Thanks so much for the great review, so glad you enjoyed them! A quick note on the 3-5K range: E3's position can directly affect this. All headphones are somewhat position dependent, of course, but with the acoustic metamaterial the frequency control becomes pretty predictable relative to position. If you pull the headphone down so your ear touches the top-rear of the ear well you can reduce the 3-5K range by about 2-3dB relative to having your ear around the center of the ear cavity. Resolve would want to listen there, I think... 🙂 Again, thanks for the great review!
Is pulling the headphone down (so our ears touch the top-rear of the pads) the default position or an alternative position? My concern is that it could break seal, since according to ZMF, the bottom-rear of our ears are the most prone to breaking seal for closed-back headphones. Given the long vertical shape of the E3's cups, I am worried whether pulling the earcups down only work for those with bigger heads.
As Dan said in the headfi video, seal is not as important in the EA3 with the design of it's AMT. Folks with glasses and hair should see much less of a difference. That being said, Dan told me the same thing at CanJam. The movement is slight, put them on your head and just move them slightly so your ear touches the top and back of the pad so you put more of the driver in front of your ear vs some being behind. This is probably due to the design of the AMT and which frequencies are being changed where on the AMT.
All headphones are somewhat postion dependent but DCA cans are REALLY positon dependent from my experience which is kind of sad. I think it’s desirable if headphones can deliver close to same FR to any listeners. I hope DCA can have different designs solving this problem and that would be my end game closed back can❤
@@user-mu6uy6ly6e - In my experience, it wasn't 1266 position dependent. Once you know the sweetspot it is pretty easy to find again. Just slide them a bit down and forward. Also, it's only a couple db difference.
@@rogerhuston8287 1266 is a beast from another planet...I think someone posted FR graph about stealth and a couple db could be big difference because the q is wide. Stealth to my ears does not match the graph very well so I assume its some head shape or postion difference.
Amen...it seems like every headphone manufacturer we love made us a good budget closed-back back in the day, then got popular, and then went super high end $1000 plus after we became fans. They'll make mid-range open backs, but what happens when I am not an open back fan? Geez its maddening to watch
@DJ_BROBOT then get a k361, finished. You want hd600 resolution and tuning, but a none claustrophobic stage in a closed back when that is next to impossible. Why do you expect to pay less than $300 for that? You want your cake and to eat it too. A 361 or 71 would be fine for you.
I recently tried the dt770 pro, it's absolutely not nearly as bad as people say it is. I think it even beats the hd560s in pure resolution. The "brightness" people talk about is greatly overemphasized and brought on by people who have only heard about them by other people. Ironically, if you put velour pads on them, they loose isolation, but in exchange sound much more neutral and compare very well with open back headphones in their price. It's not going to have the lushness of hd600 series mids, but it's going to have noticeably better separation than anything at the price, without needing to spend 1000$ on a dac-amp to achieve that
Which is odd as traditionally the point of headphones was to seal off music from the rest of the world. I think a narrative has been created that closed headphones can’t sound as airy or wide a soundstage as open which is just not true.
I know it’s tough to test/review but for future closed back headphones please consider leakage both in and out, a primary motivator for closed back has to be to keep anyone in our vicinity from having to hear the music so it is an important factor.
Just received my DCA E3 and I agree that is extremely good. Much better than my Aeon 2 Noire and my Focal Celestee. This is the end game closed back for me.
@@levinste2750 Sound stage imaging is pretty good. I have been tricked into thinking something was behind me - when I looked there wasn't anything there. It was in the recording - LOL
As a Meze Liric enjoyer I would be interested in the comparison between the two, given they are both in the $2k price range and have a degree of portability. I'm not sure whether it's snake oil/placebo over the Rinaro planar and the extra headstage tech that Meze promote but the Liric does seem to be more spacious than most closed backs, while I get the sense of vertical stacking of instruments to either side that adds to the separation. Edit to add: I did have some initial clamp force issues as I've got a big noggin but useful internet tips reminded me that the headband is metal and so slight bending of it when in use alleviates that pressure. It's not 99/109/empyrean/elite level comfy but it is comfortable after that tweaking.
I'd like to see a comparison too. They both cost the same, they're both comfortable and have good isolation, so it's really going to come down to the sound. It would be interesting to see how they compare.
