[jjsoviet]

I have only heard the noires for a brief time. Struggled too much with the clamp and sent them back. When I got my Ether c flow 1.1 instead I did have the feeling it was a step up from the noires. The CX and c flow 1.1 are extremely close relatives.

I see, I've listened to the original Aeons and didn't find them too harsh on the clamp force, but the Ethers are definitely more comfortable. And yeah it seems the consensus of the CX is that it's closer tuned to the C Flow which is a good thing considering it's relatively slept on - got mine here for $600 hah

I own both and this is just my experience/opinion: The Ether CX are like studio monitors and Dan mentioned it earlier in this CX forum that he developed it with focus on vocals. The CX to me sounds fantastic with vocal recordings and they will distinguish between good and bad recordings. The Noires are tuned more toward the Harman curve which I prefer in most listening. Both have excellent light comfort but the Noire can't be beat with the portability and collapsible headband.

Indeed the tilt to the Harman curve is what I actually do prefer, as I've been listening to the CX with EqualizerAPO + Peace GUI with the recommended Harman settings. This makes the Noire so appealing as at least my new main, then the CX goes to the office. Thinking about that arrangement right now actually

Thanks for the responses!

 

[arielext]

@mrspeakers thank you for creating this headphone. Combined with @DekoniAudio's leather pads it's the holy grail of closed-back headphones I have been searching for for quite some time. Not Focal's Stellia, not the Audeze LCD-2CB Not the Kennerton headphones but theeeeeeeese (Z-style) are just bloody perfect for me, so thank you for creating this.

 

[the1andonly]

Specifically on topic of the CX, how would owners who frequent closed backs rank it? on like maybe a top 10 or 20 list where do you think it ranks out of all headphones and what might be above/below it to get some idea of performance? I am assuming this headphone ranks pretty high though, not many universally loved closed backs from what I can find!

Also I was about to pull the trigger on one of these at a good price, but ended up not, I was wondering if anyone really knowledgeable could tell me is it true that most/all Mrspeakers/Dan Clark's tend to be more on the compressed side? I don't think that is necessarily a bad thing at all and it can def. introduce some details but when researching I saw quite a few people mirroring the sentiment that basically all their stuff tends to be pretty heavily compressed as if that may be the "house sound"...

Also the sheer amount of revisions and fluctuating prices is kind of makes it hard to pull the trigger when I see a "good deal", first off there is the prospect of another brand release devaluing it, the Massdrop models being discounted pretty heavily is a factor in itself I am not worried about directly as I can easily find what the often reduced prices in but it's part in bringing down the value of other models by it's relation in the ecosystem is a concerning. Whenever I see a deal I crosscheck it to see how it compares performance wise to other models.... I mean there are so many models and prices, I guess I shouldn't be afraid if I don't get the best deal which might be like a $100 swing since they are not that expensive but I really don't want to overpay and then find out another model is similar and cheaper or just much better/better deal etc....

IT'S SO HARD, I miss out on all the good deals because I am still researching... I hate overpaying and love researching and finding a good deal so I know if I don't like it I won't lose a penny

Again they are not that expensive so I should suck it up but just wondering if anyone has a cheat sheet somewhere

 

[arielext]

I have had the pleasure of listening to a lot of closed backs and the unfortunate misfortune of having a bigger than average head.
As you can read above I'm 100% biased, the CX is my special snowflake headphone. I have had beyerdynamic DT770 to T5 gen2/3 and everything in between. Focal's elegia, celestee and stellia, DCA's æon 2 noire and C flow 1.1, Kennerton Magni, Gjallarhorn, Ollo S4R 1.0 and 1.1, Fostex TH-900 (do they really count as closed-back? oh well), Audeze 2C-CB, Meze 99 classics and a few more I am forgetting right now. I have had my share of closed backs, that's for sure

DCA Ether CX is my #1, their big brother Ether C Flow 1.1 is a close 2nd but not worth the price difference. Celestee is awesome but has a very narrow soundstage, the T5 gen3 is sweet but is less comfortable. Magni is a beautiful headphone that is my personal #3, TH-900 comes next (after taming the treble just a bit. Ollo S4R is cute but a bit too small for me. The CX ranks only #1 combined with the Dekoni sheepskin pads. With their stock pads its lower on the stairs due to the clamping force it puts on the small corners of the rectangle cut-out. The more round Dekoni pads has a better weight distribution. With the stock pads they lack a bit of sub-bass. Things that are easily fixable with a pad-swap.

