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keyboard_arrow_downMrSpeakers
257
Dan Clark, Designer/CEO
Sep 25, 2018
Hi there!Thanks to Cee Tee for his perseverance, he stuck with us for a long time to make this happen, and I'm really excited for us to be doing our first drop!
We tried to make the ETHER CX a unique product, and there is a lot in that's new. For example, it uses the original ETHER C driver but with a new tuning system delivering a unique and smooth voicing with gently lifted bass, and a really smooth transition from bass to mids. The new hardware is also a bit lighter and with no moving, as per our AEON design, and it sports a new ear pad. I hope it's a lot of fun for those who opt in the drop.
If anyone has any questions for me, please chime in.
EDIT: To make the information easier for people to see, I'm copying two of my posts contrasting ETHER CX to ETHER C and to AEON Closed. The format of the two posts is a bit different in style as I was sort of answering two different questions, for the editorially minded. :-)
ETHER C The original ETHER C had a tip toward the higher frequencies and also had some pad bounce that made bass a little unpredictable. With ETHER CX we have a new pad that reduces pad bounce for smoother and more impactful bass. By bringing the highs better into balance the whole headphone has warmer tone, without lacking air or shimmer, and the bass really pops on good source material (listening to Robag Wruhme's Wolluwe track as I write this and a lot of toe tapping going on).
ÆON Tone: ETHER CX has a more neutral voicing with a bump to the bass, while AEON has a bit more of a V to the response and is less linear and smooth sounding. ETHER CX has a bit more heft at the lowest frequencies, it just feels like there's more power at the sub-bass even though they measure similarly. AEON Closed presents a bit more upper bass energy due to the V-shape to the response. ETHER CX has a smoother blend to the midrange which delivers better phase coherence, while AEON has a bit of a peak in the 5K region, something we worked to eliminate in the ETHER CX, and a brighter than neutral top. Dynamics are very similar. Soundstage they are close, ETHER CX seems a trifle larger. Efficiency: ETHER CX is 2-3dB more efficient. Comfort: The AEON is lighter and is a bit more comfortable for more extended listening. Isolation: ETHER CX offers several dB more isolation. The following chart is showing both headphones with no damping,orange is ECX and purple is AEON Closed, measured on a GRAS 45 CA with DF compensation. The main takeaway is the smoother response of the ETHER CX, with a less pronounced "V" to the response for better midrange-high coherence, yet with a fun bump to the bottom end. The smoother top end lets the mids and bass stand out nicely, too. I like to think of it as "audiophile fun" voicing.
We tried to make the ETHER CX a unique product, and there is a lot in that's new. For example, it uses the original ETHER C driver but with a new tuning system delivering a unique and smooth voicing with gently lifted bass, and a really smooth transition from bass to mids. The new hardware is also a bit lighter and with no moving, as per our AEON design, and it sports a new ear pad. I hope it's a lot of fun for those who opt in the drop.
If anyone has any questions for me, please chime in.
EDIT: To make the information easier for people to see, I'm copying two of my posts contrasting ETHER CX to ETHER C and to AEON Closed. The format of the two posts is a bit different in style as I was sort of answering two different questions, for the editorially minded. :-)
ETHER C The original ETHER C had a tip toward the higher frequencies and also had some pad bounce that made bass a little unpredictable. With ETHER CX we have a new pad that reduces pad bounce for smoother and more impactful bass. By bringing the highs better into balance the whole headphone has warmer tone, without lacking air or shimmer, and the bass really pops on good source material (listening to Robag Wruhme's Wolluwe track as I write this and a lot of toe tapping going on).
ÆON Tone: ETHER CX has a more neutral voicing with a bump to the bass, while AEON has a bit more of a V to the response and is less linear and smooth sounding. ETHER CX has a bit more heft at the lowest frequencies, it just feels like there's more power at the sub-bass even though they measure similarly. AEON Closed presents a bit more upper bass energy due to the V-shape to the response. ETHER CX has a smoother blend to the midrange which delivers better phase coherence, while AEON has a bit of a peak in the 5K region, something we worked to eliminate in the ETHER CX, and a brighter than neutral top. Dynamics are very similar. Soundstage they are close, ETHER CX seems a trifle larger. Efficiency: ETHER CX is 2-3dB more efficient. Comfort: The AEON is lighter and is a bit more comfortable for more extended listening. Isolation: ETHER CX offers several dB more isolation. The following chart is showing both headphones with no damping,orange is ECX and purple is AEON Closed, measured on a GRAS 45 CA with DF compensation. The main takeaway is the smoother response of the ETHER CX, with a less pronounced "V" to the response for better midrange-high coherence, yet with a fun bump to the bottom end. The smoother top end lets the mids and bass stand out nicely, too. I like to think of it as "audiophile fun" voicing.
jsmiller58
804
Oct 17, 2019
You might want to go to their website and send mail to their contact email. They probably pay a lot more attention to their email than a forum.