Just picked up the E3, tested it against the Empy 2’s, Aeon 2 Noire, and I left with the E3. Truly endgame level sound. Lovely tuning, with some of the highest detail I have heard, especially in the mids. Not warm or bright -truly neutral/natrual sounding. And it’s definitely worth going balanced with these to take advantage of that amazing low noise and
I think it's at least interesting that the E3 uses Gorilla Glas on it's outer shell. Wasn't expecting to see that again, after the veeeery mixed reception that the Sennheiser HD820 received. A bit sad that that wasn't mentioned in the video, incoorporating DCA's reasoning for the use of Glas would've also been interesting
We thought it gave a very contemporary look to the product, it's light, it's durable, and it allowed us to have some fun with the cosmetics, in this case using a hex pattern that evokes the visual look of an open headphone as (to me at least) the E3 sounds so open.
Headfi dropped a video with Dan Clark…he walks through all of the reasoning for the materials used and the engineering choices and development of these.
Finally a new closed back portable wired headphone I am waiting for! Have to listen to these someday! See If AK kann alpha can drive it well. Love to see how it compare to Stellia and Lric. If it sounds good, I will finally replace my Celestee as a portable commute headphone!
Very nice review, DMS. Any comments or opinions on how this compares with the ZMF Verite Closed? (Would especially welcome any comparisons around detail, instrument separation, and impact.) Thanks!
Thank you for the review. I wanted to buy the stealth at first then saw a few reviews and decided to wait. I am so glad that I did because the E3 is just a joy for my ears the E3 is a goose bumps maker is simply amazing to experience. I upgraded from the noir and it’s is as you describe as being the upgrade path for my end game. Thank you again.
Excited to get this tomorrow. I had the Atrium Closed which has an amazing sub-bass but felt it was too warm (for me fuzzy) in the midrange. Tried the Liric (ugh) and the Radiance (ok)
would be nice if the reviewers would compare to other main stream closed backs... how does the E3 stack up against the LCD-XC as an example... there are others too...
This review or rather your reviews are articulate! I know watching a video for most of Joshua Velours reviews are rather contradictory,,I can go in amped willing to take in all the good news.. then its followed by a ton of mediocrity and a seeming disdain for those same heaphone's,,!! like dam! guess i won't purchase these headphone's either! I can't wait to purchase these man! THANK YOU!!
Video idea, could be a shorter one: Why do subpar recordings sound not only less detailed but harsh and in some cases unbearable on higher quality headphones (even when toning down the treble) but totally acceptable on cheaper ones? Are there ways to reduce this effect?
That's a pretty tricky question because poor recordings can be so due to tonal imbalance/bad EQ, distortion, excessive compression, bad microphone setup, etc. Lower quality headphones can simply mask certain distortions or frequency issues because they add their own coloration or distortion which may be more pronounced than the recording so mask it, or simply lack resolution to reproduce some problems. Better gear, whether headphone, speaker or other, simply lets more of what is in the recording through, and also some headphones that are for example a bit softer on the top may just simply serve as a bit of EQ to offset a bright recording but then good recordings are lacking... Alas there's no easy generic fix...
Yes - there are remedies but you can't expect a headphone to address that problem as then it would color other material too much. It will require computing power and professional software to take care of it at the digital stage and the correction will go way beyond just a parametric equalizer. Material with flaws ingrained at the production stages can suddenly be transformed. It's amazing what's available today.
Had the same thought...perhaps he wanted to be polite...when I am remembering right thr Liric was not exactly his cup of tea. But I think the Liric grew on Resolve after the first shock of dancing outside the Harman Curve 😅
Was super excited to try these out today, especially as a huge fan of the Aeon Noire! But after giving them a listen, they sounded very muffled, at least to my ears. Closest comparison is like listening to your music on UA-cam through those 15 year old windows movie maker uploads, only worse somehow. I suspect it's from that large dip in the more airy frequencies since I was able to create the same effect with a high shelf filter. I will say though, it is the most dynamic sounding headphone from DCA I've heard, and with music that focuses more on the bass + mids, it sounds pretty good. But man, the Noire felt more detailed in it's treble response and it stages slightly wider due to the difference in pad depth, so it's still my favourite closed back.
i started with planar but i really realized i didn't like them when i switched to dynamic drivers, smooth, the highs are listenable and enjoyable lol my auteur classic are pure audio bliss. couldn't be less intrested in a headphone than a closed back planar haha but i watch because i like your reviews DMS, keep going man, great stuff
I would love to test them. The only hifi shops within 3-4 hours of me only carry Grados though... like wtf? Why grados. AND IT'S TWO SHOPS WITHIN 3 MILES OF EACH OTHER!? Like the only two hifishops in the area only have the same 8 pairs of grados to test. WHY!?
Interested to hear this vs some very powerful competition. DCA has kind of been lame for a few years. Not sure if this will outperform the Atrium Closed, DCAs own ether closed, and the upcoming Caldera Closed.
