ETA Mini Impressions and Reviews Thread

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”. This is an on ear headphone designed from the ground up by the minds at ETA, and long story short...it is an incredible listen IMO. There is no greater vote of confidence than purchasing a product, and indeed I have done just that.

Review Info​

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). Since I opted for the 32ohm version I found that the ifi was a wonderful match on low gain and the Pendant was just a bit too noisy, thought the sound out of the low Z tap was quite engaging. Note that my Mini seems to be a rarity, it is 32ohms & has the dots for tuning. On their website, the 32ohm is configured with a larger “bar type” tuning filter. To my knowledge this doesn’t alter the sound, it’s just a different approach.

I also experimented with various DAPs, all of which could drive the Mini wonderfully, including my old diminutive Sansa Clip. By wonderfully I mean without maxing out the volume the Mini has plenty of volume, doesn’t sound strained and the bass doesn’t go all flubba wubba. Obviously this is not the best pairing and the bass isn’t quite as tight as a better suited amp, but it is still an appealing listen. These are very efficient headphones that pair well with a quality dongle or phone, but definitely scale with better equipment.

Comfort, Aesthetics and Build​

I’d wager that durability wouldn’t be an issue since build quality is quite solid. They’re currently using a Sony headband, which I find to be wholly unremarkable, but if I’m not mistaken an ETA developed and produced headband is in the works. I find the current headband to be adequate and has a convenient folding mechanism. It’s not particularly uncomfortable, yet it doesn’t disappear on your head either. Clamp force is an issue after an hour or so for me, and I imagine comfort would be different on various sized noggins. The use of foam earpads a-la Grado will be bothersome for some, but not much of an issue IME. Replacement pads will be found for relatively cheap.

As mentioned in other impressions, the build quality may be sturdy, but it is relatively unrefined. However I think this is worth a closer look since there are definitely trade-offs at play here. Visually it still does have a homebrew kinda vibe that does appeal to me, but I can also understand it not being everyone’s cup ‘O joe. It does seem to have a “form over function” philosophy that I can appreciate, but my biggest nit to pick is the exposed wires.



ETA isn’t the 1st company to have exposed wires, but that is the one point that doesn’t inspire confidence for me. Although I haven’t heard any issues from any other ETA users, personally I have had a recurring intermittent static like crackle occasionally intrude on my listening. I have no idea if this is even related to the wires, and it is a brief and sporadic issue, but it seems worth mentioning in the spirit of full disclosure.

I am not a headphone modder myself, but I’ve read enough to realize that anything you but in proximity to the driver will impact the sound signature. Any sort of covering I imagine would color the sound in one way or another, so I do understand the choice, however I feel less confident knowing the wire contacts are bare. ETA has since started including a foam “bung” of sorts for protection when not in use. Some leave it in as they enjoy the alteration to the sound signature, depending on which pads you use.

Overall Sound​

Moving on to the sound is where, for me, all sins are forgiven. ETA includes a variety of pads to fine tune the sound to your liking. There are 2 pads from Geekria, the “L” & “S” pads which can be used both “forward” and “backwards”, as well as pads from a company called “Gerod”. Each pad does change the tonality in it’s own way, and I quickly gravitated to the Gerod pads as my favorite: all impressions are with these pads.

Some have referred to the Mini as having a “V” or “U” shaped sound signature. I hesitate to use those monikers because for me there is a connotation of more dips and/or scoops in the frequencies, especially the mids, that I don’t hear exhibited from the Mini. That being said there is somewhat of a pleasing (to my ears) bass accentuation, as well as a less evident treble bump that would make the argument for a (mild?) “U” a valid one.

- Bass is tight & punchy, with good reach. Strong down to about 30hz, audible at least until 20hz. Good sense of slam, tasteful warmth without midrange bleed.​

- Mids are crisp but not brittle, very clear and defined. Strings and horns in particular have a touch extra “bite” (a nip?) but never sharp to my ears.​

- Treble has never been my strong suit due to hearing loss, but I do detect a good amount of treble energy and air. Cymbals ring & have an appropriate metallic tone.​

-Stage is intimate but coherent: not cavernous, but not constrained either. Feels like a good nightclub to me, also very good imaging. No 3 blob effect nor exaggerations in any direction.​

- Fast transients, not quite Utopia level. Closer to Verite, maybe a step behind. Quality macrodynamics, great sense of slam & very good microdynamics. Detail retrieval is on par with the HD600/650 if not quite HD800/Utopia. Not exactly a Plankton King, but I definitely didn’t feel anything was lacking.​

Some Comparisons​

Add it all up and I’m sure you can tell that I found the Mini to be a wholly beguiling headphone that holds up quite well to anything else I have on hand. Which isn’t much in terms of headphones, so I’ll go with these two.

Mini/Aeolus: Aeolus obviously has more of a warm sound signature. Similar bass extension but Aeolus has more of a mid-bass tilt, even with the Verite pads (which are my current favorite). The Aeolus mids are more lush with a few more prominent peaks/dips than the Mini. Treble is similarly extended (I think) but the Aeolus comes off as a bit sharper to my ear. Aeolus has a wider deeper headstage and the transients are slower, more relaxed. In fact, the Aeolus is more of a relaxed listen in almost every sense of the word, being a touch behind on detail retrieval as well. I do enjoy both headphones but they are definitely different presentations.

