(THE BEST CLOSEDBACK?) DCA E3 - Headphone Highlights

[@michaelfreund]

they are my first and only high end headphones. very satisfied but sadly, i allowed myself to be persuaded to purchase the mcintosh MHA50 headphone amp, which i now know isn't even made by mcintosh. just not powerful enough and while beautiful visually, the interface isn't quite working for me. too easy to accidentally turn off or change volume if in a jacket or pants pocket, unless you are literally just sitting on your desk and just have it lying there, in which case you might as well get a high end amp deck. i will invest in (and have tried out multiple times) the mcintosh MHA200 which sounds amazing with the DCA E3s. still, even with the low end MHA50, there is butter smoothness and clarity i have not experienced with other headphones. even via just my iphone, the E3s sound great. not loud, but great. very satisfied.

[@pudphones]

Love my E3s. Great vid

[@MasterMarslander]

Aye, thanks, Pud!

[@corrrect]

E3 are my favorite headphones at the moment. Perfect synergy with my violectric v222.

[@kopperek]

Thanks for an interesting review, sounds like the E3 is just flawless to you. Two quick questions. 1) How much the sound is affected by glasses? 2) What amp did you use?

[@MasterMarslander]

I meant to bring that up - I found little to no audible change while wearing glasses. The pads maintained a solid seal. I tested the E3 on a variety of amps and chains, but primarily used the Ferrum OOR as my baseline for this review.

[@kopperek]

@@MasterMarslander Thanks. I had a chance to audition the E3 . I think the term "massive" is very good word to explain this sound. Not in terms of haeavy bass, but the intensity of the sound. They sound massive in the mids. Quite unique.

[@Bootrosgali]

I don't feel so depressed looking at E3 impressions anymore, knowing I'll never spend the money on them now that Noire X is around! Hurrah Hurrah and Hurrah! Edit, That IS nice cable!.. You've really made the quality come across of the E3. Calm collected non rushed presentation. Great job!

[@MasterMarslander]

@@Bootrosgali thanks!

[@kevintj604]

Fair enough if you have no interest in spending the extra money but the Noire X is not just a more affordable E3. They’re quite a lot different in their tuning and the E3 is hands down more resolving and way more refined. It’s not even close to be honest.

[@Bootrosgali]

​@kevintj604 jury might still be out and ill never know anyway, plus there's too many opposing Vs impressions out there already where "not even close" never crops up. More , "close".

[@kevintj604]

@@Bootrosgali Strange. Not sure what you’re referring to but HeadFi, SBAF and Reddit have very consistent opinions that they both don’t sound alike and are quite different from one another. And more specifically I haven’t seen anyone confirm that the Noire X is overall a better headphone compared to E3.

[@nathanberger618]

I enjoyed listening to the E3 at CanJam SoCal. I am looking forward to giving a listen to both the E3 and Noire X at CanJam NYC.

[@Djimbe]

@MasterMarslander how much bleed do you get through those Bass Ports?

[@MasterMarslander]

Zilch. If I compress the pads together it's basically silent.

[@Djimbe]

@@MasterMarslander Noted! Good To Know.

[@ReverendDr.Thomas]

Master, thank you for another wonderful headphone review. Keep-up the good work! 🙏 Reverend Dr. Thomas, ✝️ The Vegan Vicar 🌱

[@MasterMarslander]

@@ReverendDr.Thomas thank you again, as always!

[@G00dH0uR83]

Patiently awaiting the HFA Dahlia review!! :)

[@MasterMarslander]

It's on the schedule!

[@Nephilim-81]

Same here my friend. That headphone has my interest a lot!

[@billlodhia5640]

Now do SJY Horizon Closed and do a comparison please :)

[@MasterMarslander]

I am planning on brining in the SJY Horizon in 2025.

[@RaiOshynnCat]

Those look so cool, and comfy but i feel like it resting that far down on my jaw would bother me too. Good to see though.

[@nurmbms90]

This is a great closed back . To me it’s the benchmark. But ever since noire x came out and does 85- 90% of what E3 does and other great closed back like ZMF Bokeh (different tuning ) is available and way affordable and not compromising sound and build quality, I believe people would rather buy those .

[@MasterMarslander]

@@nurmbms90 it's definitely a more competitive market now. We are pretty fortunate to have so many great options!

[@nurmbms90]

@ I agree and great review by the ways 👌🏽

[@soulfulfool]

I would give it a listen but for me its like 90% of planars dont match my preferences. There is something about planar timbre and highs that I dont like. Best headphones are those that have multiple options of pads to swap, so you can fine tune it for yourself (its amazing what pads can do)

[@MasterMarslander]

@soulfulfool true that, and a real shame that the E3 is so difficult to pad roll.

[@soulfulfool]

@@MasterMarslander my VC still combine everything I need from closed back but perhaps I will buy noire X just to add DCA to collection, it looks really good probably the best from all and uses tech from E3

[@MasterMarslander]

@soulfulfool I've only heard good things about it. Maybe I can get one in, but likely not until 2025.

[@ReverendDr.Thomas]

​@@soulfulfool Have you auditioned the Tungsten? 🎧

[@jeremymanton5320]

I bought an E3 this year and I would agree with everything in this review… but I’m not a huge fan. I’m a dynamic driver guy. It’s hard to beat a ZMF.

[@ReverendDr.Thomas]

Bokeh is best. ❤

[@invisiblekid99]

I don't need these, I don't need these, I don't need these.

[@MasterMarslander]

Is there an echo in here?

[@invisiblekid99]

@@MasterMarslander There will be in my wallet if I get these, and the empty house when the wife finds out I've bought another pair of headphones.

[@markhershberger9477]

I think you meant “precision”…🤔

[@MasterMarslander]

That would make a lot more sense, wouldn't it? Good grief, thanks for catching that...

[@markhershberger9477]

@ Hey no problem thank you for your reviews Sir.

[@harryliu9234]

arguably also the ugliest headphones

[@MasterMarslander]

@harryliu9234 certainly an acquired taste