ETA Mini Closed

[ericrosenfield]

Starting a thread for the Closed version of the ETA Mini: https://www.etaheadphones.com/product-page/mini-closed

From the product page: "Mini Closed is our latest affordable closed back over ear headphone design. Offering isolation and great sound in a closed back."

These are hand-made with 3D-printed cups and a Sony headband.

Note: I am not affiliated with ETA in any way, I just wanted to start a thread so I could post my review.

 

[ericrosenfield]

Here's the review:
I've been looking for a high-quality DD closed back that's lightweight for a long time. I'm very sensitive to weight, and really don't want anything that weighs over 300 grams, which limits my options for closed backs. (For open backs, Sennheiser has me covered.) I tried the K361 and found it too uncomfortable to wear thanks to the limited cup swivel, and tried the DT-770 which just have too much treble to listen to for long periods.

This is why I was so excited to stumble on the ETA Mini, which comes in at 250 grams, and unlike the k361 is pretty comfortable to wear for long periods. (The one issue is the headband, which I'll get to.)

So how does it sound? Pretty spectacular honestly. It's been a while since I auditioned the Focal Celestee, but these sound like my memory of what those sounded like: incredibly detailed and tight sound, better resolution and speed than my HD6XX, with rich bass but no bloat or blooming at all. I'd describe the tuning as neutral-warm, with more treble than the 6XX but still not so much that you'd ever find them fatiguing, and a little veiled though again not as much as the 6XX. They don't have the treble-sparkle I get from the HD560S or IE300, but they're not trying to. They also don't have quite the timbre or naturalness of the Sennheisers, and the timbre sounds a little metallic to me, though I only notice it when I A/B directly against the Senns. (Focal headphones are also known for a bit of metallic timbre.) In isolation, I don't notice any problem with the timbre and the instruments sound detailed and textured. The soundstage is great for a closed back, better than the 6XX but not as good as the 560S.

A big winner here though is the imaging, which is stunning, listening to them I really feel like I can pinpoint each note in space in a way I can't on any of the other headphones I own. Combined with the detail and resolution and you get the distinct sensation of the band playing music all around you.

Also there's tons of slam and punch, rock music on these things just makes you toe tap and head bob.

They're 32 ohms so they're easy to drive and sound good on just an Apple dongle. Though they still sound better on my RebelAmp and my RU6 dongle, I could easily just use the Apple dongle and be happy (which isn't true for the 6XX which come alive on the RebelAmp in a way they don't on lesser equipment).

The only real complaint I have is the headband, which is obviously made for a headphone with smaller cups. The result is that it looks a bit funny on your head, and has a single point of pressure right at the top. This is a minor complaint, I could get used to it or add some kind of extra padding. However, ETA says that the headphones are also compatible with Grado headbands, so I have a pair of cheap Grado clones coming and I'm going to try that headband on these and see how it feels.

In short, these are outstanding. Like (my memory of) Celestees but $400 and 250 grams. I'd love for someone who actually had Celestees to get a pair of these and really A/B them to let us know if I'm right in how similar I think these are.

Highly recommended.

 

[chesebert]

ETA Mini Closed Impression

Burn in: 100 hours with pink noise at above average SPL
Amp: Headamp GSX mk2 modules
DAC: Emm Labs DAC2XV2
Streamer: Emm Labs NS1
NOTE: You cannot wear glasses while using Mini Closed if you want to get the best sub bass performance out of the cans

Overall sonic profile - balanced and neutral across the board with reasonable compromises in soundstage, spacial resolution and holographic feel of the sonic presentation. No obvious shortcomings in frequency response or rendition of music (other than the foregoing mentioned compromises). ETA Mini Closed is one of the most balanced and neutral closed headphones I have heard.

