My very first experience with hi-fi audio was when I bought a pair of Koss headphones in 1963. I was 17 years old at the time. The headphones cost me a grand total of $15 which added up to three weeks of allowance. The sound from those Koss headphones amazed teenage me, and I was now officially an audiophile, although that term was unknown to me at the time.
Those Koss phones used conventional dynamic cone drivers and, at that time, I thought them wonderful.
When my father took me to Seattle Stereo so he could purchase a pair of loudspeakers, I saw some KLH Model 9 speakers which for all the world looked like a pair of doors or even room dividers. They were flat-panel speakers of course. A set of McIntosh tube power amplifiers drove them. The sound was pure heaven. The dealer told me they were electrostatic in design. Then and there, I became determined to have something like that someday. Now, I have a pair of MartinLogan CLX full-range electrostatics that I use with two Paradigm Reference Signature SUB 2 subwoofers since electrostatic speakers don’t deliver a lot of deep bass. I also have five other MartinLogan electrostatics of several sizes in my home theater, along with a pair of Carver Amazing ribbon speakers and a pair of Sonus faber Lilium floor-standing speakers that have conventional cone drivers.
All of these electrostatics are probably the result of an obsession, as I could not afford anything like this as a youngster. I also played drums in a college garage band, and I could not afford more than one ride cymbal and a small crash cymbal. I now own about thirty cymbals to go with the electronic drum set that I use to play along with jazz albums. The 30 cymbals are also a result of that early deprivation. The downside is that I have to move all of that out of the way when I review power amplifiers in there. You can see the drum set in the photo below, and the two MartinLogan CLX full-range electrostatics are in front of them.
Now that I have heard several electrostatic headphone setups, and finally, the Ethereal, I will be obsessed with having one since I can’t afford it. I just hope my wife is OK with the eventual purchase. If I get five electrostatic headphone amplifiers, the Ethereal will be one of them. The only problem is that if I walk into the room where I have been listening to it, and the room is dark, it startles me. I think it is the boogie man.
Metaxas & Sins is a company in Switzerland, but the family is Greek, with Kostas Metaxas being the patriarch. The company started in Melbourne, Australia in 1981, then moved to Amsterdam, Netherlands in 2016. The Metaxas family builds ultra-high-end audio products that are assembled by hand. Their recent fame has come from designing and building Reel-to-Reel tape machines, like the Papillon deck shown in the photo below. Their notoriety has come from the fact that their products look like no others in the world. They are audio sculptures that can rightly be characterized as works of art.
Solid State
1,000 Volts Peak-to-Peak
580 Volts, Positive Bias on Diaphragm
100 Volts – 0.007%
300 Volts: 0.03%
400 Volts – 0.09%
450 Volts – 0.18%
500 Volts: 1%
100 Hz – 0.013%
1 kHz – 0.007%
10 kHz – 0.012%
100 Hz – 0.03%
1 kHz – 0.03%
10 kHz – 0.06%
100 Hz – 70 dB
1 kHz – 55 dB
10 kHz – 38 dB
100 dB
300 OHMS
65 Pounds
$32,000
Metaxas & Sins, Ethereal, Electrostatic, Headphone Amplifier, Solid State
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The chassis of the Metaxas & Sins Ethereal is made of aircraft-grade aluminum which is carved from solid blocks using a 5-axis CNC laser cutter working from CAD renderings developed by Kostas Metaxas. Kostas has over 30 years of experience designing objects of art for some of the most prestigious design houses in Europe including S.T. Dupont Paris and L’Epee of Switzerland. In addition, he has over 40 years of experience as an audio equipment designer (starting with his own custom amps, preamps, and electrostatic speakers back in 1981). He is also an accomplished recording engineer, having recorded over 300 live concerts using Swiss Stellavox R2R tape decks.
The Ethereal is intended to create an unparalleled personal listening experience borrowing from the circuit design of Kostas’ amps and preamps and is a true dual mono construction including separate toroidal transformers for both the left and right channels (which adds to the weight mentioned). As a result, the Ethereal is powerful enough to drive full-range electrostatic panels and will be demonstrated doing so at Axpona this year.
The looks of the Ethereal are similar to Art Deco in style, which was very popular in both the USA and Europe during the 1920s and 1930s. Art Deco was seen (and still can be seen in many cases) in everything from furniture to radios to architecture. Many major metropolitan centers still have some grand examples of Art Deco architecture still standing. In NYC, The Empire State Building, Rockafeller Center, and the Chanin Building are a few easy examples. Just for fun, an Art Deco robotics head and headphones, as generated by AI, are shown below.
Metaxas went further with the Ethereal by making the face abstract and incorporating an almost Aztec pattern within it.
Compared to an AI generation (below), the Ethereal has more of a “Terminator” Look. It says, “Don’t mess with me. Just listen and believe.”
The volume control knobs are on the front, and each channel has its own control. Keep those naughty thoughts to yourselves, please.
