Ether Flow closed back

[shellylh]

Has anyone heard both the Aeon and Ether flow (closed back)?  I have a pair of Aeon closed backs that I enjoy when I need to have closed headphones.  I am thinking of trying the Ether flow since hoping it might be a bit more open sounding and neutral.  

[Pars]

I heard some variant of the Ether Flow at Axpona and Headamp’s display and liked them. I was not a fan of the Aeon’s, which surprised me as from the comments a reviews I had read I thought I would. I think they were open but wasn’t really paying attention...


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[Scgorg]

Ether Flow (both open and closed) sound very questionable to me. I'm pretty sure they are extremely overdamped (a common feeling I get from MrSpeakers/Dan Clark Audio headphones). Somehow they also manage to fit a midbass bump into a planar which makes me double down on the dissapointment. Closed backs are inherently compromised though, and if you do like the Aeon's then I don't see too much reason why you shouldn't find the Ether Flow fine. Whether it is better or worse depends on your taste, but undoubtedly the flow has more bass quantity.

[jose]

I have the MrSpeakers Ether CX (Closed). Sounds pretty good, detailed, they are light and isolate quite a bit from ambient noise but I think they are very overrated. 

I prefer the Audeze LCD-XC although they are terribly heavier (and expensive)

[mwl168]

Are the Denon AH D7200 or D5200 any good for closed headphones? 

[Iron_Dreamer]

Hey Shelly, I would say for sure that the Ether C Flow is more open and neutral than the Aeon Closed, in fact it's the top closed headphone I've personally used in those regards. I'm a big fan of it overall. The Focal Stellia is possibly slightly more detailed, but has a less neutral signature, smaller soundfield, and much higher price.

[shellylh]

Thanks Peter!

[JamesB797]

I tried the Aeon Flow Closed and sent it back after listening for a few days since the cup depth wasn't enough for my ears, then I got the Ether Flow Closed 1.1 instead which had enough depth. The Ether was my work pair until I got properly fitting jh13s.

The Ether has more bass capability, the Aeon hardly seemed to output any bass at all regardless of EQ. The Ether also has more natural sounding treble and mids compared to the Aeon which seemed to have some kind of "thock" like feeling on notes that I haven't heard anywhere else.

Compared to neutral I'd say the Ether is a bit on the bright side and the Aeon is brighter still.

[Jon L]

Bit OT, but anyone considering Drop THX Panda closed-back planars?  $319 late-bird pricing seems quite attractive..

 

[TMoney]

Interesting, but for four grand curiosity ain't killin no cat.

I'd love to hear them in person at a meet if those ever happen again.

 

[catscratch]

Very interesting tech since it looks like it can easily trickle down. However I don't know how well it works, whether or not it has any detrimental effects on sound, or whether it's a more effective method than digital EQ and DSP. But very interesting nevertheless.

[TMoney]

Someone asked me in PMs what I thought of the DCA Stealth so thought I'd share what I wrote here:

I think this reviewer hears the Stealth more or less the same way that I do: https://www.headfonia.com/dan-clark-audio-stealth-review/2/

In particular:

At first, I did honestly find the Stealth a little unexciting – I didn’t feel the urge to reach for them for some ‘fun’ time listening. However, given time, you become accustomed to their astonishing level of clarity and textbook tuning that really does become your new ‘benchmark’ in terms of tonal performance, which then makes everything else seem a little flawed. Instead of looking for the dopamine-inducing dose of mid-bass ‘shove’, you begin to become a junkie for the remarkable little world of pinpoint imaging and brilliantly separated sounds that envelop your head – all in a perfectly comfortable and outside-world-blocking cocoon.

From 100hz and up they sound more or less totally neutral to me. After getting used to them I can now hear what people don’t like about the HD800s’s treble. Achieving neutrality does not "wow" me, but after I listen to other headphones I can more clearly hear their flaws.

Interestingly, I think the downside to the Stealth is below 100hz. You’d think the bass would sound boosted given the harman curve adhearannce, but the opposite is the case. Stealth feels a little too light and not as anchored down there as I’d like. It is funny to compare them to the (also closed back) Apple AirPod Max which is their exact opposite. Incredible, controlled bass, but lacking everywhere else.

I also wish they weren’t closed back, but that is what it is.

I’m happy with them, but if I had to do it over again I’d have kept the $ in my pocket. There is a sweet-spot on the price/performance curve and these are way past it.

Edited February 1, 2022 by TMoney