This frequency response looks dang near close to “perfect” for me… even down to the slight peak around 9k (I seem to not pick up the 8k-10k range as much, or my preference is simply to have it more forward than most). Maybe one day I can try them and justify the price.
I just ordered them for this reason. Curve seems legit. Closed-back. Great bass extension. They look like sleeper mixing/mastering cans to me. Weird how "hi-fi" people never seem to cross over with "pro audio" people, re: reviews. As if the only thing an audiophile does with a nice set of cans is listen to music.
We don't have a hard measurement but subjectively it's on par with Stealth, so pretty good. I can listen up to about 80-85db in bed without disturbing my wife.
Which DAP can drive DCA E3 properly and fit in the pocket? Fiio M17, which is too huge and it can't fit into the pocket, and AK Kann Ultra, which will also distort after you crank the volume to 80db.
Finding a commute friendly close back headphone is getting harder and harder. The moment I saw this headphone, I just breathed a heavy sigh and keep hoping that I wish someone would produce a great closed back headphone that can be used outdoors
Do you have any thoughts and comparison to Diana MR and DCA E3? They are $1000 apart but I am curious to see how you feel about them as you do rate both of them pretty high.
Thats the euclid, though admittedly its not well turned at all and has the performance between isine20 and i3. There are some very respectable planar iems on the market now for not a lot of money. Planar closed back headphones don't come cheap though and probably never will while being as good as a openback counterpart.
@@enjoshi-godrez8775 Yeah I went with a pair of 7Hz Timeless for my first decent planar IEM. They're not bad but not mind blowing either. We need a CanJam down in Australia so I can test more.
the timeless would be perfect if it wasn't for it being kinda blunted. They snap fast, but instrument notes dont have much impact. Seems to be a problem with a lot of the cheaper planar iems. Its probably a overstraining of the driver. The audeze openback iems are very dynamic because they use dsp instead.
I hear you. I actually live in munich, and though highend is the largest hifi expo on earth, they also have basically no iems there. Only campfire and moondrop really ever show up. I need to go to Singapore
If I already have Stellia headphones, should I sell and get anything else like the E3? I would only get like $1500 for it used in my estimation. And I’m not sure the use case for Stellia is often enough for me to justify keeping it. The Stellia is not quite portable, for which I’d rather use high end IEMs. It’s not quite what I would use at home as I live alone, I’d rather use a Utopia Gen 3 or a high end planar magnetic. So I am left with occasional use and gaming and podcasting. Should I sell?
I’m a mark for my Focal Radiance, it’s honestly 90% of my Utopia but more fun with a warmer signature and more bass, plus none of the nasty clipping that comes with the Utopia on high volume bass tracks.
@@dangerzone007he1000se rocks most likely the 1000se overall has better sound . I have the se and zmf close verite ,great headphone but the se even edges that one out
good question... I'm looking for an upgrade path too. For production right ? I think the E3 is exactly this : a 770, but way way way better. You can probably finish your mixes on it. For me it's between Stealth and E3. Stealth is a stretch in term of price though. What you think ? You found other contenders for neutral yet energetic, detailed closed back ? Thx :) louis
We don't have an objective number but as I noted to another poster it's pretty good, on par with Stealth. A minor amount of leakage does come through the port so if you're over 80db, in a quiet space someone right next to you might start to hear it. External isolation is very good, if I wear them walking on the street there's barely any road noise.
@@danclarkaudio Thanks and great! The gorilla glass cups had me worried since HD820 has almost no isolation and calling them closed is almost misleading.
@@hartyewh1 Glass is a decent acoustic insulator, I'm not sure about why the 820 has more leakage than many hoped for. There are always parallel paths to leakage, including ports, ear pad construction, seal and other factors.
@@danclarkaudio Okay, that's my only experience with it so I just assumed it's a bad or at least a difficult material to use. Subjectively it felt like a -3dB isolation so essentially pointless on the HD820. I don't even care about isolation specifically since almost every closed back is fine for that, but HD820 is the exception.
mm500 given especially target audience idk but misses the mark imo. I tried it for 2 weeks. There is no way it can be useful professionally unless you are okay with a permanent extra .5kg on your head which if you ask me is a lot. A LOT for like a 6-8 hour session daily
That's what I'm worried about with the E3. It's lighter than the MM-500 (450g vs 500g), but that's still a lot of weight for professional use. Plus I have chronic neck pain issues and have to take frequent breaks with just 350g headphones... this may have been a bad purchase idea... really wish they didn't put glass on the sides. Like the Noire already did carbon, so like, why weigh down the E3 that costs more than 2x as much? I know it's 1/2 as much as the stealth, which is also carbon, and I feel like DCA chose to weight the E3 down to offer better product segmentation vs Stealth. And this depresses me to no end...
you bought stuff when they weren't very good. Todays DCA headphones are the real deal ; neutral & detail. First class universal sound. Sell the rest buy the E3, be done forever. cheers
Thanks so much for the great review, so glad you enjoyed them!
