MrSpeakers New Ether E Electrostatic Headphones

MrSpeakers has come a long way from his first pair of publicly available modded T50RPs. Not merely satisfied with overtaking a good corner of the public consciousness in the realm of planar magnetic headphones, Dan Clark – the man behind the brand, is tipping his R&D focus to the electrostatic audio technology.

While Dan has been showing possible prototypes to the public for a while now, the latest reveal contained a few more hints as to what the final product may be. As with a lot of public back-and-forth headphone showings, a some tinkering with the voicing has occurred. This time however the new guy had a name, Ether E. The body also changed out a bit, opting for a more intricate outer grill and silver shaded colorings.

Also a very noteworthy update, Dan was able to augment the cable to a round shape for easier use and flexibility while listening. This may be standard practice for your typical headphone connection but many forms of the somewhat standard electrostatic connection are usually a flat, in-line cable popularized by the Stax brand. The connection of MrSpeaker’s cable will be of this “standard” variety, compatible with most 3rd party electrostatic headphones on the market. While this also seems like a no-brainer as well, a few new electrostatic entries to the market carry neither this connector nor the proper voltage to be used with anything other than amplifiers made by the same company that makes the headphone.

I’ve said it before in previous coverage, Dan’s ears are probably his biggest asset. Regardless of his current wares, the rigs he constructs for shows are comprised of an usually diverse list of components, but always sum to a grand overall sound. Opting for a more high end feel for the new electrostatic, Dan had the new Either E paired with Chord DAVE DAC into HeadAmp Blue Hawaii Special Edition Electrostatic Headphone Amplifier at the show. His tables also featured his latest portable (and less costly) AEON headphone, which we reviewed here and both the closed back and open back Ether Flow planars.

The new Ether E cost is still TBD, but rumor has it one could expect the price to land around the $3k range, give or take a grand or two. Expect ship dates to hit around September of this year.