[GU1DO]

Neutral as in according to the Harman curve.

To be honest i dont know what this mean in practical ,, maybe am wrong ,,
anyway i dont like the Elear , its not my cup of tea ,
i just orderd K812 , and will see how things will go on ..

 

[mrspeakers]

Tyll gets paid by Mrspeakers right? They are a sponsor of his site are they not?

No, we are not an advertiser on Innerfidelity.  I have no "leverage" but even if I did advertise I wouldn't ask him to change a review, nor would he if I did.  

 

[nigel801]

Had the T5p's... modified them as well, and I never really did like them... well I liked them but not enough to keep them. They had nice imaging and good mids but bass was very lacking and the mid-high transition... yikes... The gel pads were the saviors though. But they are extremely hard to get (AFAIK).

Anyway, like the Flow Cs more than the T5p... but you can find the first gen pretty cheap, especially used...

Thats exactly I did I found hardly used like new T5P 1st gen for 350$ and they sound awesome, I dont find these bright but they do lack bit of bass extension but thats the case with Ether C as well. I am very happy to get the sound for that price.

 

[Jazic]

Been playing music from DAB+ radio on the Ether C Flow for 80 hours now..Things have changed and everything has improved from bass, mods and highs.Also i can here a better separation and clarify in the music.Just be patient guys,the burn in it takes time but is really worth it.

 
I've been burning mine 95% of the time since Wednesday night and I haven't noticed a huge difference personally. I guess they sound so good from the beginning I don't notice them getting better.

 

[Masada02]

I'm considering getting the Ether Flow or HE-1000. Can anyone tell me the differences between the two?

Better yet, I'm most familiar with the HE-500 and LCD2, with the HE-500 being my preferred sound signature. So what can I expect from the Flow compared to these two? I'm assuming quite a step up.

I'm all about musicality more than anything else. Separation, impactful bass, and a fairly wide soundstage are also important to me.

I'll be using a the V200 amp with them.

I don't post much about audio so bear with me while I try to articulate what I'm hearing, haha.

I bought the Ether Flows coming from HE-500's after nearly 4 years of use. While I own other closed back headphones the HE-500's have been the only open ones I've used regularly for a long time and is the sound signature I am very accustomed to. So having good said that, here is what I am hearing:

Straight away the Flows are brighter, and not nearly as laid back as the HE-500's. That's not to say uncomfortably bright, just more-so than the 500's. With that, the Flows reproduce a ton more detail. You will hear many more nuances in your music than with the 500's. Vocals will be slightly more forward, yet more comfortable and more involving (if that makes sense). Bass quantity is about the same, maybe slightly more, but is tighter and more controlled. Kicks will kick you faster than with the HE-500's. The sound stage is slightly wider, yet much deeper and instrument separation is a lot better. It's easier for me to visualize exactly where things are and height differences are more noticeable than I've ever heard.

Aesthics/comfort on the Flows are just so much better than the HE-500's. The Flows just sort-of disappear on your head, where-as you can always tell where the HIFIMANS are. One thing to note, the noise attenuation on the Flows is actually quite noticeable. Compared to the HE-500's (where you can hear everything around you) the flows block out a decent amount of noise. I'd consider them closer to a semi-open design, although I don't have a bunch of experience with those.

I drive these with a Schiit Lyr and Bifrost UBER. Tubes wise I started with Matsush!ta 7dj8's, but those ended up being way too bright (they are what I use for the HE-500's). I switched to some sort of Amperex tube I had lying around and they sound much better. Brought in a lot of warmth that isn't there when compared to my portable solid state setup.


Hopefully this made sense. I couldn't find too much of a direct comparison to HE-500's when I was shopping so I figured this would be a good place to help out.

 

[Middy]

Give it 2 weeks if you already haven't. ..
And happy xmas

 

[musicday]

Give it 2 weeks if you already haven't. ..
And happy xmas

Definitely the burn in changes the sound.Now at 105 hour mark,very happy with what I hear.
Happy Christmas to you all.

