[M Coupe]

Hey- I have had my Ether C's for a couple weeks.  I bought them from Mr. Speakers rep at Canlanta rep directly with the DUM cable.  I bought them after auditioning the Ether 1 year earlier.  They had gotten into my head and I couldn't quite shake my memory of them. At the time, I listened to them from my AK240 to my HUGO to my WA6SE and it was amazing.  I had my own LCD's to compare to and while I loved the LCDs the Ethers had some etherial (sorry had to use that word) sound that I couldn't shake.  
 
1 observation- like my Shure KSE1500s, the Ethers seem to have synergy with a warmer source.  I have changed my tubes on my WA6SE and it is perfect.  I upgraded my AK240 to the Sony ZX2 and the more musical nature of the Sony seems a better fit.  I still have my HUGO and MOJO but the lower powered ZX2 has such a great sound straight to the ethers that I don't bother most of the time. It seems like the more neutral leaning Ether C's work well with a warmer source. Caveat- I normally like the euphonic sound of tubes or warmer solid state.  
 
1 question-  When I slide the the cups towards the back so the cup has more free room at the back of the ear, my bass response goes up nearly 2x.  All else is about the same.  It makes me wonder if the lighter bass response has more to do with the ear pads?  I don't really miss the bass of the LCDs given all the other pluses of the ether but I do prefer the sound when Push the phones further back. 
 
Thanks!

 

[defbear]

Hey- I have had my Ether C's for a couple weeks.  I bought them from Mr. Speakers rep at Canlanta rep directly with the DUM cable.  I bought them after auditioning the Ether 1 year earlier.  They had gotten into my head and I couldn't quite shake my memory of them. At the time, I listened to them from my AK240 to my HUGO to my WA6SE and it was amazing.  I had my own LCD's to compare to and while I loved the LCDs the Ethers had some etherial (sorry had to use that word) sound that I couldn't shake.  

1 observation- like my Shure KSE1500s, the Ethers seem to have synergy with a warmer source.  I have changed my tubes on my WA6SE and it is perfect.  I upgraded my AK240 to the Sony ZX2 and the more musical nature of the Sony seems a better fit.  I still have my HUGO and MOJO but the lower powered ZX2 has such a great sound straight to the ethers that I don't bother most of the time. It seems like the more neutral leaning Ether C's work well with a warmer source. Caveat- I normally like the euphonic sound of tubes or warmer solid state.  

1 question-  When I slide the the cups towards the back so the cup has more free room at the back of the ear, my bass response goes up nearly 2x.  All else is about the same.  It makes me wonder if the lighter bass response has more to do with the ear pads?  I don't really miss the bass of the LCDs given all the other pluses of the ether but I do prefer the sound when Push the phones further back. 

Thanks!

I do the same sometimes. In my experience with this and other headphones is, that if you get the driver closer to your ear, the bass response increases. I know flatter pads are available, I'm going to try a set.

 

[Delayeed]

I just tried removing the black foam behind the earpads (left in the white pad) just to see what would happen hmm. I think I liked it for like few minutes, it opened the high frequencies up maybe also a slight soundstage improvement and more detailed sounding but slightly too analytical sounding for me. Might work for somebody its worth trying out

 

[sunneebear]

  Now you've flipped me.  Don't recall whether he was talking about the O or C.   But for me personally the harder to drive the better.  Have amps that I believe can match the load.   What is important is that Dan holds to the C's have excellent scaling which is exactly what I want.  Don't question they sound very good in the foothills, but am more interested in what they do, so to speak, above the clouds.    Got hope that the First Watt may get 'em there. 
 
gl

 
I would assume it would sound really good because it is already really good out of the ACA.
 

 

[tretneo]

Just received my Ether C 1.1 and like others have said, they are extremely comfortable. They are on par with, if not better than, my HE-560s which I commonly wear for 3+ hours at a time without issue. The LCD-X (which I will likely be sending back to Audeze) is like a torture device by comparison.
 
They do seem bass light after listening to the LCD-X for a week or so, I may have to try the tuning pads to see if I can get a bit more bass. Does anyone have any experience/advice to share?

 

[Delayeed]

  Just received my Ether C 1.1 and like others have said, they are extremely comfortable. They are on par with, if not better than, my HE-560s which I commonly wear for 3+ hours at a time without issue. The LCD-X (which I will likely be sending back to Audeze) is like a torture device by comparison.
 
They do seem bass light after listening to the LCD-X for a week or so, I may have to try the tuning pads to see if I can get a bit more bass. Does anyone have any experience/advice to share?

