[Skullar]

Also, any reputable custom cable shops which could help replace the less-than-ideal stock cable?

You mean absolute pile of crap stock cable? That thing flew in a bin the minute i received replacement. Would have been happier if they sent a pair of shoe laces instead.
But luckily HPs more than make up for it.
As i wanted to spend less than £100 i just simply went with Sennheiser hd700 3m cable.
Seens Cardas as a popular option which isnt bank breaker either if its your main listening set up.

 

[funksoulava]

You mean absolute pile of crap stock cable? That thing flew in a bin the minute i received replacement. Would have been happier if they sent a pair of shoe laces instead.
But luckily HPs more than make up for it.
As i wanted to spend less than £100 i just simply went with Sennheiser hd700 3m cable.
Seens Cardas as a popular option which isnt bank breaker either if its your main listening set up.

How bad are the stock cables? Mind sharing a photo of two?

 

[The Third]

Just put the Zebra wood cups on which were provided by Chan from E-MU himself. Initial impressions in comparison to the Teak:

Sounds more v shaped yet also having a specific liquid/intimate midrange tuning that creates these intimate vocals and midrange impact, but is less neutral thus it's coloured so timbre is affected. But that doesn't really matter as the Zebra's tuning is very addicting. Right off the bat I noticed the Zebra is darker than either the Teak or Purpleheart(X00). They remind me a bit of the HE-400 darkness minus the peak around 1khz the HE-400 has. This creates a laidback warm and dark tuning with quite a bit of sparkle on top. Compared to the Teak these have sharper and more sparkly highs which creates an exciting sound but also with less nuanced detail in the highs, it has a smaller soundstage, more intimate/full bodied mids which are quite smooth and addicting, a bit less control in sub-bass, bit more boomy/fun bass than Teak. Zebra sounds a lot like Purpleheart (X00) with the same exciting sound but compared to the Purpleheart it has a bit more sparkly highs with darker mids, with a bit more soundstage and bit more control/detail in the entire frequency response. Layering wise, in fact I feel the Zebra does not lose out on music seperation compared to the teak. This is where the Purpleheart falls quite behind as I find the Purpleheart not layering all the elements in a soundstrack that well due it's even smaller soundstage and boomier bass. The Zebra might even be better in music separation and layering than the Teak but it's too early to tell. Lastly, the Zebra does not have the same highs extension as the Teak, which is probably where the extra darkness/warmness also comes from. Right now I prefer the Zebra compared to the X00 Purpleheart but again it's too soon to say. Overal though the Teak is a tough one to beat as it's very detailed/reavealing and very smooth leaning to neutral. Though this is also the Teak's problem. It tends to be too spacious sometimes where some soundtracks work very good with an intimate soundstage. Zebra in that sense is a winner, it combines the entertainment value of the Purpleheart but with more detail across the board.


Chan also provided me with Rosewood, Mahogany, Purple Heart and Bamboo to review. I will draw comparisons to all of them in a review that will follow the coming month. I am expecting the Purpleheart to be the most coloured of them. It might have sounded like I disliked the Purpleheart but that's far from the truth, it's an amazing entertaining wood type. You can see the review of the X00 Purpleheart and E-MU Teak on my page. As X00's are discontinued, you can always check out the E-MU Teak yourself instead. The pairing I use is with the Topping E30 DAC and SMSL SP200 AMP.

 

[VilMo]

Got these in yesterday and this is the sound I've been missing after listening to several open backs and planars! Any suggestions for pads which won't mes
s with the bass response but improve comfort? Been reading about the ZMF Eikon Hybrids! Also, any reputable custom cable shops which could help replace the less-than-ideal stock cable?

Hi afilen. I have experimented with several different pads including ZMF Ori. The Ori are very well made but did not sound well on the Teak at all, unfortunately. I have not tried ZMF Eikon Hybrids.

I have been using those pads from aliexpress with really great results for my taste - picture attached.
They are very comfortable and even to my ears sound better - wider and deeper soundstage and retained detail. Bass is divine, maybe a tad less in quantity but very resolving. Generally the sound with them becomes more spacious and 3D and less forward.
Here is a link to where I bought them: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32952117215.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.27424c4d52addy
You should choose the 105mm version. They are not expensive at all but quality is very good. I have been using mine since February 2019.

As I browsed to find them I noticed a model that I did not see before - but I will order to try as it is angled and could even work better: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/33057068576.html?spm=2114.12010612.8148356.15.16c8699dTfona6
I will report back when I get them in a few weeks time.

