[smodtactical]

Thought I would make a thread on the ETA O2 headphone. I just got a loaner unit and was so impressed with it I purchased it. I am not done my full review yet but thought I'd share some impressions.

This is a very light and unassuming diy looking headphone so I didn't have high hopes but I was blown away by the sound. The tuning is neutral, extremely resolving clear but the key here is that its not fatiguing at all. Highs are controlled, smooth yet airy and very detailed. Mids are linear and very clear. Vocalist texture is excellent. The bass wow. The bass is extremely full, weighty yet fast, detailed and gives a great foundation to the music! The bass reminds me of my ZMF atticus believe it or not!

Quick comparisons:
Vs the HD800S o2 seems nearly as detailed and open (may a bit smaller in stage but still sounds spacious) but 800S is much more aggravating to me in the treble. O2 has a more natural tonality, better timbre and honestly seems basically as resolving open and clear. 800S is more comfy though.

Vs HD650.. o2 blows 650 away in terms of clarity, openness and detail. 650 has more forward mids so with vocals can be nice to have that slight forwardness but surprisingly o2 is smoother and more controlled in the treble while still being more detailed and open than 650.

Vs Atticus... O2 is very different sounding... brighter, more neutral, flatter but as I said before probably very close in bass weight except much more detail and clarity. Atticus has this weird liquid 3d quality where ambient cues can be heard a bit better than o2 but o2 counters by out resolving it with ease.

These impressions are with the E+ pads on a modded bottlehead crack (also tried on HE9 and similar findings). Haven't tried pad rolling yet. They are an on ear design and I do prefer over ear so that is something to consider but it is very light and pretty comfortable overall.

When I get a chance I will do my full review but for now hopefully this suffices. Strongly recommend you guys check out the O2 headphone! Its amazing.

https://etaheadphones.com/products/o2

 

[cangle]

Thanks for starting this thread. I just got the loaner o2 in yesterday and am enjoying them so far but will add my review and other impressions here as well.

 

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Just pulled the trigger on these. Was looking for a decent on-ear headphone for some time now. Hope they don't disappoint.

 

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Here's a review from TylersEclectic's YouTube channel. He seems to like it and his ZMF reviews seem to match my own experiences. Will we finally get a spiritual successor to the Sennheiser PX-100? I'm hopeful but trying to temper myself before I get ears-on them. I am excited tho!

 

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Added a Head Gear page:

https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/eta-o².26503/

 

[cangle]

I've had the o2 for two days now and wanted to write up some early impressions.

The first night I wore them, I found them to be very uncomfortable, they were squishing my ears, and the pads weren't doing anything to help with the on-ear discomfort. I ended up adjusting the headphone headband in front of the mirror to get the pads to sit on the edges of my ear and now the comfort is much better. I've testing the o2 so far with the E+ pads:

I've tried the o2 out of a few different setups including my iPhone with the apple dongle, iBasso dx320 with amp11 mk2, and my main system in my signature. These sound really great out of my phone and they scale less then what I've heard from other headphones. However as the gear that I connect them to improves, I hear better separation, a wider sound stage / image, more texture, and clearer bass. Most of my listening has been done on my main system and I've alternated between the Tyrs and F8, I haven't tried the SIT-3 yet.

As for the sound, they are very easy to listen to and I don't get fatigued at all. They remind me of Atrium in that way. The bass is full and impactful, it sounds a bit rounded and muddy at times but the weight is great and really gets me into certain music with strong bass lines. The mids are fairly intimate and have really nice presence to them. They are I suppose sweet and inviting. When I think mids, I mostly think about female vocals and those are done very nicely on this headphone. It's not the most resolving vocal presentation but it's an enjoyable one. Sometimes lip and breath noises are not as apparent but I'm not sure I want to hear things like that all the time. The top end is airy and smooth. Cymbals have a nice sizzle to them without coming across as harsh or sharp. However the top end is a little bit soft at times and you lose a bit of excitement in certain tracks because of this.

I'm liking these a lot but want to take more time comparing to other headphones that I've been using a lot recently, mostly the Aurorus Audio headphones, Zmf Atrium, and Abyss Diana v2.

 

[smallcaps]

I've had the o2 for two days now and wanted to write up some early impressions.