 

[LunaC]

Just as he isn't apparently a fan of IEM, it appears Tyll seems to be of the correct opinion that closed phones are too much of a compromise when alternatives are more in line with the price point. I hope that we can solve that with DSP soon.  If you want closed, I still like the EtherC compared to the others but when you have the likes of the Andromeda in the mix you have to realize that there are no-compromise isolated systems around.  Personally I'm conflicted as to what to do when I have opportunity to do upgrade. I wished Dan would have a grill exchange ability so that you could convert between the two modes of operation depending on situation. The comfort is second to none with the Ether line. I love the carbon cup and when Im not around the missus, I would be pleased to have the open grills. 

Dan, hint hint....
 

 

[Ableza]

  Just as he isn't apparently a fan of IEM, it appears Tyll seems to be of the correct opinion that closed phones are too much of a compromise when alternatives are more in line with the price point.

Conclusions with which I could not disagree more.  But this is why there are so many options: everyone has their own preferences, to each his own.  It is also a great lesson for those starting out in this hobby: reviews are just opinions, and yours might be very different. 
 
C'est la vie!

 

[cj3209]

   
Quote:

Originally Posted by LunaC /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Just as he isn't apparently a fan of IEM, it appears Tyll seems to be of the correct opinion that closed phones are too much of a compromise when alternatives are more in line with the price point.
 
Originally Posted by Ableza /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Conclusions with which I could not disagree more.  But this is why there are so many options: everyone has their own preferences, to each his own.  It is also a great lesson for those starting out in this hobby: reviews are just opinions, and yours might be very different. 
 
C'est la vie!

I too agree with Ableza.  Sure there might be other more 'price-friendly' options out there but when I'm in a quiet environment and want a more fuller sound than from my CIEMs, I'll take the so called 'compromises' of closed cans any day; IMHO, the Ether C Flows are a great compromise of closed cans with the open and spacious sound of open cans. 
 
'Suum Cuique'

 

[Sonic Defender]

Although you invariably get some cabinet interaction effects, and usually that means some compromised performance, a good closed headphone can offer a more involving bass response if that is your thing, and a well tuned closed headphone can minimize compromises. I personally like both open and closed, but when I really want bass impact I'm certainly not reaching for an open headphone (although some open models are solid bass performers). Both design approaches have a place, and both offer strengths and trade-offs so chose your poison as they say.

 

[Delayeed]

To me everything is clearer and more detailed on closed headphones due to isolation. Sounds come from a much blacker background and sound not escaping
(which allows to hear all the details in things like reverb tails all the way to the end.)

Open headphones are a lot more realistic sounding though in terms of imaging (way more 3D) and don't suffer from compression nearly as much.
I personally prefer the absolute focus that the Ether C provides, but from time to time I wan't the open sound which is when I go for the HD600s.
Nowadays I'm listening Ether C around 85% of the time, DT770 10% and HD600 5%

 

[ubs28]

Anyone compared these against the AKG K872?

 

[emptymt]

  To me everything is clearer and more detailed on closed headphones due to isolation. Sounds come from a much blacker background and sound not escaping
(which allows to hear all the details in things like reverb tails all the way to the end.)

Open headphones are a lot more realistic sounding though in terms of imaging (way more 3D) and don't suffer from compression nearly as much.
I personally prefer the absolute focus that the Ether C provides, but from time to time I wan't the open sound which is when I go for the HD600s.
Nowadays I'm listening Ether C around 85% of the time, DT770 10% and HD600 5%

hmm, interesting, I find that it is impossible for me to go back to closed-back unless it is for portable use.
I really miss the open more spacious soundstage and the airiness when that happens.
 
hv you heard the C Flow?

 

[stuart1927]

I'm very much in the open camp these days. I had the alpha primes, then hd800 and just got the ether flows. I find it tough listening to the primes unless I really need the isolation. In terms of the sound signature, I find only open cans can give me the out of head experience that I love. I find the closed cans too claustrophobic for long term listening. I'm sure the ether C's will do a much better job than the alpha primes, but the open ethers are just fantastic.