The rear panel has left and right XLR inputs to the amplifier as well as the grounded 120 Volt AC socket. The on/off toggle is next to the AC socket.
It should be noted that the head of the Ethereal can house additional components that can be ordered as optional extras. A DAC can be outfitted there, and future plans may include a music streamer option as well. At the 2023 Warsaw Audio/ Video Show, the Ethereal debuted with a luxury Swiss Tourbillon timepiece by L’Epee, ensconced in its noggin.
I listened to the Metaxas Ethereal headphone amplifier using the pair of Audeze CRBN electrostatic headphones that had been sent with the amplifier, as the matching Metaxas X1 headphones are not available yet.
The headphones plug into the Ethereal headphone amplifier at the bottom of the front. There are two four-pin sockets for each channel that will be used with the Metaxas electrostatic headphones, and the Ethereal comes with a five-pin adapter for use with other brands of electrostatic headphones such as STAX, Audeze, Dan Clark Audio, and more.
The open-back Audeze CRBN headphones ($4,500 USD) use a diaphragm made of carbon nanotubes which are small, less than 1 nm (nanometer) in diameter (there are various sizes). A nanometer is one millionth of a millimeter, so we are talking down nearly to the size of atoms. Carbon has four unpaired electrons, so it can bond to as many as four other atoms that have electrons to share. The sharing of electrons forms the basis of how molecules are structured. So, for example, with CO2, a carbon atom shares two electrons with two electrons on one oxygen atom and the other two electrons with the two electrons on a second oxygen atom.
With nanotubes, carbon atoms form a lattice with just carbon. There are no other elements in the lattice. Each carbon atom shares its available electrons with other carbon atoms. The nanotube diaphragm will store a voltage charge (+580 Volts in the case of the CRBN) more evenly than polymer diaphragms, so it can be looser rather than tight. This gives a better low frequency response because the loose diaphragm moves a greater distance. The stators on either side of the diaphragm have to be farther apart though.
About 5,000 tons of nanotubes are made each year for all kinds of purposes. Here is a diagram of nanotubes:
“Candle flames form carbon nanotubes naturally. In order to use carbon nanotubes in research and in the development of manufactured goods, however, scientists developed more reliable methods of production. While a number of production methods are in use, chemical vapor deposition, arc discharge, and laser ablation are the three most common methods of producing carbon nanotubes.
In chemical vapor deposition, carbon nanotubes are grown from metal nanoparticle seeds sprinkled on a substrate and heated to 700 degrees Celsius (1292 degrees Fahrenheit). Two gases introduced into the process start the formation of the nanotubes. (Because of reactivity between the metals and electric circuitry, zirconium oxide is sometimes used in place of metal for the nanoparticle seeds.) Chemical vapor deposition is the most popular method for commercial production.
Arc discharge was the first method used for synthesizing carbon nanotubes. Two carbon rods placed end-to-end are arc vaporized to form the carbon nanotubes. While this is a simple method, the carbon nanotubes must be further separated from the vapor and soot.
Laser ablation pairs a pulsing laser and an inert gas at high temperatures. The pulsed laser vaporizes the graphite, forming carbon nanotubes from the vapors. Like with the arc discharge method, the carbon nanotubes have to be further purified.
Carbon nanotubes have a number of valuable and unique properties, including:
© https://www.thoughtco.com/what-are-carbon-nanotubes-820395
The Ethereal amplifier will output as much as 1,000 Volts peak-to-peak. That’s right. 1,000 Volts compared to a 40 Volts output (200 Watts) from a conventional amplifier that connects to 8 Ohm speakers. Also, conventional headphone amplifiers output 4 Volts. The reason for the high voltage is that the electrostatic stators represent as much as 50,000 Ohms impedance, so high voltage from the amplifier is necessary. Because of the high output voltage from the Ethereal, I could not bench test it without the possibility of blowing up my Audio Precision spectrum analyzer.
The music signal for my listening tests was supplied from my computer, streaming from Qobuz. Output was from a Lynx E22 laboratory-grade XLR balanced audio card.
There is a distinct sense that the amplifier needs to warm up before listening, about 30 minutes or so. I felt I could hear the difference.
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Van Halen, “Best Of – Volume I”
Van Halen was my favorite band of yore. In particular, I thought the drummer, Alex Van Halen, was fabulous. I have listened to their music for decades. This album is one of their “Best of . . ” productions. With the Ethereal/Audeze setup, I heard, for the first time, the tracks for each instrument as separated. It is common for bands to record their parts in a song separately, with the mixing of all the tracks in a mixing console. I could tell that there was more than one electronic keyboard track, and I could hear the individual guitar strings, the click of Alex Van Halen’s kick drum pedal, as well as the snares on his drum. All separate and distinguishable. This is a combination of the obviously low distortion and excellent transient response on the Ethereal amplifier as well as the detail that accompanies electrostatic headphones. In any case, I now have enjoyed Van Halen on a new level, a new experience.
