E_Schaaf
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Sonic Optimizer

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E_Schaaf

MOT: E.T.A Headphones, from Staten Island, NY

Pyrate BWC

Building some little desktop speakers with Faital 3FE25s. 3.7L 3D-printed boxes with a 26mmx42mm cylindrical port. Listening test pending... May 29, 2025

    1. E_Schaaf
      E_Schaaf
      (see comments) - poll / pick a team:
      1. rhythmdevils and nishan99 like this.
      2. View previous comments...
      3. Azimuth
        Azimuth
        B for opens, A for closed.
        Oct 12, 2022
        Claritas likes this.
      4. Syzygy
        Syzygy
        A, plus stage depth & localization. (can that even be done?)
        Oct 13, 2022
        atomicbob likes this.
      5. Jinxy245
        Jinxy245
        unabashedly team A.
        Then again...what music are we listening to??
        Oct 13, 2022
    2. E_Schaaf
      E_Schaaf
      I've had Valhalla 2 for almost 8 years. Many amps have come and gone, but coming back never feels like missing out. Want to hear Lyr+ !
      1. Jinxy245, Cryptowolf, zottel and 5 others like this.
      2. Riotvan
        Riotvan
        Not seeing myself letting go of the Lyr3 either, a great all rounder imo and i suspect the Lyr+ is the same.
        Oct 9, 2022
        Jinxy245 and rlow like this.
      3. purr1n
        purr1n
        Different not necessarily better.
        Oct 9, 2022
        E_Schaaf likes this.
      4. E_Schaaf
        E_Schaaf
        For some of the more esoteric transducers I've been playing with, I simply want something that doesn't clip when Valhalla 2 can't hack it
        Oct 9, 2022
    3. E_Schaaf
      E_Schaaf
      Can you voluntarily rumble your ears by flexing your tensor tympani? Supposedly this is rare, but then again audiophiles are an odd sort...
      1. Sqveak, Justin S and Cryptowolf like this.
      2. View previous comments...
      3. ilikebananafudge_
        ilikebananafudge_
        TIL not everyone can do this!
        Sep 27, 2022
      4. ilikebananafudge_
        ilikebananafudge_
        Now I need to know: can you voluntarily pop your ears "in either direction"? What I mean is: can you pop your ears so that everything gets louder and also pop your ears so that everything gets quieter?
        Sep 27, 2022
      5. zottel
        zottel
        I always thought everyone can do this, too. I theoretically can do it for as long as I want, though just now was the first time I did it for about 30s. It actually becomes exhausting after a while. :)
        Sep 27, 2022
    4. E_Schaaf
      E_Schaaf
      Imagine an electrodynamic transducer, 80dB/mW @ 400 ohms. What could I drive it with? OTLs seem ideal, but many run at their limit.
      1. thegunner100
        thegunner100
        Jotunheim, balanced, high gain? If that's not enough, the raggy has more power and even higher gain.
        Sep 25, 2022
        E_Schaaf likes this.
      2. E_Schaaf
        E_Schaaf
        I suppose it's not *that* far off from a K1000 in terms of the load...
        Sep 25, 2022
        Gazny likes this.
      3. Priidik
        Priidik
        Dartzeel NHB 108
        Sep 26, 2022
    5. E_Schaaf
      E_Schaaf
      Mini S/C bump to $500 tomorrow. W/ stock cable, drawstring travel bag, serialized owners card, vinyl stickers. See comments.
      1. View previous comments...
      2. insidious meme
        insidious meme
        Contrasting that with Zach's post on another profile post, shows where two different companies are in terms of company maturity and what they face when having to price their products. Excellent timing on peering behind the curtain in this biz.
        Sep 12, 2022
        Jinxy245 and E_Schaaf like this.
      3. atomicbob