A quick note on the 3-5K range: E3's position can directly affect this. All headphones are somewhat position dependent, of course, but with the acoustic metamaterial the frequency control becomes pretty predictable relative to position. If you pull the headphone down so your ear touches the top-rear of the ear well you can reduce the 3-5K range by about 2-3dB relative to having your ear around the center of the ear cavity. Resolve would want to listen there, I think... 🙂
Again, thanks for the great review!
Is pulling the headphone down (so our ears touch the top-rear of the pads) the default position or an alternative position? My concern is that it could break seal, since according to ZMF, the bottom-rear of our ears are the most prone to breaking seal for closed-back headphones. Given the long vertical shape of the E3's cups, I am worried whether pulling the earcups down only work for those with bigger heads.
As Dan said in the headfi video, seal is not as important in the EA3 with the design of it's AMT. Folks with glasses and hair should see much less of a difference.
That being said, Dan told me the same thing at CanJam. The movement is slight, put them on your head and just move them slightly so your ear touches the top and back of the pad so you put more of the driver in front of your ear vs some being behind. This is probably due to the design of the AMT and which frequencies are being changed where on the AMT.
All headphones are somewhat postion dependent but DCA cans are REALLY positon dependent from my experience which is kind of sad. I think it’s desirable if headphones can deliver close to same FR to any listeners. I hope DCA can have different designs solving this problem and that would be my end game closed back can❤
@@user-mu6uy6ly6e - In my experience, it wasn't 1266 position dependent. Once you know the sweetspot it is pretty easy to find again. Just slide them a bit down and forward. Also, it's only a couple db difference.
@@rogerhuston8287 1266 is a beast from another planet...I think someone posted FR graph about stealth and a couple db could be big difference because the q is wide. Stealth to my ears does not match the graph very well so I assume its some head shape or postion difference.
Shoutout to Dan Clark for bringing back E3!
Fingers crossed for some fresh IP reveals
Lol
We seriously need more good closed-backs for normal prices...
We need a 6 series closed-back.
Amen...it seems like every headphone manufacturer we love made us a good budget closed-back back in the day, then got popular, and then went super high end $1000 plus after we became fans. They'll make mid-range open backs, but what happens when I am not an open back fan? Geez its maddening to watch
HD280 Pro, K371, K550, SRH440 or jump up to E-MU Teak, Aeon X Closed. What're you missing? $200-400 is pretty dead admittedly.
@DJ_BROBOT then get a k361, finished. You want hd600 resolution and tuning, but a none claustrophobic stage in a closed back when that is next to impossible. Why do you expect to pay less than $300 for that? You want your cake and to eat it too. A 361 or 71 would be fine for you.
I recently tried the dt770 pro, it's absolutely not nearly as bad as people say it is. I think it even beats the hd560s in pure resolution. The "brightness" people talk about is greatly overemphasized and brought on by people who have only heard about them by other people. Ironically, if you put velour pads on them, they loose isolation, but in exchange sound much more neutral and compare very well with open back headphones in their price. It's not going to have the lushness of hd600 series mids, but it's going to have noticeably better separation than anything at the price, without needing to spend 1000$ on a dac-amp to achieve that
I love that DCA offer so many closed-back options. Closed-back headphones are so neglect by most companies
Which is odd as traditionally the point of headphones was to seal off music from the rest of the world. I think a narrative has been created that closed headphones can’t sound as airy or wide a soundstage as open which is just not true.
@@mikeg2491it's not a narrative. It's a fact
@@bluemonstrosity259 My ES-R10, a remake of Sony’s legendary MDR-R10 would disagree.
I know it’s tough to test/review but for future closed back headphones please consider leakage both in and out, a primary motivator for closed back has to be to keep anyone in our vicinity from having to hear the music so it is an important factor.
Just received my DCA E3 and I agree that is extremely good. Much better than my Aeon 2 Noire and my Focal Celestee. This is the end game closed back for me.
How is it compared to the ether c 1.1?
@@FierceLeo. I have not tried those.
what about the soundstage?
@@levinste2750 Sound stage imaging is pretty good. I have been tricked into thinking something was behind me - when I looked there wasn't anything there. It was in the recording - LOL
@@jeffjacobs1503 Thank you
How do you like the bass / treble / mids?
