ETA O² headphones

Discussion in 'Headphones' started by k4rstar, Jan 21, 2023.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. k4rstar

    k4rstar Britney fan club president

    Pyrate BWC
    Joined:
    Jun 11, 2016
    Likes Received:
    6,941
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Toronto, Canada
    No thread on these yet? They released earlier this month as a successor to the original ETA Mini Open.

    https://www.etaheadphones.com/product-page/o2

    Some written impressions of the O2 (added to the first post):

    Overall I am positive on these sonically and I think ETA has come a long way since the GenG, which I did not like at all and actually opted to write nothing about. However the O2 has some sonic issues that I feel it should not have at its price point, provided a large part of the value proposition behind ETA headphones (at least how I perceive it) is performance and not aesthetics, build or brand name.
    • Overall linear frequency response. I have not seen any graphs, but I perceive a slight dip at 3-4khz and a little bit of tizziness at 5khz. This is not an uncommon tuning, it's not my favourite as it results in a loss of energy with electric guitars and female vocals, but it is a 'safe' choice that works for many source pairings and recordings.
    • Very good lateral spatial impression of panning in processed studio recordings. This is largely due to the transient profile which I described earlier in the thread as a rounded attack, a sharp decay, a short sustain, and a normal release. The listener's attention is often drawn to what's happening at the edges of the soundstage, which clearly ends at the edges of your head. The sound does not expand 'out of the head' in either the forward or lateral plane. Despite the name however, the O2 cannot be considered an 'airy' headphone.
    • Good clarity, the differences in recordings and sources are made quite obvious. The O2 does not homogenize recordings in a 'gross' sense. However, it does commit some sins which make music less interesting to listen to than other dynamic headphone options, mainly:
    • Poor bass performance, probably the biggest issue with the headphone. The bass does not integrate well with the lower midrange, something that much cheaper headphones like the Koss do better. For this reason alone, it is legitimate to prefer something like the Porta Pro or KPH30i, as it is an extremely important part of music reproduction. This is why I would describe the response as 'monitor-like' or lacking in warmth. Actually, a lot of people seem to like this sort of thing, so I hope it does not come across as too negative.
    • Other than the integration issue, the bass trades depth for punch. By depth, I mean the natural resonance of a kick drum or tom is unfortunately absent, and this is clear in comparison with any of the dynamic headphones I have on hand. I think this is a combination of the transient profile (sharp decay) with what simply sounds like a hard bass roll-off at a certain frequency. The Mini O also has this problem. It is most clearly heard on real drums, but the issue extends to synthesized bass and acoustic bass instruments as well.
    • I pulled my punches in the video review, I cannot listen to these for very long with the rear grilles installed. There is some sort of resonance, similar to the effect of standing waves in room acoustics, that causes me fatigue with all but the most minimalist recordings. This effect is 80% gone when the grilles are removed, or listening to the Mini O. This is the biggest disappointment for me, as it feels like 1 step forward 2 steps back from the Mini O, yet it costs more.
    • Speaking of the Mini O, the headphones are extremely similar in sound, except for the aforementioned resonance problem. The O2 is 5 to 20% more refined and clear than the Mini O. It depends how much you want to exaggerate.
    In terms of sources, I just don't own any headphone amplifiers so I can't comment there. I did try a few different dongles, a few different computers and MP3 players. The O2 did change its character to reflect each one, in the end I liked using it the most with the Apple dongle from my iPhone.

    I think @ultrabike sensed my hesitation from the video review where I spoke about value. For me, these are difficult to recommend at $600. I hesitated because I am totally out of touch with what is on the market today. I would not call the value horrendous, I guess in a world of kilobuck cans, this may be what the start-up has to do to survive. That being said, I cannot help but feel the sonic flaws of these headphones are due to over-tuning. I think they would have benefitted from being beta tested by more folks, since the platform these headphones are built on seems to respond to minor tweaks and variations. So, these have to tick a number of boxes for you (aesthetics, comfort, wanting to support a small company trying to grow) to truly justify the asking price.

    I hope that my impressions do not come across as too negative, because members here responded positively to the Mini S. I have not tried the Mini S, but going back and reading the Mini S impressions thread, I think most of what was said safely applies to the O2. I really wonder if others will hear what I hear, especially with regards to the grilles and fatigue.

     
    • Like Like x 23
    • Epic Epic x 8
    • List
    Last edited: Jan 27, 2023
  2. insidious meme

    insidious meme Ambivalent Kumquat

    Pyrate Contributor
    Joined:
    Sep 26, 2015
    Likes Received:
    4,999
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Sector 8023 of the Third Quadrant
    Say hello to @Torq for us.
     
    • Like Like x 3
    • Epic Epic x 1
    • List
  3. Gazny

    Gazny MOT: ETA Audio

    Pyrate Contributor
    Joined:
    May 11, 2020
    Likes Received:
    2,209
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    open sky
    Thanks for the review, I Love the timestamps, and good headphone selection for comparisons.

