[ProfFalkin]

Boy, I thought I had a rough time ordering directly. Went weeks without email communication but they at least hit the shipping date I'd originally been given.

Wound up going with a replacement cable from Dyson, arrived earlier this week, works great.

But, I went to change out the ebony cups for my teak ones last night and noticed that one of the teak cups now has a hairline crack of about 1". Unfortunate, to say the least, but it doesn't appear to have penetrated the entire thing, as the inside is still all intact. Unsure of what to do, if anything.

When working with wood, if I get a bit of tear out on an end or notice a small crack, I often repair it with some CA glue. The big giant warning you should heed here is that CA glue will completely F@@K a lacquer finish. So if you do think you can get the glue into the crack without some bleeding onto the finish, give it a shot. Otherwise - DON'T DO IT.

Also, maybe a warranty replacement of the cup is possible?

 

[boostergold90]

When working with wood, if I get a bit of tear out on an end or notice a small crack, I often repair it with some CA glue. The big giant warning you should heed here is that CA glue will completely F@@K a lacquer finish. So if you do think you can get the glue into the crack without some bleeding onto the finish, give it a shot. Otherwise - DON'T DO IT.

Also, maybe a warranty replacement of the cup is possible?

Was planning on reaching out to Chan. We'll see how that goes. I still have the ebony cups at least, so it's not like they're completely out of commission, but finding that crack was a sad discovery.

 

[Pharmaboy]

Boy, I thought I had a rough time ordering directly. Went weeks without email communication but they at least hit the shipping date I'd originally been given.

Wound up going with a replacement cable from Dyson, arrived earlier this week, works great.

But, I went to change out the ebony cups for my teak ones last night and noticed that one of the teak cups now has a hairline crack of about 1". Unfortunate, to say the least, but it doesn't appear to have penetrated the entire thing, as the inside is still all intact. Unsure of what to do, if anything.

Cracks are the big fear with these particular headphones. Some people receive them with big cracks; others never develop cracks at all.

I've read comments to the effect that teak grows in humid places, and then Singapore, where these headphones are made, is pretty humid also in summer. None of these places have the low-humidity & temps that we see in the upper 1/3 of the U.S., where most customers reside.

BTW, I just got a call from Chan, who is trying very hard to get headphones to me. It's quite reassuring to hear directly from him that he's trying to fulfill my order, despite the Fedex/address thing.

My fingers are crossed that I get headphones quickly, and they have no cracks!

 

[boostergold90]

Cracks are the big fear with these particular headphones. Some people receive them with big cracks; others never develop cracks at all.

I've read comments to the effect that teak grows in humid places, and then Singapore, where these headphones are made, is pretty humid also in summer. None of these places have the low-humidity & temps that we see in the upper 1/3 of the U.S., where most customers reside.

BTW, I just got a call from Chan, who is trying very hard to get headphones to me. It's quite reassuring to hear directly from him that he's trying to fulfill my order, despite the Fedex/address thing.

My fingers are crossed that I get headphones quickly, and they have no cracks!

Glad to hear that he got in touch with you. Hopefully they arrive with all haste.

 

[boostergold90]

Is enquiry@emu.com still the email address to use? Going to send a picture of the cracked cup over and just see what (if any) options for exchange, repair, or purchasing a new set are available.

 

[chef8489]

Is enquiry@emu.com still the email address to use? Going to send a picture of the cracked cup over and just see what (if any) options for exchange, repair, or purchasing a new set are available.

Yes that is correct email.

 

[dittore]

Hi guys,

I haven't used my ebony cups for a while and it seems that I can't fit the drivers inside the cups now, they probably shrunk. Can I make them fit again? If yes, how? I e-mailed Chan, but tought it wouldn't hurt to ask it here too.

 

[chef8489]

Hi guys,

I haven't used my ebony cups for a while and it seems that I can't fit the drivers inside the cups now, they probably shrunk. Can I make them fit again? If yes, how? I e-mailed Chan, but tought it wouldn't hurt to ask it here too.

YEs you need to rehumidify them. Place them in a ziplock bag with a paper towel with distilled water on it for 24 hours to a few days.

 

[dittore]

YEs you need to rehumidify them. Place them in a ziplock bag with a paper towel with distilled water on it for 24 hours to a few days.

