[TooPoorForHiFi]

Questions & Clarifications

* The EMU Walnut sounds the same as the Creative Live SE?
* The EMU Teak Bamboo Cups & Teak Wooden Cups Sounds Identical? They are purply aesthetic?
* How much is the improvement / upgrade going from EMU Walnut // CAL to the Teaks?

 

[KamijoIsMyHero]

Questions & Clarifications

* How much of is the improvement / upgrade going from EMU Walnut // CAL to the Teaks?

I just got the Walnut a couple of weeks ago and there are massive differences.

The Walnut is about what you would expect from lower end headphones. The only thing it was going for it is build quality. The build quality is nice though, the quality is about the same between the 2.

In terms of sound, that is where the Teak trumps the Walnut. Teak is open sounding, the EMU Walnut is very closed sounding. The EMU Walnut has a very warm tilt. The lows aren't too detailed, there is a mid-bass hump though that makes drums sound very snappy. Vocals sounds garbled due to the warm tilt, there is too much lower mids IMO. The highs are notably lacking, some high notes can sound muted. It is not what I would call a "dark" headphone but there is definitely not enough energy through out the highs. I think it is a little uneven as a result. In terms of detail retrieval, there is no comparison, the Teaks trump it by a large margin.

I guess maybe if you were a basshead, the Walnut might sound good/decent. But even then, the teak has a lot better bass quality and quantity.

 

[oqvist]

Just received my emu teak from Massdrop. Didn´t do my research fully so didn´t realise they actually don´t ship with removable cables. There is an extremely short cable stuck on and the extension cable I got doesn´t work. There is some proprietory solution here? You need the same cable as hd 700 and some other headphone? Would need to find a dirt cheap alibaba extension cable

The packaging was abysmal for such an expensive headphone yet all the impressions say it´s the best deal in the sub 500$ range so it better sound insanely good to compensate for the short non removable cable and no way to store the headphone.

Anyway first impressions is yes it´s a good sounding headphone with reasonable balance and with good tonality. Being such low sensitivity I had a trend listening louder then usual and then it could not handle the bass. It´s mid bass hump turned into some boominess and congestion. Still not the tightest bass in the world at lower levels but like the tone and the mid range and treble is not drowned like on the X00 Ebony that had the most epic bass bleed ever. It was two totally different headphones on tracks that had bass and not bass and they never ever married with eachother. Such a weird tuning!

Compared to the 7200 my memory say it´s a bit more direct and not that laid back. Still not as dynamic as my Kennerton Magni though I have not started making any real comparisons yet. Good comfort but the swivel do make me a bit nervous.

 

[JoshG1217]

Hey all,

Curious if the E-MU teak would be considered an upgrade to the Dan Clark Aeon X closed back, by which I mean does anyone have both and how do they compare? I like wide, maximum resolution, and good bass. I'm happy with them Aeon, but of course always wondering. The treble can get a bit spicey, but not bad, and it has a good stage. Anyway, just curious if the E-MU Teak is the way to go, or if I need to go to Audeze LCD 2c for an actual upgrade (that's just what I have seen online--no experience with it).

Thanks, all!

 

[tcellguy]

It’s a side grade really.

Aeon has better defined midrange, better separation of mid bass and midrange, and better resolution. Aeon overall feels a lot faster and nimble with busy music.

Emu Teak has much more prominent sub bass and midbass. Much better sound stage and dynamics. Midrange is pretty recessed and midbass gets in the way as it’s so prominent. This headphone does really well with slower music with a lot of bass.

The jump up in sound stage and dynamics with the Emus may be enough to consider it and upgrade, but resolution and speed vs. Aeon is a bit of a downgrade to me.

Isolation is much worse with Emu as it’s actually a semi-open headphone.

I haven’t spent enough time with Audeze headphones to comment there.

 

[Mhog55]

Hey all,

Curious if the E-MU teak would be considered an upgrade to the Dan Clark Aeon X closed back, by which I mean does anyone have both and how do they compare? I like wide, maximum resolution, and good bass. I'm happy with them Aeon, but of course always wondering. The treble can get a bit spicey, but not bad, and it has a good stage. Anyway, just curious if the E-MU Teak is the way to go, or if I need to go to Audeze LCD 2c for an actual upgrade (that's just what I have seen online--no experience with it).