The same store also offers sheepskin pads for TH600 and TH900 MK2: :https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000908305455.html?spm=2114.12010612.8148356.11.16c8699dTfona6
Judging from me trying similar form pads with larger opening than the ones I use (the sound becomes very V-shaped) and by the way reviewers describe the sound of TH900 - (very V-shaped), I am not curious to test this model.

Of course sound is very individual and there seems to be no getting around experimenting yourself to get closer to the sound you like.

 

[gimmeheadroom]

Just put the Zebra wood cups on which were provided by Chan from E-MU himself. Initial impressions in comparison to the Teak:

Sounds more v shaped yet also having a specific liquid/intimate midrange tuning that creates these intimate vocals and midrange impact, but is less neutral thus it's coloured so timbre is affected. But that doesn't really matter as the Zebra's tuning is very addicting. Right off the bat I noticed the Zebra is darker than either the Teak or Purpleheart(X00). They remind me a bit of the HE-400 darkness minus the peak around 1khz the HE-400 has. This creates a laidback warm and dark tuning with quite a bit of sparkle on top. Compared to the Teak these have sharper and more sparkly highs which creates an exciting sound but also with less nuanced detail in the highs, it has a smaller soundstage, more intimate/full bodied mids which are quite smooth and addicting, a bit less control in sub-bass, bit more boomy/fun bass than Teak. Zebra sounds a lot like Purpleheart (X00) with the same exciting sound but compared to the Purpleheart it has a bit more sparkly highs with darker mids, with a bit more soundstage and bit more control/detail in the entire frequency response. Layering wise, in fact I feel the Zebra does not lose out on music seperation compared to the teak. This is where the Purpleheart falls quite behind as I find the Purpleheart not layering all the elements in a soundstrack that well due it's even smaller soundstage and boomier bass. The Zebra might even be better in music separation and layering than the Teak but it's too early to tell. Lastly, the Zebra does not have the same highs extension as the Teak, which is probably where the extra darkness/warmness also comes from. Right now I prefer the Zebra compared to the X00 Purpleheart but again it's too soon to say. Overal though the Teak is a tough one to beat as it's very detailed/reavealing and very smooth leaning to neutral. Though this is also the Teak's problem. It tends to be too spacious sometimes where some soundtracks work very good with an intimate soundstage. Zebra in that sense is a winner, it combines the entertainment value of the Purpleheart but with more detail across the board.


Chan also provided me with Rosewood, Mahogany, Purple Heart and Bamboo to review. I will draw comparisons to all of them in a review that will follow the coming month. I am expecting the Purpleheart to be the most coloured of them. It might have sounded like I disliked the Purpleheart but that's far from the truth, it's an amazing entertaining wood type. You can see the review of the X00 Purpleheart and E-MU Teak on my page. As X00's are discontinued, you can always check out the E-MU Teak yourself instead. The pairing I use is with the Topping E30 DAC and SMSL SP200 AMP.

Amazing beautiful wood. I see you are in Netherlands, do you know of a European source for these cans and cups?

 

[Skullar]

How bad are the stock cables? Mind sharing a photo of two?

Dont have it anymore. But apart from cheap look and build quality which might not necessarily be a problem to many, the microphonics is just horrendous. Its start making noise on contact of almost any surface.
Clearly E-mu threw it in with the idea that i will not be used. Which i suppose makes sense as that is the whole point of making headphones with removable cable.
It also was a bit too short for me as it is exclusively for desktop use and i need at least 3m personally.
Oh and also it is 3.5mm with 6.3mm adapter. And they have very poor connection. So for me that was an issue as i dont have 3.5mm jack on my dac.

Basically you need a cable if you want to fully enjoy these babies. Unless of course it was just poor cable on my unit.

Though as far as headphones go i really love them.

 

[The Third]

Dont have it anymore. But apart from cheap look and build quality which might not necessarily be a problem to many, the microphonics is just horrendous. Its start making noise on contact of almost any surface.
Clearly E-mu threw it in with the idea that i will not be used. Which i suppose makes sense as that is the whole point of making headphones with removable cable.
It also was a bit too short for me as it is exclusively for desktop use and i need at least 3m personally.
Oh and also it is 3.5mm with 6.3mm adapter. And they have very poor connection. So for me that was an issue as i dont have 3.5mm jack on my dac.

Basically you need a cable if you want to fully enjoy these babies. Unless of course it was just poor cable on my unit.

Though as far as headphones go i really love them.