    I see you really gave it the gamut for this review.
     
  4. YMO

    YMO Chief Fun Officer

    Pyrate Contributor
    Joined:
    Apr 1, 2018
    Likes Received:
    10,518
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Palms Of The Coasts, FL
    I’m not watching a video. Make a quick bullet point summary for me and a bunch of others.
     
    • Like Like x 4
    • Dislike Dislike x 2
    • Agreed, ditto, +1 Agreed, ditto, +1 x 1
    • List
  5. k4rstar

    k4rstar Britney fan club president

    Pyrate BWC
    Joined:
    Jun 11, 2016
    Likes Received:
    6,941
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Toronto, Canada
    OK, just for you

    Here is a list of headphones I would rather listen to than the O2:
    • Vintage Grado SR80
    • Vintage Grado SR325
    • Yamaha HP1 modded by an ortho whisperer
    • Audioquest NightOwl Carbon
    As you can see the list is quite short and filled with headphones you can no longer obtain. I would prefer these models because they are more euphonic and have some warmth or immediacy the O2 does not have, while being just as clear.

    Here is a list of headphones I would NOT rather listen to than the O2:
    • ZMF Eikon
    • ZMF Auteur
    • ZMF Verite
    • ZMF Verite Closed
    • Koss PortaPro
    • Koss KTXPRO1
    • Sennheiser HD600
    • Sennheiser HD540
    • Sennheiser HD250
    • Sennheiser HD650
    • Sennheiser HD800
    • Sennheiser HD580
    • Hifiman HE1000
    • Hifiman HE560
    • Hifiman HE400
    • Hifiman HE500
    • Audeze LCD2
    • Audeze LCD3
    • Focal Clear
    • Focal Utopia
    • Grado HP1000
    • Grado RS1
    • Grado SR325X
    • Vintage Grado SR225
    • Beyerdynamic DT990
    • Beyerdynamic DT880
    • Beyerdynamic DT1990
    • Fostex TH900
    • Denon AH-D7200
    • ETA GenG
    • Stax SR009
    • Stax SR007
    • Stax SR3
    • Stax SR5
    • AKG K240
    • AKG K1000
    • Audio Technica ADX5000
    • Audio Technica AD900X
    • Sony MDR-V6
    • Sony MDR-CD900ST
    • Sony MDR-7506
    As you can see this list is quite long (and incomplete), and most of these headphones need some sort of dedicated amplification. I would not prefer these models because they are not as clear as the O2 and have one or more major frequency or time domain issues.

    I hope that is enough bullet points.
     
    • Like Like x 18
    • Dislike Dislike x 1
    • List
  6. JK47

    JK47 Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Oct 31, 2022
    Likes Received:
    2,017
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    Surf City USA
    Were those the black silk panty HD650/HD600, or silver satin models, or even perhaps the JARHD6x0 v123/ABC? Possibly... GASP!!! All of them?

    I'm not buying the review unless your source was a modded 1923 AM radio that was built by Count Draculas 18th half nephew three times removed.
     
    • Like Like x 8
    • Epic Epic x 3
    • List
  7. Gazny

    Gazny MOT: ETA Audio

    Pyrate Contributor
    Joined:
    May 11, 2020
    Likes Received:
    2,209
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    open sky
    Any Mention of your per album listening notes?

    As a reviewer what is your suite of typical tracks?
     
  8. k4rstar

    k4rstar Britney fan club president

    Pyrate BWC
    Joined:
    Jun 11, 2016
    Likes Received:
    6,941
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Toronto, Canada
    I only listen to albums using airpods while working out or in nature

    I typically evaluate equipment with live recordings, a lot of the time lo-fi ones. Even recordings I made myself, some of which can be seen on my channel. Yea it's an iphone mic over youtube, but it helps me tell the good gear from the bad better than studio recordings can

     
  9. Lyander

    Lyander Official SBAF Equitable Empathizer

    Pyrate Contributor
    Joined:
    Feb 25, 2017
    Likes Received:
    10,961
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Philippines, The
    Didn't he and Elnrik both leave headphones.com a long while back though?

    Queueing the video up, but the bullet points were informative. It does make sense that a lot of the headphones on the "bleh" list are ones that require dedicated listening stations though.
     
  10. Philimon

    Philimon Friend

    Pyrate Contributor Banned
    Joined:
    May 6, 2016
    Likes Received:
    2,092
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Portland, OR
    That’s funny because I only listen to albums when Im not using airpods.

    Im assuming you meant Airpods Pro and not Airpods regular since I remember you owning Pros. Airpods Pro good, Airpods regular bad.

    Sina, do you mind explaining please? Serious question. I dont understand the advantage over a studio recording except to say because you experienced live in-person you have an actual barometer for what the recording should sound like.
     
  11. YMO

    YMO Chief Fun Officer

    Pyrate Contributor
    Joined:
    Apr 1, 2018
    Likes Received:
    10,518
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Palms Of The Coasts, FL
    This doesn't explain anything on why you like these headphones, this is after reading your post more than once. Making a long list is boring as fudge and borderline showing off your e-penis since "look at me I am a wizard on how many headphones I listed to in the past!"
     