Thanks, all!

Really depends. Two different animals. Do you want warm and energetic, or kinda flat, neutral, and sterile? I'd take the Teaks myself, as I find them more engaging, fun, and musical. If you listen to a lot of rock music, the Teaks are the way to go imo.

 

[JoshG1217]

It’s a side grade really.

Aeon has better defined midrange, better separation of mid bass and midrange, and better resolution. Aeon overall feels a lot faster and nimble with busy music.

Emu Teak has much more prominent sub bass and midbass. Much better sound stage and dynamics. Midrange is pretty recessed and midbass gets in the way as it’s so prominent. This headphone does really well with slower music with a lot of bass.

The jump up in sound stage and dynamics with the Emus may be enough to consider it and upgrade, but resolution and speed vs. Aeon is a bit of a downgrade to me.

Isolation is much worse with Emu as it’s actually a semi-open headphone.

I haven’t spent enough time with Audeze headphones to comment there.

Thanks, that is super helpful. Sounds like they are out. I listen to hardcore and metal, so really busy music typically, so a fast headphone is super important.

 

[Mhog55]

Thanks, that is super helpful. Sounds like they are out. I listen to hardcore and metal, so really busy music typically, so a fast headphone is super important.

Nah, the Teaks are great for that. They are dynamic drivers, so if you seek ultimate speed before all else, stick with planars. Maybe check out a used set of Quads. The midrange is the least sucked out with the Teaks than all the other Fostex models. If you want to avoid congestion entirely in a dynamic, you would need to move further up the price ladder.

 

[tcellguy]

Fellow metalhead here. Teaks are actually OK for metal. They are very good for doom and slower genres. Thrash or technical black metal suffers a bit from congestion, but it still sounds ok. It just can sound a bit distorted to me as things speed up.

I actually like Aeon open in that price bracket for metal. I’m ok with the reduced dynamics but for some that’s a deal breaker.

I hear LCD2 can be OK for metal as well.

 

[JoshG1217]

Fellow metalhead here. Teaks are actually OK for metal. They are very good for doom and slower genres. Thrash or technical black metal suffers a bit from congestion, but it still sounds ok. It just can sound a bit distorted to me as things speed up.

I actually like Aeon open in that price bracket for metal. I’m ok with the reduced dynamics but for some that’s a deal breaker.

I hear LCD2 can be OK for metal as well.

Right on. You'll enjoy the Xtra bass switch on the signature if you're into metal. I prefer more technical and older metalcore and dental. Usually a lot going in. Aeon never feels congested. I should probably just stick with it.

 

[DenverW]

The teaks make the aeons seem dull and uninvolving. The aeon is a good headphone, and very comfortable, but the teaks are significantly more fun and engaging.

 

[JoshG1217]

The teaks make the aeons seem dull and uninvolving. The aeon is a good headphone, and very comfortable, but the teaks are significantly more fun and engaging.

Well there you go. Side note: are you a denverite as well?

 

[Mhog55]

Has anyone tried the Dekoni th-900 / th-600 pads with the Teaks? Or any pad for that matter that has a circular opening, rather than oval? Curious how it changes the sound.

 

[DenverW]

Well there you go. Side note: are you a denverite as well?

Meaning, living in Denver? I've only been there once. Since my name is Denver it was a strange experience. I kept thinking everyone at the airport was talking to me.

 

[Deleeh]

Hello,

definitely not.
The Teak will be more on the fun side in terms of bass and again in mids then it stops. The treble range is always a bit of a problem with the Fostertreiber.
The Aeon R/T is on a similar level but tends to be lower in terms of bass, depending on what's in the back of the amp.
The Aeon R/T is clearly superior to the Teak in the mid and treble range as well as technically, where the Aeon is more delicate in its resolution, even the Lcd 2c has a hard time keeping up.
If I add the Lcd 2, the Lcd 2C is also inferior to the Teak in terms of bass, but of higher quality.
The Lcd 2 C is good if you want to get away from the Fostertreiber.
Because it somehow brings other qualities that the Fostertreiber can't play at this level.
If you buy the Aeon R/T or Lcd 2 C, you don't really need the Teak.

The balancing act between the Aeon R/T and the Lcd 2 are both very close, but somehow not.