Audiophilepure

https://www.hifichoice.com/content/dan-clark-audio-ether-2

The contemplative opening of Aaron Copland’s Appalachian Spring is deep and moving but leads into a sprightly and energetic section that heralds the start of the exciting middle, and the Ether 2 propels me through the music. The piece concludes with a complex movement that was written to reflect youthful aspiration in the American heartland, and although it is really well handled, overall the imaging and clarity occasionally feels a little blurred during the crescendos.

Tempo and timing show no signs of weakness, however, and the Oscar Peterson Trio playing You Look Good To Me really gets my feet tapping. The performance is quite three dimensional with well-defined instruments, while the tuneful double bass is clearly located on the right-hand side of the soundstage with drums placed on the left just behind the central piano.

Vocal performances are captivating and Cécile McLorin Salvant’s Mad About The Boy has a remarkably smooth and easy-going sound. Salvant and all the instruments have their own clearly defined position and the piano is believable and refined.

https://www.audiophilia.com/reviews/2020/11/30/hifiman

Now down to business. I found that the HE-R10P  offered an overall smooth and warm airy sound with superb clarity, deep bass, and the illusion of a soundstage much more spacious than I expected from closed-back headphones. There was an intimacy with (say) singers and small ensembles; singers were close up in front sometimes making you feel that they were sitting in your lap. Even after long listening sessions while lying on my back on a couch or the floor even (after all there is no `sweet spot’ with headphones), the comfort level of wearing them was enduring. And they made me appreciate lyrics more than I usually do.

The trade offs are what one usually finds with Bluetooth headphones: dynamics and resolution, though very good for a wireless headset, do suffer compared to a wired rig of comparable price. There’s always a slight fuzziness to imagine, a slight looseness and lack of impact to the bass and a general lack of resolution when compared to wired operation. The real test is when you turn on the active noise-cancellation, something modern headphones have improved on, but which remains a pain point for many headphones. I’m happy to report such is not the case for the Dali IO 6. There was no weird sensation of pressure on my ears as with many noise-cancelling headphones, and neither was there a complete destruction of tonality. There may have been a very slight bit more edge to the upper mid-range, but even this was extraordinarily small, and not bothersome to my fussy ears. What makes for a great home headphone makes for a great travel headphone, and the active noise-cancellation works great and means you can travel while enjoying excellent fidelity with these if you wish.