    • Like Like x 1
    • Agreed, ditto, +1 Agreed, ditto, +1 x 1
    • List
    Last edited: Jan 22, 2023
  12. RestoredSparda

    RestoredSparda Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Jan 7, 2021
    Likes Received:
    3,637
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    WI
    It was clearly a sarcastic response to a sarcastic serious? question.

    Edit: Oh, you were serious.
     
  13. YMO

    YMO Chief Fun Officer

    Pyrate Contributor
    Joined:
    Apr 1, 2018
    Likes Received:
    10,518
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Palms Of The Coasts, FL
    I am serious, and so are others.
     
    • Agreed, ditto, +1 Agreed, ditto, +1 x 1
    • List
  14. spoony

    spoony Spooky

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Sep 28, 2015
    Likes Received:
    651
    Trophy Points:
    93
    The driver damping scheme was also overhauled from the previous version, the FR is less u-shaped in this iteration and the driver is freer.
     
  15. k4rstar

    k4rstar Britney fan club president

    Pyrate BWC
    Joined:
    Jun 11, 2016
    Likes Received:
    6,941
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Toronto, Canada
    Yeah I mean airpods pro

    It's not because I was there, since I find lo-fi live recordings made by others just as useful. It's more like stripping away all the production value and studio effects, can the equipment still squeeze the music juice out of the recording and make the listener feel something?

    A lot of audiophiles are quick to dismiss recordings as 'bad'. I don't really believe in 'bad' recordings and instead look to see what can be extracted from them musically. Blood from a stone type of deal
     
    • Like Like x 3
    • Agreed, ditto, +1 Agreed, ditto, +1 x 1
    • List
    Last edited: Jan 22, 2023
  16. Philimon

    Philimon Friend

    Pyrate Contributor Banned
    Joined:
    May 6, 2016
    Likes Received:
    2,092
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Portland, OR
    Could that just be a case of synergy? Which gear sounds “better” for recordings with good production values?
     
  17. k4rstar

    k4rstar Britney fan club president

    Pyrate BWC
    Joined:
    Jun 11, 2016
    Likes Received:
    6,941
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Toronto, Canada
    I don't think so, and I am not sure why you would want gear that only sounds good with some recordings, unless you don't actually like music. The concept of 'crap in, crap out' or genre bias (good for classical) is usually an excuse for gear with serious frequency or time domain issues that may be obfuscated by over-produced recordings.
     
  18. Philimon

    Philimon Friend

    Pyrate Contributor Banned
    Joined:
    May 6, 2016
    Likes Received:
    2,092
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Portland, OR
    I cant argue that but I do feel higher-fi headphones make some (previously) boring music more engaging and inviting due to higher levels of resolution. Ive not carefully tested whether those same higher-fi headphones actually cause “bad” (eg dynamically or bit rate compressed) recordings to sound less palatable and may very well be an inaccurate myth to which Ive been guilty of parroting. If anyone can think of a good example where this is true then Id be grateful and would try for myself.
     
  19. Philimon

    Philimon Friend

    Pyrate Contributor Banned
    Joined:
    May 6, 2016
    Likes Received:
    2,092
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Portland, OR
    Because no headphone does it all well. My favorite all-rounders (for my preferences and budget) is T50RP and Porta Pro. I could be satisfied with just owning those two. Everything else is just for fun to try and compliment and experience personal listening to music differently at the least. I am a Grado fan and wish to add one to the collection because I understand their positives but their limitations as well so theyd be to only fill a niche and provide another flavor just like the rest of em. Ill trim collection when I get bored or until that headphone is superceded by something else.
     
  20. internethandle

    internethandle Almost "Made"

    Contributor
    Joined:
    Sep 23, 2017
    Likes Received:
    784
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    long beach, ca
    Cool review, always appreciate your sort of oblique perspective.

    Re; Airpods Pro, I use mine a lot, too, despite my zomg desktop rig. Often times appreciate that more. If anyone (usually a "normie" or newbie) ever asks me about zomg desktop rig, I always tell them to not bother and get a pair of Airpods Pro. Tone: sincere.

    Also, my evaluation of gear almost always comes from YouTube (albums, also, and not even via YouTube Music, necessarily), and I, too, use a lot of "bad" live recordings to do so. It just often times sounds best to me, I don't particularly have as much rationale behind it as you do. That Barnett vid sounds good to me, for instance. I've done this for long enough that I realized I was "tuning" rigs re: component/transducer selection for YouTube playback, in that sometimes other streaming methods (and sometimes file playback) would sound like butt. Whoops. It does tend to translate to other playback methods, too, I suppose. I have a pet theory that Google's hyper-optimization of their video playback servers/protocols/etc. allows for things to sound better more of the time than other methods, at least over the internet, but it's pretty armchair and likely would check out poorly with the propeller-heads.
     
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.

Share This Page