Dan Clark Audio
E3 Closed Back Planar Magnetic Headphones - Open Box
$1,849.99 USDExperience Your Music Like Never Before!
E3 is Dan Clark Audio’s revolutionary new closed-back headphones. The E3’s striking black and blue aesthetic, ergonomic shape, and Gorilla Glass 3 clad cups are just a preview to the exciting upgrades within…E3 combines meticulous tuning and state of the art engineering to achieve Dan Clark's legendary “open-back listening experience” in a closed headphone. Meticulous tuning and engineering integrate their patent-pending Acoustic Metamaterial Tuning System (AMTS) with an all-new 5th generation driver to achieve a listening experience that is not only incredibly musically accurate it’s also astoundingly fun! The E3 headphone delivers the kick of a mule when called upon to rock, yet teases out the finest nuances of your most detailed recordings. Naturally, the E3 is as comfortable as DCA’s other headphones; DCA's signature self-adjusting headband and ergonomics simply make extended listening a joy. By unleashing top-of-the-line sound and comfort at midrange prices, DCA has set a new standard in headphone value, making E3 one of Dan Clark Audio's most exciting projects to date by bringing uncompromising TOTL high-end performance to a much larger audience.
Acoustic Metamaterial Tuning System (AMTS)
A critical feature of the E3 audiophile headphone is the enhanced AMTS tuning system, previously found only in Dan Clark Audio's TOTL multiaward-winning Stealth, Expanse, and Corina headphones. The E3 not only brings this ground-breaking technology to a more affordable headphone, it does so with a new mode of implementation. All headphones are subject to high-frequency standing waves which can make treble sound harsh, fatiguing, or synthetic. AMTS is a patent pending inline device placed between the transducer and ear that integrates waveguides, diffusion control, and resonators into one compact structure that eliminates standing waves while giving DCA complete control of the high-frequency response profile.
DCA's AMTS tuning architecture is "not one size fits all,” it is custom-tuned for each headphone to deliver an optimized experience for each transducer. For the E3 headphone, Dan Clark Audio developed a new mode of deployment that departs from prior implementations. They won’t bore you with the details, other than to say that the AMTS in the E3 delivers an absolutely superbly rendered top-end that will surprise and delight, with a tone that is simply remarkably lifelike. In fact, the new E3 AMTS even reduces sensitivity to seal for a more consistent bass experience. Of course, while AMTS renders high frequencies with a refreshingly smooth, accurate, and detailed delivery, bad recordings will probably still sound bad; the engineers and designers at Dan Clark Audio are just humble magicians, not grand wizards!
Planar Driver Performance Revisited
The E3’s all-new 5th generation planar-magnetic driver delivers the smoothest, richest, and most detailed experience Dan Clark Audio has created to date. Its innovative diaphragms are made on an all-new tensioning system for a more uniform and consistent performance, lower distortion, and enhanced consistency. Extensive R&D was spent optimizing the E3’s planar driver. New diaphragm materials combined with highly optimized V-Planar knurling deliver a remarkably smooth frequency response with low distortion throughout the listening range for levels of detail heretofore found primarily in the top-of-the-line electrostatics, all with an exceptionally easy and fun tonal balance.
Unlike many headphones where “detail” is created through exaggerated high-frequency energy, the Dan Clark Audio E3’s new drivers coupled with AMTS deliver exceptionally high resolution without the fatiguing distortions and rough frequency response users may be used to.
“What are those holes in the glass?”
That would be the Dual-Mode Bass Port, yet another DCA innovation for E3. While it’s not unusual to find a bass port on a closed headphone, Dan Clark Audio's ingenious dual-mode port delivers unrivaled control of the bass frequency response, creating a superbly balanced, impactful bass experience that is full of power yet free of bloat or midrange creep.
Ok, Enough Geek-Talk, How Does it Sound?
The E3’s 5th-generation driver and AMTS deliver an amazing balance of delicacy, nuance, and explosive dynamics that will have you reaching for all your favorite recordings, and cranking them up. And it’s not just about the tone and timbre; the E3s soundstage is stunningly expansive, it’s all enveloping and can compete with even the finest open headphones in depth, width, and imaging.
Comfort is Still King
At Dan Clark Audio ergonomic design is of paramount importance. After all, what good are great-sounding planar magnetic headphones if you can only wear them for 30 minutes? E3 takes advantage of every ergonomic trick we’ve developed, including the acclaimed self-adjusting headband suspension system from the Dan Clark Audio Stealth and Dan Clark Audio Expanse, as well as the convenient and stylish folding gimbals that make E3 a conveniently compact travel headphone. Exceptionally plush earpads on the ear cups increase the superior comfort of Dan Clark Audio headphones, a staple for all DCA headphones like the AEON 2, Ether 2, AEON Flow, and the original Dan Clark Audio AEON and Dan Clark Audio Ether headphones.
Why Gorilla Glass?
The E3 is a stunning-looking headphone, from the stitched headband to the all new Gorilla Glass 3 finish on the cups. Gorilla Glass 3 is a thin sheet of alkali-aluminosilicate that makes the glass stiffer and more scratch and break-resistant, and the styling of the pattern under the glass evokes the mesh of an open-back headphone, a design cue to highlight the exceptionally open-back listening experience E3 delivers.
And Now for the Exciting Close!
Dan Clark Audio has gone all-in with E3 to deliver the most exciting possible sonic experience, regardless of price, and combined that with an exciting new look and attention to comfort that makes the E3 the most exciting headphone they have released to date. Equally satisfying with all genres of music, the E3's soundstage, punchy bass, silky midrange, utterly smooth highs, and layers of detail will keep you engaged for days on end. Never fatiguing, the E3 headphones will have you revisiting your entire music library to experience your music like never before. The E3 is just too much fun.