        atomicbob
        You may have subsidized the R&D costs as hobby interests in the past. Going forward R&D have real costs in both time and money.
        Sep 12, 2022
        obsiCO, Cryptowolf, Gazny and 3 others like this.
      4. Claritas
        Claritas
        Thanks @E_Schaaf. Ordered. I just can't shrug off an FR like that. It's a very cute girl giving you the eye.
        Sep 12, 2022
        E_Schaaf likes this.
    6. E_Schaaf
      E_Schaaf
      Reminding myself that sound is not abstract, but mechanical. Physical design attributes and SQ have a direct cause and effect relationship.
      1. Jinxy245, crenca and Merrick like this.
      2. View previous comments...
      3. E_Schaaf
        E_Schaaf
        Of course there's still plenty of narrow-stroke variation with incremental adjustment of various parameters and different parts used within the same design. I suppose this line of thinking could apply to amps and DACs as well, but my knowledge there is too rudimentary to know what I would and wouldn't want based on a visual inspection.
        Aug 22, 2022
        Jinxy245 likes this.
      4. E_Schaaf
        E_Schaaf
        I always love digging deeper into the 'why' of how sound quality is created, even if it's a matter of guesswork and subjective polling until the patterns become clear... seeking this kind of insight is what keeps me going, that feeling of discovery and puzzle-solving.
        Aug 22, 2022
        Jinxy245, Thad E Ginathom and Merrick like this.
      5. Gazny
        Gazny
        The shape of sound
        Aug 22, 2022
        Jinxy245 and E_Schaaf like this.
    7. E_Schaaf
      E_Schaaf
      My place is becoming a Nak graveyard. RX505, 500, 550 all in need of repair... but BX300 on the way! Can't go without a way to spin tapes.
      1. Sqveak, Cryptowolf, Jh4db536 and 3 others like this.
    8. E_Schaaf
      E_Schaaf
      1. ext1, Jh4db536, Merrick and 20 others like this.
      2. View previous comments...
      3. E_Schaaf
        E_Schaaf
        Mini S for semi-open! I'll be selling these soon and they'll be at TX meet too. I tried revamping the original Open design several ways but decided I liked this config with some back damping and over ear pads the best even though it sounds quite different :)
        Jul 17, 2022
      4. Jinxy245
        Jinxy245
        Happy Birthday!!
        Jul 17, 2022
        Thad E Ginathom likes this.
      5. Merrick
        Merrick
        Happy birthday!
        Jul 18, 2022
    9. E_Schaaf
      E_Schaaf
      My dad believes in 'natural immunity' and has had covid 4 times despite living in rural TN where numbers are low
      1. Thad E Ginathom likes this.
      2. View previous comments...
      3. pure5152
      4. Thad E Ginathom
        Thad E Ginathom
        Four times! I think this is the highest number I've heard yet.
        Jul 10, 2022
      5. Azimuth
        Azimuth
        Seems on par with almost everyone in rual TN.
        Jul 11, 2022
    10. E_Schaaf
      E_Schaaf
      Between Moondrops, IE300, S12, whats the hot IEM under $200 right now? Dont like overly pushed upper mids, can mod if necessary tho.
      1. View previous comments...
      2. E_Schaaf
        E_Schaaf
        Is the S12 current preferred mod config simply partial micropore nozzle coverage or something more intricate? I have a lot of fibrous filters similar to micropore tape of varying density, and also a bunch of different meshes too. Looking forward to tweaking. I guess it's settled haha
        Jun 25, 2022
      3. rhythmdevils
        rhythmdevils
        Yeah all you have to do is cover the back half of the nozzle with micropore tape. The transformation from stock is pretty astounding. It corrects all the problems.

