[goropeza]

The ether did not disappoint at the Nashville meet earlier today. Man let me tell you what, that bass extension goes deep! Let me reassure anyone who is wondering about the quality of the bass....its probably the best quality I have ever heard and even seems to have a nice touch of weight too it. Definitely doesnt sound thin. Very rich and natural timbre, which was very surprising considering I have found other Mad Dogs and even an Alpha Dog sound somewhat artificial. Maybe the best all round headphone I have ever listened to. I would have loved to listen to these on my humble Burson Conductor SL, but for some reason it was having trouble working today, so this was of coarse listened through world class amps that Dan had at his booth. Nonetheless, I can confirm the Ether is definitely hifi, scales excellently with gear, and will satisfy a variety of sound signatures. I want to go in more detail, but its tough on a smart phone. Will post more impressions later.

 

[aamefford]

The ether did not disappoint at the Nashville meet earlier today. Man let me tell you what, that bass extension goes deep! Let me reassure anyone who is wondering about the quality of the bass....its probably the best quality I have ever heard and even seems to have a nice touch of weight too it. Definitely doesnt sound thin. Very rich and natural timbre, which was very surprising considering I have found other Mad Dogs and even an Alpha Dog sound somewhat artificial. Maybe the best all round headphone I have ever listened to. I would have loved to listen to these on my humble Burson Conductor SL, but for some reason it was having trouble working today, so this was of coarse listened through world class amps that Dan had at his booth. Nonetheless, I can confirm the Ether is definitely hifi, scales excellently with gear, and will satisfy a variety of sound signatures. I want to go in more detail, but its tough on a smart phone. Will post more impressions later.

I had a humble Burson Soloist SL - it was a really nice sounding amp.  I had it with the Alpha Dogs, a d found it a nice pairing.  I am way looking forward to hearing the Ether.  Sounds like there will be a pair or two at a Bay Area mini meet.  I am looking forward to this - there may be some juggling going on in my inventory if I like them.

 

[mbritt]

It was great being able to hear Ethers at the Nashville meet yesterday.  I thought that moving here from LA would mean missing out on some of the opportunities one gets by living in a major metropolitan area.  So far Nashville is great and so were the Ether headphones.  Based on impressions from shows, meets and during personal demo's, my Audeze preference has leaned towards LCDX but yesterday I bought the EL-8s from Joe Saxon of HeadphoneAudiophile.com (a Nashville meet sponsor).  I have a Centrance HiFi-Skyn coming for my iPhone and I felt it would pair perfectly with the EL-8 for listening sessions sitting on the deck.  I love the looks/design and the sound from the EL8 and was hesitant to have them immediately overshadowed by hearing a Mr Speakers Ether but there's no way to pass up hearing Dan's latest creation before it even starts shipping.  Especially since I already own the Mad Dog 3.2's and am considering upgrading to Alpha Prime after hearing them yesterday.
 
I've always thought the Mad Dog's were comfy and that the Alpha was even more so but the Ether's were so comfortable it was surprising.  They look kind of large and I thought they would be like the Audeze LCD lineup which seem a bit heavy on my head.  Dan had them running through some amazing rigs whose pairings created a smile inducing sonic magic (new acronym - SISM) when paired.  It was a joy listening on his rigs but the real test for me is how it works on my own gear once I get it home.  Hooking these up to a DragonFly 1.2 dac feeding a Yulong A100 is probably like test driving a Porsche in a school zone but it's one of my desktop rigs with the other being a Peachtree Audio MusicBox.
 
The Ether's didn't lose any of their magic on my rig.  They had plenty of slam, bass and clarity.  They seem to offer everything I like in a pair of headphones.  The music is really engaging, which is one reason I listen to headphones.  I like to be able to focus on the music without it being in the background.  The other reason I use headphones is that my musical taste runs a wider gamut than my wife's and NIN blasting on our home system inevitably gets the "can you turn that down or change albums" reaction.
 
I ran quick comparisons between the Ether and my new EL-8's and while the EL-8 holds up pretty well, the impact present in the Ether is evident.  Being a photographer I'll use a camera analogy.  You can create beautiful imagery using a 35mm camera that can be used in high end advertising and sold as fine art at top galleries but when you compare an image taken using an 11"x14" view camera there's more "there, there".  More glass to gather light and details, a longer throw through the bellows and a significantly larger film plane that doesn't try and shove so much detail into a small area.  Breathing room for all the visual components is what I think it comes down to (sound familiar).  That being said, most pro's use 35mm cameras because they are good enough, easier to work with and less expensive.  Large format is a specialty tool used when you want to extract that extra impact that might be barely perceptible to a lay person.  Wow, I'm off down a coffee fueled rabbit hole with this impression analogy!  I'm at home listening to the EL-8's and enjoying every minute of it without feeling that I'm missing anything.  But, side by side the Ether shows itself as a near perfect headphone to me, especially when it comes to the bass.
 
