[mrspeakers]

I am seriously considering the E3. I have the Noire and it is a great closed back. Very excited at the prospect of an improvement on it. One thing that gives me pause is the self adjusting headband. I have never found one that I liked. Could just be my head but I always prefer manually adjustable headband.

@mrspeakers would the Aeon headband fit the E3?

Nope, sorry...

 

[jamato8]

It would be interesting to compare to my totally refurbished Sony R-10. Would most likely be a fun combination with nice differences.

 

[801evan]

He also said the sound stage was in front implying no width, he then posted here it has a larger stage compared to the Meze Iric which most reviews pointed to a decent stage.

Usually a chain issue than the HP especially if he made that comparison on the Meze. So the E3 exposed the issues with his chain.

 

[Cecala]

They're quite different, E3 is more neutral while AC with the stock pads is more v shaped. AC is definitely more dynamic in the subbbass while E3 is a bit more articulate. E3 mids are more prominent though leaner than AC. AC has a more spherical stage while E3 is more speaker like.
From a pure enjoyability perspective, I enjoy the top end on the E3 more than AC, but I enjoy the low mids and low end of the AC more than E3. They do complement each other quite well IMO

Can I be a total pest and get you to listen to a Binaural recording and let me know what you hear with sound staging around your head from these phones. I ask as these will for me pull double duties, firstly as music listening and secondly as a phone connected to a Smyth A16 Realiser. If you don't have any, let me know and I will forward you some tracks.
This request applies to anyone else who have these phones in house.

 

[tjkohli]

Can I be a total pest and get you to listen to a Binaural recording and let me know what you hear with sound staging around your head from these phones. I ask as these will for me pull double duties, firstly as music listening and secondly as a phone connected to a Smyth A16 Realiser. If you don't have any, let me know and I will forward you some tracks.
This request applies to anyone else who have these phones in house.

I have some E3’s coming tomorrow. I’ll try it out for you.

 

[Rhamnetin]

After listening to the E3 on both the Chord Mojo 2 vs Bricasti M1 SE + HeadAmp GS-X Mini side by side (no blind tests yet), I don't feel like I'm missing much at all with the Mojo 2. Separation seems slightly worse on the Mojo 2 (but it's still excellent here), and that's it.

 

[801evan]

After listening to the E3 on both the Chord Mojo 2 vs Bricasti M1 SE + HeadAmp GS-X Mini side by side (no blind tests yet), I don't feel like I'm missing much at all with the Mojo 2. Separation seems slightly worse on the Mojo 2 (but it's still excellent here), and that's it.

Mojo 2 running on battery it is expected of having less seperation.

 

[jamato8]

Mojo 2 running on battery it is expected of having less seperation.

The ibasso DX320MAX is battery and while I don't have the E3, I do have the Expanse and the separation is extremely good and the sound layered. Sure, lower current with most portable devices but it does depend upon the device.

 

[Cecala]

I have some E3’s coming tomorrow. I’ll try it out for you.

Thank you kind Sir.
I have some files for you to enjoy and test below. Anyone is welcome to download these Binaural tracks and report back on your findings sound-stage wise. If you have some ZMF phones please compare your findings.

https://mega.nz/file/LA8HgKLa#TTnJ0iJXK62WuEWJt7cY4hM34Q6ELL_2-vUHBSLvfEo

 

[Salted Peanut]

After listening to the E3 on both the Chord Mojo 2 vs Bricasti M1 SE + HeadAmp GS-X Mini side by side (no blind tests yet), I don't feel like I'm missing much at all with the Mojo 2. Separation seems slightly worse on the Mojo 2 (but it's still excellent here), and that's it.

I really appreciate your contributions to this thread regarding the E3 driven by Mojo2.
I think that the Mojo2 is a little miracle-machine and if I found a headphone that ticked all my boxes and the Mojo2 couldn’t drive it efficiently, I would be very sad. I don’t know if the E3 is that headphone; the best Dan Clark Audio dealer in Copenhagen, Denmark (High-Performance Audio), where I live, has not received the E3 yet. I’m pretty sure they will sooner or later, as they have all of the DCA headphones in stock, and I am very much looking forward to auditioning the E3.

