks but that's ok!). Tick 2

They look stunning, come with multiple pads and the cables are AMAZING (I upgraded the cables as recommended and John supplied 4 different pads because of this - very generous!!).. Tick 3

As for sound, well..............I am comparing to my Sendy Peacocks (I LOVE these things for so many reasons - not the most resolving but bloody good all rounders that do so well in many areas (and they weren't a great deal less then the Euforics!) and my beloved Hifiman HE1000 Stealths, which I think are the bees knees!!!!!!!!

I run an Eversolo (as DAC) DMP-A6 streamer into a Sparkos Aries amp and I have a 7-band Douk Audio fully balanced tube EQ. I also have a Geshelli J2 (AKM 4493) into a Eufonika OTC tube amp with Douk EQ again ( 5-band).

Basically, to ruin the story from the start, I think I'm going to repeat what most other reviewers have already said.

These headphones really are bloody top notch! Period. But because they are so resolving, they pick up every nuance whether good OR bad..... Let me explain.

My first song was the eagerly awaited new H.E.A.T album Extra Force. (Swedish hard rock). I was ready to party. I played the first song and thought "Oh.......what's wrong?? These aren't that good. Oh crap, what have I done????". I went to the next song....same........I was thinking "no this can't be right.........." so I then went to my headphone playlist (which I should have done first).

Polyphia's Playing God. OMG!!!!!!!!!! This is one of my favourite reference tracks and after pressing play I went "ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh"".........(insert huge sigh)...this is what I'd hoped for!!!
If you haven't heard of Twilight Force (Symphonic Power metal), check out the piano ballad "The Power of the Ancient Force (Hanna Turi Turi Version)" - this is sublime on these headphones!!! It's an intimate song soundstage-wise with her vocals being right on top of you but hear her breath and listen to every strike of the piano keys - it's an OMG moment.
For bass slam, check out "Dreamer" by Australia's own (Eurovision contestants) Voyager (from Perth). Bass is sublime and everything just works (see - technical term haha!).
Also Harridan by Porcupine Tree really tests headphones that say they slam - these do!

I kept playing my reference tracks and then some of my albums, all streamed at this stage -16 bit 44khz to 24 bit 192 khz.

Every track I played was an "ahhhh" experience with a grin from ear to ear.

I went back to H.E.A.T and realised that it just wasn't a good recording, despite being cd quality. That explained it (thank God!).

I asked John for detail monsters and that is exactly what I got. John called them "Warm but detailed". Throughout our conversations I asked about detail and was it similar to my HEK Stealths and he actually then dialled up the detail a tad more (probably against his better judgement haha). So I guess these are "Warm but VERY detailed".

The result (and I'm not technical but I know exactly what I like) was a superbly detailed, clear, resolving pair of headphones with great timbre across the board (everything does sound natural to me). The bass is HUGE and slamming (so much that I had to pull right back on the tube EQ!), the mids are there and nice but slightly in the background and the treble is there in spades but not in any way sibilant (and that is exactly what I asked for!). They are probably considered slightly V shaped and that is what the Dr. ordered. Soundstage is really great for closed backs imo - I'm amazed. I played the virtual barber shop and I thought the spherical soundstage was as good as my Stealths. I have ab'd a little but not much - not really fair to compare open and closeds. Both are amazing cans in their own right! So Tick bloody 4!

I listened to my only DSD512 album (Vivaldi 4 Seasons Chloe Chua). Every detail, every nuance, every breath, violin pluck was as clear, clean and present. You really could hear everything!

I haven't tried them on the Eufonika/Geshelli yet or the Ifi GoBlu (for night listening upstairs and on planes).

As you can probably tell, I am one very happy customer! Also, as mentioned, this means that any bad recordings are either going to sound awful to you or you'll maybe just appreciate just how resolving these headphones really are. But you WILL hear everything. I'd like to really thank @John Massaria for the entire experience and I genuinely look forward to seeing what he does in the future - it will definitely be an exciting journey!