Keith Jarrett, “Carl Phillipp Emanuel Bach (Wurttenberg Sonatas)”
Piano is a very important listening test subject. This Carl Phillipp Emanuel Bach album (Wurttenberg Sonatas) by Keith Jarrett, was released in June, 2023. I have not heard the instrument sounding so natural, a combination of terrific recording quality and reproduction on an elysian set of hi-fi equipment. Truly remarkable!
Elisabeth Leonskaja (piano), Luzerner Sinfonieorchester, Michael Sanderling, “Schumann & Grieg: Piano Concertos”
The piano in the previous album sounded so good, I listened to another one, Schumann – Grieg, Piano Concertos, released January 12, 2024. The piano sounded different because of where it was recorded and the microphones being different, but it still sounded wonderful. The detail from the headphone amplifier/headphones setup allowed me to hear the felt pads as they struck the strings.
James Ehnes, BBC Philharmonic, Sir Andrew Davis, “Stravinsky: Violin Concerto, Orchestral Works”
Violin is a great instrument to listen to when evaluating hi-fi equipment because distortion can make this instrument sound very strident. So, here is one by Stravinsky. His music is characterized by notes that can sound strident and atonal anyway, but with the Ethereal amplifier, they sounded only as strident as the violins played, so they were listenable as they were supposed to sound. This is a tough test, and the Ethereal passed with an A+. Of course, the Audeze CRBN’s were part of this success. They are a very fine pair of headphones. I wish I were going to be at Axpona this year to hear the new Metaxas X1 headphones with the Ethereal amplifier.
Tony Bennett and Bill Evans, “The Tony Bennett/Bill Evans Album”
Now we come to an album that made me cry. Tony Bennett and Bill Evans on piano. The intimacy and clarity that this music, recorded in 1976 which was almost 40 years ago, tossed into my auditor cortex, was almost emotionally unbearable.
András Schiff and Domenico Scarlatti, “12 Sonatas”
Classical guitar is another great instrument that I like to listen to. This one, released in February, 2024, is a very good one. Giuseppe Domenico Scarlatti (1685-1757) was a Baroque composer. What I look for is definition in the plucking of the strings and a warm tonality, which was evident here. No boominess in the mid-bass which would have been be a result of having resonance in the 100 Hz region. This is relatively common with speakers I have found.
So far, I found the setup to be totally non-fatiguing. I could listen for hours with Eby (the cat) on my lap and a cup of hot chocolate in my hand.
J.S. Bach, “Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565”
What should I use for deep bass testing? Aha! Toccata and Fugue in D Minor by Bach of course. Here is one released in 1996. It has deep bass in the pedal tones. Problem is that notes down near 20 Hz are difficult for the human ear to detect. I felt them for sure. Since I could not hear them, this meant that the headphones did not produce noticeable harmonics. So, I did some additional testing by generating sine waves. I could definitely hear 30 Hz, but 20 Hz not so much. Interestingly, if you think you are hearing 20 Hz, it may be that you are actually hearing the 2nd-ordered harmonic at 40 Hz which is much easier to detect. However, as I cranked up the volume, I am pretty sure there were no harmonics or at least, very little. So, the setup has nice clean deep bass. I think there are still some limitations to the amount of diaphragm displacement between the stators that is inherent to electrostatic headphones. But, I do prefer to have very little distortion and the deep bass just not be as audible as it might be.
Various Artists, “Mean Girls (Music from the Motion Picture)”
Female voices. Another of my specific tests. The recent movie, Mean Girls, has a soundtrack album that has just been released. I don’t know about the movie, but the soundtrack has lots of great choices, and as far as I could tell, they all sounded very clean and natural, without any harshness.
Latvian Radio Choir, “Tchaikovsky: Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom; Nine Sacred Choruses”
Choir music is very complex and it is easy for the voices to run together, but they remained complex in this Tchaikovsky album. The bass baritone was exquisite.
Tom Ball, “18 Pieces for Solo Steel String Guitar”
Besides classical guitar, there is the steel string version, such as this one, released in 2003. What I want is the twang but without the brittleness, and there was no brittleness in the sound here. Bright for sure, but naturally bright.
In general, I only needed to turn the volume controls (one for left and one for right) up about 1/5th of the full rotation to get the loudness I wanted. But, I could turn it up louder without any harshness and without fatigue. I could listen for long periods and enjoy it as much at the end of the listening session as I did at the beginning. The Ethereal is a real piece of art, combined with great electrical engineering, that delivers pure audio pleasure.
The new Metaxas & Sins electrostatic headphones, called the X1, has the following specifications, price to come shortly:
push-pull electrostatic sound element, open-air (open back) enclosure
large round
5 – 42,000 Hz
Electrostatic capacitance: 80 pF
200 kΩ
100 dB
580 V DC
2.5 m, 1.5 m
genuine sheep leather
432 gm (ear speaker)
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