[PopZeus]

My E-MU Teaks arrived today and I basically tore open the box to start listening to them asap. They deliver the goods! Better frequency response for vocals and guitars, effectively making these my go-to cans for rock and most pop.

 

[ProfFalkin]

My E-MU Teaks arrived today and I basically tore open the box to start listening to them asap. They deliver the goods! Better frequency response for vocals and guitars, effectively making these my go-to cans for rock and most pop.

Congrats!

Pics or it didn't happen... Hahaha

What were you using before the Teak?

 

[PopZeus]

Congrats!

Pics or it didn't happen... Hahaha

What were you using before the Teak?

 
Well, "tore open the box" may be overstating it a bit because big expensive headphones and surprisingly small packaging that I had to gently repack for my commute home. Ha!
 
That said, I'm A/B testing the Teaks against my current pair of Fostex TH-X00 EB with the Grace m9XX and finding the overall frequency response of the E-MUs might be a touch more neutral. They are quite similar, with the differences being a matter of degrees. The Ebony digs deeper and is louder in the sub-bass (it's crazy, they are total bass monsters imho) but that might because the driver is broken-in. The Teaks could conceivably open up like that after a few hours. The treble on the EBs peaks a bit earlier where there's more activity in the signal, while the treble on the Teaks have a slower climb to 20K. As a result of all that, vocals and guitars on the Teaks seem a bit louder and have a bit more presence in comparison, although I don't know enough about audio engineering to say exactly why. Hence the perception that they're more neutral. If someone told me that the EBs are closest the Massdrop exclusives get to the Teaks, I'd believe them. 

 

[ProfFalkin]

Well, "tore open the box" may be overstating it a bit because big expensive headphones and surprisingly small packaging that I had to gently repack for my commute home. Ha!

That said, I'm A/B testing the Teaks against my current pair of Fostex TH-X00 EB with the Grace m9XX and finding the overall frequency response of the E-MUs might be a touch more neutral. They are quite similar, with the differences being a matter of degrees. The Ebony digs deeper and is louder in the sub-bass (it's crazy, they are total bass monsters imho) but that might because the driver is broken-in. The Teaks could conceivably open up like that after a few hours. The treble on the EBs peaks a bit earlier where there's more activity in the signal, while the treble on the Teaks have a slower climb to 20K. As a result of all that, vocals and guitars on the Teaks seem a bit louder and have a bit more presence in comparison, although I don't know enough about audio engineering to say exactly why. Hence the perception that they're more neutral. If someone told me that the EBs are closest the Massdrop exclusives get to the Teaks, I'd believe them. 

Almost exactly what I thought when comparing the PH to the Teak, only I thought the bass was similar enough that it might not even matter.

Good to know I'm not crazy.

Well, not mostly crazy.

Well, ... Yeah.

 

[PopZeus]

Almost exactly what I thought when comparing the PH to the Teak, only I thought the bass was similar enough that it might not even matter.

Good to know I'm not crazy.

Well, not mostly crazy.

Well, ... Yeah.

 
This is an insane hobby, so there's that.
 
Yeah, the PHs have way more bass than I could ever use. Also, not a fan of the treble on that one. In general mids are too recessed for me. The EBs are closer to the Teaks than the PHs in terms of neutrality but the Teaks put the treble peak in a way different place than any TH-X00 variant. 

 

[denox]

I sent back my Redco made cable to get 2.5mm connectors replaced. They are clicked but detached easily and Chris from Redco aware about connector issue, great service so far. I will update when I get my cable back.

 

[denox]

​If anyone selling EMU cups please let me know, I am looking to get rosewood but I will consider any cups, boosted bass is my main concern.

 

[PopZeus]

Apologies for cross-posting from the main Fostex THX thread, but I suppose this belongs here more than there. Anyways, I slapped the Teak FR graph onto the THX one found on all of Massdrop's pages and it actually lines up fairly accurately from what my ears can tell. The bass on the EB seem a touch louder IRL though so maybe the positioning is off slightly... 