And yes I know - my photography skills leave an awful lot to be desired!!

 

[phoneslave86]

Ok, well my Euforic 2.5 closed-backs arrived today in Australia, not even 1 week from John sending out from USA!! Tick 1

They were packaged so bloody well and protected with a note from John saying extra protection for Australia (I didn't know if he was talking about Sydney Funnel Webs, Tiger Snakes, angry boxing kangaroos or sharks but that's ok!). Tick 2

They look stunning, come with multiple pads and the cables are AMAZING (I upgraded the cables as recommended and John supplied 4 different pads because of this - very generous!!).. Tick 3

As for sound, well..............I am comparing to my Sendy Peacocks (I LOVE these things for so many reasons - not the most resolving but bloody good all rounders that do so well in many areas (and they weren't a great deal less then the Euforics!) and my beloved Hifiman HE1000 Stealths, which I think are the bees knees!!!!!!!!

I run an Eversolo (as DAC) DMP-A6 streamer into a Sparkos Aries amp and I have a 7-band Douk Audio fully balanced tube EQ. I also have a Geshelli J2 (AKM 4493) into a Eufonika OTC tube amp with Douk EQ again ( 5-band).

Basically, to ruin the story from the start, I think I'm going to repeat what most other reviewers have already said.

These headphones really are bloody top notch! Period. But because they are so resolving, they pick up every nuance whether good OR bad..... Let me explain.

My first song was the eagerly awaited new H.E.A.T album Extra Force. (Swedish hard rock). I was ready to party. I played the first song and thought "Oh.......what's wrong?? These aren't that good. Oh crap, what have I done????". I went to the next song....same........I was thinking "no this can't be right.........." so I then went to my headphone playlist (which I should have done first).

Polyphia's Playing God. OMG!!!!!!!!!! This is one of my favourite reference tracks and after pressing play I went "ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh"".........(insert huge sigh)...this is what I'd hoped for!!!
If you haven't heard of Twilight Force (Symphonic Power metal), check out the piano ballad "The Power of the Ancient Force (Hanna Turi Turi Version)" - this is sublime on these headphones!!! It's an intimate song soundstage-wise with her vocals being right on top of you but hear her breath and listen to every strike of the piano keys - it's an OMG moment.
For bass slam, check out "Dreamer" by Australia's own (Eurovision contestants) Voyager (from Perth). Bass is sublime and everything just works (see - technical term haha!).
Also Harridan by Porcupine Tree really tests headphones that say they slam - these do!

I kept playing my reference tracks and then some of my albums, all streamed at this stage -16 bit 44khz to 24 bit 192 khz.

Every track I played was an "ahhhh" experience with a grin from ear to ear.

I went back to H.E.A.T and realised that it just wasn't a good recording, despite being cd quality. That explained it (thank God!).

I asked John for detail monsters and that is exactly what I got. John called them "Warm but detailed". Throughout our conversations I asked about detail and was it similar to my HEK Stealths and he actually then dialled up the detail a tad more (probably against his better judgement haha). So I guess these are "Warm but VERY detailed".

The result (and I'm not technical but I know exactly what I like) was a superbly detailed, clear, resolving pair of headphones with great timbre across the board (everything does sound natural to me). The bass is HUGE and slamming (so much that I had to pull right back on the tube EQ!), the mids are there and nice but slightly in the background and the treble is there in spades but not in any way sibilant (and that is exactly what I asked for!). They are probably considered slightly V shaped and that is what the Dr. ordered. Soundstage is really great for closed backs imo - I'm amazed. I played the virtual barber shop and I thought the spherical soundstage was as good as my Stealths. I have ab'd a little but not much - not really fair to compare open and closeds. Both are amazing cans in their own right! So Tick bloody 4!

I listened to my only DSD512 album (Vivaldi 4 Seasons Chloe Chua). Every detail, every nuance, every breath, violin pluck was as clear, clean and present. You really could hear everything!

