The LCD-X treble is emphazised on some songs. It kinda feels disconnected.
It is not V-shaped like a HE-4 or a DT-770 (or was it the 990?), that's why I said slightly.
Whoa! You get ALL the cool toys. I haven't even heard either of the final versions of the Ether or the Audio Zenith, and they are both near where I live. How'd you get them both all the way in the Philippines? (With pre-production versions, they are some of the best headphones I have heard.) Are you getting the HiFiMan HE-1000's too?
Nah, the 560 are definitely brighter and thinner by comparison. They are balanced, as opposed to "shaped" (slightly V-shape in the case of the LCD-X), but the tonal balance is quite a bitwarmer than HE-560 (production, with Focus pads).
Eh? I guess the LCD-X is the closest an Audeze can get to a V-shape, but there's not near enough brightness to say it's a V-shaped headphone. It's too mid and bass focused still. That's like saying the Alpha Primes are v-shaped (though I guess you can argue that one fairly easily due to the upper mid-range dip that shoots into the highs.)
The flat FR from bass out to 1kHz makes things confusing. It brings the lower mids forward, but then the drop from there through to the treble, though not as steep as the original LCD-2s were, does make the overall presentation seem a bit dark and distant. Depending on the music they can sound a bit bass-strong, with the cups of the LCD-XC alleviating this by causing a serious drop around 200 Hz in the mid-bass, resulting in what sounds like something Audio Technica would make, but darker, as it leaves a big lump in the mids. If music has a strong peak at the same frequency as the LCD-X peak it can sound bright, not helped by the bass being flat, rather than having a big hump as other cans do. The Ethers I'd take a bet on having a similar FR to the Stax SR-009s.
Hadn't considered it right away, of course we will as spares as needed. If there's interest in the pads for use elsewhere, sure. Not sure what they'd fit, haven't even thought about that.
I a big fan of the cavernous Alpha Pads, will there be a cavernous version of the pads ETHER is using? I haven't personally worn ETHER but from just looking at the pictures, I find the Audeze pads deeper.
Whoa! You get ALL the cool toys. I haven't even heard either of the final versions of the Ether or the Audio Zenith, and they are both near where I live. How'd you get them both all the way in the Philippines? (With pre-production versions, they are some of the best headphones I have heard.) Are you getting the HiFiMan HE-1000's too?
How can you not know Audio Zenith? And you call yourself a headphone enthusiast? Wow, just wow...
Ps: Now that mrspeakers explained what it is, I'm going to say I was just kidding. I don't know what hell it is either, lol. The only Zenit I know is a Russian football club.
I was lucky enough to spend some time with Dan at the Nashville meet today and listen to the Ether on some really top-notch gear.
I'm not going to go into great detail since 30-40 minutes of listening just isn't enough time, but I came away very impressed. The sound is clear, detailed, and fast without ever sounding harsh or aggressive. Comfort is top-notch and, while looks are subjective, I found them to be refined to a level that matches the price tag.
It seems like the HD800 is the most apt comparison due to the clarity both headphones possess and the similar price. I can't say which is technically superior, but I can say that I found the Ether to be more enjoyable.
At the Nashville meet today I had the chance meet some cool fellow head-fiers and to hear cans and amps that I have never heard before. My general impressions are:
The HD800 is very clear sounding and nice to listen to, but did not wow me in the bass department.
A big surprise for me was the Grado PS1000. Jazz on this can had nice separation and clarity, without mistaking the Grado signature sound.
I didn’t keep track of all of the dac/amp combos I heard, but I came away realizing that I prefer my Dac-Wow/Pioneer SX-650 stereo receiver sound to some others I heard. I brought my Alpha Primes and Sound Magic HD200s to try out on different equipment.
The main things I wanted to hear, since I have recently placed orders for them, are the Ether and Cavalli Carbon. Listening to the Ethers through the Carbon with music played through what I believe was an Astell & Kern player, was utterly fascinating. Dan had some classical music playing through it which was obviously well-recorded, presenting a 3D sound quality.
There were 3 other amps that Dan had, a Cavalli Crimson, the schiit ragnarok and yggdrasil, and a Woo amp (I don’t remember the model number); I preferred the Woo. The Ethers are lightweight, comfortable, and it seems they will upgrade as far as your equipment will take them. The Woo/Ether combo (not sure what dac Dan was using) is hands down the best thing I have ever heard. The realism and separation blew me away. I never felt I was missing anything with the Ethers.
I even tried the Ethers with my Ifi nano and sansa clip. I was able to get loud and good sound from the Ethers, much louder than with my Primes.
Oh, and I prefer my Primes to the Audeze phones I heard.
So, in a nutshell, I feel good about my purchases of the Ether and Carbon, and look forward to receiving them in a few months. And I also feel that my present setup is able to hold its own.
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