 

[TheRealDz]

I have had the pleasure of listening to a lot of closed backs and the unfortunate misfortune of having a bigger than average head.
As you can read above I'm 100% biased, the CX is my special snowflake headphone. I have had beyerdynamic DT770 to T5 gen2/3 and everything in between. Focal's elegia, celestee and stellia, DCA's æon 2 noire and C flow 1.1, Kennerton Magni, Gjallarhorn, Ollo S4R 1.0 and 1.1, Fostex TH-900 (do they really count as closed-back? oh well), Audeze 2C-CB, Meze 99 classics and a few more I am forgetting right now. I have had my share of closed backs, that's for sure

DCA Ether CX is my #1, their big brother Ether C Flow 1.1 is a close 2nd but not worth the price difference. Celestee is awesome but has a very narrow soundstage, the T5 gen3 is sweet but is less comfortable. Magni is a beautiful headphone that is my personal #3, TH-900 comes next (after taming the treble just a bit. Ollo S4R is cute but a bit too small for me. The CX ranks only #1 combined with the Dekoni sheepskin pads. With their stock pads its lower on the stairs due to the clamping force it puts on the small corners of the rectangle cut-out. The more round Dekoni pads has a better weight distribution. With the stock pads they lack a bit of sub-bass. Things that are easily fixable with a pad-swap.

Which Dekoni pads are you using?

 

[arielext]

Which Dekoni pads are you using?

Sheepskin for th-900

 

[Kris_S]

@mrspeakers Is there a way to fix this without sending them back for repair/replacement? The shaft/pin is so loose that it can be pulled out without any force. This a brand new pair of Ether CX btw.

 

[Sathimas]

Got my TH900 Sheepskin Dekoni pads today.

They do add a good amount of bass and don't seem to affect the overall sound very much.
Just as [SIZE=17px]arielext[/SIZE] said.

Yet without filters they're far too forward sounding and bright for me.
With the white felt and black foam installed (put them under the pads
directly in front of the driver) they're well balanced and give a nice
punch. If they were on the bass light side before, they are now a bit
on the fun side without beeing bass heavy.

Another good thing is that the pads are deeper now and my ears
don't touch the drivers anymore. Downside is that the clamping force
seems to be less and the cans are more loose on my head. With the
original pads they would stay in place even when bowing down to
the ground, now they move a bit but stay in place mainly.

 

[TheRealDz]

I've found the best pads yet; 108mm angled sheepskin pads:

US $15.98 26%OFF | 108MM Soft Sheepskin Bevel Foam Cushions High Quality Skin Earpad For Monoprice Monolith M1060 AUDEZE LCD2 LCD3 LCD4 Headphones
https://a.aliexpress.com/_mqOTF4s

I also bought the protein leather version, but they were too bass shy.

For about $25, the sheepskin gives the best balance I have heard, compared to more than a half dozen different pads I've tried. They are especially thick and comfortable, and their squared hole/angled design seems to provide the best imaging.

 

[TheRealDz]

I recently bought a Hifiman Edition XS, as an open back change of pace. It is an excellent bargain. Its sense of openness really stands out.

It is also supposed to be a soundstaging champ. But it makes me realize how good the CX is at soundstaging - especially for a closed back. It has better layering than the XS, and I think the soundstage is about the same size. Pretty impressive for a closed back design...

 

[cpurdy]

Specifically on topic of the CX, how would owners who frequent closed backs rank it? on like maybe a top 10 or 20 list where do you think it ranks out of all headphones and what might be above/below it to get some idea of performance? I am assuming this headphone ranks pretty high though, not many universally loved closed backs from what I can find!

Also I was about to pull the trigger on one of these at a good price, but ended up not, I was wondering if anyone really knowledgeable could tell me is it true that most/all Mrspeakers/Dan Clark's tend to be more on the compressed side? I don't think that is necessarily a bad thing at all and it can def. introduce some details but when researching I saw quite a few people mirroring the sentiment that basically all their stuff tends to be pretty heavily compressed as if that may be the "house sound"...