I haven't tried them on the Eufonika/Geshelli yet or the Ifi GoBlu (for night listening upstairs and on planes).

As you can probably tell, I am one very happy customer! Also, as mentioned, this means that any bad recordings are either going to sound awful to you or you'll maybe just appreciate just how resolving these headphones really are. But you WILL hear everything. I'd like to really thank @John Massaria for the entire experience and I genuinely look forward to seeing what he does in the future - it will definitely be an exciting journey!

And yes I know - my photography skills leave an awful lot to be desired!!

Congrats on that! These headphones really are that good. It's hard to believe how good they are. I just assume most people won't believe me. That extra bass adds such nice timbre/tone to so many things in a special kinda way too.

 

[andrewchoppa]

Congrats on that! These headphones really are that good. It's hard to believe how good they are. I just assume most people won't believe me. That extra bass adds such nice timbre/tone to so many things in a special kinda way too.

Thanks man!! Obviously I'm in complete agreement - they are THAT GOOD!!! The detail, bass, soundstage, and (for me) extra treble energy (that I so love in my HE1000 Stealths), just equals a TOTL headphone (and it's a bloody closed back haha!!). I almost bought the Stellias before this when Addicted to Audio had them for $1800 AUD (down from $4500). They're all gone now but I'm SO GLAD I didn't!! I haven't heard them persoanlly (only Utopia 22) and people rave about them but I still will go out on a limb and say I'd put $$ on that these beat them hands down (I've watched a review or 2 that didn't think they were amazingly good), but others did - subjectivity's a bitch haha!!! I am honestly having a difficult time putting them down haha. And by the way, I have removed my EQ from my chain and if anything they are even sounding better (slightly more dynamic, even clearer if that's possible). It might be placebo effect but it's working for me!!

 

[Strayngs]

Thanks man!! Obviously I'm in complete agreement - they are THAT GOOD!!! The detail, bass, soundstage, and (for me) extra treble energy (that I so love in my HE1000 Stealths), just equals a TOTL headphone (and it's a bloody closed back haha!!). I almost bought the Stellias before this when Addicted to Audio had them for $1800 AUD (down from $4500). They're all gone now but I'm SO GLAD I didn't!! I haven't heard them persoanlly (only Utopia 22) and people rave about them but I still will go out on a limb and say I'd put $$ on that these beat them hands down (I've watched a review or 2 that didn't think they were amazingly good), but others did - subjectivity's a bitch haha!!! I am honestly having a difficult time putting them down haha. And by the way, I have removed my EQ from my chain and if anything they are even sounding better (slightly more dynamic, even clearer if that's possible). It might be placebo effect but it's working for me!!

Stellia is garbage compared to the XTC. You lucked out that they were out of stock.

 

[andrewchoppa]

Stellia is garbage compared to the XTC. You lucked out that they were out of stock.

Haha - they were actually in stock when I purchased the XTCs but my heart was going way towards the XTCs. And thanks - that's great to know!! I did actually figure as much.

 

[saMWyz]

I just received the new XTC2 Open and XTC Open Legend edition and compared them to my XTC Closed original. All listening was through the Gustard R26 DAC and Ampsandsound Kenzie Ovation 2. I cleansed my pallet with the ZMF Atrium before listening and in between listening so I could better notice the differences in each headphone. I'm not gonna pretend like I know all the nerdy audiophile lingo. These are just my honest thoughts from an average music listener. I mostly listen to reggae, outlaw country, acoustic, and Tool.

