[Vigrith]

  the treble is much brighter than it was.

 
Uh oh. I was loving the theoretical sound of these until that there, I'm super sensitive to bright treble so buying these blind might not be the greatest idea for me (but I have no options given where I reside). Might have to "settle" for the Elear or K. Vali, though I'm still very much looking forward to further impressions on these new Ethers. 

 

[Stillhart]

   
Uh oh. I was loving the theoretical sound of these until that there, I'm super sensitive to bright treble so buying these blind might not be the greatest idea for me (but I have no options given where I reside). Might have to "settle" for the Elear or K. Vali, though I'm still very much looking forward to further impressions on these new Ethers. 

 
Well there is a saving grace:  you can now use the tuning pads on the open Ether!  That means you can easily tone back the treble if it's too much for you.  This was great on the Ether C and I think it will solve any problems you might potentially have with the treble on the Ether Flow.

 

[Delayeed]

meh I'm not sure about the Ether C Flow. I use no pads on the Ether C 1.1 with Mojo and find the treble already a bit rolled off, not enough for it to be boring but it can be for some songs.

However I'd love the soundstage/detail and bass increase so idkkk maybe just wait for more impressions.

Hopefully it will be possible to upgrade the Ether C to the Flow cheaper if I decide not to upgrade the Carbon fiber cups unless necessary for the sound improvements.

 

[Vigrith]

 
Well there is a saving grace:  you can now use the tuning pads on the open Ether!  That means you can easily tone back the treble if it's too much for you.  This was great on the Ether C and I think it will solve any problems you might potentially have with the treble on the Ether Flow.

 
Now that is good news indeed - thanks for letting me know! It may not even be too much for me but as said, I cannot audition them by any means where I live so if I'd have had to gamble I probably would not have taken the leap of faith. With the pads actually working on the new open Ether then there's much more room to buy with confidence. The aggressive treble on the C (originally at least) that was mentioned by many a reviewer I respect was the reason I didn't purchase them prior so maybe I should give the closed Cs a try instead of the open ones (already have plenty of open planars too) seeing as you said this version smoothed them out up top which is music to my ears. 

 
Either way and regardless of my personal interest I'd like to congratulate Dan Clark on his work yet again, there's some talk about market saturation or just too much coming out in succession in the headphone world nowadays but I think it's commendable that companies (or individuals) are willing to go the extra mile and make their technological advancements available to the public as soon as possible. Isn't that the whole point? If something is better (or even just different) then having it reach us is better than holding out just for the sake of not making prior products "obsolete" correct?
 
As I understand these are very reasonably priced, as well as making the original Ethers cheaper by making the DUM cable the default (good news for people who don't care for custom cables, less so for the ones who do). Nothing but respect in that regard.

 

[grizzlybeast]

The gaphs show some warmth. Promising.

 

[vinakro]

This is both exciting and a little worrying. The Ether C's are my favourite closed headphones and I can't imagine even further improvement. But like some others, I bought my pair used a couple of months ago.
 
Will the upgrade plan extend to those who bought used (ie not the original owners)?

 

[DGCFAD]

  Oh I saw the word Electrostat in the post title and knew they were working on them so I just assumed that's what these were. So this is basically just a tuning upgrade for the Ether's then? Adding more bass?

The tuning change is a side issue, the change is an improvement in how air flows through the magnets, making the diaphragm move faster due to improved aerodynamics. This change would of course change the overall sonic characteristics requiring a matching change in the tuning to maintain the sonic signature that they are going for. It really isn't a question of more bass, but faster more accurate and controlled bass.

 

[DGCFAD]

  so the new driver setup adds 15 grams I think I could live with that, but the question is are new cups on the C Flow any difference in weight vs the C's cups?
are there any differences in impedance and or sensitivity with the Flow vs non Flow Ether's

Impedance should be the same as that part has not been changed, efficiency (sensitivity) should have increased, but tuning change may cancel that out. 

 

[DGCFAD]

  Definitely came out of left field for me. Was expecting the Ether electrostats, actually.
 
Would love to hear if this has any of the "hardness" in the treble that planars can't seem to shake (to my ears at least).

I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

 

[raypin]

mmm......@Stillhart , since you've listened to both and without looking at the price tag and based on their overall SQ performance alone, which do you prefer: Focal Utopia or the Ether Flow? Why? TIA.
 
For Mr. Speakers: both my Ether C and Ether are still WELL within the warranty period. When I upgrade to the Flow versions (whch you've said entails replacing the drivers), what will be the effect on the product warranty period? Still the same? Extended warranty? TIA.

 

[goldendarko]

  The tuning change is a side issue, the change is an improvement in how air flows through the magnets, making the diaphragm move faster due to improved aerodynamics. This change would of course change the overall sonic characteristics requiring a matching change in the tuning to maintain the sonic signature that they are going for. It really isn't a question of more bass, but faster more accurate and controlled bass.

Well that's good and all, but even with the tuning kit the Ether C is a bit bass light compared to all my other headphones (TH-900, LCD-3, HE1000 then Ether C is my current preference for bass). Even with EQ'ing they still seem 'soft' to me. 
 
So this basically sounds like the Ether's version of "Fazors" is what I'm getting from this.

 

[pippen99]

If these are "Inspired by Electostatic Headphones" I would like a comparison of the Flow with the ETHER E.

 

[Zojokkeli]

DAMN! I literally just bought an Ether C days ago!!!! Would have waited a bit longer for the new version if we had gotten a 'heads up'! In Australia so the possible upgrade is still going to be a very costly one. AND my new headphones have just majorly devalued in the space of less than a week! Just my luck! Not feeling any excitement here, sorry. 

Can't you return them and get your money back? I'd do that if I were in your situation.


And now some questions. How do the new Flows stack against TH900's, and can they be driven by the Mojo?

 

[goldendarko]

Can't you return them and get your money back? I'd do that if I were in your situation.


And now some questions. How do the new Flows stack against TH900's, and can they be driven by the Mojo?

I think the Ether C's are overall a better and more balanced headphone than the TH900's so I'm sure the Flow's can only widen that gap. That being said, it really depends on your tastes because the TH900 is a totally different headphone. More of a "fun" sound signature with boosted highs and lows. The bass is phenomenal in it though and that's the one thing lacking in the Ether C. If this can improve it then I think it will be a winner.

 

[zachawry]

Just to be clear, you would need a dedicated electrostatic amp for an Ether E, right? 
 
I am very electrostatic-curious, but I love my current amp and am in mood to go buy another amp.