I've read on some review, the loudness isn't to loud... is that true??
As a Meze Liric enjoyer I would be interested in the comparison between the two, given they are both in the $2k price range and have a degree of portability.
I'm not sure whether it's snake oil/placebo over the Rinaro planar and the extra headstage tech that Meze promote but the Liric does seem to be more spacious than most closed backs, while I get the sense of vertical stacking of instruments to either side that adds to the separation.
Edit to add: I did have some initial clamp force issues as I've got a big noggin but useful internet tips reminded me that the headband is metal and so slight bending of it when in use alleviates that pressure. It's not 99/109/empyrean/elite level comfy but it is comfortable after that tweaking.
I was thinking the same. Liric has very little acoustic issues from being closed back which I value highly and these sound even better in the review.
I'd like to see a comparison too. They both cost the same, they're both comfortable and have good isolation, so it's really going to come down to the sound. It would be interesting to see how they compare.
I like my Lirics quite a bit. I definitely want to try these as well. LCDXC while closed, isn't something you can wear around.
yeah true its a great iem, its just i cant rank it above others above
As a Noire enjoyer, I really want to try these
Man I just wish there was more movement in the lower end of the headphone market. Closed back headphones especially, get next to nothing.
Just picked up the E3, tested it against the Empy 2’s, Aeon 2 Noire, and I left with the E3. Truly endgame level sound. Lovely tuning, with some of the highest detail I have heard, especially in the mids. Not warm or bright -truly neutral/natrual sounding.
And it’s definitely worth going balanced with these to take advantage of that amazing low noise and
I think it's at least interesting that the E3 uses Gorilla Glas on it's outer shell. Wasn't expecting to see that again, after the veeeery mixed reception that the Sennheiser HD820 received. A bit sad that that wasn't mentioned in the video, incoorporating DCA's reasoning for the use of Glas would've also been interesting
HD820 didn't isolate almost at all so I hope these don't have that issue.
We thought it gave a very contemporary look to the product, it's light, it's durable, and it allowed us to have some fun with the cosmetics, in this case using a hex pattern that evokes the visual look of an open headphone as (to me at least) the E3 sounds so open.
Headfi dropped a video with Dan Clark…he walks through all of the reasoning for the materials used and the engineering choices and development of these.
Finally a new closed back portable wired headphone I am waiting for! Have to listen to these someday! See If AK kann alpha can drive it well. Love to see how it compare to Stellia and Lric. If it sounds good, I will finally replace my Celestee as a portable commute headphone!
Very nice review, DMS. Any comments or opinions on how this compares with the ZMF Verite Closed? (Would especially welcome any comparisons around detail, instrument separation, and impact.) Thanks!
Just bought a pair to upgrade my Noirs!
Another 2k headphone, I would hope it sounds good.
compare with stellia, lcd-xc and zmf offerings please
Crinacle style rankings by you and resolve and that iem guy would be sublime :]
I don't really need to keep that $2,000 in my retirement account, do I?
Retirement is overrated.
So you will be retired with 2K plus interest less but will be blessed with years of enjoyment
Thank you for the review. I wanted to buy the stealth at first then saw a few reviews and decided to wait.
I am so glad that I did because the E3 is just a joy for my ears the E3 is a goose bumps maker is simply amazing to experience.
I upgraded from the noir and it’s is as you describe as being the upgrade path for my end game.
Thank you again.
Excited to get this tomorrow. I had the Atrium Closed which has an amazing sub-bass but felt it was too warm (for me fuzzy) in the midrange. Tried the Liric (ugh) and the Radiance (ok)
Did you get these after all and if yes, what are your thoughts.
I'm happy to see the AMTS system trickle down into a lower cost headphone. I hope that it will eventually be available in their Aeon class headphones.
Thanks for the review DMS and thank you for the return to 16:9 aspect ratio. The E3 looks nice but eish these prices....
would be nice if the reviewers would compare to other main stream closed backs... how does the E3 stack up against the LCD-XC as an example... there are others too...
Exciting can, hope we see the developments from this can trickle down into more affordable headphones from dca.
This is the trickle-down. The AMTS technology was in the stealth which was twice the price.
@@jameskegen6812 I mean trickling down even further, into the aeon line.
Thanks for this DMS, you’ve piqued my curiosity
Really like the Aeon X closed for the price
Wish the dynamics weren't so soft.
They're really good to build a close back just like open back!
This review or rather your reviews are articulate! I know watching a video for most of Joshua Velours reviews are rather contradictory,,I can go in amped willing to take in all the good news.. then its followed by a ton of mediocrity and a seeming disdain for those same heaphone's,,!! like dam! guess i won't purchase these headphone's either! I can't wait to purchase these man! THANK YOU!!