They all sound really amazing! These all have the beryllium drivers and they are super crystal clear. The XTC Open is my favorite all arounder. It's sounds so good with all music and genres. The bass hits almost as hard as the XTC Closed but I can turn the volume up much higher. The XTC Open can be turned all the way up and still sounds perfectly crystal clear. The XTC Open and XTC Closed have an energizing excitement about them. The XTC Closed has the smallest sounstage of the three sets, but is still big in general.
Then the XTC Open has big sounstage and the XTC2 has enormous soundstage. I have never heard soundstage this big in any other headphone. The XTC2 has the same clarity as the others but much wider soundstage. I love the XTC2 for all my acoustic and low quality music. I have a bunch of music that I really love on SoundCloud that would be considered underground Hawaiian reggae and Rub-A-Dub that is not the best quality but sounds great on the XTC2. When i listen to The Green's "Black and White" acoustic album, I can hear where each musician is playing in the studio. I've never really understood how big soundstage can get until I put these on. The XTC2 has a little less bass than the others and is not a bad thing at all. I actually found myself wanting to listen to podcasts on the XTC2 also. The XTC2 has a calm about it. I actually fell asleep to music with the XTC2 on. There is no way I would fall asleep with the XTC Open or Closed on because of the hard hitting bass. I should say that the bass is better on these drivers than any headphone I have ever heard. The bass is as good as my Kanto Tuk speakers in my living room.

I have a smaller than average head and little ears. My ears can fit in each headphone without touching the pads which is super cool in my opinion. The XTC Closed fits my head the best. It has a nice clamp on my head and fits snug. The XTC Open has the next best fit for me. I have been playing around with the metal headband a bit to get a good fit but it has a little less clamp. The XTC2 is the biggest and has the least clamp on my head. I have to slide the headband down to the smallest setting and it has just enough clamp to fit. If it was any bigger it would slide off my head with some movement. It fits comfortably though.

If I was to rank the three headphones for my use, it would be #1 XTC Open, #2 XTC2, and #3 XTC Closed.

The XTC Open and Closed are very similar and the Closed has a purpose when I need to be in a quiet setting and not bothering others. I will definitely use the XTC Closed with my IFI Gryphon portable DAC/Amp while on the go or traveling. While at home I use the XTC Open and XTC2 with the Ampsandsound Kenzie Ovation 2 and they sounds so buttery smooth. They sounds so so so good together.

The build quality of all these headphones are great. They are all solid and I don't feel like any of them will break in anyway down the road. You can easily see a progression of refinement in each headphone. The XTC2 looks top notch. It reminds me of a Sivga or Sendy build but sounds $4,000 more.

This is the best way for me to describe these headphones. These are the best headphones I own and not even close to the price tag of some of my others. These have to be the best price to performance headphones out there. I feel super lucky to find JMEditions headphones before I blew tons of money on other high priced headphones from big companies. I haven't heard all the end game headphones, but they probably can't get too much better than these.

 

[andrewchoppa]

I just received the new XTC2 Open and XTC Open Legend edition and compared them to my XTC Closed original. All listening was through the Gustard R26 DAC and Ampsandsound Kenzie Ovation 2. I cleansed my pallet with the ZMF Atrium before listening and in between listening so I could better notice the differences in each headphone. I'm not gonna pretend like I know all the nerdy audiophile lingo. These are just my honest thoughts from an average music listener. I mostly listen to reggae, outlaw country, acoustic, and Tool.

They all sound really amazing! These all have the beryllium drivers and they are super crystal clear. The XTC Open is my favorite all arounder. It's sounds so good with all music and genres. The bass hits almost as hard as the XTC Closed but I can turn the volume up much higher. The XTC Open can be turned all the way up and still sounds perfectly crystal clear. The XTC Open and XTC Closed have an energizing excitement about them. The XTC Closed has the smallest sounstage of the three sets, but is still big in general.
Then the XTC Open has big sounstage and the XTC2 has enormous soundstage. I have never heard soundstage this big in any other headphone. The XTC2 has the same clarity as the others but much wider soundstage. I love the XTC2 for all my acoustic and low quality music. I have a bunch of music that I really love on SoundCloud that would be considered underground Hawaiian reggae and Rub-A-Dub that is not the best quality but sounds great on the XTC2. When i listen to The Green's "Black and White" acoustic album, I can hear where each musician is playing in the studio. I've never really understood how big soundstage can get until I put these on. The XTC2 has a little less bass than the others and is not a bad thing at all. I actually found myself wanting to listen to podcasts on the XTC2 also. The XTC2 has a calm about it. I actually fell asleep to music with the XTC2 on. There is no way I would fall asleep with the XTC Open or Closed on because of the hard hitting bass. I should say that the bass is better on these drivers than any headphone I have ever heard. The bass is as good as my Kanto Tuk speakers in my living room.