        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-zbsRbxDms

        you might come up with something better too! I'm pretty happy with this though
        Jun 25, 2022
        Cryptowolf, PoochZag and E_Schaaf like this.
      4. E_Schaaf
        E_Schaaf
        I like a KISS approach, ill definitely try with your config first and see how it goes :)
        Jun 25, 2022
        rhythmdevils likes this.
    11. E_Schaaf
      E_Schaaf
      IME, pads+airflow/damping affect timbre more than diaphragm material. Have heard warmpoo w/ Alu and metallic/zingy w/ Wool.
      1. View previous comments...
      2. E_Schaaf
        E_Schaaf
        A lot of misconceptions about this probably stem from the fact that enclosure info is almost never really explored in spec sheets or marketing copy outside of 'more open', 'more closed', etc. It's easy to assume most differences heard between two different headphones are due to the drivers, but in reality drivers are just a small part of the bigger picture and there are dozens of confounding variables.
        Jun 20, 2022
      3. E_Schaaf
        E_Schaaf
        Have measured and heard earpads that make 15dB differences in FR and distortion with the same enclosure and driver as well as reduce or increase ringing by several ms. As an analogy, imagine listening to two sets of different speakers in a well treated room, and then comparing again inside a solid concrete box for a room. Room differences will be more dramatic than speaker differences.
        Jun 20, 2022
      4. Thad E Ginathom
        Thad E Ginathom
        Our audio world suffers from a bad mixture of materials bias, eg plastic is bad, whatever, regardless of actual properties and engineering, and anthropomorphism eg silver sounds bright.
        Jun 22, 2022
        E_Schaaf likes this.
    12. E_Schaaf
      E_Schaaf
      The Sennheiser HD650 released in 2004 for $549 MSRP. Accounting for inflation, that would be ~$850 today. Interesting to think about.
      1. obsiCO, Lyander, Jinxy245 and 11 others like this.
      2. E_Schaaf
        E_Schaaf
        Inversely, a Drop HD6xx at $220 in 2022 would be about ~$145 in 2004.
        Jun 17, 2022
        obsiCO, Lyander, Jinxy245 and 4 others like this.
      3. M3NTAL
        M3NTAL
        When it came out, they had it on a pedestal at Circuity City. It was the most expensive pair they sold. It felt unreachable even at $550. It wasn't until they came down to sub K701 prices before I could afford one.
        Jun 17, 2022
        Lyander, Jinxy245, E_Schaaf and 2 others like this.
    13. E_Schaaf
      E_Schaaf
      "what the artist intended" - bullshit. The artist intends for you to enjoy their music subjectively using whatever gear you happen to own.
      1. View previous comments...
      2. Gazny
        Gazny
        I just came back from a live show, and their was this drone band that was Avant-garde but it was loud and passionate, and on the main stage they had a 10 piece band full of stiff players and it was so boring rigid. Some vosco, bosanova thing. Nothing about it stuck out to me other than decision paralysis because the band was too big and it seemed they had no real direction in a huge open space.
        Jun 13, 2022
      3. Gazny
        Gazny
        While the Drone band was dynamic in a concreate room, absolutely incredible.

