MrSpeakers Ether C v1.1 - Impressions and Measurements (Corrected and w/ Damping Comparisons)

Discussion in 'Headphone Measurements' started by Hands, Jul 17, 2016.

  1. Hands

    Hands Overzealous Auto Flusher - Measurbator

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    Given what has already been said about the Ethers, I won't linger too long with impressions on non-sound aspects, nor do you need pictures or introductions. Clearly looks, build quality, and comfort are all top-notch. Good, now that's out of the way!

    I also wanted to start with a clean slate by creating a new thread. Given my confusion about what the v1.0 and v1.1 stock damping looked like on the Ether C, nor did I have any reference from the start (I'm out of the loop!), I wanted to set the record straight. No, stock damping on the Ether C is not bare or minimal like the Ether open v1.0 and 1.1. You might literally die if you try that, and my previous posts are good for a laugh if you want to see my adventures when I tried that mistakenly. Yes, it's possible the unit we were shipped was never configured correctly from the start. While it would be unfortunate if people missed out on the correct way to hear the Ether C, I can only do what I am able in the moment, and that's by starting fresh and evaluating the Ether C as it was intended to be heard. (I am wondering if the Ether C I heard at RMAF lacked front damping, because it sounded similarly awful as when I tried the unit at home without.)

    General Sound Impressions

    As a whole, I think I might like the Ether C more than the open model. It has better low end extension, sounds cleaner and clearer, sounds faster, and sounds more dynamic. More punch, snappier, etc. It sounds more refined than the Ether open, and with the right damping, smoother too.

    Regardless of what front damping tweaks you apply, the Ether C appears to have a wider stage than the open model. The angle pads help give it a deeper stage as well, though it's still pretty darn weak in terms of stage depth. The stage is consistently placed in a flat plane from left to right. For the open model, I am not very forgiving, seeing that it's, you know, open. Closed headphones, I'm much more lenient with, and the fact it sounds wider than the open model in this case is a plus. Staging is still poor, don't get me wrong...

    Regardless of measurements, tone and timbre is never quite right on the Ether C (or open, for that matter). The C in particular never sounds comfortable in the midrange and usually has a hollow quality throughout. I think it would benefit immensely from a bit more bass and a fuller sounding midrange. Still, I find it more accurate and pleasing, with the right damping configuration, than the open model.

    Ether family in general needs a powerful amp but don't particularly scale so much as they do synergize with certain amps. While the Ether C is fast and clean, detail retrieval and resolution on the C and open models are a step below the HD6X0 or HD800 family when the latter are "fed" properly.

    Various Damping Impressions

    In stock v1.1 form, the Ether C sounds fast and dynamic, but it is lean in the bass and midrange. Upper-mids and treble are a bit rough and elevated, leading to a somewhat "shouty" character. It's a bit too much for me but nowhere near as unpleasant as trying to listen to these with no front damping.

    Adding 1 black felt disk in the ear pad openings helps a lot but does not entirely alleviate the shouty, bright character. The sound is a bit more fleshed out. (Note that while the Ether C 1.0 and 1.1 have damping in front of the driver by default, these are additional disks you insert into the ear pad without removing it to further tweak the sound.)

    Having 2 black felt disks really balances things out nicely. The bass and midrange become very balanced, albeit a hair thin in some respects. The upper response is largely smoothed out and balanced but still has a very, very slight emphasis over the rest of the sound. Overall, this configuration has the best tonal balance. It is very neutral, if not the smallest smidge lean, and retains fairly fast, dynamic traits (i.e. not too dulled by the layers of front damping).

    The white felt disk kills it. Too dull. Dynamics are softened, treble is muted. Incredibly boring and off sounding.

    Flat pads actually work very well on the Ether C, and with some additional damping, you can get them sounding very neutral from a tonal perspective. They still sound a bit off and hollow, as well as a bit dulled from the damping, but overall leave little to complain about other than the awful staging abilities (flat pads kill almost all depth, less width, etc.).

    Subjective Conclusion

    Overall, when you consider how few truly great closed headphones exist, there's something to like about the Ether C. With the right tuning, and if you're adventurous to try your own front damping, they can hit a very nice tonal spot. Outside of that, depending on damping, they can range from shouty and bright to overly dull, yet always retain a slightly lean, slightly hollow, and very two-dimensional quality. I still am not sold on the price point, nor would they be my choice for a closed headphone necessarily, but they are worth consideration. Lots of really good positive points, but a few negatives that drag it down from being a "Wow!" product.

    Note on amp pairing: Ether C works best from a dynamic, powerful, warm sounding amp. Even the slightest brightness, etch, or loss of dynamics will cause the Ether C to suffer quite a bit. I only like them from my modded Super 7.

    Measurements

    Stock v1.1 frequency response, with no additional damping tweaks, has a subtle but tasteful boost below 100Hz. Unfortunately, from there on, it's an upward slope that peaks around 5KHz. Were it not for the slight bass boost, I think these would be too bright. (NOTE: Distortion results left out. Too noisy at the house today. Rest easy knowing the Ether C has low distortion across the board.)

    MrSpeakers Ether C v1.1 Frequency Response.png


    I don't usually do this, but zooming in for a 10dB scale emphasis my point.

    MrSpeakers Ether C v1.1 Frequency Response Zoomed.png


    FR comparisons between standard v1.1 and the included tuning disks, plus 2-ply TP thrown in for kicks. My preferred configuration is 2 black disks. Note the smaller, 20dB scale here to better show differences!

    MrSpeakers Ether C v1.1 Damping Comparison.png


    Flat pad comparison. Couple that with 1 or 2 black felt disks is tonally pretty balanced. It starts to get a bit dull and doesn't fix all of the Ether C's problems (makes stage even worse), but it's a step in the right direction.

    MrSpeakers Ether C v1.1 Flat Pad Comparison.png


    CSD results for most of the results above. Too lazy to comment on all these.

    Ether C v1.1 Stock L CSD.PNG
    Ether C v1.1 Stock R CSD.PNG
    Ether C v1.1 one black disc L CSD.PNG
    Ether C with two black discs Left CSD.PNG
    Ether C v1.1 white disc L CSD.PNG
    Ether C v1.1 L Flat Pads CSD.PNG
     
  2. GelockS

    GelockS Friend

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    Very nice Hands. Thanks.
    Maybe now with the new release, we might be able to find these soon under 1k. Do they make sense at that price range (800-1000)?

    And btw, have you ever really liked a closed headphone?!?! :eek:


    LOL!
     
  3. Hands

    Hands Overzealous Auto Flusher - Measurbator

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    Yeah, I've liked some closed. I still keep my old Mad Dog 3.2 around. PM-3 was good too, and likely more my preference too vs Ether C (though not in all regards). TH-X00 is good...

    Anyway, $700, give or take $100, seems about what I'd pay, and a lot of that is for non-sound reasons.
     
  4. GelockS

    GelockS Friend

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    Yeah, all good. Man how I would love a REAL closed TH-X00 can! That sound signature I like a lot but the freaking leakage! :( That's basically what I wanted the Ether to sound like.
     
  5. Serious

    Serious Inquisitive Frequency Response Plot

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    It's great to see that you feel flat with your measurements sounds good. I feel the same way about my in-the-ear measurements. That's the target I've been tuning my HD800 to. (Actually slightly warmer than that with a 0.5 to 1db emphasis under 500Hz. I did a few measurements with speakers (the things Tyll did) and to me it seems that a small recession between 1-2kHz could be preferable, with it being flat from 2kHz again. Either that or a bump around 600Hz-1kHz (which I don't think is the case).)
     

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