I have a smaller than average head and little ears. My ears can fit in each headphone without touching the pads which is super cool in my opinion. The XTC Closed fits my head the best. It has a nice clamp on my head and fits snug. The XTC Open has the next best fit for me. I have been playing around with the metal headband a bit to get a good fit but it has a little less clamp. The XTC2 is the biggest and has the least clamp on my head. I have to slide the headband down to the smallest setting and it has just enough clamp to fit. If it was any bigger it would slide off my head with some movement. It fits comfortably though.

If I was to rank the three headphones for my use, it would be #1 XTC Open, #2 XTC2, and #3 XTC Closed.

The XTC Open and Closed are very similar and the Closed has a purpose when I need to be in a quiet setting and not bothering others. I will definitely use the XTC Closed with my IFI Gryphon portable DAC/Amp while on the go or traveling. While at home I use the XTC Open and XTC2 with the Ampsandsound Kenzie Ovation 2 and they sounds so buttery smooth. They sounds so so so good together.

The build quality of all these headphones are great. They are all solid and I don't feel like any of them will break in anyway down the road. You can easily see a progression of refinement in each headphone. The XTC2 looks top notch. It reminds me of a Sivga or Sendy build but sounds $4,000 more.

This is the best way for me to describe these headphones. These are the best headphones I own and not even close to the price tag of some of my others. These have to be the best price to performance headphones out there. I feel super lucky to find JMEditions headphones before I blew tons of money on other high priced headphones from big companies. I haven't heard all the end game headphones, but they probably can't get too much better than these.

Damn you man!!!! To hell with you I say!! Are you saying I now need a pair of XTC opens too?????????????
What will the wife say??? Divorce no doubt.......

 

[Ateefi]

I just received the new XTC2 Open and XTC Open Legend edition and compared them to my XTC Closed original. All listening was through the Gustard R26 DAC and Ampsandsound Kenzie Ovation 2. I cleansed my pallet with the ZMF Atrium before listening and in between listening so I could better notice the differences in each headphone. I'm not gonna pretend like I know all the nerdy audiophile lingo. These are just my honest thoughts from an average music listener. I mostly listen to reggae, outlaw country, acoustic, and Tool.

They all sound really amazing! These all have the beryllium drivers and they are super crystal clear. The XTC Open is my favorite all arounder. It's sounds so good with all music and genres. The bass hits almost as hard as the XTC Closed but I can turn the volume up much higher. The XTC Open can be turned all the way up and still sounds perfectly crystal clear. The XTC Open and XTC Closed have an energizing excitement about them. The XTC Closed has the smallest sounstage of the three sets, but is still big in general.
Then the XTC Open has big sounstage and the XTC2 has enormous soundstage. I have never heard soundstage this big in any other headphone. The XTC2 has the same clarity as the others but much wider soundstage. I love the XTC2 for all my acoustic and low quality music. I have a bunch of music that I really love on SoundCloud that would be considered underground Hawaiian reggae and Rub-A-Dub that is not the best quality but sounds great on the XTC2. When i listen to The Green's "Black and White" acoustic album, I can hear where each musician is playing in the studio. I've never really understood how big soundstage can get until I put these on. The XTC2 has a little less bass than the others and is not a bad thing at all. I actually found myself wanting to listen to podcasts on the XTC2 also. The XTC2 has a calm about it. I actually fell asleep to music with the XTC2 on. There is no way I would fall asleep with the XTC Open or Closed on because of the hard hitting bass. I should say that the bass is better on these drivers than any headphone I have ever heard. The bass is as good as my Kanto Tuk speakers in my living room.