Treble - Nothing jumps out and very neutral and even handed presentation. Lacks some extensions and resolution in the high treble. I would say it lacks a bit of air, which is more evident with percussion instruments in general. String instruments also lack finer treble details to make them believable. (3/5)

Midrange - Even and neutral and very detailed with high amount of inner detail. There is no upper mid glare or anything missing from lower mid. The human voice comes through pure and accurate with correct timbre and very transparent. Note: using less quality dac may result in occasional hardness sounding in the 2khz range on certain recordings. (4/5)

Visceral Impact - You can feel and hear the bass and the slam is not quite Clear level (let alone Utopia level) but it’s not far behind. (4/5)

Bass Definition - Bass notes can be followed and heard easily. My only gripe with this is that I wish the bass could be a bit faster. I felt the decay was slower than I expected. If Utopia and Abyss are SOTA in this performance, Mini Closed would be one step down from that. (4/5)

Sub Bass - Sub bass (both primary frequencies and harmonics generated from acoustic bass) are well presented. You can feel sub bass in your stomach/body. Sub bass requires perfect seal (i,e., you cannot be wearing glasses and expecting the same level of performance). The sub bass is a step back from LCDs and Abyss and even HEK/Susvara, but for a dynamic driver, I think it’s close to the best dynamics. (4/5)

PRaT - Easy to follow pace and rhythm and you feel engaged with the music . Again, bass could be faster with slightly faster decay. (4/5)

Music weight/note weight: Instruments all sound very well fleshed out without any feeling of missing portion of frequency response. The instruments and musical notes all sound like they carry their proper weight. (4/5)

Resolution: Generally everything that’s in the recoding can be easily heard. However, I believe the decay and speed can be improved and some finer details both the mid range and treble are either missing or not easily heard. Also, as discussed later, the mid and high treble is not as detailed, which manifested as lacking spacial resolution. (3.5/5)

Spacial resolution: This one is below average (I.e., not as good as HD600/650). As a result of the mid and upper treble lacking some resolution, it was hard to hear space around instruments and hard to hear instruments from back to front. Utopia is SOTA in this regard and Mini Close does not come close (2.5/5)

Soundstage: Following my general complaint about the treble, the soundstage lacks width, lacks depth, can sound 2D. Unlike SOTA cans like Utopia which you can easily ascertain vertical sound placement, you cannot hear such detail with Mini Closed. (2.5/5)

Holographic: The sound is generally outside your head and around your head, but there were occasional “inside your head” kind of voicing. I would say the sound is just about average in terms of holographic nature of the sound (3.5/5)

Compared with other cans:

ZMF Vertie Close - Mini Closed is better or equal to Verite Closed in all aspect of sonic presentation. As between the two, Mini Close has slightly more accurate timbre and slightly more out of head music presentation. VC has some minor inner cup reflection, some upper mid tilt and treble tilt, which I don’t enjoy.

ZMF Atrium - Atrium is equal to and better than Mini Closed in all aspects. Specifically, Atrium has faster and better bass definition and response, which also translates into better PRaT. The soundstage are spacial resolution are also a step up from Mini Closed.

DCA Stealth - Mini Closed is better than Stealth in visceral Impact, bass definition, sub bass, PRaT, note body/weight, musical engagement and evenness in frequency response. Stealth is better in soundstage, spacial resolution, treble detail/realism. Midrange is about the same between the two.

Utopia - Utopia is better than Mini Closed in almost all respects except for sub bass performance. The only gripe with Utopia’s midrange and treble is that it has peaks and elevation that are not neutral and needs to be EQed. If you must use cans without EQ, Utopia may prove too fatiguing with some of its voicing choices. Mini Closed might be more preferable for long listening sessions (i.e. 4+ hours)

 

[chesebert]

Forgot to mention Mini Close costs $400 and looks like DIY POS but feels like it will survive a nuclear strike - the actual product visually looks worse than the picture in the original post

Edit: clear some confusing language

 

[gimmeheadroom]

Forgot to mention Mini Close costs $400 and looks like DIY POS but feels like it will survive a nuclear strike - the actual product looks worse than the OP

"Made with the latest POS Technology!" - that's a feature

 

[chesebert]

"Made with the latest POS Technology!" - that's a feature

If OP would only change the title to: How a $400 closed back built on latest POS technology beat Vertie Closed

Jokes aside the build quality is rather solid and you can do repairs and swap pads and headband yourself using standard parts.

 

[ericrosenfield]

the actual product visually looks worse than the OP

… what are you saying about me exactly?

 

[chesebert]

… what are you saying about me exactly?

I meant the picture you posted in the original post.

 

[ericrosenfield]

Ha!

