[Middy]

I thought planars are the exception to the rule as being new kids comparatively in headphones. Focal is highend speaker flow down using vapourised metal spray tech to get the that few percent left without clever design or damping. Even the 500k market still pours new products out daily in the bespoke Amp Dac Speakers.
The real money is Beating beats were quality is last and image is no 1.
To be honest this is the wrong place for this discussion unless i can learn what i am missing or not missing with the flow. The state of the market and or the world in general with enough pain and anguish for a hundred life times. Whats fair or not can be measured from the penthouse you live in or if you get to live the next day...

 

[Currawong]

I thought planars are the exception to the rule as being new kids comparatively in headphones. Focal is highend speaker flow down using vapourised metal spray tech to get the that few percent left without clever design or damping. Even the 500k market still pours new products out daily in the bespoke Amp Dac Speakers.
The real money is Beating beats were quality is last and image is no 1.
To be honest this is the wrong place for this discussion unless i can learn what i am missing or not missing with the flow. The state of the market and or the world in general with enough pain and anguish for a hundred life times. Whats fair or not can be measured from the penthouse you live in or if you get to live the next day...

That's what meets are for. 

 
 
I'd say you can still be happy with the original Ethers. The only potential negatives are the drop-off in the deep bass which the Flow upgrade fixes, and if you found the mid-bass to be a bit too strong. 

 

[theskm]

Hello,
I am very interested in buying a high end headphone setup.
Unfortunately I was not able to try the Ether yet. I tried the Sennheiser HD800s. It is a great headphone but it is a little too bright for me.
I am not the kind of guy who is into absolutely analytical headphones. 
Could you please describe if the Ether Flow falls in that category? How would you compare the musicality (hard to describe I know) compared to the HD800s? Is it no where near "warm"? How would they compare to Hifiman Edition X which is pretty laid-back and warm I would say?
I would love to have a laid-back headphone to enjoy hour long listening. 
 
I would appreciate some thoughts. Thanks in advance!
 
theskm

 

[Delayeed]

Does the C Flow have more air/extension in the treble than the C 1.1?

 

[Satir]

n/a

 

[Maxx134]

.....

Keywords that apply to what i'm looking for in a pair of high end cans:
- Flat
- Neutral
- Uncolored
- Pure
- Clinical

Is the ETHER Flow what i'm looking for?

Thanks

- Randolph

Wow, you will be hard pressed to find such an animal, with main issue you said "flat"
good luck!

... Planar has been around in other forms than the Yamahas for quite some time. ...
 Lets give credit where it is due and not become completely agog with "new technology" which is built upon the hard work of many others.

Yep, I just recently aquire an old planer portable on ear!
Realistic Pro30, made in Japan, by another company, I think Audio Technica :

And although the bass extension is not there, the lively "realistic" detailed sound is quite amazing for such an old unit.. (!)

Hello,
I am very interested in buying a high end headphone setup.......


... How would they compare to Hifiman Edition X which is pretty laid-back and warm I would say?
I would love to have a laid-back headphone to enjoy hour long listening. 

I would appreciate some thoughts. Thanks in advance!

theskm

Haha original Ether is not laid back.
It is lively.
The 1.1 foam did give it a fluid character,
but still more intimate Soundstage than an HEX.

 

[Ranstedt]

No

Well, to be honest, that's disappointing to me. I was hoping the ETHER Flow was neutral and uncolored like the ETHER. Just an even better version of it.

 

[theskm]

Wow, you will be hard pressed to find such an animal, with main issue you said "flat"
good luck!
Yep, I just recently aquire an old planer portable on ear!
Realistic Pro30, made in Japan, by another company, I think Audio Technica :

And although the bass extension is not there, the lively "realistic" detailed sound is quite amazing for such an old unit.. (!)
Haha original Ether is not laid back.
It is lively.
The 1.1 foam did give it a fluid character,
but still more intimate Soundstage than an HEX.

In a positive way? Is ist possible to listen for hours? I Hope it is not as cold and bright as the HD 800s?!

 

[cradon]

In a positive way? Is ist possible to listen for hours? I Hope it is not as cold and bright as the HD 800s?!

The original Ether is neither cold nor bright (Imo it is even more neutral than the HD800). My only issue was I wished it had a little more impact and airier/ more detailed highs.

