[jsmiller58]

For what it's worth, I find myself reaching for the Cx even when I could be using open headphones.

They are very source dependent but sound incredible from the Lyr 3.

That’s great that you like them that much! I am right now listening to my Elex and could not imagine going for the CX over these when my listening environment allows for open backs (that is my wife isn’t around )

But don’t misunderstand... I do enjoy my CX!!!

 

[tcellguy]

That’s great that you like them that much! I am right now listening to my Elex and could not imagine going for the CX over these when my listening environment allows for open backs (that is my wife isn’t around )

My open backs are the AFO and HD6XX so the Cx provides more detail retrieval, sub bass, and faster transients with better imaging and wider sound stage.

The AFO and HD6XX win on mid bass and the “air” around the instruments.

The Cx are my most amp-dependent / variable headphones. They sound really great with the Lyr 3, still good with the Jot, mostly good but lacking in bass and dynamics with the Gilmore Lite Mk2, and become too flat / bright on the THX 789.

I’d love to hear these from the Gungnir / Mjolnir. I heard the AFO driven off that setup and it sounded incredible: much wider staging, more forward mids, and very rich bass.

I can understand about open headphones - I still usually prefer them to closed. I’ve just been in a sub bass phase lately

 

[SeEnCreaTive]

Are the cx any good for jazz, old jazz in particular?

I don't listen to jazz much, but I brought my CXs over to my dad's place to compare to his akg 7xxs

In terms of sound stage, no comparison. The 7xxs were extremely wide, very enveloping and engaging. But I wasn't a fan of the colouring. I much preferred the natural sound of my CXs. Very clean and technical but not sterile. (However specifically on my Schiit set up at home they have 0 low end. On literally everything else they are fine....... Not a clue)

 

[FredA]

I don't listen to jazz much, but I brought my CXs over to my dad's place to compare to his akg 7xxs

In terms of sound stage, no comparison. The 7xxs were extremely wide, very enveloping and engaging. But I wasn't a fan of the colouring. I much preferred the natural sound of my CXs. Very clean and technical but not sterile. (However specifically on my Schiit set up at home they have 0 low end. On literally everything else they are fine....... Not a clue)

Yep. Same here with the k701. They have too much coloration if that is what you mean, they sound veiled. I prefer my he560 but they lack some body.

 

[jnak00]

However specifically on my Schiit set up at home they have 0 low end. On literally everything else they are fine....... Not a clue)

What is your Schiit setup?

 

[SeEnCreaTive]

What is your Schiit setup?

Modi 2u, Mangi 2u

Generally with any cans even my He-4xx they are a bit lacking in the low end

By 0 I mean it's not really 0, but sounds bass lighter then I would normally think is flat.

Plugging into my nice little mobile set up (btr1k and nx1s) they sound great, my dad's little Chinese DAC/amp, my old school Luxman speaker amps, heck even my $200 tablet.

The Schiit set up is by far the best, noticeably cleaner, but seems to be lacking low end. I mean maybe because I'm just used to too much bass? Or might be a driver thing, or just a Windows thing, not really sure. My onboard wifi was acting up, locking to only 50 Mbps. Then one day it just started working, so it wouldn't surprise me if something else is a bit wacky.

What is really need to do is find the little microphone I had to make measurements of my T50rps when I was modding them. I'm not sure where it went.

 

[jnak00]

I got my pair yesterday, and I noticed the pads are not aligned. The right one is rotated a little compared to the left one. I can tell because the seams on the two pads don't line up when I line the cups up, and also by looking at the angle of the rectangular ear-hole in the pads relative to the rest of the headphone. If the ear-hole was circular I wouldn't mind, but because they are rectangular I feel like they should line up.

Are the ear-pads easy to remove? I tried pulling them off but they seem to be glued on. I don't want to rip them off and risk breaking something.

Drop support basically said I could send them back, but I don't want to do that if it's an easy fix.

 

[cobyatch]

I got my pair yesterday, and I noticed the pads are not aligned. The right one is rotated a little compared to the left one. I can tell because the seams on the two pads don't line up when I line the cups up, and also by looking at the angle of the rectangular ear-hole in the pads relative to the rest of the headphone. If the ear-hole was circular I wouldn't mind, but because they are rectangular I feel like they should line up.

Are the ear-pads easy to remove? I tried pulling them off but they seem to be glued on. I don't want to rip them off and risk breaking something.

Drop support basically said I could send them back, but I don't want to do that if it's an easy fix.

Yeah the pads should be removable. Try twisting them around the cup first, they might just be super tight because they're a fresh pair. That should be enough to get them lined back up. I personally line the seam up to the screw on the front, but everyone has different ears so see what works for you.

If you want to remove the pads, I recommend sticking your index finger into the earpad and under the padding, then pinching with your thumb right at the outside edge where the pad and cup meet and pulling out.

 

[jnak00]

Yeah it seems lining up the seam with the screw is the correct placement. I did try twisting it a little but not with much force. I will just try popping it off and reinstalling it.

If you look at the pictures on Drop, picture #3 shows basically the same misalignment mine has (look at the seams in that picture)

 

[mrspeakers]

I listen to a fair bit of jazz on the MrSpeakers Ether C Special Edition. I've never tried the CX, but if it's as good as the original C, then I would have no problem recommending it for jazz.