Video idea, could be a shorter one: Why do subpar recordings sound not only less detailed but harsh and in some cases unbearable on higher quality headphones (even when toning down the treble) but totally acceptable on cheaper ones?
Are there ways to reduce this effect?
What would be an example of a recording and higher quality headphone?
not the case with all headphones, some are not forgiving but you can have very high end headphone forgiving, the best exemple is the atrium from ZMF
That's a pretty tricky question because poor recordings can be so due to tonal imbalance/bad EQ, distortion, excessive compression, bad microphone setup, etc. Lower quality headphones can simply mask certain distortions or frequency issues because they add their own coloration or distortion which may be more pronounced than the recording so mask it, or simply lack resolution to reproduce some problems. Better gear, whether headphone, speaker or other, simply lets more of what is in the recording through, and also some headphones that are for example a bit softer on the top may just simply serve as a bit of EQ to offset a bright recording but then good recordings are lacking... Alas there's no easy generic fix...
@@danclarkaudio Thank you for your answer, I have now a better understanding of the problem. I suspected that there can't be much done
Yes - there are remedies but you can't expect a headphone to address that problem as then it would color other material too much. It will require computing power and professional software to take care of it at the digital stage and the correction will go way beyond just a parametric equalizer. Material with flaws ingrained at the production stages can suddenly be transformed. It's amazing what's available today.
I saw you put the E3 on the same tier as the Abyss Diana MR and Meze Empyrean 2. Is the E3 as good as them or a notch below due to being closedback?
I would love to see a comparison between this and some of the zmf closed backs, primarily the VC since that’s the one I own😅
Yes, I concur. I'm looking at these plus possibly the ZMF Verite closed and the Modhouse Tungstens.
At this price point, it seems like a natural competitor to the Meze Liric.
Had the same thought...perhaps he wanted to be polite...when I am remembering right thr Liric was not exactly his cup of tea. But I think the Liric grew on Resolve after the first shock of dancing outside the Harman Curve 😅
I did not love the liric so I'd be curious how this sounds
Was super excited to try these out today, especially as a huge fan of the Aeon Noire! But after giving them a listen, they sounded very muffled, at least to my ears. Closest comparison is like listening to your music on UA-cam through those 15 year old windows movie maker uploads, only worse somehow. I suspect it's from that large dip in the more airy frequencies since I was able to create the same effect with a high shelf filter. I will say though, it is the most dynamic sounding headphone from DCA I've heard, and with music that focuses more on the bass + mids, it sounds pretty good. But man, the Noire felt more detailed in it's treble response and it stages slightly wider due to the difference in pad depth, so it's still my favourite closed back.
i started with planar but i really realized i didn't like them when i switched to dynamic drivers, smooth, the highs are listenable and enjoyable lol my auteur classic are pure audio bliss. couldn't be less intrested in a headphone than a closed back planar haha but i watch because i like your reviews DMS, keep going man, great stuff
Planars do well as iems
well i do not like iems at all and planars so this really isn't for me but hey if this is what you love i'm happy for you man
@@laykehicks8413
I'm all for this, but I'm just not a fan of the blue stitching or the e3 logo. This headphone aesthetically looks like an early 2000's halo game.
I didnt like the look but your description made me like it more. You should do their marketing
I agree. So weird... They'd look better all black/grey/metal, and we could do without the name + logo. It's high end : high end must be elegant.
Great review as always. I'm interested to know which new CD's ;-)
He should definitely review the zmf Atrium closed
Not as V shaped as the Empyrean 2 but did you not say that the Empyrean 2 was more neutral and linear than it’s predecessor? Not V shaped at all?
10:49 I would appreciate hearing your thoughts on the Fiio FT5 👍
Damn I just bought Focal Elegia as my quality closed back. Now I have to buy E3 as well.
I really liked stealth for being so open back sounding... And also liked MM500... So Seems E30 could be my next choice! 👍
I would love to test them. The only hifi shops within 3-4 hours of me only carry Grados though... like wtf? Why grados. AND IT'S TWO SHOPS WITHIN 3 MILES OF EACH OTHER!? Like the only two hifishops in the area only have the same 8 pairs of grados to test. WHY!?
Thanks for an awesome review! I’m thinking that you ran your Questyle M15 of a laptop and not your phone?
i wonder whether expanse is made first because it looked better. ie a compromise.
Interested to hear this vs some very powerful competition. DCA has kind of been lame for a few years. Not sure if this will outperform the Atrium Closed, DCAs own ether closed, and the upcoming Caldera Closed.
