They are really good headphones. The Era-1’s easily tops most headphones under $1k to my ears.managed to listen to the headphones recently, it was a very pleasant surprise
QUAD ERA-1 Thread
- Thread starter FastAndClean
- Start date
Lohb
Headphoneus Supremus
Do they doing anything as good or better than Dan Clark Audio Ether 2 in your signature list ?
The Ether 2’s are a more refined version of the Quad’s, but it takes EQ to best them. The Quad’s have naturally better treble than the Ether 2’s. The Ether 2’s need a EQ boost to liven up the headphone in general. They both do bass really, really well. The Ether 2’s edge the Quads out in bass quality and definition. They both do midrange really well. The Ether 2’s mids are creamy, tuneful and full bodied. The Quad’s mids doesn’t have the body of the Ether 2’s but yet remains musical.
Overall, the Ether 2’s sound like a good set of tubes. They are musical, warm, detailed, and clear. With an energetic, lush midrange, great imaging capabilities with deep, impactful bass, and a holographic soundstage that reels you into the music. The Quads are like the best tubes you can buy on a budget. They get you close enough to the sound of that top tier tube to keep you satisfied until you can finally upgrade. That’s they best way I can describe these two.
Here's a link to a more in depth mini review I did on the Quad's versus the Ether 2's
mobbaddict
Headphoneus Supremus
IMO the key strength of the Quad is the midrange. You can boast the entire bass section by putting the leather pads but I don't think its nature is fundamentally focused on this part. When you put the hybrid pads back you realize the bass is still pretty neutral, maybe even light for some, and it leaves the floor open for the delicate midrange. Treble is actually not really forward when properly inserting the pads. It's like a slightly brighter high-end HD600.
Lohb
Headphoneus Supremus
Do the Quads have a unique pin-out for custom cables...also, which set of stock earpads has more bass again ?
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strider1007
100+ Head-Fier
Tip and ring positive, sleeve is ground if I'm not mistaken.. Leather pads give me the most bass..
Lohb
Headphoneus Supremus
So is that non-standard as I tried a new TRRS 2.5" cable in them...nothing...stock cable fine.
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strider1007
100+ Head-Fier
I stand corrected, see Chris Kaoss's response just below..
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Chris Kaoss
Headphoneus Supremus
It's not the cable at all.
It also depends on the wiring on/in the cups.
While my Forza cable, made for my Era-1, works pretty well an my SEM5, the oem cable of the Pioneers don't work with the Quads.
My guess on this behavior, the important point is the ring, not the tip.
Wiring on the Pioneer cable is
Tip = left+/ right+
Ring = ground
Sleeve = unused
Wiring on the FAW cable
Tip = left+/right+
Ring = ground
Sleeve = ground
It seems that the Era-1 doesn't make use of the ring.
So the Era-1 should work best with a custom cable suited for the Denons, which has a 3.5 mono termination on the cups.
Made a test with the cable of my D9200 and it works with the Era-1 flawlessly.
It also depends on the wiring on/in the cups.
While my Forza cable, made for my Era-1, works pretty well an my SEM5, the oem cable of the Pioneers don't work with the Quads.
My guess on this behavior, the important point is the ring, not the tip.
Wiring on the Pioneer cable is
Tip = left+/ right+
Ring = ground
Sleeve = unused
Wiring on the FAW cable
Tip = left+/right+
Ring = ground
Sleeve = ground
It seems that the Era-1 doesn't make use of the ring.
So the Era-1 should work best with a custom cable suited for the Denons, which has a 3.5 mono termination on the cups.
Made a test with the cable of my D9200 and it works with the Era-1 flawlessly.
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phthora
Headphoneus Supremus
Well, I just joined the Quad Squad a few days ago and have put a good 20+ hours on these guys. After all the countless times I've read that these are among the very best under $1k and 'punch above their weight,' I must say, I definitely agree! These go right up there with the Elex, LCD-2C, and Ananda as the champs in that category. I'd even say they're a safer blind buy than anything but the Elex.
I won't rehash all the same old stuff that's already been covered before, but I do want to point out a few things that I hadn't seen mentioned before or that I didn't heed enough when they were mentioned.
The ERA-1 are very comfortable. I've always preferred a meaty headband over a suspension strap, and these have a nice one. Well-padded, ergonomically bowed, and it distributes the weight evenly and securely. Between that and the cozy stock leather ear pads, these headphones are easy to wear for several hours at a time. No heavy cable weighing them down either.