        So what do artists intend? Do they all have intention or simply playing along.
        Jun 13, 2022
        penguins and E_Schaaf like this.
      4. Azimuth
        Azimuth
        And what about the producer and the mastering engineer? Are they chopped liver? They probably more time and care in making things sound good.
        Jun 13, 2022
        E_Schaaf and atomicbob like this.
    14. E_Schaaf
      E_Schaaf
      Soon will test some AlNiCo V headphone drivers. Hope they dont suck bc the dev/sample cost was $$$. A learning experience, no regrets.
      1. obsiCO, 9suns, Jinxy245 and 6 others like this.
      2. E_Schaaf
        E_Schaaf
        It'll be a worlds first! The manufacturer repeatedly tried to dissuade me, citing the strength advantage of NdFeB, but my curiosity had to be satiated...
        Jun 7, 2022
        9suns and pure5152 like this.
      3. nishan99
        nishan99
        Jun 8, 2022
      4. E_Schaaf
        E_Schaaf
        @nishan99 yes! I already have several of those as well, there was some parallel development. The dual magnetic drivers hopefully will launch in sale ready headphones in the next month or two. They sound amazing and are an ETA exclusive :)
        Jun 8, 2022
        obsiCO, 9suns, Jinxy245 and 3 others like this.
    15. E_Schaaf
      E_Schaaf
      Just got a 70s Pioneer Monitor 10. Sounded pretty good, but i already took the drivers out for transplantstion :) 57.4mm beefcakes
      1. Deep Funk likes this.
      2. Deep Funk
        Deep Funk
        Pioneer was onto something. Those old Pioneers can sound exceptional, end-game exceptional.
        Jun 3, 2022
    16. E_Schaaf
      E_Schaaf
      Few minutes into listening, and I'm enjoying Centrance HiFi-M8 V2 via bluetooth more than any computer->DAC->amp system I've ever heard.
      1. View previous comments...
      2. rhythmdevils
        rhythmdevils
        SBAF is getting one in a month. How’s that for the magic gearmaster touch? :p
        Jun 2, 2022
        obsiCO, Jinxy245, sheldaze and 12 others like this.
      3. monacelli
        monacelli
        Jun 2, 2022
        rhythmdevils likes this.
      4. Jinxy245
        Jinxy245
        I passed it by at CanJam....I'll have to sign up for the loaner....nice!!
        Jun 4, 2022
    17. E_Schaaf
      E_Schaaf
      On LGV60. Both channels heard in mono, but there is no bass, and any shared signal between channels is not heard. Pinout issue?
      1. View previous comments...
      2. Biodegraded
        Biodegraded
        May 26, 2022
        E_Schaaf likes this.
      3. E_Schaaf
        E_Schaaf
        The adapter @Biodegraded linked didn't work, same issue. I notice that there will also be no sound when just one of the sides of the headphone is unplugged and I reinsert the jack, but when both are plugged in, both channels are active. Seems the positive leads are being bridged and grounding doesn't work unless both leads are active???
        May 27, 2022
      4. E_Schaaf
        E_Schaaf
        Kinda seems like the pinout on the socket is 100% backwards
        May 27, 2022
    18. E_Schaaf
      E_Schaaf
      After 1.5 years of full time headphone experiments, I find myself having lots of new opinions about headphones + related audio stuff.
      1. View previous comments...
      2. ColdsnapBry
        ColdsnapBry
        Re:thinnest pads possible. Maybe that's why I enjoy the Porta Pros and KSC75 so much. Having the driver that close realy just puts you right into the music.
        May 19, 2022
      3. Azimuth
        Azimuth
        Closed designs are efficient and yes make amps less important. Exotic materials are for looks/aesthetics, which people do buy with their eyes. 600/650 are damped, but I would not say over-damped. This is why you need a good amp to get through the damped haze. And lastly, more revealing signal chain will reveal how bad recordings are. Lower top end makes things sound more "pleasant" - Harman already figured this out.
        May 19, 2022
        E_Schaaf likes this.
      4. atomicbob
        atomicbob
        Good that you have worked out your personal preferences. Keep perspective that these may not necessarily represent universal Trvths. However sharing provides yet another important data point for all.
        May 19, 2022
        Merrick, Cryptowolf, obsiCO and 2 others like this.
    19. E_Schaaf
      E_Schaaf
      Thank you future funk and hyperpop for making the loudness wars aesthetic feel purposeful and expressive and not an unfortunate mistake
    20. E_Schaaf
      E_Schaaf
      Recording a choir this weekend. Thanks to thingiverse, I'm going to 3D Print ORTF and XY stereo mic clips for a pair of Schoeps :)
      1. View previous comments...
      2. atomicbob
        atomicbob
        ORTF will provide decent results even if the room acoustics are not so great.
        May 8, 2022
        E_Schaaf likes this.
      3. E_Schaaf
        E_Schaaf
        I wanted to do ORTF, but the Schoeps CMC641 pair are supercardioid, I thought it'd lack center fill so went for XY
        May 8, 2022
      4. atomicbob
        atomicbob
        I've used both CMC62 and CMC641 in ORTF to great effect. If room acoustics are good, CMC62, otherwise CMC641.
        May 8, 2022
        E_Schaaf likes this.
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  • About

    Home Page:
    https://www.etaheadphones.com/
    Location:
    Staten Island, NY
    Occupation:
    Sonic Optimizer