For the record, you can get cheap alternative headbands.

This is from a JLab Neon headphone you can get for about $14 from Amazon and easily transplant to the Mini C without tools that looks pretty slick.

There’s some others you can find pretty easily like the Urbanears Plattan 2.

 

[ericrosenfield]

Just a small update: after discussing with ETA about my FR preferences, they recommended that I try these pads from BrainWavz. I had to cut out the hair screen from the middle of the pads. Once I put them on I found that all sense of "veil" that I mentioned in the review was gone, the headphones were now lively and sparkly and fun while still maintaining all the other positive aspects. If you prefer the darker, more Sennheiser-type sound, the stock pads will do ya, and there were also ATH pads included with mine that make the sound even darker. But for me, these pads basically make these headphones perfect.

 

[Philimon]

@chesebert Epic review, short and sweet with great comparisons. How come you didnt post your review on that other friendly forum as well? And may we know the headphones that are 5/5 on your scales?

@ericrosenfield Was your headphone a loaner in exchange for impressions or did you purchase at regular price?

I am not offended by the looks but I think a different headband would fit the aesthetic better. But Im a weirdo that appreciates that diy look which is why I've always thought Grados generally looked great.

 

[chesebert]

@chesebert Epic review, short and sweet with great comparisons. How come you didnt post your review on that other friendly forum as well? And may we know the headphones that are 5/5 on your scales?

@ericrosenfield Was your headphone a loaner in exchange for impressions or did you purchase at regular price?

I am not offended by the looks but I think a different headband would fit the aesthetic better. But Im a weirdo that appreciates that diy look which is why I've always thought Grados generally looked great.

@Philimon I can't think of any headphone that's 5/5 across the board. Headphone tuning is part art, part science and full of compromises. What you gain in one area(s), you always have to ask yourself what area did the manufacturer give up to achieve 5/5 in that one area. I can give you my pick for cans that excel in any one specific area. I am generally more critical of cans when they are ridiculously priced up to high quality speaker level. I have more IRL friends here than the other friendly forum - although I know a lot of the friends there for many years (even though we have never met), just not IRL

 

[ericrosenfield]

@chesebert Epic review, short and sweet with great comparisons. How come you didnt post your review on that other friendly forum as well? And may we know the headphones that are 5/5 on your scales?

@ericrosenfield Was your headphone a loaner in exchange for impressions or did you purchase at regular price?

I am not offended by the looks but I think a different headband would fit the aesthetic better. But Im a weirdo that appreciates that diy look which is why I've always thought Grados generally looked great.

Hi,
I paid full price and am happy I did.

You can actually put a Grado headband on these but most of them you’d have to cut off a bit of plastic at the bottom of the brackets to make it fit.

Third party Grado headbands are a bit dicier a proposition because most of them require screwing nuts inside the cups, and the Mini cups are sealed shut so that isn’t possible.

 

[chesebert]

I also paid full price and I bought them blind for the following reasons: 50mm driver, non-wonky looking raw frequency response, very clean CSD, not designer's first rodeo, reasonable price and designer's presence on that other friendly place.

 

[jinxy245]

Once again I’ll start by expressing my thanks to Evan & Tommy (the “E” & “T” in ETA Headphones) for organizing a loner for one of their newest creations, the “Mini-C”. Unlike the Mini, this is an over ear headphone despite the “Mini” designation. However just like the OG Mini, this was designed from the ground up by the minds at ETA, and unsurprising to me, this is another incredible listen IMO.

Currently my audio chain is comprised of various WAV, FLAC & MP3 files played from JRiver on my refurbed HP Elite Desk via USB to a Schiit Bifrost 2 into either my Pro iCAN (1st version) or ZMF Pendant (also 1st version). I’m going to try a shorter bullet point style review for brevity.


Matching

-The Mini C is a 32ohm headphone and I found that the ifi was a wonderful match on low gain.

-Surprisingly I felt the Pendant was a decent match, adding a bit of that midrange magic without too much bloom or looseness.

-I also got excellent results with my Fiio M6, the sound was more engaging than it had any right to be. Plenty of slam and detail despite the price.

-I have no dongles on hand, but I imaging a synergistic pairing wouldn’t be hard to find.