This frequency response looks dang near close to “perfect” for me… even down to the slight peak around 9k (I seem to not pick up the 8k-10k range as much, or my preference is simply to have it more forward than most). Maybe one day I can try them and justify the price.
You say this is better than the mm500, so would this be a good pick for audio work and music production?
I just ordered them for this reason. Curve seems legit. Closed-back. Great bass extension. They look like sleeper mixing/mastering cans to me. Weird how "hi-fi" people never seem to cross over with "pro audio" people, re: reviews. As if the only thing an audiophile does with a nice set of cans is listen to music.
How is sound leakage and isolation on them?
We don't have a hard measurement but subjectively it's on par with Stealth, so pretty good. I can listen up to about 80-85db in bed without disturbing my wife.
i need closed back arya stealth.
Which DAP can drive DCA E3 properly and fit in the pocket? Fiio M17, which is too huge and it can't fit into the pocket, and AK Kann Ultra, which will also distort after you crank the volume to 80db.
Hmmmm. I actually want a zmf atrium closed. But this sounds interesting
Finding a commute friendly close back headphone is getting harder and harder. The moment I saw this headphone, I just breathed a heavy sigh and keep hoping that I wish someone would produce a great closed back headphone that can be used outdoors
K361 BT
Or get into IEMs, the Truthear Hexa is awesome
@@sofiaclemente7925 Does it fare well in noisy environments/at higher listening volume?
A decently tuned closed back planar headphone that won't cost you a kidney would have been really nice.
@juanblanco7898 just get a k361 then. You want huge performance and great tuning. Why do you expect to pay $300 for that? A k361 will do for you.
if i can only choose stealth or e3, which one should i go for?
Do you have any thoughts and comparison to Diana MR and DCA E3? They are $1000 apart but I am curious to see how you feel about them as you do rate both of them pretty high.
Wish Audeze would do a closed back version of the LCDi4, with forged carbon outer cups.
Thats the euclid, though admittedly its not well turned at all and has the performance between isine20 and i3. There are some very respectable planar iems on the market now for not a lot of money. Planar closed back headphones don't come cheap though and probably never will while being as good as a openback counterpart.
@@enjoshi-godrez8775 Yeah I went with a pair of 7Hz Timeless for my first decent planar IEM. They're not bad but not mind blowing either. We need a CanJam down in Australia so I can test more.
the timeless would be perfect if it wasn't for it being kinda blunted. They snap fast, but instrument notes dont have much impact. Seems to be a problem with a lot of the cheaper planar iems. Its probably a overstraining of the driver. The audeze openback iems are very dynamic because they use dsp instead.
I hear you. I actually live in munich, and though highend is the largest hifi expo on earth, they also have basically no iems there. Only campfire and moondrop really ever show up. I need to go to Singapore
Boom. Its on my wish list.
youll be fine with n8 really, its just slightly downgraded a12t, might be better than u12t
If I already have Stellia headphones, should I sell and get anything else like the E3? I would only get like $1500 for it used in my estimation. And I’m not sure the use case for Stellia is often enough for me to justify keeping it. The Stellia is not quite portable, for which I’d rather use high end IEMs. It’s not quite what I would use at home as I live alone, I’d rather use a Utopia Gen 3 or a high end planar magnetic. So I am left with occasional use and gaming and podcasting. Should I sell?
How does this compare to the Verite Closed?
What about custom pads for the E3??
What happened to the E1 and E2?
I'll wait for their next headphone without that 3-4 kHz elevation.
A portable headphone that is not efficient is not really serving its design goal. I think Meze are doing it right when it comes to efficiency.
If portable in the sense you can easily take it to a hotel with you, though maybe not in the sense you can wear it on the bus😅
Right, the term for that is “transportable” not “portable”.
If these could run off of anything like the XC can it be inasane
Any idea how they compare with ZMF Eikon?
What do you think of the focal closed backs??? I just bought the Celeste.
I’m a mark for my Focal Radiance, it’s honestly 90% of my Utopia but more fun with a warmer signature and more bass, plus none of the nasty clipping that comes with the Utopia on high volume bass tracks.
I'm still waiting for the perfect upgrade to my HD650. What would you recommend? You could make a video about upgrade paths :D
Hd650, then focal clear og and then the zmf atrium?
I would say Atrium. Clear is too bright. Maybe a pre fazor LCD2/3.
Mm 500
zmf aeolus
ZMF Auteur Classic maybe
Have you tried the E-MU Teak?
How does the e3 compare to the high end ZMF closed backs? Atrium, verite
Haven't watched yet, hope DCA have done something about their lacking macrodynamics...
