[Middy]

My pleasure to help.. not very helpful not likes matt's experience..
My OPPO HA1 has been stripped and cleaned deoxited and silver greased.
Superb sound to what I had.. My Ethers are MAXX134 modded/ tuned with angled pads. Now I have a reclocking galvanic isolated INTONA. And a pre IFI IPURIFIER 2. So far very happy with the set up.But remember bits and pieces do add up in the long term.

They could get you more DAC AMP if you fight the upgraditus and save. I was just lucky with an EBAY buy....

Has been a crazy 2 years for audio so many good choices below £2000.

I don't envy the choosing but wish you luck regardless and have fun. It's the journey I suppose not the finish...

Dave 8^)

 

[zachawry]

  Matt, you said: 
 
I agree with your advice but I think you meant Mjolnir 2. 

Speaking of tubes, I looove the Ether with the Micro Zotl2, which doesn't get a huge amount of attention here but has a rabid following. It's highly refined and detailed but laid back. 

 

[tysonultima]

   
There are lots of great choices for ETHER. Consider:
 
1. Questyle cma600i. This headphones seems to love current mode amplification and has great synergy with this amp. Plus it's a dac/amp combo, full dsd support.  
 
2. Ether likes tubes. Try lyr2 or gungnir 2 with a set of NOS tubes and I think that you'll be pretty pleased. 
 
3. Woo makes good stuff (wa22) that pairs well with Ether but it's not cheap. 
 
4. On the DAC end, it's hard to go wrong with the Schiit dacs. I like the Gungnir MB personally with Ether, but the Bifrost 4490 ain't bad. 

I meant to quote this earlier since I was at work, but if money wasn't exactly an issue (since we are focusing on end game, but not ridiculous level) would you recommend the WA22 over the mjolnir 2?

 

[conquerator2]

Has anyone tried the Ether C earpads with the Ether yet?
I think they might be a tiny bit comfier for me so it's down to whether or how they affect the sound.
Any impressions welcome

 

[ejong7]

Has anyone tried the Ether C earpads with the Ether yet?
I think they might be a tiny bit comfier for me so it's down to whether or how they affect the sound.
Any impressions welcome

A little busy to do critical listening now but let me see if I swap my pads tonight or tomorrow.

 

[MattTCG]

  I meant to quote this earlier since I was at work, but if money wasn't exactly an issue (since we are focusing on end game, but not ridiculous level) would you recommend the WA22 over the mjolnir 2?

 
Yes, the Woo is better. But it should be at 2x the money. If I'm looking at this two amps and I've got the money I'd buy the Woo. It's damned sexy looking too. For value, the mjo2 is still king. 
 
Just remember that both of these amps are guilty of coming with unimpressive stock tubes. The Schiit will sound good with a set in the $100 range, even a little lower if you're lucky. The Woo tubes will cost way more. 

 

[knopi]

Thanks again, my tinnitus is quite a resent problem, but I believe It is db related. I will have the opportunity to audition the ETHER paired with 430/Aries in a couple of weeks. Guess I will now after an hour or two of listening. Crossing my fingers, I really hope that ETHER is the answer, it sounds like a VERY comfortable HP with great sound qualities aswell

B/R
GB

 
You have nice system. I like to listen on lower volume too. I heard Ether and HE560 quickly on show, both very very promising. And I borrowed LCDX on one month at home. I recomend try all at home I think all are great headphone. I want borrow them myself all at home when will be right time but my favorite is LCDX for now which I know very well. But truth is Ether seems to be most comfy and cool in my opinion.. 

 

[conquerator2]

A little busy to do critical listening now but let me see if I swap my pads tonight or tomorrow.

Don't forget me mate

 

[ejong7]

Don't forget me mate

Hey no no. Just wanted to listen more to see what's going on and only had time at night yesterday since I had a test paper. Personally my first impression is that the sound stage is just that tad bit wider, but then it loses that mid sparkle slightly. Slightly less warm I would say compared to stock pads. This is with the 1.0 Variant bear in mind, not the 1.1. My 1.1 pads are coming soon.
 
Detail wise its the same. To me, I think the straight pads are just slightly more preferred? I found them more comfortable, and although tbh the difference is not like gigantic, the straight pads just sound more 'right' for me. It's still neutral but adds some musicality with it. If you use the C pads it makes it slightly more monitor like, which some may like, but I found it slightly colder. Not HD800 with a bad pairing cold, but still cold enough for me to switch back. Haven't experiment with C with straight pads but I think it will have a similar function with adding the black pads, with a slightly closer soundstage.
 
Then again, Dan probably have tried to tune them similar, which is to me is to achieve that never boring musical, neutral monitor sound, and the common properties of an open/closed slightly affecting the sound signature, with the C having that tad bit better sub bass but a more narrow sound stage. That said, the C's are the most open-sounding closed headphones till date, bar none for me.
 
