Ooh look at what I got slightly over a week ago *wink*
Yes, I’ve finally joined the club, and I went with the Teak cups. The exclusivity won me over more than anything, really.
And here’s some extra stuff Chan’s sent my way to try out too. I’m pretty sure I have to return these to him at some point but for now, they’re with me.
Left to right: Mahogany, Rosewood, Purpleheart
I’m pretty sure I got the woods correct. Hopefully.
Initially, Chan told me he’d only be loaning me the Rosewood and Ebony cups, but evidently, the Ebony’s missing. I assume no Ebony cups were sent to me because there just weren’t any to loan so he’s sent me the other two woods Fostex has adopted instead. I really was just a bit too excited to ask too many questions while we were on the phone (or maybe it was that I was at work and didn’t want to get too caught up with chattering, maybe).
Anyway, initial impressions are extremely positive. Bass is not overwhelming but has excellent presence. I’d say bass is the best aspect of the sound – deep, controlled yet thick, seems to have some of the best low-end at its price category. However, do keep in mind I have not tried the DT1770, TH-X00, TH-600/610, or any of the MrSpeakers T50RP mods.
Also based on early impressions, I might be leaning towards wishing the mids and treble had a bit more edge or bite. Will have to get used to the Teaks to find out if I’m just not used to the sound, since I had been using the Future Sonics Atrio MG7 as my primary IEM before the Teak arrived, and the Atrio MG7 can be considered a bit bright and splashy on top of its bombastic bass.
Would also keep in mind the fact that swapping to the Rosewood cups might fix this perceived problem, since the Rosewood is denser and thicker than the Teak cups and would presumably trap in more treble/mid energy.
Overall, very positive about the headphone.
Recently, I got to try the headphone I’d say is my personal ideal, the Beyerdynamic T5P, but as of my current impressions, the Teak comes in as a second with minor comparative compromises (for a significantly lower price).
As of right now, I will aboard the hype train for this headphone – I’m liking it a lot.
Disclosure: I bought the E-MU Teak direct from E-MU Systems in Singapore, not at retail. I paid an amount I will not disclose, though do keep in mind I did buy the headphones and will be keeping them for personal use. I am not an employee of Creative or any of its subsidiaries, including E-MU Systems, and I am not affiliated with either in any way.
The extra wooden cups were sent to me by Chan personally to test. I will most probably be returning them after I've tested them.