Any braided XLR recommendations? Right now I am running the stock Balanced XLR cables.

 

[The Third]

Amazing beautiful wood. I see you are in Netherlands, do you know of a European source for these cans and cups?

I actually straight imported them from Singapore from Chan himself

 

[DeweyCH]

I swapped the teak cups out for a pair of rosewood I got from the source yesterday. Look amazing. Hard to judge the sound differences so far though. A/B testing cups is hard since it takes a minute to switch them.

Pad wise I'm currently using a pair of Dekoni fenestrated sheepskin pads designed for the Fostex 900. Sound great and super comfortable.

 

[gimmeheadroom]

I actually straight imported them from Singapore from Chan himself

I have to find a European source. The Taxman here is exceptionally proud of himself

 

[gimmeheadroom]

Any braided XLR recommendations? Right now I am running the stock Balanced XLR cables.

I used the skycables ebay shop for my Fostex. They are not high end cables but the owner is super responsive and trustworthy. Cables are great for the price.

Edited: oh, I ASSumed they used Fostex cables. If TRS then Customcans.co.uk is also a great shop. Cables are a more expensive but the materials seem better also.

 

[funksoulava]

Dont have it anymore. But apart from cheap look and build quality which might not necessarily be a problem to many, the microphonics is just horrendous. Its start making noise on contact of almost any surface.
Clearly E-mu threw it in with the idea that i will not be used. Which i suppose makes sense as that is the whole point of making headphones with removable cable.
It also was a bit too short for me as it is exclusively for desktop use and i need at least 3m personally.
Oh and also it is 3.5mm with 6.3mm adapter. And they have very poor connection. So for me that was an issue as i dont have 3.5mm jack on my dac.

Basically you need a cable if you want to fully enjoy these babies. Unless of course it was just poor cable on my unit.

Though as far as headphones go i really love them.

Did your stock cable look like this?

 

[MaximumS]

Well, let me share my experience regarding the Teak's ear pads.

First, The original pads are the best undoubtedly, but I couldn't tolerate them for more than 30 minutes.
I purchased a pair of ZMF Eikon sheepskin pads as they were the most recommended replacement by far. When I installed them something went wrong. Basically, there was some kind of resonance that muddied the bass and lower mids. It was noticeably prominent in male voices as there was some kind of echo and reverb to them.
Next, I decided to extract the plastic attenuators from the original pads and install them on the Eikons to mitigate the issue. However, the was no apparent improvement compared to the Eikons alone.

As the problem was resonance-related, I decided to add some kind of absorbent material to the attenuation ring to see what will happen. I used a sheet of adhesive felt, the one children use for crafts and available in any stationery, and I cut it with a blade using the rings a template. I attached it to the rings and installed the pads. To my surprise, this has solved the resonance predicament completely. The bass regained control and mids became clear without any murky aspects. Although the mid-range is still a tad recessed, I think this can be ascribed to the height of the Eikon pads, which places the drivers further from where they were intended by design.

Currently, I waiting for the arrival of 2 pairs of pads from Aliexpress https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000090876956.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.2e8e4c4dVLUQqZ and https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000520417437.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.2e8e4c4dVLUQqZ as they are less thick than the Eikons. I will experiment with them when they arrive and update.

To follow up regarding my experiment with Aliexpress pads in addition to the ZMF Eikon with the attenuator, This pads https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000520417437.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.2e8e4c4dVLUQqZ are identical to the original teak pads, and they even come with a plastic attenuation ring sewen inside them. They suffer from the same small ear opening issue, they are just identical in every aspect to the original ones.

The second one https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000090876956.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.2e8e4c4dVLUQqZ is surprisingly very good. They are even comfier than the Eikon pads while costing a fraction of the price. They sounded better without the attenuation rings than with them which is a plus. The sound changes were just a tad less bass but better airiness, sound stage and the imaging improved several folds compared to the others. For 18 dollars, in my opinion, those are the best replacement for the Teak pads and since I have installed them the Eikon pads have retired to a dark drawer in my closet. As for everything sound-related, this is my personal opinion and everybody's experience may vary.

 

[MaximumS]

Now I am looking for a replacement cable due to the atrocious microphonics of the stock one, any suggestions especially from Aliexpress as it is easier for me to source items from it.

 

[MaximumS]

I have to find a European source. The Taxman here is exceptionally proud of himself

EMU sent me the headphones with an invoice declaring the value at 100 dollars, which have decreased the taxes paid considerably. They have done this without me even asking, so I am sure that you can request the same from them.