 

[DP42]

I can't speak for the Mojo2, but the E3 are capable of doing things with some albums/tracks that I have never experienced before. I am running CD60->BF2/64->MJ3->E3 on balanced cables, and am finding that this setup can take recordings and show you all the little tricks that have been done in the recording studio. I hear vocals and instruments not just panning left and right, but also forward and backward, they even seem to stretch vocals somehow, plus so many other panning and stretching effects. I am also hearing room reverb on vocals and guitars like never before, these special effects really enhance the listening experience. I have listened to my same Frampton Greatest Hits CD for years, today I heard so much more than ever before, not just micro details, but all the special effects done in the studio. The live tracks were really wide and spacious, hard to believe these are closed backs. Also recently got into the blues, Clapton, Muddy Waters, BB King, the guitars on some of these tracks sound so real with great punch, very satisfying. This setup can make previous seemingly average tracks sound like incredible tracks. It's hard to believe that these sounds are locked away in 1's and 0's, but just need a little help coming to life. The Mojo2 might achieve some of this, but I do believe the E3 scale really well. I am now convinced that the E3 are an amazing headphone.

 

[gonintendo]

I can't speak for the Mojo2, but the E3 are capable of doing things with some albums/tracks that I have never experienced before. I am running CD60->BF2/64->MJ3->E3 on balanced cables, and am finding that this setup can take recordings and show you all the little tricks that have been done in the recording studio. I hear vocals and instruments not just panning left and right, but also forward and backward, they even seem to stretch vocals somehow, plus so many other panning and stretching effects. I am also hearing room reverb on vocals and guitars like never before, these special effects really enhance the listening experience. I have listened to my same Frampton Greatest Hits CD for years, today I heard so much more than ever before, not just micro details, but all the special effects done in the studio. The live tracks were really wide and spacious, hard to believe these are closed backs. Also recently got into the blues, Clapton, Muddy Waters, BB King, the guitars on some of these tracks sound so real with great punch, very satisfying. This setup can make previous seemingly average tracks sound like incredible tracks. It's hard to believe that these sounds are locked away in 1's and 0's, but just need a little help coming to life. The Mojo2 might achieve some of this, but I do believe the E3 scale really well. I am now convinced that the E3 are an amazing headphone.

yeah the mojo 2 is a great portable dac/amp but the E3 do scale with more power. That said the mojo 2 as a dac with a more powerful desktop amp is a great combo with the E3 as the mojo punches well above its weight as a dac.

 

[chesebert]

Could anyone wearing glasses chime in? Stealth sounded thin and anemic to me potentially due to bad seal. Don’t know if E3 is just as sensitive to fit.

 

[gonintendo]

Could anyone wearing glasses chime in? Stealth sounded thin and anemic to me potentially due to bad seal. Don’t know if E3 is just as sensitive to fit.

they do pretty well, you lose a bit of bass impact but there’s still a decent amount of quantity. I prefer not to wear glasses mainly due to comfort though

 

[BassicScience]

Could anyone wearing glasses chime in? Stealth sounded thin and anemic to me potentially due to bad seal. Don’t know if E3 is just as sensitive to fit.

I wear plastic frames with 1/8" thick temples, which closely hug the contour of my head. I've auditioned the Stealth probably 7-8 times, and never found removing my glasses to affect its sound perceptibly. I'm listening to the E3 as I type, and also don't find wearing (or not) my glasses to make any difference. I will say that the level of bass I perceived in any given Stealth session seemed to vary quite a bit (more than would be expected from different amps, etc.), so perhaps there were other seal issues unrelated to my glasses. I haven't noticed any variance in E3 performance across the frequency spectrum in the time I've owned them (ten days). FWIW.

The E3 has a rather different presentation from Stealth or any other DCA headphone, and features punchy, extended bass that is by no means thin or anemic.