I have a smaller than average head and little ears. My ears can fit in each headphone without touching the pads which is super cool in my opinion. The XTC Closed fits my head the best. It has a nice clamp on my head and fits snug. The XTC Open has the next best fit for me. I have been playing around with the metal headband a bit to get a good fit but it has a little less clamp. The XTC2 is the biggest and has the least clamp on my head. I have to slide the headband down to the smallest setting and it has just enough clamp to fit. If it was any bigger it would slide off my head with some movement. It fits comfortably though.

If I was to rank the three headphones for my use, it would be #1 XTC Open, #2 XTC2, and #3 XTC Closed.

The XTC Open and Closed are very similar and the Closed has a purpose when I need to be in a quiet setting and not bothering others. I will definitely use the XTC Closed with my IFI Gryphon portable DAC/Amp while on the go or traveling. While at home I use the XTC Open and XTC2 with the Ampsandsound Kenzie Ovation 2 and they sounds so buttery smooth. They sounds so so so good together.

The build quality of all these headphones are great. They are all solid and I don't feel like any of them will break in anyway down the road. You can easily see a progression of refinement in each headphone. The XTC2 looks top notch. It reminds me of a Sivga or Sendy build but sounds $4,000 more.

This is the best way for me to describe these headphones. These are the best headphones I own and not even close to the price tag of some of my others. These have to be the best price to performance headphones out there. I feel super lucky to find JMEditions headphones before I blew tons of money on other high priced headphones from big companies. I haven't heard all the end game headphones, but they probably can't get too much better than these.

Just out of curiosity, did you ever consider one with a bio wool driver just for different sound signature or is there enough difference between each JM iteration with beryllium to warrant purchasing each?

 

[Zhon]

Just in from John during our exchange about my XTC re-tune to a slight W shaped signature:

"I am now applying a new technique for all new xtcs which makes them even more efficient and fluid like water being turned up full flow - both if your drivers image better with pin point accuracy as a result"

"I'm more than excited I’m amped up at what this does to further my creations and tunings. It’s like a 3.0 upgrade - like a new headphone. And if any old customers want to send me their headphones postage paid by the customer, I will upgrade their headphones as well with this new technology, so I leave no old Headphone XTC owners behind. And I have to apologize. I am sorry for innovating new techniques that improve so rapidly but this is how my brain works. It’s always trying to improve always trying to make the headphones better and better and when there is an improvement, I’m going to release it not just for the new customers but all my old customers. This applies to any original owners only for this new technology."

I will share impressions when they get here next Wednesday/Thursday

 

[KOM66]

Just in from John during our exchange about my XTC re-tune to a slight W shaped signature:

"I am now applying a new technique for all new xtcs which makes them even more efficient and fluid like water being turned up full flow - both if your drivers image better with pin point accuracy as a result"

"I'm more than excited I’m amped up at what this does to further my creations and tunings. It’s like a 3.0 upgrade - like a new headphone. And if any old customers want to send me their headphones postage paid by the customer, I will upgrade their headphones as well with this new technology, so I leave no old Headphone XTC owners behind. And I have to apologize. I am sorry for innovating new techniques that improve so rapidly but this is how my brain works. It’s always trying to improve always trying to make the headphones better and better and when there is an improvement, I’m going to release it not just for the new customers but all my old customers. This applies to any original owners only for this new technology."

I will share impressions and maybe write a review about this whole process when they get here next Wednesday/Thursday

Well I have 4 JM XTC headphones so curious on how the new technique will improve already great headphones...

 

[UberHaxorMarty]

Well I might be down sometime in the future to send all 3 of my JM headphones for upgrades in one big box for cheap postage. For now I'm good to wait since I'm happy with all of them as they are, and I want to minimize spending while I pay off my new car as fast as possible (6% loan is not something I want to have for more than 2 years). Maybe I can drive down to New York and pay for JM tuning on my car speakers