Hi all, long time lurker here. First of all, thank you to everyone who have contributed here and also in other threads about the Ether Flow. After hesitation for a long time, I finally pulled the trigger for a Ether Flow. I feel compelled to also contribute after receiving it last Monday. I am no expert nor audiophile so please pardon any inappropriate wordings...
A bit of background:
I've been using the Concero HP for all my DAC/amp duty connecting to my laptop. Good open headphones wise, I had the Alpha padded Hifiman HE500 first and then moved on to the Audeze LCD-X. Due to the heavy weight and somewhat congested sound, I eventually moved on to the Sennheiser HD800S with which I really enjoy the clarify, soundstage, etc. However, I do miss how hard the bass hit on the LCD-X and a bit more intimacy/closeness for some music. So...in comes the planar magnetic (once again) Ether Flow...
I am at the 80~ hours point of burn in and here are some notes:
- I wear glasses, and whether my glasses lift the pads a bit or not wearing them, doesn't seem to change the sound much
- Comfortable to wear. The headphones fit snuggly around the ears, like having gloves around them, instead of having a giant ring and then air around your ears with the HD800S. that had always felt a bit weird for me
- It is important to tighten the screws on the clip that connect the leather headband to maintain a good fit
- yes! I can wear this all day unlike the LCD-X
More about the sound:
- I feel there is more obvious difference in sound in before-after burn in with the Ether Flow than others I've owned, YMMV
- there was a brief period between 20-30 hours where I felt I can't listen to the headphones. Like it was veiled and this wall of sound. Hard to describe but it was definitely irritating or fatigue'ing... lol
- all of the sound properties were there at the beginning but everything had improved at this point, as if there is just more clarity
- I am very satisfied with the bass such that I don't miss the LCD-X anymore. Ether flow hits hard and quick and rumbles plenty, though LCD-X still has that sub-bass for tracks that have them
- the soundstage width does sit somewhat between LCD-X and HD800S but weird is that I find that I can somehow tell an instrument just sits further back... so the depth is good(?) but may have to do with the next point
- the instrument separation is comparable to HD800S, but I find each sound is a bit more holographic on the Ether Flow that makes each instrument more noticeable and I feel inclined to listen to each
- I listen to a lot of vocals and I don't find the voice ever getting lost in instruments
- There is this "sweetness" in the overall sound, even in songs that are very exciting and dynamic
- The difference in volume in each track seems more apparent with Ether Flow such that I am tweaking my volume up and down more often than ever
That's my 2 cents. Sorry it's a little long and if I misuse any terms. I sincerely hope this helps anyone thinking about the Ether Flow.