Our Take: Ether Flow 1.1
The ETHER Flow 1.1 improves on what was already an excellent headphone in the ETHER Flow, offering a smooth, high-resolution sound with excellent linearity across the frequency spectrum. It's an easy headphone to listen to, as no particular frequencies stick out of order, and true to its name, the sound just flows. Of course, the ETHER Flow 1.1 maintains the superb ergonomics, build quality, and fit of its predecessor, making the headphone effortless to wear for hours on end. The ETHER Flow 1.1 represents a great value at its price and is one of our favorite open headphones.
- Peter James, HeadAmp
Overview
Dan Clark Audio Ether Flow 1.1
The ETHER Flow 1.1 is Dan Clark Audio's midrange open-backed planar magnetic headphone. ETHER Flow uses TrueFlow technology to improve the performance of the critically acclaimed ETHER headphone, delivering sumptuous planar magnetic bass and dynamics, with near-electrostatic resolution.
What's Included
ETHER Flow includes Dan Clark Audio's VIVO cable with a connector of your choice and a backpack-friendly hard-shell carrying case.
Dan Clark Audio Warranty
Designed, built and tested in San Diego, CA, ETHER Flow includes a 2 year warranty for parts and labor.
Technology
Dan Clark Audio Planar Technology
All 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.
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| Without Flow |
With Flow |
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.
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| Figure 1: Conventional Driver Motion |
To address this issue Dan Clark Audio 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.
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| Figure 2: V-Planar Driver Motion |
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 Flow 1.1 Specifications
| Type |
Open-Back |
| Fit |
Over-Ear |
| Driver |
Planar Magnetic |
| Driver Size |
71x45mm |
| Impedance |
23 ohms |
| Sensitivity |
90 dB/mW |
| Cable |
Detachable |
| Ear Pads |
NAPA Lamb Leather |
| Weight |
385 grams |
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 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.
