Dan Clark Audio E3

E3 is our midrange closed-back headphone. E3 delivers a stunning level of performance and value, incorporating all the technological and ergonomic achievements of our flagship headphones, but at a more accessible price point.

Incorporating an all-new 5th generation driver and our pioneering Acoustic Metamaterial Tuning System, or AMTS, E3 delivers a true flagship performance, without the flagship cost.  

E3 IS IN STOCK but we do expect high demand and that stock will not last long.

Experience Your Music Like Never Before!

E3 is Dan Clark Audio’s revolutionary new closed-back headphone. 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 our legendary “open-back listening experience” in a closed headphone. Meticulous tuning and engineering integrate our 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!

E3 delivers the kick of mule when called upon to rock, yet teases out the finest nuances of your most detailed recordings.
Naturally E3 is as comfortable as DCA’s other headphones; DCAs 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 our most exciting projects to-date by bringing uncompromising TOTL performance to a much larger audience.

Acoustic Metamaterial Tuning System (AMTS)

A critical feature of E3 is the enhanced AMTS tuning system, previously found only in our TOTL multi- award winning Stealth, Expanse, and Corina headphones. 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 us complete control of the high-frequency response profile.

DCAs 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 E3 we developed a new mode of deployment that departs from prior implementations.We won’t bore you with the details, other than to say that the AMTS in 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; we’re just humble magicians, not grand-wizards!

Planar Driver Performance Revisited

E3’s all-new 5th generation planar-magnetic driver delivers the smoothest, richest, and most detailed experience we could create 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 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, 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, our 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?

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; 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 is a great sounding headphone if you can only wear it for 30 minutes? E3 takes advantage of every ergonomic trick we’ve developed, including the acclaimed self-adjusting headband suspension system from Stealth and Expanse, as well as the convenient and stylish folding gimbals that make E3 a conveniently compact travel headphone.

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!

We’ve 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 make E3 the most exciting headphone we’ve released to date.

Equally satisfying with all genres of music, E3s soundstage, punchy bass, silky midrange, utterly smooth highs, and layers of detail will keep you engaged for days on end. Never fatiguing, E3 will have you revisiting your entire music library to experience your music like never before.The E3 is just too much fun.