While the stock sound with the leather has a very pleasing fast-warm sound like an Audeze (but with better treble extension), I've found that an extra 3db at 2800hz brings out the vocal details a bit more and gives some extra clarity to the mids. I switch between engaging this EQ or not, since both ways sound great, but it does bring these cans to within a very neutral sound. For some woolly sounding tracks, it's a big help.
I rarely want to drive headphones on my DAP because they just don't sound as good as on my desktop rig, and often it's a big disparity. But the ERA-1 are some of the few exceptions. They scale up nicely, certainly, but they also scale down very well. In other words, even without the best or most powerful front end, they don't sound muddy, flat, narrow, grainy, brittle, or harsh, common features of under-driven sound. Even on the gear I typically hide at the back of my closet, the ERA-1 still sound pleasant, even if they're clearly not living up to their full potential.
Some pictures make the cups look coppery or purple, but they're just gunmetal gray.
The dynamic impact you get on these is no joke. The sound is visceral and hard-hitting, especially in the low-end, like a good dynamic driver. They still have the tone of a planar in that the bass is very linear and well-extended, so you're not as likely to hear that slam on every song, but these definitely throw some air at you when called for. In higher frequencies that impact is still there with very fast transients. Though without that EQ boost, it's a little bit harder to hear in the mids.
I won't rehash all the same old stuff that's already been covered before, but I do want to point out a few things that I hadn't seen mentioned before or that I didn't heed enough when they were mentioned.
The ERA-1 are very comfortable. I've always preferred a meaty headband over a suspension strap, and these have a nice one. Well-padded, ergonomically bowed, and it distributes the weight evenly and securely. Between that and the cozy stock leather ear pads, these headphones are easy to wear for several hours at a time. No heavy cable weighing them down either.
While the stock sound with the leather has a very pleasing fast-warm sound like an Audeze (but with better treble extension), I've found that an extra 3db at 2800hz brings out the vocal details a bit more and gives some extra clarity to the mids. I switch between engaging this EQ or not, since both ways sound great, but it does bring these cans to within a very neutral sound. For some woolly sounding tracks, it's a big help.
I rarely want to drive headphones on my DAP because they just don't sound as good as on my desktop rig, and often it's a big disparity. But the ERA-1 are some of the few exceptions. They scale up nicely, certainly, but they also scale down very well. In other words, even without the best or most powerful front end, they don't sound muddy, flat, narrow, grainy, brittle, or harsh, common features of under-driven sound. Even on the gear I typically hide at the back of my closet, the ERA-1 still sound pleasant, even if they're clearly not living up to their full potential.
Some pictures make the cups look coppery or purple, but they're just gunmetal gray.
The dynamic impact you get on these is no joke. The sound is visceral and hard-hitting, especially in the low-end, like a good dynamic driver. They still have the tone of a planar in that the bass is very linear and well-extended, so you're not as likely to hear that slam on every song, but these definitely throw some air at you when called for. In higher frequencies that impact is still there with very fast transients. Though without that EQ boost, it's a little bit harder to hear in the mids.
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k1n0n3
100+ Head-Fier
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Have the same Benchmark stack as you except in silver. I’m running the Quads balanced via a silver lavricables.
Maximiliano Campo
100+ Head-Fier
Would these headphones satisfy a bass head looking for an open back? Someone looking for a lot of sub bass rumble with with the open back and spacious sound.
If anyone can help me with this, please. Thanks
If anyone can help me with this, please. Thanks
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phthora
Headphoneus Supremus
If you are looking for Fostex biocellulose driver levels of bass, then not really. Out of the box, they are surprisingly impactful bass for a planar, among the best planars I've heard in that regard, but the amount of bass is just a few db north of what I would consider neutral. However, like a good planar the ERA-1 takes a lot of EQ before distorting. Along with it's natural slam and excellent bass extension, you could probably get these to basshead levels with the right amp and some EQ. What you won't get even then is the reflections from the cup that bassy closedback headphones invariably have or the lingering decay of a dynamic driver (these planar drivers are quite fast). In other words, impact is there, the extension is there, quantity can be arranged, but the timbre may be different than you're used to hearing.
frogmeat69
100+ Head-Fier
Just got these a few days ago, liking them a lot so far. 
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