I did a lot of the voicing with acoustic music, and electronic to push the other end of the sonic universe. I really love the smooth tone of this, I felt it was a HUGE upgrade over the C myself.

Absolutely agree. My closed CX, AFC, and ZMF Eikon are for wearing around my wife - she does not like listening to my music, and does not like background music in general.

Are you sure that's not MY wife you're talking about, sir?

You know I started this business because I shared a home office with her and as soon as I put on some Talking Heads on my new LCD 2.1s back in the day I was told to make it inaudible or find a new office, or wife. Couldn't find a closed can I liked, so starting modding Fostex's, initially learning from theT50 mod thread.

 

[jsmiller58]

I did a lot of the voicing with acoustic music, and electronic to push the other end of the sonic universe. I really love the smooth tone of this, I felt it was a HUGE upgrade over the C myself.



Are you sure that's not MY wife you're talking about, sir?

You know I started this business because I shared a home office with her and as soon as I put on some Talking Heads on my new LCD 2.1s back in the day I was told to make it inaudible or find a new office, or wife. Couldn't find a closed can I liked, so starting modding Fostex's, initially learning from theT50 mod thread.

That is so awesome! . And, as they say, the rest is history!

 

[jsmiller58]

I did a lot of the voicing with acoustic music, and electronic to push the other end of the sonic universe. I really love the smooth tone of this, I felt it was a HUGE upgrade over the C myself.



Are you sure that's not MY wife you're talking about, sir?

You know I started this business because I shared a home office with her and as soon as I put on some Talking Heads on my new LCD 2.1s back in the day I was told to make it inaudible or find a new office, or wife. Couldn't find a closed can I liked, so starting modding Fostex's, initially learning from theT50 mod thread.

Sitting in my little corner of wife’s home office in my recliner with a little adjacent table holding my “remote” (remote from my office upstairs) listening setup... Topping D3X to JDS Atom, into my CX... glorious music for me, heavenly silence for my wife!

(My AFC are my work office cans... sound great driven out of my HiBy R6 Pro balanced... MrSpeakers, you make some pretty good stuff - can’t wait to see what (I can afford that) is next!)

 

[jnak00]

I don't see many comments on these headphones on the internet, so I thought I would share are my impressions on the CXs. I use a Modi Multibit into an Asgard 3, with a Loki EQ in between.

The packaging, as others have pointed out, is very bare bones. I am OK with this - I would rather spend the money on headphones than some fancy box. And these are some daaaaaaamn pretty headphones. I'm a sucker for real carbon fibre and these just look so right. I find them pretty comfortable and easy to wear.

For any Canadians out there - I had to pay Canada Post $69 on pickup. $10 for processing and $59 for GST (I am in Alberta, so no PST).

I've put around 60 hours on my CXs, about 50 of that just playing music for burn-in (not listening). They did sound pretty lean out of the box, which worried me a little as I like a warmer sound. With some combination of burn-in and tuning pad tweaking, the bass has filled in nicely. The bass is really nice - it's not emphasized like on many other closed-back headphones, but it is very flat and responsive. It will just play what the song tells it to, no more, no less. And I think because the bass response is so flat, the headphones really respond well to EQ. A turn of the left knob on my Loki gives it some extra kick if I feel like it, and it doesn't mess anything else up. On the HD6XX, I find a little bass bump tends to smear the mid-bass a little.

The treble is fantastic - it's clear, airy, a bit sparkly, but not fatiguing at all. I found the Hifiman HE400S and the TH-X00 treble to be a little too hot for my taste, while the HD-6XX is a bit veiled. This splits the difference nicely. In fact, I find myself pushing the volume a little higher than I normally listen, because the sound is so non-fatiguing. For reference, on high gain, I have the Asgard 3 volume at about 7:30. Pushing it to 8:00 makes it plenty loud for me.

Mids are creamy and smooth. The transition from bass, through the mids and into the treble is silky smooth. Vocals and strings come in clear and sound just right.

Although I was a little worried about dropping this much money on headphones I had never heard, I have no regrets. My only real criticism is the cable is a bit stiff and kinky, and the XLR to SE adapter is clunky.

 

[Maishar]

Just received an email from Drop saying my THX 789 (which I bought in July) will now ship on Dec 30 (instead of Nov 15)...
So, now I'm going to cancel my order and purchase a new amp for my Ether CX.

I was thinking about:
- Jotunheim (balanced, same price as the THX 789)
- Asgard 3 (non balanced, cheaper)
- Lyr 3, with the new JJ 6SN7 tubes? (non balanced, more expensive)

My DAC is a (balanced) Bifrost 2.

Any recommendations?

 

[Baten]

My DAC is a (balanced) Bifrost 2.

Any recommendations?

I went with this: [SMSL SP200 THX AAA Pre-order, ship by Oct 27] release by end of month. It fits all my needs. It's a new release, cheaper than massdrop and same thx technology
https://apos.audio/products/smsl-sp200-thx-headphone-amp
https://hifi-express.com/products/smsl-sp200-thx-aaa-888-headphone-amp

There is also upcoming Monoprice Monolith THX 887 but it is not out yet. It will be a little better spec-wise than the massdrop version, but more expensive too.
https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=39359 5-year warranty!!!

I think the THX technology blows mostly everything else out of the water so that's what I'm going for in any case.