Sounds like they have... very tempting headphone now
How does this compare to Ether CX?
Will my Mojo 2/ Poly power these well?
Not ecstatic over the glass but if everything else you say is true…… 😉
How does it compare to the he1000se?
It doesn’t as both headphones have different priorities & a different target audience.
@@sjqideez6626 I thought they were both designed for enjoying music.
@@dangerzone007he1000se rocks most likely the 1000se overall has better sound . I have the se and zmf close verite ,great headphone but the se even edges that one out
So, where do Stellia sit in comparison?
how does it compare to the DT 770 pro?
LMAO
good question... I'm looking for an upgrade path too. For production right ? I think the E3 is exactly this : a 770, but way way way better. You can probably finish your mixes on it. For me it's between Stealth and E3. Stealth is a stretch in term of price though. What you think ? You found other contenders for neutral yet energetic, detailed closed back ? Thx :) louis
@@someoneacomputer1905 i dont do production, more just fun music and games. i still like good clear audio though regardless.
How can you review a closed back hp and not spend time talking about the isolation?!?! Literally the main selling point for many using a closed back
These vs LCD-XC when EQ'd to the same target?
Lol
@@Lost1ntheSauc3 How so?
I thought all reviews were going to use compensated measurements from now
Both are available. But compensated are the more useful ones
That’s the plan, and this still does. Just trying to help ease the transition.
3:48 Really, you have headphones that have noise in the background, hiss? Interesting.
Didn't say hiss. Grain, things like SHP really suffer from it. It's like a layer of noise over the music.
the people who had that headphone already had an upgrade path, the stealth....
EDIT, nvm, this looks solid actually
How's the isolation?
We don't have an objective number but as I noted to another poster it's pretty good, on par with Stealth. A minor amount of leakage does come through the port so if you're over 80db, in a quiet space someone right next to you might start to hear it. External isolation is very good, if I wear them walking on the street there's barely any road noise.
@@danclarkaudio Thanks and great! The gorilla glass cups had me worried since HD820 has almost no isolation and calling them closed is almost misleading.
@@hartyewh1 Glass is a decent acoustic insulator, I'm not sure about why the 820 has more leakage than many hoped for. There are always parallel paths to leakage, including ports, ear pad construction, seal and other factors.
@@danclarkaudio Okay, that's my only experience with it so I just assumed it's a bad or at least a difficult material to use. Subjectively it felt like a -3dB isolation so essentially pointless on the HD820. I don't even care about isolation specifically since almost every closed back is fine for that, but HD820 is the exception.
@danclarkaudio When you listen to these on the street, what do you use to drive them?
Was hoping it’s gonna be cheaper…
mm500 given especially target audience idk but misses the mark imo. I tried it for 2 weeks. There is no way it can be useful professionally unless you are okay with a permanent extra .5kg on your head which if you ask me is a lot. A LOT for like a 6-8 hour session daily
That's what I'm worried about with the E3. It's lighter than the MM-500 (450g vs 500g), but that's still a lot of weight for professional use. Plus I have chronic neck pain issues and have to take frequent breaks with just 350g headphones... this may have been a bad purchase idea... really wish they didn't put glass on the sides. Like the Noire already did carbon, so like, why weigh down the E3 that costs more than 2x as much? I know it's 1/2 as much as the stealth, which is also carbon, and I feel like DCA chose to weight the E3 down to offer better product segmentation vs Stealth. And this depresses me to no end...
VC > all
"hee-roe-say", not "high-rose".
I bet the cable alone is atleast £200
Stellia
This seems to be non existent on the continent I'm currently sitting on.
Tge ugliest DCA headphone so far!
why does the headphone measurement guy have a hairy nose?
Why are you pointing out something that everyone has?
i meant the measurement rig 🥲@@astifcaulkinyeras
@@astifcaulkinyeraspretty sure he means the HATS. There is something like cotton wool sticking out of the nose.
Careful, Brandon has feelings. 🧙♂
It's probably just damping material.
you like it because it's expensive
These headphones ugly af tho sheeeeeesh
The level of greed in audiophile circles these days is astonishing. I’m out. The gear I have is already more than good enough.
You larping here isn't going to get you a job interview.
Who is forcing you to buy “expensive” audio stuff?
you bought stuff when they weren't very good. Todays DCA headphones are the real deal ; neutral & detail. First class universal sound. Sell the rest buy the E3, be done forever. cheers
Glad you got it for free.. right?
Just a loaner unit.
2k breh lol
$2000? Pass
compare with stellia, lcd-xc and zmf offerings please
Crinacle style rankings by you and resolve and that iem guy would be sublime :]
Any sound samples?