Thanks! So do I put the towels on the cups, not just inside the bag?

 

[chef8489]

JUst inside the bag.

 

[ProfFalkin]

JUst inside the bag.

Re-humidifying them is the goal. Soaking them in any way is bad. So even a few teaspoons of water in a paper towel, not in contact with the wood, inside a big zip lock bag would suffice. Less is more, so if you don't get enough, put another tablespoon on the towel and go another day.

Wood is like a sponge, it will absorb what it can at it's own pace. You just don't want too much.

 

[chef8489]

YEp i have delt with humidors a lot in the past. Slow is the way to go.

 

[Pharmaboy]

E MU Teak UPDATE: exactly 2 months after ordering these direct from Chan, they finally arrived. It was a difficult & protracted experience--but I must say, Chan put his customer service thing into gear in the past week or so & made it happen.

All can be forgiven if the headphones are physically OK and sound good. Are they? Hell, yeah!

• The teaks earcups on this pair are quite beautiful. As good or better than any pictures I've seen.
• I went over the headphones w/a big magnifying glass--found zero cracks or blemishes anywhere (though obviously that can change w/passage of time)
• The 3M balanced cable is comical--skinny, insubstantial, not exactly confidence-inspiring. Still, the cable works & will do just fine 'til I get an aftermarket replacement (I asked Chan to ship me 2 spare input jacks for the aftermarket cable mfr to use in making the cables).
• Maybe I'm mentally deficient for saying this, but I find the comfort to be well above average. The earpads seem rather comfortable & effective. Won't know 'til I do more extended listening, but I'm not immediately inclined to do pad-rolling w/these.

Just set them up to burn-in ~100 hrs, a long-standing habit of mine (it makes me feel better, even if some on Head-Fi freak out over this topic).

Only listened ~5-10", cold, right out of the box. But already I hear the bass is something special: an unusual quality of sllght warmth/"wetness" combined w/strong impact, realistic dynamics. The bass really supports the rest of the music here, just as it does in real, live music. Can't tell if there's much sub-bass; regardless, the bass I'm hearing is among the best I've heard from headphones.

The rest of the frequency spectrum sounds just fine, too. Even the soundstaging (not what these headphones are known for) seems at least average.

So far so good in my "E MU Teak journey" (more to follow after they're burned in).

 

[ProfFalkin]

E MU Teak UPDATE: exactly 2 months after ordering these direct from Chan, they finally arrived. It was a difficult & protracted experience--but I must say, Chan put his customer service thing into gear in the past week or so & made it happen.

All can be forgiven if the headphones are physically OK and sound good. Are they? Hell, yeah!

• The teaks earcups on this pair are quite beautiful. As good or better than any pictures I've seen.
• I went over the headphones w/a big magnifying glass--found zero cracks or blemishes anywhere (though obviously that can change w/passage of time)
• The 3M balanced cable is comical--skinny, insubstantial, not exactly confidence-inspiring. Still, the cable works & will do just fine 'til I get an aftermarket replacement (I asked Chan to ship me 2 spare input jacks for the aftermarket cable mfr to use in making the cables).
• Maybe I'm mentally deficient for saying this, but I find the comfort to be well above average. The earpads seem rather comfortable & effective. Won't know 'til I do more extended listening, but I'm not immediately inclined to do pad-rolling w/these.

Just set them up to burn-in ~100 hrs, a long-standing habit of mine (it makes me feel better, even if some on Head-Fi freak out over this topic).

Only listened ~5-10", cold, right out of the box. But already I hear the bass is something special: an unusual quality of sllght warmth/"wetness" combined w/strong impact, realistic dynamics. The bass really supports the rest of the music here, just as it does in real, live music. Can't tell if there's much sub-bass; regardless, the bass I'm hearing is among the best I've heard from headphones.

The rest of the frequency spectrum sounds just fine, too. Even the soundstaging (not what these headphones are known for) seems at least average.

So far so good in my "E MU Teak journey" (more to follow after they're burned in).

I really do like my Teak. I suspect you'll enjoy them too. Keep us posted.

 

[GambL]

Could an E-MU teak owner please comment on what amping works well with them? I know they're easy to power. I have a Grace m9xx but am unsure if I 'need' a better pairing.