I see you have a Chord Mojo. Are you running the Ether C from it?

I find 1 black pad is quite a good sound as it makes the bass appear louder but to me damps the highs and details too much.
The Ether C also burn in for 100-200 hours which will make the bass come up in level (although personally didn't percieve much of a difference) 

Anyway the bass on the Ether C is slightly below neutral so give it time and let your brain burn in.

 

[defbear]

Just received my Ether C 1.1 and like others have said, they are extremely comfortable. They are on par with, if not better than, my HE-560s which I commonly wear for 3+ hours at a time without issue. The LCD-X (which I will likely be sending back to Audeze) is like a torture device by comparison.

They do seem bass light after listening to the LCD-X for a week or so, I may have to try the tuning pads to see if I can get a bit more bass. Does anyone have any experience/advice to share?

Yes, I was almost dissapointed when I first plugged them in. They need 200 hours of 'break in' to start sounding their best. The bass, soundstage and everything else arrives with use. I let my Pono Player burn them in playing every bass heavy thing in my collection. I would let them play for 12 hours and then check on the sound. I also played every bass heavy dance / trance track from Amazon music. After 100 hours I could tell a difference. After 200 hours, I was like 'Oh, that's what everyone is talking about'.

 

[tretneo]

Yes, I was almost dissapointed when I first plugged them in. They need 200 hours of 'break in' to start sounding their best. The bass, soundstage and everything else arrives with use. I let my Pono Player burn them in playing every bass heavy thing in my collection. I would let them play for 12 hours and then check on the sound. I also played every bass heavy dance / trance track from Amazon music. After 100 hours I could tell a difference. After 200 hours, I was like 'Oh, that's what everyone is talking about'.

 
Good to know, thanks. Will work on breaking them in.

 

[buke9]

Yes break in is essential for these cans even if you don't believe in it. They will get better.

 

[tretneo]

  I see you have a Chord Mojo. Are you running the Ether C from it?

I find 1 black pad is quite a good sound as it makes the bass appear louder but to me damps the highs and details too much.
The Ether C also burn in for 100-200 hours which will make the bass come up in level (although personally didn't percieve much of a difference) 

Anyway the bass on the Ether C is slightly below neutral so give it time and let your brain burn in.

 
The longer I listen the more I'm hearing the bass come through. Coming from several days with the LCD-X it was almost like there was no bass to speak of.

 

[Kermy]

Just got my Ether C's from Brian at Razordog! Audio (great shop btw) and was admiring the cups when I wondered...has anyone ever thought of putting clear wrap on top of the cups to protect it from scratches and dings? Every time my wedding ring clicks against the cups I wince...

 

[greenkiwi]

   
The longer I listen the more I'm hearing the bass come through. Coming from several days with the LCD-X it was almost like there was no bass to speak of.

Yeah, there is definitely a case of the sound being relative to what you're used to.
 
I swap between the XC and C a reasonable amount and they both take some getting used to, each time I switch.

 

[buckles29]

Its really a matter of personal preference but the Innerfidelity review is quite helpful on this topic and Tyll has also provided some compassion frequency response curves for each combination of the tuning pads, which tell a slight different story to the sheet that came with the headphones.
 
I definitely did not like the white pad or the two black ones, it took too much detail away for me. I have gone back and forth between one black and no pads at all and I think I prefer none at all and find an alternate way to bump the bass up a little if needed.
 
I replace the cables which also seemed to warm the headphones up a bit, definitely a slightly warmer tone using QED reference cables over Audioquest.
 
Best thing is, its fun trying out the combinations...good luck, I am sure your perception of the bass will change as they run in.

 

[CFGamescape]

Been listening to the Ether C through the iFi micro iDSD + iCAN SE (my work setup) for a few days now. With the iCAN SE's XBass switch on full, the bass on the C is pretty great. Much more forward and extended, and impact is improved (but don't expect miracles...actually, if you think about how little bass there is with 0 hours on it, it's pretty miraculous how much there is now). Highly recommend this combo if you're searching for bass in the C.
 

 

[inthere]

Been listening to the Ether C through the iFi micro iDSD + iCAN SE (my work setup) for a few days now. With the iCAN SE's XBass switch on full, the bass on the C is pretty great. Much more forward and extended, and impact is improved (but don't expect miracles...actually, if you think about how little bass there is with 0 hours on it, it's pretty miraculous how much there is now). Highly recommend this combo if you're searching for bass in the C.

How's the quality on that SE? Better than the IDSD?