LuckyLuke575
561
Oct 18, 2019
jsmiller58Perhaps. But if this is how they respond to information requests on a product page, imagine how the customer support experience will be... They're not selling $3 toothpaste, so they need to explain their product.
(Edited)
CEE_TEE
3480
Sep 24, 2018
When the timing is right…
Dan Clark’s operations are in San Diego. (I imagine it’s gotta be hard to be productive in such a nice place, but Dan has always seemed driven.) We checked in with Dan a couple of times throughout the years about working together and usually he is improving his headphones, developing new models, and keeping up his production. Earlier this year, he said that with enough time to plan he could increase production capability plus he had some ideas for our project. We were a go!
Thrilled to have a couple of prototypes bouncing back and forth (between Dan, ourselves, and a couple of community members) we made some adjustments to the frequency response and subjectively validated the balance of spatial & tonal considerations. Targets are a balanced, open-sounding tonality with a soundstage that has natural sonic size and weight.
Some concepts at work with MrSpeakers: DIY Spirit = Appreciating the people & process of improving headphones with modifications Kaizen = Discipline & Practice of Continuous Improvement Customer Care = Making improvements available to existing customers
Dan comes from the DIY audiophile community, where he originally worked on tuning Fostex T-50RP headphones. Eventually, he set a goal for himself and a new company: offer commercial mods on Fostex T-50RP headphones and save up to launch a whole new headphone line made entirely by MrSpeakers within 3 years.
DIY spirit we give Dan credit for: making upgrades available for existing headphones. When possible, Dan offers new tuning upgrades for purchase and self-installation. When the mod requires more than swapping out easy tuning materials such as foam and felt, he has allowed people to send in their headphones for swapping of updated drivers or baffles at reasonable prices. This speaks to Dan’s ethos of wanting people to have the best sound he can make.
The MrSpeakers line of Fostex T50RP modded headphones: Mad Dog
Closed Back, Open Sound In general, with open-back headphones, pressure doesn’t build up as much in the earcups and reverberations or ringing is minimized. Sound is natural, open, and clear. (Imagine speakers playing in your backyard vs. in your closet.)
However, sound leaks in & out of an open-back headphone. With a closed-back headphone, more care needs to be taken in order to absorb reflections and pressure from a closed system but benefits through isolation from outside noise. If you can pull it off, the ideal for many is the sound of an open-back headphone with the advantages of a closed-back design.
Business is now Open AND Closed No sooner than he successfully launched his Ether Open, I know that Dan started getting requests for a closed version. (I was one of those people.) Luckily he had the chops from all his T50RP modding days and the Ether C (Closed) was created…
Fast-forward another few years and our new Massdrop x MrSpeakers Ether CX contains continued improvement on the original (non-Flow) platform of the Ether C.
Product goals for our flagship closed-back headphone: · Isolating · Accurate · Open-sounding · Resolving · Fast · Clean · Sleek
Personally, I’m stoked about the clean sound these produce, how they feel in the hands/on the head, and I LOVE how they look. Designing and tuning closed back headphones is not for the faint of heart- or people wary of driving towards constant improvement. We’re so happy to be adding these to the exclusive Massdrop Made product line and to have our flagship closed back headphone at last…we hope you enjoy!
Dan Clark’s operations are in San Diego. (I imagine it’s gotta be hard to be productive in such a nice place, but Dan has always seemed driven.) We checked in with Dan a couple of times throughout the years about working together and usually he is improving his headphones, developing new models, and keeping up his production. Earlier this year, he said that with enough time to plan he could increase production capability plus he had some ideas for our project. We were a go!
Thrilled to have a couple of prototypes bouncing back and forth (between Dan, ourselves, and a couple of community members) we made some adjustments to the frequency response and subjectively validated the balance of spatial & tonal considerations. Targets are a balanced, open-sounding tonality with a soundstage that has natural sonic size and weight.
