Our Take

What We Think

The Ether C Flow 1.1 update to what was already one of the best closed headphones in the world has made for an even more involving listen. The smooth, high-resolution presentation is among the best we’ve heard from a closed-back headphone with a very balanced tonality across the spectrum. Bass extends deep with authority, but remains incredibly well-integrated into the sound as a whole. Combine the top-notch sound with the light weight, excellent ergonomics and fit, superb craftsmanship, and the Ether C Flow 1.1 is our most highly recommended closed headphone at this price.

Technology

Dan Clark Audio Planar Technology

All Dan Clark Audio ETHER and AEON headphones use the V-Planar™ driver and all ETHER Flow and AEON headphones incorporate TrueFlow™ waveguides. V-Planar technology pleats the driver surface to reduce distortion, improve transient response, and extend the frequency range.

ETHER Flow and AEON Flow headphones also have TrueFlow* technology which eliminates turbulence-inducing right-angles from the driver's motor structure for greatly reduced distortion, extended frequency response and improved dynamics.

TrueFlow Motor Optimization

All planar magnetic drivers utilize magnets in their motors. These magnets create right-angles audio waves must pass, creating turbulence in the audio waveform that masks lower level details. TrueFlow technology fills the area between magnets with perforated material so the driver moves air through a flat, perforated surface free from right angles. The result is a remarkable increase in resolution, dynamics, and extended frequency response.

V-Planar Driver Processing

ETHER is built around Dan Clark Audio's single-ended planar driver. To optimize performance the driver has been processed using their patent-pending V-Planar technology.

A conventional planar driver is assumed to move as a flat surface. In reality, this is not possible as the driver is inelastic and "locked" at the boundaries so the driver moves more as a bowed surface than a flat plane, as illustrated in Figure 1.

To address this issue Dan Clark collaborated with Bruce Thigpen of Eminent Technology to develop V-Planar knurling. In simplified form, V-Planar technology deeply creases the diaphragm, allowing it to "accordion" when going through the larger motions required by bass notes. Much as pleats allow an accordion to expand and contract without stretching the fabric, the creases in the driver "open" slightly during larger excursions as illustrated in Figure 2.

V-Planar can not only push more air at low frequencies, it also delivers better dynamics, high-end frequency response, and measurably lower distortion.

Specifications

Ether C Flow 1.1 Specifications

About Dan Clark Audio

Founded by audio engineer Dan Clark in San Diego, California, Dan Clark Audio is crafting some of the world’s finest headphones with precision and style. In addition to their well-known lineup of planar-magnetic headphones like the Ether and Aeon lines, Dan Clark Audio recently joined the exclusive club of companies producing electrostatics with their flagship Voce headphone.

Dan Clark Audio's headphones are all hand-assembled in the USA, and their intensive sound research has resulted in a number of patents for technologies like their V-planar driver and TrueFlow magnet array. Dan Clark Audio headphones are all tuned by Clark, who favors a signature quite close to the Harman Response Curve, that tends to result in a smooth, powerful sound.