 
Graphs are neat and they help but it doesn't really speak to how rich the Teak cups with this driver sound. The overall effect is amazing.

 

[wordfool]

Been listening to my Teaks for a few days and am still adjusting from Beyer DT-1770s, which have far more mid presence and seem to go deeper in the bass. The EM-U's are surprisingly mellow-sounding to my ears, which is nice for a lot of music but I do find myself missing the extreme clarity and detail of the Beyers at times (although perhaps too "extreme" in some cases). Will post more thoughts as I put more hours on them.  

 

[PopZeus]

Love the bass and mids on this one. Perfect frequency response there. Treble too, minus that peak at ~15-16K that could come down by a few dB. 
 
They make my Marshall Modes (which are mid-scooped slightly and have decent low-end response) sound bass-thin by comparison.

 

[mittortz]

So looks like Redco won't be making cables for the Teak headphones anymore. I received a custom cable from them a couple days ago after they thought they got the issues worked out, but the connector keeps detaching. They are very graciously giving me a refund, but added that they're not confident there's going to be a fix. 
 
So it's kind of disappointing for the Teak headphones in general. Having the capability for removable/replaceable cables is loses a lot of the point when there are no replacement cables. I was really looking forward to freeing myself of the provided 10 ft. boa constrictor...
 
I'm not super confident with modding, and I can't really afford the risk of damaging my headphones. But is there any relatively safe mod that will make it so these headphones can use some standardized connector? Is there a reason why they went with the current connector over a regular one?

 

[PopZeus]

  So looks like Redco won't be making cables for the Teak headphones anymore. I received a custom cable from them a couple days ago after they thought they got the issues worked out, but the connector keeps detaching. They are very graciously giving me a refund, but added that they're not confident there's going to be a fix. 
 
So it's kind of disappointing for the Teak headphones in general. Having the capability for removable/replaceable cables is loses a lot of the point when there are no replacement cables. I was really looking forward to freeing myself of the provided 10 ft. boa constrictor...
 
I'm not super confident with modding, and I can't really afford the risk of damaging my headphones. But is there any relatively safe mod that will make it so these headphones can use some standardized connector? Is there a reason why they went with the current connector over a regular one?

 
That's weird, as my Redco replacement cable (not the official one but with the same 2.5mm connector) fits the Teaks just fine. The 3.5mm plug does keep popping out of my Shanling M5 DAP so I still need something reliable.
 
I sprung for one of the OCC PM-2 replacement cables that seem to get great feedback on eBay. From my personal experience, if it can work on the Oppo PM-2, it should work for the E-MU Teak as well.

 

[Sladeophile]

Let us know how that Oppo cable works!

 

[mittortz]

   
That's weird, as my Redco replacement cable (not the official one but with the same 2.5mm connector) fits the Teaks just fine. The 3.5mm plug does keep popping out of my Shanling M5 DAP so I still need something reliable.
 
I sprung for one of the OCC PM-2 replacement cables that seem to get great feedback on eBay. From my personal experience, if it can work on the Oppo PM-2, it should work for the E-MU Teak as well.

 
 
I'm wondering if the issue is with my pair in particular, or if the quality control on the Teaks is just all over the place. Even with the original cable, the red and black connectors each fit slightly differently into the headphones. Both are reasonably secure, but there's a distinct difference when you push them in. And, if I look at the Redco cable and the original side by side, the connectors look so close to identical that there really shouldn't be an issue. I don't know.
 
But yeah, please let us know as soon as you receive the OCC PM-2 cable and whether it's good or not. I'm willing to try everything. You're referring to this one? 

 

[cute]

@fjrabon what does the Lawton level 1 mod bring to the THx00 ebony?  I have ordered ebony Emu cups to install on the THx00 and I see that you have it listed in your profile!