-In the end I preferred the solid state ifi and Fiio so I did the majority of my listening split between the two.

Construction & Ergonomics

-Comfort was good if not great.

-The ear pads I used were the MDR suede pads, and I enjoyed them enough not to change them. They are a bit snug around the ear. They’re not uncomfortable, but my ears aren’t particularly large.

-Headband is a foldable Sony (MDR 7506 I think) also feels snug on my small-ish head. Big noggins beware.

-Solid feel overall. Not super refined, but not garage-shop chic either. I’d wager this would have good durability.

Sound

-The overall sound strikes me as neutral warm with excellent bass extension, linear mids and relaxed but detailed treble.

-Mini C bass is tight with good low end rumble & extension. Less mid bass emphasis, but wholly satisfying for my tastes with good texture and detail. Bass gets out of the way when not in the recording but kicks hard when called for.

-Compared to the Atrium, Mini C reaches lower & has a similar mid-bass energy, Mini C sounds tighter to my ears with similar resolution of details.

-Compared to Aeolus, Mini C definitely is more linear excepting sub-bass where Mini reaches lower. Aeolus has a definite uptick in mid-bass energy, and is also looser/softer in presentation

-Mids on the Mini C are nuanced and pretty linear. Not warm, not sterile, kinda Goldilocks for me. Voices, piano, strings all never left me dissatisfied but kept me wanting more.

-Compared to Atrium, vocals sound more lush overall but not by a large margin. My preferences might lean toward the atrium, but not by a huge margin.

-Compared to Aeolus, Mini C is more Linear, Aeolus a bit more peaky. Aeolus has a touch more elevation followed by a slight dip a bit further up infrequency. Not immediately noticeable except in direct comparison where Mini C just sounds more linear & right to me.

-Treble is relaxed on Mini C, never piercing, never sibilant to my ears (not my strong suit due to hearing loss). Plenty of detail from what I could hear, percussion, cymbals etc. had plenty of bite, not brittle or edgy.

-Compared to Atrium (full solid mesh), Mini C extends a bit further & has a touch more clarity, Atrium is a little smoother and less sparkly.

-Compared to Aeolus, the ZMF sounds a bit more peaky (6-7khz?) but is still listenable, especially with the full bass supporting it. Mini C has better extension (I think) and sounds more airy

-Mini C's Transients aren’t Utopia/Verite nor sluggish and plodding. Closer to beryllium, a touch faster than biodynamic I think.

-As implied above, when compared to Atrium there is a similar speed, Mini C sounding a bit faster overall.

-Compared to Aeolus, Mini C is noticeably snappier and faster

-Stage on Mini C is intimate but very coherent with excellent imaging. Very good depth, decent width adequate height. Once I got lost in the music I didn’t care one whit about the headstage anyway.

-Staging is one of the Atrium strong suits IMO, much wider and taller, with depth being of a similar nature to my ear.

-Aeolus is wider & taller as well, but smaller overall than Atrium obviously. Somewhere in between. Mini C has more depth.

-Mini C handles busy passages with aplomb.

-Atrium is good with busy passages, but I found Mini C to edge it out for better clarity. Aeolus doesn't handle busy passages as well as either headphone.

Endwords

In the end ETA has created another winner IMO. It is one of the best all-arounders I’ve heard, sounding great with every type of music I threw at it. That includes Classical which might be counterintuitive considering the intimate presentation, but it worked for me. The performance and enjoyment belies the modest price ($400 usd w/o cable at the time of writing) and is definitely worth an audition if you’re in the market.


Edit: I realize I didn't really include any negatives, or at least I didn't emphasize any. That's because I felt that any flaws are so minor that it boils down to a matter of preference more than a deficit of some sort. The Mini C is likely not for those with larger heads (though there could be other factors in shape, since I haven't done any studies lol). I think it's also safe to say they're not for "trebleheads" or "soundstage hounds" but the lack of major peaks or dips prevents me from highlighting anything as a major flaw. I've also included some comparisons for better context. I have no closed backs that come anywhere close to Mini C's performance, so I made due with Atrium & Aeolus since they are more of my daily drivers (unless I'm finally successful in selling my Aeolus lol).

https://www.etaheadphones.com/product-page/mini-closed