 

[conquerator2]

"Venice is a great little city"

Venice, CA certainly is. Back many years lived in LA and worked in food and beverage jobs. Venice and Abbott Kinney area specifically were hot spots for for chefs, cooks and foodies during their time off. Cheap eats like Jody Maroni's and a little more money Rockenwagner with the sliced lamb loin on pretzel bread sandwiches. These days I hear Rock has spread out with bakery locations and there is a wurst (bratwurst - yum) place that is popular. In 1990's liked to take visitors from out-of-state to Venice, catch the chainsaw juggler, the always present skateboarder in Jimi attire with big boombox - and always those model beautiful ladies playing volleyball. Right next door Santa Monica with that wonderful farmer market. LA doesn't have the number of Michelin star restaurants of a San Francisco, NYC, but prefer it as a foodie town to all places I've been to. Been to the Puck's and other pricey LA restaurants, but prefer the Mom and Pop places. If any plan to be in LA for audio shows, alot time to eat at some of the recommended mom and pop restaurants. Jonathan Gold's movie "City of Gold" https://youtu.be/_zTFRMkgv0 touches the tip of LA food scene. Anyone know? Is Tito's Tacos still around? Those Tito Fries fried in lard are less healthy, but boy were they deeply satisfying.  

Yup. There's still one Tito's in LA. Was about an hour worth of waiting but the goulash esque meat fillings were pretty gopd. I skipped the fries ;(
But for the money it's a bargain.

 

[tretneo]

They've been asking when they get to go in for their fresh coat of paint.... Is it Tuesday yet?
 

 

[Stillhart]

Having heard neither, I generally agree that as it relates to gaming, open >>> closed. However, I often agree with MLE's assessments from his gaming thread, and he gushed for the C's gaming prowess, specifically their positional accuracy. It's just going to be a tough call. Really appreciate your insight!

 
The reason the C are better than the open (v1.1 respectively) for gaming is because of the prominent highs and relatively laid back mids on the Closed.  That's a recipe for a great gaming can.  With the Flows, I think the open will be better as he's brought the treble in line with the Ether C now.  That means that the spaciousness of the open headphone will be the biggest deciding factor.  
 
That said, the closed flow is still great for gaming (I've tried).
 

 
Mr.Amos,
 
Even better could then be 6 Stars!   
 
By the way, I don't think that you're easy to impress, just "not" taking the "Long View".  
 
Then again, you have a group of "eager" consumers to nudge and the job of nudging.  
 
Tony in Michigan
 
ps.  I seen some of the closets of active headphone guys who've bought a whole lot of headphone gear, these last 3 years, I never had 2 Channel customers buying compulsively as you're bunch. 
 
ps. 2,  I just checked Ebay for used Mr.Speakers.  I found a few Dog types but only one of the newer from someone in the far-East ( sold for a bit more than $1,000, sealed-New )

 
Make up your mind:  are you criticizing MrSpeakers for making a better product or are you criticizing the reviewer for liking the upgraded product?  
 
In the first case, I can't fathom why ANYBODY would want technology to stop advancing.  Making a new, better product (remember, he's still selling the non-Flow versions!) is what companies are supposed to do, right?  Who makes one product and then just stops forever?  That makes no sense.  
 
In the second case, I fail to see how this can be a poor reflection on the reviewer.  Did you expect him to not review the first one because there might be a new one in a year and a half?  You can't honestly expect to deduct stars from a product because there was another product previous to it; taken to the extreme, by the 5th product nobody would ever have any stars.  They'd have to start a new company every time they want to release something new!  The reviewer can only review each headphone as they come and relative to what's on the market at the time of the review.
 
Look, in a way I can see where you're coming from.  Things like the "silent revisions" on the Audeze headphones are shady (in my humble opinion).  I'd much rather see the revisions be called out so that people know what they're listening to or buying/selling.  I also don't like when there are small incremental revisions (like the Ether 1.1 revision) unless it's a cheap/free thing (like the Ether 1.1 revision).  But creating a whole new headphone with a new name and a different sound should not be looked down upon.  And the fact that he's offering an upgrade path that doesn't involve buying a whole new headphone is actually quite admirable.
 
So I fail to see your point on this one.  As is said every time this is brought up, how do you ever buy a TV or cell phone or computer or any piece of electronics if you don't like when better ones come out 18 months later?

 

[MattTCG]

   
The reason the C are better than the open (v1.1 respectively) for gaming is because of the prominent highs and relatively laid back mids on the Closed.  That's a recipe for a great gaming can.  With the Flows, I think the open will be better as he's brought the treble in line with the Ether C now.  That means that the spaciousness of the open headphone will be the biggest deciding factor.  
 
