[Mimouille]

Got it. Just had a little skim through the reviews and they seem a little...underwhelming. That guy knows his stuff too.

It must be a very hit or miss kind of signature.

 

[Duncan]

It must be a very hit or miss kind of signature.

First ten minutes, so - in no way authoritive or conclusive, but these seem to be very source dependent, and power hungry - which makes these very niche, so - I have a feeling that the UK tour as it stands will more than likely end up as being a showcase of what equipment further up the stream is compatible (or not as the case may be) with these...

I've already got one shock on the cards, but - will leave that thought parked until I have some real time on the clock

 

[Duncan]

I think I actually get these, but it's complicated...

I have only got one album on both vinyl and CD and listening to the vinyl then the CD yields the same result...

The oBravos are very vinylesque, smooth at the frequency extremes, and lush in the middle, compared to the somewhat more brutal sound of BA / dynamic (read that as louder throughout, like CD)... The oBravo make CD sound more like vinyl.

I do feel that there will be a lot of people that neither understand or like these, they will be divisive, not to mention that you need your own power station to drive these well!

So, if you have a beefy amp and crave the warmth and intimacy of vinyl, you will love these...

The only real negative I can find myself right now is that it is easy to pick up the crossover point between the dynamic and planar drivers... That could be because of being used to the Layla though with Freq-phase, unsure.

More to follow...

 

[PhilW]

Now that the Pioneer has been updated this combo is pretty astonishing.

 

[AnakChan]

That eamt-3w is approx $2960 which is about $100 shy from the Shure KSE-1500, and $180 more than the Laylas. Next time I'm in e-earphone I'll give it a listen. These things are behind glass cabinets so I'll have to ask the shop for access.

Thought I'd finally follow up on this



I have to say right off the bat it's not really my taste. I think the folks here will crucify me for what I'm about to write about it but my first thoughts was A-shaped. There wasn't much bass & it's somewhat treble neutral but there's almost some ribbon tweeter zing to it. An earphone's signature is very personal & maybe it would suit some folks but personally not for me.

It's not an isolating earphone by design which made me think "Eh? So when/how would I use these?" but ironically it has a rather closed soundstage presentation.

I know I'm not writing a very flattering post but for its asking price of approx USD$3000 I personally felt it was somewhat excessive.

 

[PhilW]

What was the source you were using? I found these not to work very well will silicone tips tbh. Comply was certainly the best sound.

 

[AnakChan]

AK380. That's the only DAP I have these days. Tip rolling could make a little difference but I don't think the inherent signature would change that much that'll change my opinion by 180°. I'm sure it'll appeal to some other audiophiles/enthusiasts though.

 

[Takeanidea]

I have had these on the review tour for the last week and I really liked them. They had many of the characteristics of full size headphones. But you could run with them. They are isolating but not so much that cars can't be heard when out for a run. They do not leak overly are comfortable and go loud even through a smartphone. The bass driver does let them down a little bit but the mids and highs are very very good , there is a slight crossover problem that makes the odd instrument sound a little unrealistic. They are not perfect but I've yet to find a headphone that is.

 

[AnakChan]

@PhilW I don't see a lot of references to the eamt-3w except in Japan. On the oBravo page, it has the eamt-3a. Is the eamt-3w a Japanese special only? I didn't bother trying the other oBravo series available at the store. So just wondering how the wood is different from the aluminium (construction-wise) - is it full wood, or just part wood, etc.

 

[PhilW]

@PhilW
 I don't see a lot of references to the eamt-3w except in Japan. On the oBravo page, it has the eamt-3a. Is the eamt-3w a Japanese special only? I didn't bother trying the other oBravo series available at the store. So just wondering how the wood is different from the aluminium (construction-wise) - is it full wood, or just part wood, etc.

nope we offer the wood version and chose to stock it for demo. The wood is only part wood which is the enclosure basically. Softens the treble and warms things up a tad.....bit more expensive than aluminium version but worth the difference.

 

[Takeanidea]

50 word impressions taster of the ERIB - 2a

WHO is the mysterious tour donor? Thanks to EuJin for organising. Stunning in the mids and highs prone to thin and fast in the lower regions which improves with power. No microphonics , comfortable to wear , a sound stage to beat even most full size headphones. Pricey - but... we are headfiers!

More , lots more detail can be found below :


http://www.head-fi.org/products/obravo-erib-2a/reviews/15498

 

[glassmonkey]

Review up for the ERIB-2A. I loved these, but I came up on the bass light RE0 followed by the bass light HD600. Once you get used to the sound on these, you don't want to go back and miss the signature. A bit more bass and I'd find these about perfect for me. I recently bought the Airist Audio Heron 5 European tour unit and I was honestly thinking of selling it to get these. The Airist Audio Heron 5 is excellent, but I would not need a stand alone amp if these became my main headphones. What I'm really waiting for is the ERIB-1A, which has a 13mm dynamic driver for the bass instead of the 10mm dynamic driver on these.

 

[Takeanidea]

There is now potential within the IEM market for the perfect headphone- one that needs no amp, can be worn outside , inside, can take and receive phone calls, takes up no storage space and can stand with any full size for sound quality.
I never thought that would be possible even for Customs , that is until I heard the ERIBs. They are not quite up there with HD800s and HE6s but they are getting frighteningly close to that top level

 

[PhilW]

There is now potential within the IEM market for the perfect headphone- one that needs no amp, can be worn outside , inside, can take and receive phone calls, takes up no storage space and can stand with any full size for sound quality.
I never thought that would be possible even for Customs , that is until I heard the ERIBs. They are not quite up there with HD800s and HE6s but they are getting frighteningly close to that top level

Yup And these are the cheap ones.....This is currently on my bed side table

 

[Takeanidea]

That is quite some bedside table ! I'll bet even the coffee has a touch of luxury to it..... Are you saying Phil that you are using the cheaper oBravos there , or are you saying we were trying out the cheaper ones?