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Drop Ether CX Review (Closed Planar Headphone)

Jimbob54

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And, even more importantly (for me) ultra-low distortion, despite being closed-back. You can "EQ away" many flaws of the FR, but not distortion.

Yup -thats what I mean when I say "takes EQ well" - so you dont skyrocket the distortion levels adding a few dB of EQ
 

respice finem

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...which is exactly the problem with my BD T1 Mk 2 :facepalm:
Thankfully, I don't seem to hear much of it, maybe because of moderate levels most of the time.
 

Jimbob54

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...which is exactly the problem with my BD T1 Mk 2 :facepalm:
Thankfully, I don't seem to hear much of it, maybe because of moderate levels most of the time.

I have the same- the really upsetting thing is I enjoyed them pre review and havent touched since! The brain is a funny thing

Perhaps HP are an example of where it is possible to focus too much on the numbers when in reality our brain/ bodies are the limiting factor and will tolerate far worse performance than an analyser. Thats not to say it wouldnt be a better world if all manufacturers aimed to improve the engineering or at least published decent performance specs.
 

jae

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After seeing low distortion for these and also a good review for the AEON RT closed, I'm very eager to see measurements for the AEON RT OPEN and the Ether 2 as well.
 
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snowsurfer

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After seeing low distortion for these and also a good review for the AEON RT closed, I'm very eager to see measurements for the AEON RT OPEN and the Ether 2 as well.

Same here, and after these two I can already say that I am 90% sure that the upgrade to my beloved HD660s will definitely be something out of the amazing Dan Clark lineup, but I am in no hurry at all. :)
 

Georgrig

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The non-Drop version (ETHER C Flow) is 2x the price at $1800; would love to know the difference (even if it’s just the company stating such).

EDIT: From the company:
https://drop.com/buy/drop-mrspeakers-ether-cx-closed-headphones/talk/2210198
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.
yFC43y2fSKCKJwPd881J_ECXvsEC1.jpg

EC = Black
ETHER CX = Orange
This is a comparison between Ether CX and older Ether C, not the current Ether C Flow.
 

jae

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Same here, and after these two I can already say that I am 90% sure that the upgrade to my beloved HD660s will definitely be something out of the amazing Dan Clark lineup, but I am in no hurry at all. :)

Definitely. I mainly use HD650s myself although I have been without them for a couple of years now as I am away from home. I've been using wireless headphones in the interim but they are becoming troublesome to listen to. At $2300 USD (+$300 USD more expensive here) the Ether 2's may be a harder sell, but $500 for the RT Open seems like a great compromise for a planar if it is as EQ-able or has similar performance to the closed version. Due to some recent ear problems and hearing issues, low distortion and open design (dislike closed headphones anyway), and good EQ-ability are what I'm after. I've had a chance to listen to the Aeon 2 open/closed and Ether 2 in person and the great thing about the dan clark headphones is the comfort. I didn't feel the Aeon 2 was worth the price ($1200 USD here vs $900 in the US), and the but I could import the $500 RT line with no tax by ordering directly from them. For that price there are limited options for headphones with minimal flaws.
 
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Rottmannash

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Excellent, I really want to be able to buy the AEON RT but it's way too expensive by the time I get it imported into the UK :rolleyes:
I'm listening to a set I just received this week as I type and let me say they are the 1st planars I've owned and they are impressive-can get very loud w/o distortion and very lightweight. Highly recommended. Give the Elex a run for their money and then some. Edit-they're the open version.
 
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MZKM

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This is a comparison between Ether CX and older Ether C, not the current Ether C Flow.
Wonder that difference then. Their website only says this:

”Utilizing TrueFlow technology to improve the performance of the critically acclaimed ETHER C headphone, it delivers mind-blowing planar magnetic bass and dynamics, with near-electrostatic resolution while sounding even more open and spacious than the ETHER C.”
 

Rottmannash

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After seeing low distortion for these and also a good review for the AEON RT closed, I'm very eager to see measurements for the AEON RT OPEN and the Ether 2 as well.
If Amir doesn't have a pair of RT Opens waiting in the garage maybe I could be persuaded to part with them for a few weeks/months but just got them and would like to keep them on my head for awhile.
 

wwenze

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How does the lack of messy midrange group delay translate into the sound? Does it sound "more boring" or more precise?
 

Lttlwing16

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at roughly half the cost with better native low frequency response, relatively equal THD, and slightly lighter...

maybe apart from sensitivity or ear shape I don't see where one could recommend the Drop ETHER CX over the Aeon RT.....aesthetics perhaps?
 

sacguy231

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Nice to see this reviewed. I have the Aeon Closed RT, and really like it. Not sure if this is worth looking in to...a case of upgradeitis...but nice to see it measured in any case.
 

Georgrig

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Wonder that difference then. Their website only says this:

”Utilizing TrueFlow technology to improve the performance of the critically acclaimed ETHER C headphone, it delivers mind-blowing planar magnetic bass and dynamics, with near-electrostatic resolution while sounding even more open and spacious than the ETHER C.”
I picked up the following comment made by Dan Clark Audio from the link you provided:

"The Flow upgrade essentially fills the spaces between magnets with a perforated material to create a better air load for the driver. In effect the driver "sees" a flat perforated surface as the load, which is much better than an array of bar magnets. Flow added top and bottom extension and a lot of detail to the original ETHERs.
We currently have Flow products on the market and we've removed Flow upgrades for this reason as most original ETHER owners who wanted to upgrade have done so in the last two years. The upgrade is quite complex and costly, so it wouldn't make sense for a CX.
Also, sonically I feel there's less benefit to adding Flow to the ETHER CX as the resolving power is bumped up with the new tuning and though it doesn't have Flow the CX falls between AEON C and C Flow in detail retrieval with great extension at the top and bottom.
"
 

norcalscott

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I'm listening to a set I just received this week as I type and let me say they are the 1st planars I've owned and they are impressive-can get very loud w/o distortion and very lightweight. Highly recommended. Give the Elex a run for their money and then some. Edit-they're the open version.
I’m seriously considering the Drop Aeon RT - what is your opinion on how easy these are to drive with a DAP? I would get a balanced cable and use these with my HiBy R5 Saber, which is about a watt per channel @16 ohms.
 

EJH

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Amir, seeing how well they are doing in your measurements, it looks like some of your readers are clamoring for more Dan Clark HP reviews. I personally would love to see reviews of the Ether 2 and Aeon Noire.
 

Remlab

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I believe Bruce Thigpen of Eminent Technology was the engineer behind the drivers in Dan Clark's current designs.
 
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Robbo99999

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I don't think anyone's provided a link to these headphones yet:
https://drop.com/buy/drop-mrspeakers-ether-cx-closed-headphones#overview
I can't tell if the pads are angled or not from the pics, I don't think they're angled - anyone know if these headphones use angled pads or angled drivers?

Nice low distortion in the headphone, probably way better than it needs to be though, but why not. The frequency response looks a bit peaky from about 2800Hz-4000Hz though with quite a lot of sharp dips & peaks, which makes it difficult to EQ those out....and if you did EQ those out fully it might be worth running a tone generator frequency sweep through that area to make sure you're not adding to the waviness with the EQ (rather than improving it) - because you'd be using really quite narrow peak filters which may or may not target the actual peaks & dips when they're on your own head, that's why I don't like to see those sharp peaks & dips in the frequency response there.
 

Krusty09

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Hey. Was wondering if someone can recommend a good android app I can use that has peq. I am headed to the olympics and have a long plane ride ahead of me and will have time to mess around with it. Thanks for any suggestions.
 
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