I am glad to see reviewers now giving credence to 'the experience' instead of just technicalities. Hearing every detail in a recording with super clean resolution gives you a 'wow' experience and is definitely a part of the audiophile journey, but at some point you just want rich balance and emotion and are willing to give up some details to get that experience. Can't wait to do my second CanJam this year so I can continue on my journey. For me there is no 'end game', just a fun hobby that evolves. I also revisit my lower tier gear occasionally and find enjoyment when synergy is spot on (e.g. old Sony DAP with IE600).
Hey Lachlan, one thing I noted reviewing these is how difficult the E3 is to drive. I found them to be power hungry which defeated the wonderful compact take-it-anywhere design. I do think these are the best tuned Dan Clark headphone ever, even better than both the Stealth and Expanse. The Meze would be my preference because I can drive them direct with a DAP.
That's a great point! I found the Mojo 2 (as an example) was up to the task, but many dongles will struggle so the compact form factor of the headphone gets negated by carrying a larger source (as you said). 🙂
After DCA posted on Facebook what seemed to me as begging for investors I decided they weren't for me. I know several people that have them and really praised them but rarely actually use them
Some of the research they are doing would take a lot of time and, possibly, expensive equipment. I didn't see the post, but I imagine there was good reason. As for people not using them a lot, that's how I would see them living in my collection (if I were to buy them): a headphone I appreciate intellectually, but don't reach for because other headphones are more enjoyable.
@@PassionforSound if a company makes a superior product at a reasonable price that should be all the funding they need IMHO but they were not offering a return on the money it was more like panhandling
I didn't see it and don't know the circumstances so can't comment. I just know that product R&D can be a very expensive process when there is new technology and approaches in play.
I personally found the E3 overly power hungry and shouty. The higher register was pushed back in favor of strong mid-bass and bass. You had to turn them up a bit too much to get to the mids and treble to come up to listening volume, and that made the lower registers much too loud. I loved the build, they are very nicely made headphones. I just did not jive with their sound.
If connecting to the music on an emotional level to you is of primary importance, I think that might actually prefer the ZMF Bokeh at almost half the price!
I much preferred the e3 to the liric 2. Not even close in terms of technical performance, image placement, or staging. I love Lachlan and know him well but his sound profile preferences are the exact opposite of mine. When I texted him as to which headphone to buy, he replied definitely the E3 even though he preferred the Liric 2. Gotta know which sound profile you like most. 🎉 I must also tell you that 🎉own the Liric 1 and they are awful, they sound extremely veiled. Another issue for me is that the ear cups are so small that they constantly had my ears touching the driver cover. This constantly caused me to fiddle with them to avoid being annoyed by the fit. The Liric 2 seems to have the same cups so if you have larger ears please be aware.
Glad you're happy with the recommendation, Neil. For others reading this, I don't agree that the E3 are technically superior. They're tuning just highlights details in the top-end more and creates perceived detail, IMO. Ultimately, both headphones are extremely strong, but with quite different points of emphasis.
@@PassionforSound I agree. And many headphones that can do that I find very fatiguing after a while anyway, so any perceived benefits one might get from that boost to the top end is negated pretty fast, not to mention that it is murder on instrument timbre and sounds unnatural.
Every one of the DCA I have tried sounded overdampened and dynamically dead. Sure the frequency response was balanced but it came at the loss of the music's soul I guess you could say. Hard pass for me i went with the zmf Bokeh and do not regret my decision one bit.
I agree in general. However the E3 is significantly better and MUCH better than the Bokeh as a closed back for me. I like a detailed headphone with lots of sparkle treble. While the soundstage is somewhat smaller and they have slightly forward mids, they do a very good job for a closed back. Ironically, I am not a fan of zmf or their tuning. I know Lachlan well and he knows my sound profile, which is totally the opposite of his.😅
Definitely a solid take, to each their own. I tend to index very highly for dynamics so DCA in general is kind of a no-go for me, I'm more of a fostex, first gen focal, and zmf kind of person.
I think the E3 step closer towards dynamics and engagement than some other DCA headphones, but I also think you made the right choice in the Bokehs based on what you're describing.
@@ZeroofAgrathalm It could be your preferred genres that are playing a role as well. My Aeon 2 and Noires would have been be fine if I listened to nothing but electronic music. But my experience with them was the same as you, overdamped and dynamically dead with any music with acoustic instruments; flamenco and classical guitar sounded like compressed samples, for example. The body of the instruments that you hear live was sucked out of the presentation, which was really weird. I think I understand now why so many muscians are uninterested in audiophile gear, because they probably heard their own music through gear like this and were very unimpressed.
Hey Lachlan, excellent video as always. What are better for 90s, 00s era vocal centric (predominantly male) rock, alternative, metal, grunge, indie, acoustic and punk rock style music ?
@@PassionforSoundPassionforSound whilst I appreciate technical performance I prefer a more musical immersive sound reproduction. Something that can portray the emotion in.a performance.
Off topic here but awaiting anxiously to hear your impression of the new Raal Immanis Head Phone compared to Susvara and other TOTL cans...........................