I'm not a bass head but I like impact in my music.  I see a lot of live shows (one of the reasons I was attracted to Nashville) and I don't like feeling the bass resonate through my chest cavity.  At a rock show Thursday night my beer can was vibrating like a Honda with a trunk full of subwoofers - it wasn't pleasant.  The bass in the Ether's was perfect for me.  I don't think I've ever heard so much clear bass simultaneously with great mids and fun treble.  I'm drawn to a warmer sound (the HD800's are too sterile for me) and I love the Ether's clarity and impact.  If I had the budget to spend $1500 on a pair of Ether's I wouldn't hesitate.  

 

[flatmap]

Lovely write-up of your impressions, mbritt.  Thanks!

 

[vhsownsbeta]

Lovely write-up of your impressions, mbritt.  Thanks!

Yes, thanks. I can't audition gear where I live so I rely on other head-fiers to help make my purchase decisions.

I am looking at Ether as my first (and hopefully last) open HP. From the impressions coming in it seems very promising as an endgame solution.

 

[Sound Eq]

are the ear pads bigger on the ether than alpha pads as i felt those alpha pads were not totally over ear
 
also if i place the headband to the back of my head does the headphone fall down or does it have a nice clamping force to hold it on no matter what position the headband is placed
 
i have medium size head

 

[skyline315]

  are the ear pads bigger on the ether than alpha pads as i felt those alpha pads were not totally over ear
 
also if i place the headband to the back of my head does the headphone fall down or does it have a nice clamping force to hold it on no matter what position the headband is placed
 
i have medium size head

I can't compare them to the alpha pads, but I had no problem with the earpads on the Ether.  It was funny, because after taking them off I looked at the earpad and thought the opening looked pretty small.  But, while wearing them it never crossed my mind as being an issue.
 
As for clamping force, I typically like a strong clamp and can't stand it when headphones feel loose on my head.  It's a major reason I prefer the DT1350 over the more popular T51p.  
 
When wearing the Ethers I have to confess that clamp force never entered my mind one way or another.  I view this as a very positive sign.  The cliche of disappearing once they are on your head very much applies here.  

 

[MattTCG]

I want to be pretty direct and to the point with my experience with the Ether this weekend. The Ether is the most enjoyable experience that I've had listening to music with headphones. I've completed a somewhat embarrassing amount of trades, buys and sells looking for the headphone that ticks all the boxes for my demanding expectations. I've heard and owned some impressive headphones along the way but it always seemed that something got in the way of true contentment. After extended listening sessions on multiple amps and dacs with the Ether, I feel that I have finally found my end game. And honestly, I'm as happy for myself as I am for Dan Clark.
 
The first thing that I noticed when I slid the Ether on, was how light and comfortable the headphone was. I think that the overall curb weight was somewhere between the he400i and he560 at around 370 grams without cable. The fitment system is very similar to the Stax with suspension strap and auto adjust. The headphones just float on your head and within a period of about five minutes I didn't feel the headphone at all. It simply hugs lightly around the ears and stays put. It is unquestionably one of the most comfortable headphones that I've ever worn. As someone who struggles with heavier cans, this made me very happy indeed.
 
The Ether at first listen is strikingly fast in terms of decay between the notes. Is it Stax fast? Let me just say that it's very very close. Voices and instruments just seem to start naturally and instantaneously. The bass is tremendous both in terms of extension and texture. This is NOT a monitor style signature and bass shy in any way. My jaw dropped several times listening to sub bass/electronic music through the Ether. The bass seems to be quite linear where the Ether does not add or color the bottom end with extra bass that isnt' present in the original recording. As much as I enjoy the sr-009, the bass on the Ether is clearly better IMO, with no reverb or lingering sub bass resonance after the note. Stax do bass texture very well but they just couldn't slam like the Ether does.
 
The mids were breath taking for me. Listening to Rob Wasserman's Duets, the vocal by Jennifer Warnes was just so transparent and natural that I couldn't believe it. Hauntingly beautiful vocals is the only way that I can describe the Ether mids. I love my hd650 and hd800 (with the right amp) for females vocals. The Ether was at times, embarrassingly better with vocals. There is a level of transparency with voices that instantly connected me to the music. Because I listen to a lot of female jazz vocalist, I couldn't have been more pleased with just how impressive the Ether rendered the mids. For me, most of the music lives in the mids. If a headphone can render female vocal accurately and with a natural tone, then I know that I'll be able to enjoy a healthy portion of my favorite music.
 