Also the sheer amount of revisions and fluctuating prices is kind of makes it hard to pull the trigger when I see a "good deal", first off there is the prospect of another brand release devaluing it, the Massdrop models being discounted pretty heavily is a factor in itself I am not worried about directly as I can easily find what the often reduced prices in but it's part in bringing down the value of other models by it's relation in the ecosystem is a concerning. Whenever I see a deal I crosscheck it to see how it compares performance wise to other models.... I mean there are so many models and prices, I guess I shouldn't be afraid if I don't get the best deal which might be like a $100 swing since they are not that expensive but I really don't want to overpay and then find out another model is similar and cheaper or just much better/better deal etc....

IT'S SO HARD, I miss out on all the good deals because I am still researching... I hate overpaying and love researching and finding a good deal so I know if I don't like it I won't lose a penny

Again they are not that expensive so I should suck it up but just wondering if anyone has a cheat sheet somewhere

First, you need to understand that people like what they like, so your likes might be different. Always best to try before you buy, if at all possible.

I have an audiophile friend who is local (one of those guys whose speaker cables alone cost more than a house), and he and I were independently trying to find a great pair of closed headphones. A few years back, I picked up a pair of Ether C headphones, and haven't looked back. A year or so ago, he came by and told me that he had found the absolute best closed back headphones, and I told him that I had as well. I asked him what he bought, and he tells me: "Mr Speakers Ether C". Let's just say that after he bought the Ether C headphones, he sold off probably $20k of other headphones.

We have different amps. Different music tastes. Different spending habits (although he did introduce me JH custom Laylas). But we both settled on the same "absolute best" closed back.

So for the two of us, the Ether C is #1. My search was a lot simpler than his; I've tried maybe 100x different closed back headphones, and bought less than 10 of them. He, on the other hand, has probably tried every single closed back headphone made in the past 50 years.

But at the end of the day, the reason that I really like the Ether C is that they just pump music into my ears without any extra b.s. They're just: Clear, clean, comfortable, and not at all fatiguing. (For me.) I totally get that someone else would try them and not like them, or might like something else better. They're definitely not travel headphones. They're relatively light for high end closed back headphones, but they're not light. And they're going to perform best with a good balanced amp. (I use the Woo Audio WA5, which pairs well with these ... or pretty much anything, it seems.)

 

[trellus]

Ordered sheepskins from AliExpress for $23.75 USD and just tried to put them on my CX and it was an epic fail. I guess I’ll stick to stock pads.

Flimsy construction on the AliExpress pads and I do not recommend these at all, unfortunately!

Returns are not worth it at Ali so I’ll just write this off as a bad idea.

https://a.aliexpress.com/_mqkgA2a

 

[mjavate]

Ordered sheepskins from AliExpress for $23.75 USD and just tried to put them on my CX and it was an epic fail. I guess I’ll stick to stock pads.

Flimsy construction on the AliExpress pads and I do not recommend these at all, unfortunately!

Returns are not worth it at Ali so I’ll just write this off as a bad idea.

https://a.aliexpress.com/_mqkgA2a

That sucks. I had great experience with a different design for the CX.

https://a.aliexpress.com/_mKoyfEA

I think that's easy repairable.

 

[trellus]

That sucks. I had great experience with a different design for the CX.

https://a.aliexpress.com/_mKoyfEA

I think that's easy repairable.

Probably, I would be happy to send them to anyone that wants them, I'm far too clumsy to repair anything, it's probably my fault they're torn, I need foolproof pads.

I had difficulty getting them on the CX and likely that's when it ripped.

By contrast, I've taken off the stock CX pads a few times and put them back on without any problems, as they are far easier to handle than these third-party pads -- my guess is that these AliExpress pads are just not sized correctly besides also having that weird two-piece design that falls apart too easily.

I will definitely not buy any more pads from AliExpress, though, as there is really no return possible and I'd rather buy from Amazon or other domestic sellers with good return policies.

 

[TheRealDz]

These are on sale at Drop for $749.