Some concepts at work with MrSpeakers: DIY Spirit = Appreciating the people & process of improving headphones with modifications Kaizen = Discipline & Practice of Continuous Improvement Customer Care = Making improvements available to existing customers
Dan comes from the DIY audiophile community, where he originally worked on tuning Fostex T-50RP headphones. Eventually, he set a goal for himself and a new company: offer commercial mods on Fostex T-50RP headphones and save up to launch a whole new headphone line made entirely by MrSpeakers within 3 years.
DIY spirit we give Dan credit for: making upgrades available for existing headphones. When possible, Dan offers new tuning upgrades for purchase and self-installation. When the mod requires more than swapping out easy tuning materials such as foam and felt, he has allowed people to send in their headphones for swapping of updated drivers or baffles at reasonable prices. This speaks to Dan’s ethos of wanting people to have the best sound he can make.
The MrSpeakers line of Fostex T50RP modded headphones: Mad Dog
Closed Back, Open Sound In general, with open-back headphones, pressure doesn’t build up as much in the earcups and reverberations or ringing is minimized. Sound is natural, open, and clear. (Imagine speakers playing in your backyard vs. in your closet.)
However, sound leaks in & out of an open-back headphone. With a closed-back headphone, more care needs to be taken in order to absorb reflections and pressure from a closed system but benefits through isolation from outside noise. If you can pull it off, the ideal for many is the sound of an open-back headphone with the advantages of a closed-back design.
Business is now Open AND Closed No sooner than he successfully launched his Ether Open, I know that Dan started getting requests for a closed version. (I was one of those people.) Luckily he had the chops from all his T50RP modding days and the Ether C (Closed) was created…
Fast-forward another few years and our new Massdrop x MrSpeakers Ether CX contains continued improvement on the original (non-Flow) platform of the Ether C.
Product goals for our flagship closed-back headphone: · Isolating · Accurate · Open-sounding · Resolving · Fast · Clean · Sleek
Personally, I’m stoked about the clean sound these produce, how they feel in the hands/on the head, and I LOVE how they look. Designing and tuning closed back headphones is not for the faint of heart- or people wary of driving towards constant improvement. We’re so happy to be adding these to the exclusive Massdrop Made product line and to have our flagship closed back headphone at last…we hope you enjoy!
TheRequiem
249
Oct 14, 2018
I just can’t join this drop. I love massdrop for some of its value, but this drop just seams off to me. We are already on Esther 2 Flows and these don’t even include the original flow drivers. I’m out.
timothom
85
Jan 12, 2019
My 4xx has about as good of bass as you can expect from an open-backed headphone.
Paperdragons
65
Mar 26, 2020
TheRequiemI prefer these to the ether 2 by quite a bit. These hit a very specific market for neutral mixing/recording friendly closed backs.
Volly
328
Sep 25, 2018
My body is ready but my wallet sadly isn't.... :*(
The Ether C's are just beautiful to look at, Dan is a wizard and glad to see his product here at MD!
The Ether C's are just beautiful to look at, Dan is a wizard and glad to see his product here at MD!
raansire7
1507
Sep 25, 2018
Ha-ha! True! That's nice of buying second-hand stuff. You save money while grabbing something nice. I understand the mentality and would do the same. But in my case, I need to buy brand new, because being the crazy person I am, I have a specific way of handling my headphones. I never treat them like they're mine. I always softly place them down, and I never manhandle them or touch them all over. I treat headphones like eggs, because I like them to look brand-new for the next owner. I keep their boxes in a closet. Instead of selling them, I tend to gift my headphones away if I buy a new one and God touches my heart and I feel bad about having one too many. The least used one goes no matter how much I like it.
Wiping them with a damp microfiber every once in a while is nice and brings joy, because any skin oil, dust or smudge is gone in the process. I also never blast music loudly through them. So yeah, it's why I buy brand new. I will never know how the previous owner treated their headphones. The possibilities are endless of what pre-owned headphones could say if they could talk. I'd rather pay more and feel assured that they didn't go through any funky business.
Wiping them with a damp microfiber every once in a while is nice and brings joy, because any skin oil, dust or smudge is gone in the process. I also never blast music loudly through them. So yeah, it's why I buy brand new. I will never know how the previous owner treated their headphones. The possibilities are endless of what pre-owned headphones could say if they could talk. I'd rather pay more and feel assured that they didn't go through any funky business.