That said, the closed flow is still great for gaming (I've tried).
 
 
Make up your mind:  are you criticizing MrSpeakers for making a better product or are you criticizing the reviewer for liking the upgraded product?  
 
In the first case, I can't fathom why ANYBODY would want technology to stop advancing.  Making a new, better product (remember, he's still selling the non-Flow versions!) is what companies are supposed to do, right?  Who makes one product and then just stops forever?  That makes no sense.  
 
In the second case, I fail to see how this can be a poor reflection on the reviewer.  Did you expect him to not review the first one because there might be a new one in a year and a half?  You can't honestly expect to deduct stars from a product because there was another product previous to it; taken to the extreme, by the 5th product nobody would ever have any stars.  They'd have to start a new company every time they want to release something new!  The reviewer can only review each headphone as they come and relative to what's on the market at the time of the review.
 
Look, in a way I can see where you're coming from.  Things like the "silent revisions" on the Audeze headphones are shady (in my humble opinion).  I'd much rather see the revisions be called out so that people know what they're listening to or buying/selling.  I also don't like when there are small incremental revisions (like the Ether 1.1 revision) unless it's a cheap/free thing (like the Ether 1.1 revision).  But creating a whole new headphone with a new name and a different sound should not be looked down upon.  And the fact that he's offering an upgrade path that doesn't involve buying a whole new headphone is actually quite admirable.
 
So I fail to see your point on this one.  As is said every time this is brought up, how do you ever buy a TV or cell phone or computer or any piece of electronics if you don't like when better ones come out 18 months later?

 
I got one of the first lcd-2 with fazor incorporated into the design. Honestly I was pretty pissed. I knew exactly what the lcd-2 pre fazor sounded like and that's what I wanted. It took me several to figure out what was "wrong" with my lcd-2 when the truth about fazor came out. Silent revisions are not cool. 

 

[jfoxvol]

   
I got one of the first lcd-2 with fazor incorporated into the design. Honestly I was pretty pissed. I knew exactly what the lcd-2 pre fazor sounded like and that's what I wanted. It took me several to figure out what was "wrong" with my lcd-2 when the truth about fazor came out. Silent revisions are not cool. 

My LCD-3 is pre fazor.  I contacted them about an upgrade not long after they announced the new versions.  They decided to stop offering upgrades.  At first I got mad but after reading around, I'm glad I didn't have it upgraded.  Sometimes upgrades end up being worse (depending on preferences).  Last Audeze product I bought.  I was lucky to not have one that had production problems / failures.  Still great and involving headphones but yeah.  After that experience....mehhh.  

 

[tonykaz]

Mistah Karting Champion,
 
It isn't a matter of indecision on my part.   I accept the concept of our headphone transducers being excellent.  
 
But, we've had excellent transducers since the introduction of Quads in 1957.   Even dynamic transducers have been superb.  We  haven't yet seen a headphone company introduce a Ribbon device, yet we've had those in the extraordinary Infinity IRS since, hmm, the 1980s.   
 
We now have a reliable supply ( or should I suggest a partially/reliable ) of Rare Earth Magnets.  The planer guys can now tinker with Planer designs ( which is what we're seeing today ).  
 
I suspect that we are enjoying a significant increase in Recorded Media Quality since the 1980s, which in turn makes our transducers all-the-better sounding. 
 
My suspicion arises from product being evaluated with the latest superb recordings and thusly getting gushing reviewer appraisals.   Are we thinking that Transducer advancements 'are' the reason or do we wish to 'feel' that transducer advancements are the reason?  
 
Big Sound 2015 seemed to have the 40 year old Stax technology still competitive with the best of the best. 
 
Consumer Audio has always delivered great fanfare for recent designs, year after year.   After being a Member of the Trade I've become cautious and dubious about the superlatives used to lure new customers.  
 
 I'm impressed with the large percentage of Head-Fi community owning Closets full of all this latest "Superb" technology. 
 
Then again, maybe headphone hobby folks wanna be like Jude or Tyll, own a wall of headphones.   I know Car guys that admire Jay Leno and own their own growing collection of "Classic" Cars. 
 
Tony in Michigan
 
ps.  I hear the Hot Grand Prix Driver is a guy that was a Karting Champion!