[geomaso44]

In case you might be willing to part with your Ether CXs and ship to EU, please hit me a message. Thanks for looking!

 

[441879]

I have both. I initially felt the sub and mid-bass were more pronounced in the Cx vs. the AFC, but I think that may be a psychoacoustic effect in that that the Cx sounds "bigger" in most senses with a larger sound stage, more separation, better imaging, finer detail vs. the AFC. However on more extended listening, I think the AFC actually has more bass and is a perhaps warmer headphone vs. the Cx, especially at lower listening volumes.

I think the Cx is capable of greater bass perhaps due to the larger driver, but I try to listen to music around 65-70 dB. The Cx seems to really wake up at louder volumes. Now I'm curious to hear the Ether C Flow 1.1 again. The AFC has more of a fun sound signature (despite still being very neutral).

Neither of these headphones have much in the way of bass slam. The M50x and HD6XX both have more mid-bass than AFC and Cx. The bass quality on the AFC and Cx are clearly superior of course.

I'm still on the search for a closed headphone that's resolving, fast, and with exaggerated bass slam for listening to metal and some electronic.

I'm still very happy with both the AFC and Cx, but sometimes I want a bit more bass. If the AFC had insufficient bass for you, I'm not sure the Cx will have enough unless you listen at louder volumes. Both headphones respond well to EQ or the Schiit Loki so you can get a warmer sound signature if you like. They just aren't going to have Fostex level slam.

Bigger soundstage and finer detail than the AFC? I may have to replace my AFCs!

 

[tcellguy]

Bigger soundstage and finer detail than the AFC? I may have to replace my AFCs!

Depending on your preferences the Cx could be a side grade to the AFC. The Cx is way more neutral (didn't think that was possible after listening to the AFC). The soundstage, imaging, transients, and micro detail are superior on the Cx for me. However the bass and impact seem greater with the AFC. The AFC drivers may be closer to the ear and that may account for some of these perceptions. The sound on the Cx is "bigger" but the AFC is more in your face and can be more engaging at times.

The Cx is more smooth, while the AFC is more aggressive, but it's all relative. After a few days of listening to the Emu Teak the AFC and Cx both seem very flat and bass light. Going in the opposite direction the Teak's sound like bass cannons bleeding into the mids and the treble seems distorted.

The AFC seems to have more attack in bass and treble vs. the Cx. Currently I'm listening to the AFC a lot more, but last month it was the other way around.

I'm keeping both AFC and Cx as they are both very capable headphones with similar but distinct sound signatures. It has me curious if the Ether C flow is somewhere in the middle.

 

[441879]

Depending on your preferences the Cx could be a side grade to the AFC. The Cx is way more neutral (didn't think that was possible after listening to the AFC). The soundstage, imaging, transients, and micro detail are superior on the Cx for me. However the bass and impact seem greater with the AFC. The AFC drivers may be closer to the ear and that may account for some of these perceptions. The sound on the Cx is "bigger" but the AFC is more in your face and can be more engaging at times.

The Cx is more smooth, while the AFC is more aggressive, but it's all relative. After a few days of listening to the Emu Teak the AFC and Cx both seem very flat and bass light. Going in the opposite direction the Teak's sound like bass cannons bleeding into the mids and the treble seems distorted.

The AFC seems to have more attack in bass and treble vs. the Cx. Currently I'm listening to the AFC a lot more, but last month it was the other way around.

I'm keeping both AFC and Cx as they are both very capable headphones with similar but distinct sound signatures. It has me curious if the Ether C flow is somewhere in the middle.

Thanks for the comparison. Very helpful. I love how detailed the AFC is and it sounds like the Cx is what I’m looking for except I’d like a little more energetic low freq bass similar to the Audeze LCD2. The mids are a little recessed for my preferences on the AFC so more mids on the Cx would be good. In my experience the AFC isn’t particularly kind to poor quality recordings. I would guess from your description the Cx does better thanks to its smoothness.

 

[Baten]

The Cx is more smooth, while the AFC is more aggressive, but it's all relative. After a few days of listening to the Emu Teak the AFC and Cx both seem very flat and bass light. Going in the opposite direction the Teak's sound like bass cannons bleeding into the mids and the treble seems distorted.

This is especially helpful! Thanks

 

[tcellguy]

Thanks for the comparison. Very helpful. I love how detailed the AFC is and it sounds like the Cx is what I’m looking for except I’d like a little more energetic low freq bass similar to the Audeze LCD2. The mids are a little recessed for my preferences on the AFC so more mids on the Cx would be good. In my experience the AFC isn’t particularly kind to poor quality recordings. I would guess from your description the Cx does better thanks to its smoothness.

If mrspeakers made a closed back with LCD2 level bass slam with the sound stage, mids, imaging, detail, and treble of the Cx I think that would be an insta-buy for me

Regarding poorly recorded music, it can be more and less forgiving than the AFC. I'm not sure I fully understand it but I'll try to explain what I'm hearing.The overall Cx presentation is more smooth and that helps with some poorly recorded music that suffers from sibilance and harsh mids. The Cx sound stage is wider and more diffused so harsh flaws in recording are pushed a bit further back. However, the CX headphone is really detailed so you're still going to hear all the recording flaws - and in some cases more of them - they just won't be as "aggressive" as with the AFC. These aren't as forgiving as HD650s or AFOs.

I'm finding I often tend to like a more aggressive signature so I've been using only the black foam or no inserts. However if I switch to badly recorded metal (nearly all), I swap up to the 1 or 2 notch inserts and that takes care of any upper mid / treble harshness.

But, wow the imaging on the Cx is great. If the AFC taught me what a good transient response sounds like, then the Cx taught me what a good imaging sounds like. The Alice in Chains live unplugged album is incredibly holographic with these.

 

[KaizerBeelzebub]

@mrspeakers do u have an EU storage or seller for your earpads? I was interested in the Angled pads (btw how do they change the sound?).

 

[Maishar]

Does anybody know how big the package is?

 

[Mkoll]

Does anybody know how big the package is?

Mine was about 14"x11"x6".

Initial impression is that these are outstanding, even better than I expected. Looking forward to hearing the sound evolve over 100-200 hours burn-in.

 

[Willis]

hi Mrspeakers, i am very keen to get the Ether CX but i have a concern, as i am from Singapore will my Massdrop Ether CX enjoy the warranty and repair services from local service center? I emailed Eng Siang international limited but didnt get a response.

 

[mrspeakers]

hi Mrspeakers, i am very keen to get the Ether CX but i have a concern, as i am from Singapore will my Massdrop Ether CX enjoy the warranty and repair services from local service center? I emailed Eng Siang international limited but didnt get a response.

No, support is direct to us. However, we have to my knowledge had very few service issues with Massdrop to date, a scratched cup, and a couple of incorrect cables in the first lot. Our policy is that if there's a problem in the first 30 days we pay shipping both ways, and overall our service rate on headphones is less than 0.5%.

 

[Willis]

Thanks for the assurance MrSpeakers, i guess i am ready to take the plunge.

 

[tcellguy]

Has anyone tried the ETHER Flow angled pads on these? Any change in the sound signature?

 

[jsmiller58]

Has anyone tried the ETHER Flow angled pads on these? Any change in the sound signature?

I have them but life has gotten in the way of doing any AB testing. I will see if I can do that this weekend.

 

[Mkoll]

Has anyone tried some aftermarket cables with the CX? Any impressions or recommendations?