MrSpeakers ETHER Flow and ETHER C Flow -- Inspired by Electrostatic Headphones

[iranonfr]

This is personal. I do find the DAC in the QP1 to have a bit of upper mid sharpness the WF smooths over.



It was corrected before VOCEs shipped but that said if anyone ever has a pad issue contact us for support!



Snail mail takes 2-3 weeks. Removing the pads is pretty simple, to my knowledge nobody has damaged a pad in the process. It's a bit harder to put them back on the first time you try, the "secret" is simply to use one hand to hold the headphone by holding the pad in place as you attach it to the headphone by pinching it. I posted a video on putting pads on the Alpha pads on youtube, the process is exactly the same to remove and install on any of our ETHER headphones...

If i can, i think it is easier as there is a small cut on Ether that help a lot. You just have to insert the pad and "turn it".

@masterkaj , where di you find this review on ECF 1.1 ? I am really interested

 

[Bambule]

Really nice to hear the impressions of the 1.1 tuning kit. Seems almost all are positive. Looking forward to it.
Will order the kit as soon as the improved pads are in stock again too (would be nice to hear about "in stock again" in this forum)

 

[VandyMan]

Upgrade installation directions are added to the website on the order pages for the curious. Also posting here for convenience...

If anything is unclear let me know, please.

The instructions do not say to reattach the felt/foam pad, but I assume I should? I forgot to note which way it goes. Felt side toward my ears or foam side?

 

[heliosphann]

The instructions do not say to reattach the felt/foam pad, but I assume I should? I forgot to note which way it goes. Felt side toward my ears or foam side?

No. Leave it off. Stash it away in case you want to revert back to stock.

Also the foam side is toward your ears.

 

[vo_obgyn]

Just installed my 1.1 Tuning Kit for my Ether Flow's. Applied the paper decal then the black felt. The medium damping sounds good in my system:

Synology NAS DS116 > Roon ROCK (NUC7i7BNH) > Sonore microRendu (UltraCap LPS-1 PS) > Chord Mojo > Ether Flow with 1.1 Tuning Kit

I need to listen more with the black foam. The lightest damping with the black foam sounds nice too.

 

[VandyMan]

I installed the Ether Flow 1.1 kit today too and have spent a few hours listening. I'm using the foam damping. For me, it is a big improvement over the 1.0. My main complaint before the upgrade was a bit of thinness to the sound. That is now fixed.

I listened to the new St. Vincent album (MassEducation) on Tidal before the upgrade and again after. With the upgrade, the piano was more present, as if there had been a thin blanket over it that was now removed. The vocals were more breathy, appropriately.

I ended up changing my EQ in Roon to get rid of any bass boost and high frequency rolloff. They just don't seem to be needed anymore. It is not that there is more bass, it just seems fuller. My previous bass EQ was +2db at 25 kHz (Q=0.40), but now that ruins the bass quality. However, I am still using a .5 db bump at 8K. (Dan, it would be really cool if you provided suggested EQ curves in Roon, like Audeze does.)

Since I can't go back and forth between the old and new, it is hard to compare, of course. Overall, the 1.1 has a much more enjoyable signature. I had planned to sell it and pre-order the Ether 2, but now I'm going to wait a bit. I'm really looking forward to upgrading my Ether Flow C, when I can find the time.

 

[heliosphann]

I listened to the new St. Vincent album (MassEducation) on Tidal before the upgrade and again after. With the upgrade, the piano was more present, as if there had been a thin blanket over it that was now removed. The vocals were more breathy, appropriately.

I loving her piano versions more than originals. What a great album.

 

[kellte2]

I'm really looking forward to upgrading my Ether Flow C, when I can find the time.

Who knows when you’ll find the necessary 5 minutes. /s

 

[VandyMan]

Who knows when you’ll find the necessary 5 minutes. /s

You misunderstand. Like I just did with the Ether Flow, I want to spend time listening just before I do the upgrade and then compare it using the same material right after. That will give me an understanding of what is changing. And, if the results are as good as what I heard today, I'll probably spend the day enjoying them.

 

[earnmyturns]

Metrum Onyx>Apex Peak+Psvane 6SN7-SE>Ether C Flow. Upgrade with foam damping gives more body to high bass-low mids, cleans up some mid-range muddle in louder piano passages, and gives a better edge to highs (cymbals). For my favorite genres, small-ensemble jazz and modern classical, this is a very welcome improvement. Overall, the sound is more balanced and closer to the live experience I often have.

 

[franz12]

I really LOVE the C Flow 1.1 with the black foam. Surprisingly wide soundstage, more clarity and transparency, life-like tonality, and sophisticated sound layering (white felt kills some of these).

However, it is not perfect. I found it is bass weak as is with the original C. After I added a few dbs with DMG Equilibrium, I found it is really satisfactory and enjoyable. If you have yours, please share with me.

 

[Bastianpp]

Do you have the new pad?

I really LOVE the C Flow 1.1 with the black foam. Surprisingly wide soundstage, more clarity and transparency, life-like tonality, and sophisticated sound layering (white felt kills some of these).

However, it is not perfect. I found it is bass weak as is with the original C. After I added a few dbs with DMG Equilibrium, I found it is really satisfactory and enjoyable. If you have yours, please share with me.

 

[franz12]

Do you have the new pad?

Probably no. I purchased Ether C in May 2016 upgraded to the Flow later. The old pad might be a reason.

 

[Nick-s-f]

Does the Ether C Flow leak a lot of sound?

I had owned a used ECF a few years ago, but they had a strange issue with isolation and had immense sound leak.

Even with a good, full seal, they leaked sound as much as an open hp. Sold them long ago.

Can any Ether C Flow owners test theirs for sound leak? I may give these hp another try.

 

[Alcophone]

Does the Ether C Flow leak a lot of sound?

I had owned a used ECF a few years ago, but they had a strange issue with isolation and had immense sound leak.

Even with a good, full seal, they leaked sound as much as an open hp. Sold them long ago.

Can any Ether C Flow owners test theirs for sound leak? I may give these hp another try.

I am routinely astonished that none of my colleagues hear anything at all of my music, regardless of how much I crank it up - and my closest colleague has her desk right next to mine. So I would say the isolation is excellent.