Man you are an Orphan amoung reviewers liking the Lyric over the E3. What they do say you need powerful amplification. They emphasized just getting an amp that gets you to loudness you like is NOT enough.
That's not unusual, I find. I tend to favour emotional engagement over technicalities/neutrality which is part of the reason. As for amplification, that's the same old story. Every time we get a headphone that is leaner than neutral in the bass, we get the cries of "it needs more power". I've run the E3 from amps with 7W and 10W available and they are still the same headphone I've described. What people are actually saying is that it needs a warmer/fuller sounding amp, but that's got nothing to do with power.
I think this was a Rode Podmic video into a Scarlett 2i2 V3. I'm mixing things up though so there'll be some different sound (not better in some cases ☹️) on the next couple of videos.
There's actually very little post needed with that chain. From memory, I've got a multi and compressor adding a little low end (for that SM7B type sound) and a slight cut in the mids to help my vocal tone (I can get a touch nasal on some mics). Other than that, it's just a de-esser to take some spice out of the sibilants. I think the positioning of the PodMic is really important though. It's got to be close enough to lift the lower end and slightly off axis seems to help too. 🙂
interestingly@@PassionforSound well, to me at least, I just watched your "snake oil extravaganza" video and I still have a preference to what you have done with the podcaster. W have two of the podcasters and I don't think we have managed to get even close to your quality.
Confirmed.. with EQ and lots of power, the E3 really shines… more punch and impact with no increase in distortion. They don’t get bloated either. I really enjoy it.
I'm pretty much sold on buying a pair of Focal Utopia 2022 in August after auditioning them and watching Passion for Sounds review (amongst others). I have a NAIM Unit Audio Headphone Edition (Nothing fancy) which I'm told will pair well with them. I was going to buy a pair of Modhouse Tungsten's but the wait is unfortunately, too long.
@@james_tiberius_kirk73 No Problem. The Utopia are great HP's but they are very Amp picky. Put in some research on some good audio chains and you should be fine.
I would STRONGLY urge you to buy a "cheap" pair of headphones immediately (such as the HiFiMan Edition XS or Sennheiser HD6XX) and wait for the Tungsten to arrive (as am I, since I have ordered a Tungsten myself). Unless one can find a VERY discounted or used Utopia, I would never even dream of buying it due to its weight, its uncomfortable headband (I'm bald) and its exorbitant price.
My experience with Utopia 22 was terrible too. Sounded worse than Clear. Treble ripped my ears too. This was on Uniti Atom. HD 800S and Arya that i own was much better headphone. LCD-X was also step above Utopia. So it's luxury meaningless product imo and i disagree with Lachlan on Utopia.
@@PassionforSound I don't think they do. I noticed that their last gen closed backs never even got reviews on youtube by the usual suspects, no one seems to have known they existed
I tried almost every DCA model at a canjam. Not the E3 though. All of them were lifeless and dull. I noticed ppl listening to them were all sitting still. Fails the “head bop” test. DCA outshone by so many others at the show
@@Mr1stcat, I had precisely the OPPOSITE opinion when I directly compared the two. I eventually purchased the OLLO closed-backs, since the E3 is not vegan. :(
I'll say yes and no. On technicalities, absolutely. On tonality, it depends on how you like your Aeons with the pads. The Aeons can be a much darker/warmer sounding headphone.
This wood block being a sample is very obvious on apple AirPod pro… and probably on any headphone ;) … but I’m a musician. I’d love to compare those close back! Nice review as usual!
Dry and analytical. They need to work on dynamics, feeling, musicality, vibration. They're basically opposite of Beyerdynamic and closer to Sennheiser. You really need special sauce emphasis to make headphones good. Too much neutrality is very bad for enjoyment. They need drivers that respond to power in a better way. Too hard to drive properly. I used Aeon Noire as a daily driver for years. Also, I like their tuning (for things like metal, they have good PRAT), but the drivability is very bad. The drivers should respond to power in a much more efficient way and produce enjoyable tuning that is not analytical. Textures need to be 'wetter', give you information from the music that is thick and drenched in detail as well as movement. Not exactly Focal which is too much of this. Even Hifiman is slightly analytical. Beyers give you spice and the drivers respond perfectly to input--this should be the goal.
I had a chance to demo the Arya Organic, and was super hyped to do so because of the hype around that headphone, but I was very unimpressed. They sounded like the Noire you mentioned, but with a wider stage, and boosted highs. I wondered what exactly was organic about them.
@@chungang7037 I have Aryas, they're much better. The biggest problem with the Noire was the soundstage, it's small because they think people want to use them on a plane or something. It's tough dealing with a super small soundstage. Ayras need power or the bass doesn't fill in. Aryas are slightly bright, but I use a tube so. They sound fine with movies. Maybe these new Dan Clarks are good with a bigger cup and stage.
excellent reviews 🫵👍 even though i haven't heard the Liric 2 yet i remember the original one and i always found Meze are always more enjoyable headphones but i like how technical DCA are, so if you asked me i will try own both 😂🤣😆😬