The first night I wore them, I found them to be very uncomfortable, they were squishing my ears, and the pads weren't doing anything to help with the on-ear discomfort. I ended up adjusting the headphone headband in front of the mirror to get the pads to sit on the edges of my ear and now the comfort is much better. I've testing the o2 so far with the E+ pads:

I've tried the o2 out of a few different setups including my iPhone with the apple dongle, iBasso dx320 with amp11 mk2, and my main system in my signature. These sound really great out of my phone and they scale less then what I've heard from other headphones. However as the gear that I connect them to improves, I hear better separation, a wider sound stage / image, more texture, and clearer bass. Most of my listening has been done on my main system and I've alternated between the Tyrs and F8, I haven't tried the SIT-3 yet.

As for the sound, they are very easy to listen to and I don't get fatigued at all. They remind me of Atrium in that way. The bass is full and impactful, it sounds a bit rounded and muddy at times but the weight is great and really gets me into certain music with strong bass lines. The mids are fairly intimate and have really nice presence to them. They are I suppose sweet and inviting. When I think mids, I mostly think about female vocals and those are done very nicely on this headphone. It's not the most resolving vocal presentation but it's an enjoyable one. Sometimes lip and breath noises are not as apparent but I'm not sure I want to hear things like that all the time. The top end is airy and smooth. Cymbals have a nice sizzle to them without coming across as harsh or sharp. However the top end is a little bit soft at times and you lose a bit of excitement in certain tracks because of this.

I'm liking these a lot but want to take more time comparing to other headphones that I've been using a lot recently, mostly the Aurorus Audio headphones, Zmf Atrium, and Abyss Diana v2.

Thanks so much for your early impressions. Curious how the pads compare. Also curious about the overall isolation. Do you hear much of the environment around you and do others hear what you're listening to?

Looking forward to your compassions with your other headphones and thanks again for sharing.

 

[cangle]

Thanks so much for your early impressions. Curious how the pads compare. Also curious about the overall isolation. Do you hear much of the environment around you and do others hear what you're listening to?

These are very open headphones, there really isn't any isolation. Anyone who's nearby will hear the music you are listening to.
These are the other pads that came with this o2. I haven't tried them yet but will do a pad comparison between e+ and these soon.

 

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These are very open headphones, there really isn't any isolation. Anyone who's nearby will hear the music you are listening to.
These are the other pads that came with this o2. I haven't tried them yet but will do a pad comparison between e+ and these soon.

Could possibly transform them to over ears with the right pads. Maybe dekoni or zmf might have something suitable...

 

[cangle]

Listening to the Diana v2, the one from the recent warehouse sale with the older frame, and in comparison to the o2 I find it to be very similar. The stage on both is similar and on the small side. Both image pretty well. Vocals have nice weight to them and have an intimate presentation. The treble on the Diana is a bit sharp and sounds splashy at times. While the o2 retains the treble air but isn't piercing at all. So if you have any sibilant music the o2 will handler it better then the Diana. The bass is also a bit different with the o2 having more weight to it. The o2 is a great value in this instance with the Diana being about 2k with the ported pads, at least from the warehouse sale and the o2 being 600. Comfort is a bit better on the Diana for me but the Diana are also heavier.

 

[smodtactical]

Well said Cangle. O2 is awesome.

 

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Just got my O2 a few days ago and it's been really great so far. Using it mostly for gaming but listening to a bit of music, too.

For an on-ear it's pretty comfortable as it's cool on the head and light on the clamping force. Build-wise it's decent for 3D printing, but the headband and gimbal build could be more robust.

So far it sounds really natural and that bass is especially clean and athoritative. Overall I'm enjoying how effortless it handles tonality and doesn't care what chain it's paired to. Most surprising to me tho is the imaging and soundstage. Can't wait to listen to more music with it.

 

[smodtactical]

O2 is a real gem in hifi. I hope more people experience it. I got an ETA Mini C in the mail, look forward to that too.

 

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O2 is a real gem in hifi. I hope more people experience it. I got an ETA Mini C in the mail, look forward to that too.

Interested in hearing your impressions. Almost pulled the trigger on the Mini C until I learned that the O2 was on-ear. Was looking for a PX100 replacement and I'm not disappointed.

I've been listening to more music on the O2 and it does almost everything better than the PX100, except for mids. I especially hear this in female vocals, where voices take a bit of a backstage to the very well done upper and mid-bass registers.

Waiting to see if burn-in (both headphone and brain) does anything to change this. Still, I think I can recommend the O2 for anyone looking for the best on-ear, open-back headphone that can be driven by anything (it's amazing on the Switch, BTW). There's nothing on the market that can currently beat it for this specific set of features.

 

[tapereels]

Very impressive comment about the ETA O2 headphone. I would get one of if, so to have experience with it.