Volly
328
Sep 26, 2018
raansire7Hearing just how proud of an owner like yourself treats their equipment gives me confidence in buying second, obliviously buyer-beware, but with the magnitude of fellow hobbyist like yourself, I feel that little bit better when buying used audio gear site-unseen.
Can't say that with other hobby's say - Used video card market with all this mining going on. :D
I too, have gifted quite a few headphones away to loved ones (especially my wife! :D) and in a karmatic way, I've received really nice audio gear for very decent prices from others in this community.
Anyways, back on track. How about these Ether CX's? Anyone jumped on board yet?
Can't say that with other hobby's say - Used video card market with all this mining going on. :D
I too, have gifted quite a few headphones away to loved ones (especially my wife! :D) and in a karmatic way, I've received really nice audio gear for very decent prices from others in this community.
Anyways, back on track. How about these Ether CX's? Anyone jumped on board yet?
sigmonius
3
Feb 28, 2019
The Big Question: How does this compare with AEON Flow Closed in terms of sound quality ?
raansire7
1507
Sep 25, 2018
Guys, just because these are a re-work of a discontinued model doesn't mean they automatically sound dated or worse than the new ones. People paid $1500 for the ETHER C back in 2015. They were the TOTL models. Three years is not a very long time for headphones.
Did your HD 650 started sounding bad when the HD 800 came out? Did the HD 800 S started sounding bad when the HD 820 came out? Etc. Headphones are one of the best money spends hobby-wise IMHO. Why? In the obsolescence...sense, they never become obsolete like computers, cameras and other software-driven electronics do. God bless!
Did your HD 650 started sounding bad when the HD 800 came out? Did the HD 800 S started sounding bad when the HD 820 came out? Etc. Headphones are one of the best money spends hobby-wise IMHO. Why? In the obsolescence...sense, they never become obsolete like computers, cameras and other software-driven electronics do. God bless!
hernandoco
242
Sep 26, 2018
There are some older Sennheiser flagships that still sound great today and pretty comparable to their modern releases. I own an HD540 and an HD430 and to my ears, I enjoy them better than the HD800. That's subjective though. The HD540 and HD430 were 70s-80s design but still excellent in today's music production. You can find a nice pair of these old flagships for under $200. Even less if you're lucky.
JD_dj
7
Oct 2, 2018
hernandocoStill using my V6 (from 1997) daily (15+ hrs) which I got for $100 or less...
Bazirker
107
Oct 7, 2018
I listened to these bad boys at CanJam/RMAF earlier today.
They're pretty damn good. I listened to several phones in MrSpeakers' lineup and I don't personally care for their sound signature, but these were technically excellent, especially for closed-back phones. To be frank, I actually preferred their overall presentation to that of the Ether 2, although I will say that I didn't have the time to listen to the open-back Ether 2's in a quiet setting, and the Ether 2's were technically superior in terms of details and soundstage.
If I had a spare $900 around, I would strongly consider biting on these, but alas I'll continue enjoying my $200 HD 6XX for the time being (and enjoy them I most certainly do!)
They're pretty damn good. I listened to several phones in MrSpeakers' lineup and I don't personally care for their sound signature, but these were technically excellent, especially for closed-back phones. To be frank, I actually preferred their overall presentation to that of the Ether 2, although I will say that I didn't have the time to listen to the open-back Ether 2's in a quiet setting, and the Ether 2's were technically superior in terms of details and soundstage.
If I had a spare $900 around, I would strongly consider biting on these, but alas I'll continue enjoying my $200 HD 6XX for the time being (and enjoy them I most certainly do!)
shimage
228
Oct 11, 2018
I just auditioned the Elegia at TSAV today and bought a pair. The demo unit sounded surprisingly close to the Clears (my favorite headphone by far), much closer than anything else I've heard (Eikon, Z1R, HD820, T5p.2, Aeon, Ether C/C flow, LCD2C closed, etc). The unit I took home, though, seems to be broken. There is no bass in the left driver, and not enough bass in the right driver. Jude's measurements suggest these have noticeably more bass than the Clears, but I've seen some impressions reporting these have no bass at all. I wonder how much of this is sample variance. In any case, I'm hoping I can get my pair replaced without having to wait forever for warranty service ...