Of course, YMMV. I'm just glad I don't have to choose between the C and the open. Btw just checking does the seam on your flat pads face up or face down? For the angled pads it was easy it faces front but I'm OCD and I totally forgot if its up or down lol. Not like it matters sound wise really.

 

[conquerator2]

Hey no no. Just wanted to listen more to see what's going on and only had time at night yesterday since I had a test paper. Personally my first impression is that the sound stage is just that tad bit wider, but then it loses that mid sparkle slightly. Slightly less warm I would say compared to stock pads. This is with the 1.0 Variant bear in mind, not the 1.1. My 1.1 pads are coming soon.

Detail wise its the same. To me, I think the straight pads are just slightly more preferred? I found them more comfortable, and although tbh the difference is not like gigantic, the straight pads just sound more 'right' for me. It's still neutral but adds some musicality with it. If you use the C pads it makes it slightly more monitor like, which some may like, but I found it slightly colder. Not HD800 with a bad pairing cold, but still cold enough for me to switch back. Haven't experiment with C with straight pads but I think it will have a similar function with adding the black pads, with a slightly closer soundstage.

Then again, Dan probably have tried to tune them similar, which is to me is to achieve that never boring musical, neutral monitor sound, and the common properties of an open/closed slightly affecting the sound signature, with the C having that tad bit better sub bass but a more narrow sound stage. That said, the C's are the most open-sounding closed headphones till date, bar none for me.

Of course, YMMV. I'm just glad I don't have to choose between the C and the open. Btw just checking does the seam on your flat pads face up or face down? For the angled pads it was easy it faces front but I'm OCD and I totally forgot if its up or down lol. Not like it matters sound wise really.

Hey, you are awesome!
Thanks!
In that case I'll stick with the flats. Maybe I'll get to try them at London
My seam faces down. I think that's how it is supposed to be but I dunno for sure
Cheers again!

EDIT - What! There are 1.1 earpads?!

 

[Middy]

The inside foam piece is 1.1 ...i have a modded version installed. Thinner Sennheiser foam 1/3 thick with a diamond cut out.
About 6 driver holes showing and microsuede angled pads.
My inner stock foam replaced with Felt.
Top and bottom ..
MAXX134 MOD love the more even tonality...
Tweaked but I like the effect on my listening..

Or no inner foam and side felt pieces...

Both are good...

Google ETHER MAXX134 MODS.. I can't link here...

The 1.1 foam is great as a one off..

 

[Ableza]

MrSpeakers 1.1 mod is a new foam insert tuning filter, it does not change the ear pads.  Can be ordered from the MrSpeakers web site for $10.

 

[olegausany]

I can only add 2 things Ether really sound great with Moon HA430 and that Max134 moded Ether are noticeable and enjoyable improvement over the stock plus Audeze pads give you better soundstage, i prefer non-leather ones

 

[Xcalibur255]

Are the Ether C pads taller?  I'm having a comfort issue with Ether due to the fact that they press against the edges of my ears (yes I have big Dumbo ears).  After 20-30 minutes this dull ache sets in and spreads.  I've found a position that minimizes it but I can't eliminate it completely because the pads are just too shallow for me.  As many comfort issues as I had with the LCD-2 this wasn't one of them due to their huge pads.  It was so nice to not have the headphone touching any part of my ear at all.
 
Now that I've gotten them mostly burned in I have to say the Ether is not quite what I expected it to be.  After so many impressions stating these sit between an LCD and a HD800 I was expecting something a bit on the bright side.  If anything I would describe what I'm hearing as "demure" in such that it's a darker and smoother treble than my LCD2.2 (non-fazor) is.  Overall I'm liking the sound a lot, even if it's a bit different than I thought it was going to be.  They make the LCD2 seem "hifi-ish" and tonally imbalanced, and the Ether handily outperforms them on a technical level particularly in terms of imaging.  The synergy between Ether and my 45 tube amp seems to be outstanding.  I'd have to say my one gripe is that they're almost too sensitive.  Ether seems to really sing with tube amps, but unless you have an exceptionally quiet one with good tubes there are plenty of noise issues that will be unearthed.  The Inspire IHA-1 for example has borderline unacceptable levels of magnetic field hum in the right channel with Ether, and OTL amps with non-shielded power transformers are also a no fly zone.  My 45 amp has no hum issues, but I'm finding plenty of 45 tubes in my tube box have audible microphonic issues that I had never heard with my previous headphones.  So a price is being paid to some extent to make Ether easy to drive for a small sub section of owners who love tubes.

 

[AxelCloris]

The Ether C pads are angled and thicker in the back. They're more padded and could improve comfort for many people. I've been playing with them and if I have one complaint it's that the Ether's cups don't swivel inward enough to allow the pads to rest flush against one another, or at least my pair doesn't.