Dan Clark Audio - E3

Will disagree with anyone that the DCA E3 can't compete with any open headphone for space and soundstage. But for me it doesn't meet the requirements that you listed. It's almost a stock Harman Curve headphone and I don't usually think of that curve as presenting "excitement" in music. For that definition I would look at Audeze or Meze for planar/hybrid or Focal for a dynamic headphone.

They are a bit different as the E3 is closed and the XO is an open headphone. If you don't need a closed headphone, get the XO. If you do and If fidelity to the Harman Curve and a large soundstage are critical to you, get the E3. I have the Noire 2 (not the X) and I really like it as a slightly more fun sound than the E3. But if I want reference sound in a closed headphone I go to the E3.

I'm going to say no based on the following selection of headphones that I own: Dynamic: Verite Open, Focal Elegia, Beyerdynamic T5/3rd generation and HD650, Planar: DCA E3, DCA Noire, Hifiman HE1000 Stealth, Audeze LCD-2f. IEMs: FiiO FH7s, Westone Mach 40; earbuds: Galaxy Buds Pro 2, Galaxy Buds Pro 3, Jabra Elite Active 8, Sennheiser True Momentum 4, Bose QC II, Bose QC Ultra and ANC headphones Bose NC700, Bose QC Ultra, Sony XM5 and B&W Px8.

1. DCA E3: To me nothing else is very close. Perfect tuning out of the box for what I like and very comfortable. I can wear these all day easily. 2. Focal Elegia: With Dekoni sheepskin pads and a bunch of EQ these sound incredibly better. Agree with build comments and not a great fan of microfiber. 3. DCA Noire: Very comfortable more fun oriented sound for me. Use these for certain types of rap, rock and hip-hop where they are quite effective. 4. Beyerdynamic T5/3rd Generation: Another puzzling stock sound choice that sounds much better with EQ. Perhaps my most comfortable headphone. ANC preferences Focal Bathys and B&W Px8 the latter with EQ to fix low frequencies.

DCA E3 are the closest for me to an open backed-like sound that is almost spot on for the frequency presentation that i prefer. My favorite headphones.

Glad you found a great pair! I just got my DCA E3 and I’m blown away with how amazing a closed back can sound. It’s kinda scary when you listen and it just absorbs you!

If I was going to pick up a DCA headphone, it would be either the Noire X or Stealth. I compared the Noire X recently to the E3 and I MUCH preferred the Noire X: more comfortable and a more pleasing expression to me. It’s an excellent choice. Enjoy!

Dan Clark Audio headphones are built like small tanks. Meze also engineers their headphones to be as straight forward as possible to replace parts on.

My E3’s feel much more substantial and well built compared to my other headphones. I have no concerns about my E3’s breaking during anything normal. They would have to be run over or thrown from a building to break I feel like.

Interesting question. I own roughly 17 headphones from low to high end. It’s maybe an obsessive hobby for me that turned into a collecting endeavor. I’ve owned the older DCA Noire, the DCA E3, Audeze LCD2, HiFiman Arya V2 and HE1000V2, ZMF Atrium and Aeolus, Beyerdynamic T1 and DT1990 and DT880, Meze 99 Classic, both Aune AR5000 and SR7000, Sennheiser 6xx, and some bass cannons like the Modhouse Argon and Harmonicdyne Eris. And a bunch of others that don’t really meaningfully stand out. I tend to notice a disparity between my “best” headphones and the ones I listen to the most. The DCAs and HiFimans are objectively excellent, but I rarely pick them up. For me, personally, I’m in love with a rich, full-bodied and impactful sound. The ZMF Aeolus on an OTL Tube amp takes the win for me every time. It just makes every single song sound so enjoyable. It is soulful and “weighty”. Many of my headphones are technically better in many categories, but if enjoyment is the most important factor then the ZMF Aeolus hits the mark every time. It is just so well rounded and engaging with every type of music.

From everything I have owned and heard, I would elect three headphones as my overall best and favorites: the DCA E3, the ZMF Caldera Open, and the Audeze LCD-4z. The E3s excel with raw precision and separation, the Calderas with spatial flexibility, tonal transparency, and macro dynamism, and the 4zs with bringing a bit of every trait together into one package. All of these need EQ to sound their best, the E3s the least and the 4zs the most, but even a profile relatively close to neutral reveals each to be amazing in their own ways. For anything below $1000 used, my picks go to the 2021 LCD-2 (and X), Moondrop Cosmo, and Sennheiser HD 800 (also all with EQ).

For me it is 100% the DCA E3.

Please do a comparison video with some wired closed-backs, including the DCA E3 which I own and know you also have.

Audeze Maxwells are nice yeah but the weight is a concern. If it fits on you properly, you'd have to spend lot more to get actual upgrades on the closed back front. Only Dan Clark makes top tier closed backs i'd say, like the noire x and the e3 but those are mighty expensive. So yeah, just get the maxwell and be done with it.

E3. They've got a far wider soundstage and for classical I prefer them over the Noire X. For all other genres I'd chose the Noire X.