In other news, of the other headphones on that list I wrote above, I would take the LCD2C closed by a significant margin, assuming it's a fixed one. The first demo unit at TSAV was pretty terrible. That said, my Aeon closed doesn't sound anything like Dan's measurements. It is very mid-centric, lacking quite a bit in both treble and bass (although bass is extended well). I took out the foam in the ports, which fixed the bass, but the treble is still too polite for my tastes. Another casualty of sample variance?
Update: so, was able to exchange my pair of Elegias for another one that we verified was working correctly. Tonally, it is very close the Clears, I hear it like Jude's measurements. Mids are excellent, nothing to complain about. Bass is tight, well-extended, and has that Focal kick to it, but doesn't have the warmth and fullness you get from good planars (Audeze, MrSpeakers, etc). Treble, while good, is not as clean as the Clears or as smooth as LCD2Cs. I prefer the extra energy over the LCDs, but some don't. I wasn't at RMAF, so I can't compare to Ether CX, unfortunately. In the end, I guess it comes down to whether one prefers dynamic or planar presentation. I'm a sucker for Focal's hyper-dynamic sound, so ...
In other news, of the other headphones on that list I wrote above, I would take the LCD2C closed by a significant margin, assuming it's a fixed one. The first demo unit at TSAV was pretty terrible. That said, my Aeon closed doesn't sound anything like Dan's measurements. It is very mid-centric, lacking quite a bit in both treble and bass (although bass is extended well). I took out the foam in the ports, which fixed the bass, but the treble is still too polite for my tastes. Another casualty of sample variance?
Update: so, was able to exchange my pair of Elegias for another one that we verified was working correctly. Tonally, it is very close the Clears, I hear it like Jude's measurements. Mids are excellent, nothing to complain about. Bass is tight, well-extended, and has that Focal kick to it, but doesn't have the warmth and fullness you get from good planars (Audeze, MrSpeakers, etc). Treble, while good, is not as clean as the Clears or as smooth as LCD2Cs. I prefer the extra energy over the LCDs, but some don't. I wasn't at RMAF, so I can't compare to Ether CX, unfortunately. In the end, I guess it comes down to whether one prefers dynamic or planar presentation. I'm a sucker for Focal's hyper-dynamic sound, so ...
jaydunndiddit
3262
Mar 27, 2019
Have you checked out the Elegia? They are arguably my favorite closed back next to the Campfire Cascade's. They're both opposites sonically but work well together depending on the genre of music. I'd highly recommend either depending on what you normally listen to.
DbCoper
16
Mar 31, 2019
I own these, Focal Elex and MrSoeakers Aeon closed back. These are amazing. The comfort can't be beat. They sound great for a closed back.
DbCoper
16
Apr 23, 2019
If I use my computer hooked up to my Chord Hugo 2 and compare the two I would give a slight edge to the CX. I now use it all the time.
Skylancer727
6
Apr 23, 2019
DbCoperThanks man. That's the one detail people weren't talking about that I needed to know.
Now where's my credit card?
grizzlybus
36
Mar 1, 2019
So...
I just received my new Ether CXs.... for as expensive as these are, the packaging is pretty unnoteworthy... a cardboard box with a cloth bag holding the headphones and a separator holding the cables. I'm thinking- whatever, the cans is what matters... Then I pull them out of the cloth bag, and I see that my headband is warped. One side is perfectly fine, but the other... it appears that during manufacture someone wasn't being careful and whilst mounting the band to the right speaker, not only managed to bend and flatten the headband, but since now there was practically no clearance, the lacquer is chipped off where there was contact...
Here's the perfectly normal left side:
gtb75
340
Apr 24, 2019
Burn in hours definitely makes a difference with the V-Planar drivers. I would describe the bass output the CX has as "appropriate". I don't think they will ever be the bass cannons that my X00s are, but that gets old after a while anyway (hence the CX). As for the Monoprice THX amp/DAC it should be a decent pairing if it sounds anything like the Massdrop THX amp I have. That being said, if the Monoprice Cavalli Liquid Platinum is in your budget then it's a clear step up from the MD THX - assuming you have balanced headphones (and, ideally, a balanced source). The Liquid Platinum has a wider sound stage, more precise imaging, better dynamics, etc. Obviously a different price point, and it sounds like there have been some QC issues (mine has been fine), but it really is a fantastic amp that sounds great with lots of headphones.
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