Drop Ether CX Review (Closed Planar Headphone)

[amirm]

Why do you think that the linear form is more revealing?

It easily shows the exponential rise in distortion. So instantly you can tell distortion is escalating. Apply log to it and that factor goes away and your mind can't analyzer it easily. Here is a comparison I made for someone asking the same thing recently:

The left one is much more visually descriptive.

 

[Jave]

But our senses are logarithmic. Isn't it the reason for db scale?

 

[nerdoldnerdith]

I've heard elsewhere that Dan Clark headphones' biggest weakness is their low dynamics. Could you do some compression testing to measure this?

 

[tential]

I've heard elsewhere that Dan Clark headphones' biggest weakness is their low dynamics. Could you do some compression testing to measure this?

Audiophiles LOVE quirkyness to headphones. Every headphone with a huge flaw is one they love, and the ones that actually hit good responses along the Harmon line are ones they find "boring". I'm convinced most popular experts are just bs at this point.

 

[tential]

Drop. The only place you can buy them

Careful about waiting. I did for the drop
Fostex TX series and I'm very sad about it still. I hope amir gets one to review and it isn't so good to stop my fomo (sorry to all owners in advance).

Right now, just hoping the open back Dan Clark's get reviewed asap so I can finally get a good open back.

The he 6se hasn't been on sale from adorama in awhile now and the dan Clark audio open back reviews are the only thing so far that looks like it can compete.

 

[Jimbob54]

Careful about waiting. I did for the drop
Fostex TX series and I'm very sad about it still. I hope amir gets one to review and it isn't so good to stop my fomo (sorry to all owners in advance).

Right now, just hoping the open back Dan Clark's get reviewed asap so I can finally get a good open back.

The he 6se hasn't been on sale from adorama in awhile now and the dan Clark audio open back reviews are the only thing so far that looks like it can compete.

I wish I'd have got some of the Fostex collabs at the time too.

 

[Fritz-Kola_Enthusiast]

I've heard elsewhere that Dan Clark headphones' biggest weakness is their low dynamics. Could you do some compression testing to measure this?

What does "low dynamics" in this context even mean?

Afaik dynamic range is the difference between the quietest and loudest parts of music. For example, Gustav Holst's "Mars, the bringer of war" has very high dynamic range, as it starts out really quiet but the crescendo is just mind blowing. Now, I do not see how a headphone could lack "dynamics", since regardless of its FR the quiet parts will still be quiet and the loud parts loud, for this is determined by the music one listens to. If you listen to brick walled music with no dynamic range, then there is no point in complaining about a lack of dynamics.

 

[nerdoldnerdith]

What does "low dynamics" in this context even mean?

Afaik dynamic range is the difference between the quietest and loudest parts of music. For example, Gustav Holst's "Mars, the bringer of war" has very high dynamic range, as it starts out really quiet but the crescendo is just mind blowing. Now, I do not see how a headphone could lack "dynamics", since regardless of its FR the quiet parts will still be quiet and the loud parts loud, for this is determined by the music one listens to. If you listen to brick walled music with no dynamic range, then there is no point in complaining about a lack of dynamics.

Dynamics in this context is the ability for a piece of audio gear to accurately reproduce louder content without compressing the output. That means that the frequency response at 114dB is the same as the frequency response at 86dB. This is no simple task, and many speakers have trouble in this area. Headphones presumably do as well. Compression is also an audible form of distortion, and when we hear it, most of the time it makes music sound less dynamic.

 

[jae]

What does "low dynamics" in this context even mean?

Excessive resonance/decay of the transducer is a factor that would further mask dynamic changes in music.

 

[Jave]

@amirm - Is it possible to add waterfall graph to your reviews \ this review?

 

[Shazb0t]

Why would you call a shift in frequency response as function of volume "compression"?

Because that's literally what the definition of compression is.

 

[usern]

Because that's literally what the definition of compression is.

Don't see it mentioned here or here. Can you link a source that defines shift in frequency response as function of volume compression?

 

[Shazb0t]

Don't see it mentioned here or here. Can you link a source that defines shift in frequency response as function of volume compression?

What do you think compression is? Obviously I mean as it relates to the common vernacular used to describe what happens to a loudspeaker when it's played above its SPL "limit". It also appears that this is exactly what @nerdoldnerdith is inquiring about.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_compression

The speaker SPL changes along its frequency response when it can't keep up and no longer is "flat" (in comparison to whatever the response is when it's not compressing) due to power compression and transducer nonlinearities. This manifests in the frequency response no longer being linear. Distortion is increased. If this mechanical limit (compression) didn't happen then loudspeakers would be able to play with the same frequency linearity and distortion to infinite SPL level provided with infinite power. In reality this is obviously not the case. Instead you're going to experience compression of the loudspeaker output up until you burn the driver(s) out.