The hd800 (with the right amp) is generally agreed upon to have some of, if not the best treble extension in the game. On the wrong amp the hd800 can be treble fatiguing and strident. How good is the treble on the Ether? Very much in the ballpark with the hd800 on a good amp. While I would still give the nod to the hd800 with classical music, overall I preferred the treble on the Ether with all other genres of music. The Ether never shied away from a hi-hat cymbal crash. When the musician struck the cymbal with authority, the sound came across without reservation, was dynamic and engaging and never harsh. Again, the Ether was able to match the music in a linear fashion.
 
Because of it's retail price of $1499 the Ether will naturally draw comparisons to the hd800. For me, the Ether is clearly more enjoyable headphone than the hd800. Even when I put the hd800 on $3500 Woo wa-5 with stellar pair of Royal Princess tubes, the Ether sounded better and excelled both technically and musically...all while on the $600 soon to be released Cavali Carbon amp. Don't be surprised to see comparisons to Stax with the performance the Ether brings to the table. Add the Carbon to the Ether and at $2100 total and prepare to see some seriously furled brows for those who spent two or three times that much once they hear the Ether/Carbon combo. The Ether does have good legs and scales up nicely with flagship amps. On the wa5 and Liquid Crimson, the Ether stepped up it's game and became even more transparent and dynamic.
 
So what's wrong with the Ether and what don't I like about it? Well, if you need a closed hp the Ether is not for you. $1499 is still not cheap and not everyone can afford it. You'll need to prepare to spend at least $500 on an amp to get most of the performance from the Ether. Although it's surprisingly easier to drive than most flagships. The Ether is not available yet, so if you need a headphone today, you'll have to look elsewhere. If the price is in your budget and you're able to wait a few months, then I highly suggest taking a long hard look at the Ether.
 
I knew at the end of the day on Saturday that the Ether was my end game headphone and that I'd get one as soon as possible. Time to start crossing off the days of the calendar.  I think  that best compliment that I can give the Ether is that when listening to it, I constantly had to remind myself to stop enjoying the music and start analyzing and critiquing the headphone. It is simply an incredibly engaging experience. 
 
My hat is off to Dan and his team.
 

 
 

 

[Oregonian]

Matt, you mentioned you would have some feedback vs a HE-6........................
 
The Ether sounds like a HE-6 based on what you said Matt................at least as I read it. 

 

[MattTCG]

^^ There was nothing that I didn't favor the Ether with when I compared it to the he-6. 

 

[goropeza]

As for clamping force, I typically like a strong clamp and can't stand it when headphones feel loose on my head.  It's a major reason I prefer the DT1350 over the more popular T51p.  

When wearing the Ethers I have to confess that clamp force never entered my mind one way or another.  I view this as a very positive sign.  The cliche of disappearing once they are on your head very much applies here.  

I have to agree completely. The light weight, easy going clamp force, and incredible natural timbre really seem to give the illusion of just disapearing once you press play. Ive never felt anything like it.

 

[ssrock64]

Wow, Matt, you've basically just made a sale for Dan. Your recommendations have never steered me wrong, so I know I just have to have a pair eventually. It's been awhile since I've had a MrSpeakers product, but based on such a glowing review I'm sure I'll be blown away by the Ether when I finally get to hear them.

 

[aamefford]

I'm looking forward to hearing them in a couple of weeks.  Sort of.  I'm a bit afraid to hear them.  It sounds like I may have to figure out how to "make room" for them.  Basically, what am I going to sell?  I was pretty set with the Primes, PM-1's and now PM-3's.  PM-1's don't get a lot of head time, but mostly because they are open.  The Ether's are open as well, so I'm going to have to sort that out.  Closed really works better for me.  Shoot, I'll probably end up upgrading the HA-1 as well.  This may not end well for my wallet…..

 

[money4me247]

  I'm looking forward to hearing them in a couple of weeks.  Sort of.  I'm a bit afraid to hear them.  It sounds like I may have to figure out how to "make room" for them.  Basically, what am I going to sell?  I was pretty set with the Primes, PM-1's and now PM-3's.  PM-1's don't get a lot of head time, but mostly because they are open.  The Ether's are open as well, so I'm going to have to sort that out.  Closed really works better for me.  Shoot, I'll probably end up upgrading the HA-1 as well.  This may not end well for my wallet…..

edit - OT from general thread. my apologies.

 

[aamefford]

  what are you upgrading to?? btw, what color ha-1 do you have? I wld be interested

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