E_Schaaf
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E_Schaaf

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

Pyrate BWC

What are some of your earliest memories regarding noticing good or bad sound quality? Jan 16, 2024

    1. E_Schaaf
      E_Schaaf
      Spending a week in rural TN really gave me a new appreciation for quiet listening. There's never a truly black background in a big city.
      1. 9suns, atomicbob, ext1 and 15 others like this.
      2. View previous comments...
      3. E_Schaaf
        E_Schaaf
        @Azimuth bout halfway between Knoxville and Chattanooga. My parents place.
        Dec 19, 2022
        Azimuth likes this.
      4. Azimuth
        Azimuth
        Between the Cumberland Plateau and the Smokey Mountains is a nice place to be.
        Dec 19, 2022
        Tchoupitoulas and Qildail like this.
      5. Wilewarer
        Wilewarer
        This is why almost every headphone I've ever considered is closed. Spending some time with one on and no music playing helps appreciate just how valuable good isolation is, even if it can't block everything.
        Dec 19, 2022
    2. E_Schaaf
      E_Schaaf
      Comparing magnets, diaphragms, and voice coils as independent variables has been quite an enlightening (and expensive) journey.
      1. 9suns, zottel, Jinxy245 and 7 others like this.
      2. E_Schaaf
        E_Schaaf
        Shoutout to all of the ETA supporters for funding this research. Hope y'all can reap the benefits with our next launch... If there's one thing I've decided its that none of the variants are unequivocally best. It's truly like flavors of ice cream.
        Dec 18, 2022
        obsiCO, Jinxy245, Gazny and 2 others like this.
      3. E_Schaaf
        E_Schaaf
        I've noticed a trend in the market towards constantly using lighter, thinner, more efficient materials across driver technologies. It makes sense on an intuitive level, but it's been refreshing to explore the opposite approach too. Lots of novel textures and sounds I never thought I'd hear from a headphone.
        Dec 18, 2022
        9suns, zottel, obsiCO and 3 others like this.
      4. nishan99
        nishan99
        Aside from the obvious duller transients and lesser macro dynamics I have a speculation that stiffer surrounds yeld more plankton and texture and vice-versa (soft surr> less plankton/texture but more clarity).

        Would love to build headphones in the future just to play with those interesting variables.
        Dec 18, 2022
        E_Schaaf likes this.
    3. E_Schaaf
      E_Schaaf
      Touch-sound synesthesia (?) seems common but not often discussed. Damping and pad materials sound just like they feel to my fingers.
      1. 9suns, Cryptowolf and zottel like this.
      2. View previous comments...
      3. Justin S
        Justin S
        Yes of course - it is a wiring thing. From what @E_Schaaf is describing, this could be what's going on, or it could be simile as you put it.
        Dec 2, 2022
        Thad E Ginathom likes this.
      4. E_Schaaf
        E_Schaaf
        I do have a sense of the sound of a material through my fingertips even when sound isn't playing through a transducer. The transducers in this context are my nerve endings, and they're inputs instead of outputs. Either the wires are crossed or I've just trained myself deeply enough that I can't separate my expectation bias from my immediate perception. :Shrug:
        Dec 2, 2022
        Justin S and Thad E Ginathom like this.
      5. JayC
        JayC
        I think it shows experience and maybe some special cross wiring - but it seems like what good artists/engineers/specialists in a specific field experience with intuition. You just know what could work to solve a problem/where it comes from/what would be good design just by looking at it, way before running a simulation or measurement. Just hours and days and years of time spent and its a good thing!
        Dec 5, 2022
        Justin S and E_Schaaf like this.
    4. E_Schaaf
      E_Schaaf
      Mini C/S lead times will increase by a few weeks til I return from travel mid-Dec. [update, last set shipping before 12/17 sold]
      1. atomicbob, Qildail, Jinxy245 and 2 others like this.
      2. E_Schaaf
      3. E_Schaaf
        E_Schaaf
        Most orders placed while I'm away from home should still ship before Christmas.
        Nov 30, 2022
        Jinxy245 and Gazny like this.
    5. E_Schaaf
      E_Schaaf
      I get why some folks won't ever consider them, but I'm charmed by the clarity and immediacy of supraaural headphones. RIP comfort and stage.
      1. E_Schaaf
        E_Schaaf
        That being said, a new ETA over ear may also be coming soon ;) This one's been quite a journey...
        Nov 25, 2022
        Claritas, Qildail, RKML0007 and 14 others like this.
      2. Thad E Ginathom
        Thad E Ginathom
        I'm sure many people find these comfortable. Compared with speakers, I find /all/ headphones uncomfortable ;) but I'd rather have the whole ear type.