Why are we even arguing about this? Frequency response is literally the measured SPL level across the audible range at a given voltage. If the SPL (volume) is changed at a given frequency relative to others, due to compression from driving the speaker to a higher SPL, then how are you arguing that the frequency response of the speaker at that level hasn't changed? What do you define frequency response as? What point are you trying to make?

 

[DawgSlaya]

I just got the C Flow a couple days ago, with the perforated headband pad.
I admire the spirit of minimizing the weight as much as possible, but man it is not comfortable for those of us with big heads.

When the perforated pad is pushed against the thin headbands, the 2 ridges in the center act as 2 pressure points that gave me headaches.
My solution was to take out the pad, and cover the rest of the headband with a cover from Amazon.
It's now a lot more comfortable, but the downside is that it's no longer adjustable for anyone else to use.

Hope this helps the next person with this problem.

p.s. There are headband covers with cushions as well, and I imagine they're even more comfortable.
But they add extra height, and would make the cups sit too far up with my head size.
Guess I should count myself lucky that the headband size fits me exactly. Thanks Dan!

 

[Jave]

What do you think compression is? Obviously I mean as it relates to the common vernacular used to describe what happens to a loudspeaker when it's played above its SPL "limit". It also appears that this is exactly what @nerdoldnerdith is inquiring about.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_compression

The speaker SPL changes along its frequency response when it can't keep up and no longer is "flat" (in comparison to whatever the response is when it's not compressing) due to power compression and transducer nonlinearities. This manifests in the frequency response no longer being linear. Distortion is increased. If this mechanical limit (compression) didn't happen then loudspeakers would be able to play with the same frequency linearity and distortion to infinite SPL level provided with infinite power. In reality this is obviously not the case. Instead you're going to experience compression of the loudspeaker output up until you burn the driver(s) out.

Why are we even arguing about this? Frequency response is literally the measured SPL level across the audible range at a given voltage. If the SPL (volume) is changed at a given frequency relative to others, due to compression from driving the speaker to a higher SPL, then how are you arguing that the frequency response of the speaker at that level hasn't changed? What do you define frequency response as? What point are you trying to make?

"The problem is much greater for hard-driven professional concert systems than it is for loudspeakers in the home..."
So why would this be relevant to headphones?
And from what it says there, this is for overall sensitivity, not deviation from FR, but will cause such FR shift in systems which have a crossover point.
It's just that due to heating causing low efficiency, you move the diaphragm less. Headphones also have only 1 such diaphragm per side, covering the entire range. (The ones we talk about here)

 

[Shazb0t]

"The problem is much greater for hard-driven professional concert systems than it is for loudspeakers in the home..."
So why would this be relevant to headphones?
And from what it says there, this is for overall sensitivity, not deviation from FR, but will cause such FR shift in systems which have a crossover point.
It's just that due to heating causing low efficiency, you move the diaphragm less. Headphones also have only 1 such diaphragm per side, covering the entire range. (The ones we talk about here)

I've already answered your questions regarding frequency response and what compression is as it was being proposed here adequately. Hopefully the question by the above poster who initiated this discussion (not me!) about possible dynamic range differences in headphones and inquiring about whether or not compression could be in play is understandable now. I don't know if there are headphones that have compression problems at tolerable volume levels and whether or not that could be a differentiator between them. It clearly is in the case of loudspeakers. I have nothing further to add on this.

 

[Jave]

Does anyone know what configuration of tuning pads\filters\ear pads Oratory1990 used here?
Dan Clark Audio Ether C Flow 1.1.pdf (dropbox.com)

 

[DawgSlaya]

Does anyone know what configuration of tuning pads\filters\ear pads Oratory1990 used here?
Dan Clark Audio Ether C Flow 1.1.pdf (dropbox.com)

I assume it's measured in the default state. Mine came with nothing inserted.

Another thing to note is that the measurements from the dropbox sheet you posted is different from AutoEq's graph, even though AutoEq claims to have gotten the measurements from Oratory1990.

I find the dropbox version to be better sounding. The lack of bass in AutoEq made the headphones sound like tin cans.
That, plus the fact that Dan himself linked to the dropbox result makes me think that the dropbox version is more correct.

I wonder why that is? Maybe Oratory1990 updated the measurements at some point but AutoEq didn't?

 

[Jave]

Oratory indeed updated many measurements quite recently

 

[solderdude]

I've heard elsewhere that Dan Clark headphones' biggest weakness is their low dynamics. Could you do some compression testing to measure this?

Compression goes hand in hand with considerable higher 3rd harm. distortion in the lows. DCA is excellent here so there is no need to look for compression because there won't be any. I would chalk the reports up to subjective mumbo jumbo.