        (also, although it's not great for music, over-the-ear feeds my hearing aids too. This is good for you-tube videos with speech.)
        Nov 26, 2022
    6. E_Schaaf
      E_Schaaf
      I see Al/Mg, titanium, and beryllium coated diaphragms often, but what about other metals? Nickel, bronze, copper? Poor material properties?
      1. zottel and Cryptowolf like this.
      2. View previous comments...
      3. Cspirou
        Cspirou
        Voice coils generate magnetic fields which is directly due to the current. This means you want as low a resistance possible. So coils are made from aluminum, copper and even silver. Nickel is used for magnetic lamentations but don’t conduct any current. I don’t think you would really see it used for transducers unless it’s a field coil
        Nov 20, 2022
        Biodegraded and E_Schaaf like this.
      4. Tachikoma
      5. E_Schaaf
        E_Schaaf
        LCP! I've tested one or two of those... Perhaps not genuine zylon though. PEEK and PEI seem like great polymers for use in diaphragms too
        Nov 20, 2022
    7. E_Schaaf
      E_Schaaf
      The more I narrow in on my preferred tuning on a proto headphone, the more cable differences matter as the final touch. I wish they didn't!
      1. Jinxy245, Merrick, zottel and 2 others like this.
      2. zonto
        zonto
        Please share impressions!
        Nov 18, 2022
    8. E_Schaaf
      E_Schaaf
      Anyone happen to have a BK or SBAF compensation file for a FPC rig? Recently had to clean install Windows and lost my files...
      1. Biodegraded
        Biodegraded
        I got purr1n's (which also incorporates the cal for his mic) and a generic one. Will put them somewhere and let you know.
        Nov 3, 2022
        Jinxy245, Philimon and E_Schaaf like this.
      2. E_Schaaf
        E_Schaaf
        I'm using EMM-6 and don't use the Dayton provided compensation FWIW. Thanks for your help!
        Nov 3, 2022
    9. E_Schaaf
      E_Schaaf
      (analogy) - Picking where to go to dinner according to mass spectrometry instead of what I have a taste for...
      1. zottel, obsiCO, atomicbob and 7 others like this.
      2. View previous comments...
      3. gixxerwimp
        gixxerwimp
        Oct 25, 2022
        atomicbob and Cryptowolf like this.
      4. atomicbob
        atomicbob
        @gixxerwimp - you found my source for the cut and it looks like the picture. Approximately 5 ~ 6 cm thick. I'll write up my method in a bit.
        Oct 26, 2022
        gixxerwimp likes this.
      5. yotacowboy
        yotacowboy
        I like to base my preference for paintings based solely on the average thickness of the paint across the media in microns. More paint = better colors. Better colors = better painter.
        Oct 26, 2022
        atomicbob likes this.
    10. E_Schaaf
      E_Schaaf
      How long til we see a subscription model for audio gear? Pay $200/mo, trade in your DAC/amp for the newer model at your leisure. :Cringe:
      1. Josh83, Jinxy245 and crenca like this.
      2. View previous comments...
      3. YMO
        YMO
        This will happen when I decided to do a subscription model for my body hair.
        Oct 24, 2022
        Josh83 likes this.
      4. purr1n
        purr1n
        Sounds like a BMW + Topping collaboration.
        Oct 24, 2022
        Josh83, Qildail, Cryptowolf and 5 others like this.
      5. Lyander
        Lyander
        Oct 24, 2022
    11. E_Schaaf
      E_Schaaf
      I saw three people wearing wired Koss PortaPros in public today within a 10 minute window. @ Union Square NYC
      1. Jinxy245, Azimuth, Merrick and 6 others like this.
      2. View previous comments...
      3. E_Schaaf
        E_Schaaf
        They all looked between 25-35. Two women and one dude.
        Oct 23, 2022
        Tchoupitoulas likes this.
      4. Cspirou
        Oct 23, 2022
      5. DigMe
        DigMe
        @Cspirou Coincidentally the only PortaPro spotting in-the-wild that I’ve experienced was on a young Russian guy when I lived in China.
        Oct 24, 2022
    12. E_Schaaf
      E_Schaaf
      Pretty wild how much blood pressure affects my hearing. After a workout everything sounds totally different vs before.
      1. View previous comments...
      2. E_Schaaf
        E_Schaaf
        I'm fairly sure... You know how after a heavy lift or standing up too fast your high frequency hearing can become temporarily muted? It's like that, but more subtle, and longer lasting. More testing required, maybe I'll take blood pressure a few times over the course of the day and see if there's a correlation...?
        Oct 20, 2022
      3. E_Schaaf
        E_Schaaf
        I suppose it could also be opening of the sinuses too. If I'm stuffy everything sounds brighter and leaner than otherwise, perhaps the opposite is also the case
        Oct 20, 2022
        Thad E Ginathom, Jinxy245 and Lyander like this.
      4. Thad E Ginathom
        Thad E Ginathom
        I'm the last person to comment: my HF hearing is permanently muted and I don't exercise. But I was once addicted to pottering-about rowing. And there was enough exercise to create arm muscle. And the mood change was more than just the river environment.

        Sadly, for the purpose of this research, I never took music with me.
        Oct 20, 2022
    13. 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
    14. 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
    15. 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
    16. 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
    17. 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.
    18. 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.
    19. 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.
    20. 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
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  • About

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

    Signature

    skunkworks headphone enthusiast - discovering new sounds