Mini/Verite Open: This is a bit more of a similar sonic “target” I think. Bass again has similar extension to my ears, with a slight advantage to the VO. VO also sounds to have a more midbass punch compared to Mini. Overall the VO has more contrast in the mids with more dips & peaks being evident. Treble is probably better extended with the VO, but again I’m not the best judge. Headstage is quite different, with the VO sounding much larger in every direction. VO’s transients are just that little bit snappier and detail retrieval would also go to the VO, but not by a huge margin on either point.

Conclusion​

The bottom line here is that the ETA Mini is a high performing headphone that is worth hearing and evaluating for yourself IMO. (check out the loaner tour here) At $300 (current MSRP w/no cable at the time of writing) the price/performance ratio is simply off the charts. The design is a bit rough around the edges for my tastes, but I am more concerned about how it sounds, and how engaged I am while listening. By that metric, the Mini more than exceeds my expectations.

 

These ETA Mini headphones are a delightful combination of attributes. To me, they are detailed, dynamic, and assertive. If you can handle Grado-ish ergonomics, then you'll probably be fine wearing these.

As others have said, these come to life when you increase the volume a bit beyond low levels. In car terminology, think about how a turbo 4 cylinder engine comes to life when the turbo spools up in the RPM midrange and above.

The tune-ability with pads is an asset. Even with the most bassy and midrange-mellow pads (the giant over-ear pads) the Minis were more assertive in the midrange and slammy in the bass than my modded HD650s (basically a KISS mod but with a bit of Dynamat overkill), but even my "kill me with upper midrange" tracks ("Down By The River" from Roy Buchanan's "Sweet Dreams Anthology", "Simple Song", The Shins) didn't kill me with upper midrange.

Others have made passing comparisons between the ETA Minis and the Utopias. I get it, but I'd say the Minis are maybe 20% less refined than I remember the Utopias being. Could you say they share the same DNA at some level though? I think that's fair. Detailed, dynamic, and bass that is so clean and un-bloated that HD650-tuned ears will find them mid-centric by comparison.

I think the physical construction of these is fine. They feel quite solid, and I'd only be concerned about the semi-exposed wiring if the headphones are in reach of toddlers, cats that like to chew, or a puppy (the foam pads or the headphone cable being the more likely target for the latter two anyway). The only time I felt at risk of poking the semi-exposed wiring was when changing pads, which became very infrequent after I figured out which ones fit my taste.

Another comparison I think is fair: these are super super PortaPros. I say "super" twice because it's a big upgrade in technicalities, but also a fair bit of family resemblance. They're both on-ears with great tone and are relatively un-demanding of amplification.

Thanks so much for the loaner, y'all! These are on the short wishlist of purchases some time down the road.

 

This is my first ETA headphone I've had the chance to try. Here's my impressions of the Mini Open 300ohm. I've decided to jot down my notes in a good / bad style, as this headphone, to me, is more about what it does amazingly well versus what it doesn't do so good. And I'm not going to hold any punches here, because I hope ETA sees this as a headphone which can improve because what they have here is pretty incredible and deserves continued improvements.

Chain: Bifrost 2, SW51+. Shanling m0. Computer 3.5mm jack.
Pads: Gerod and Backwards L Geek.
Noet on position (really really important): 'Put em on the back part of your ear touches the foam and not the middle.the front of the foam should be in front of the tragus.'.

Why the Mini O? I have a bs650 that I really like and I'm pretty happy with where I'm at. However, I was keen on finding a headphone that did bass a bit better, which lead me to a failed attempt with Focal Elex (awful timbre, 2d presentation, very flimsy feeling in hand). I was thinking maybe a Focal Utopia might be next, but had the chance to try a Mini O (and purchase), so I jumped on that.

Astonishingly Good - Bass and Clarity and Balance
Off the bat these headphones make a crazy strong impression. The bass is just incredible, it's got more bass than my modest speaker system. What I'm also impressed with is how the bass doesn't bleed into the mids at all, it's a bassy headphone but not muddy or congested in the slightest.

I subject my girlfriend to all the headphones I'm trying out as she likes music and enjoys headphones. I find her impressions really interesting because she has zero context of anything or also costs and the offer from me is if you like these you can have these. She's passed on pretty much every TOTL and dailys a Porta Pro, when she saw these she laughed, but when she tried them she was astonished and instantly wanted them and said they were the best headphone I've had in to this point.

The clarity, they are incredibly clear. There's no sort of veil. I was switching back to my over ears and this was really eye opening. Having these made me realize how much the headphone cavity plays into a feeling of music coming like a bit from a cave. Also maybe even a little bit of reverberation I was hearing from my open backs, which I never heard before. The presentation here across the FR is incredibly clear and I think it's the clearest headphone I've heard to this point. I really love it when a new piece of equipment can TEACH me something about sound, and these have.

To my ears, these might be the most balanced headphone across the FR I have heard. The bass is very present, the mids are there and not sucked out and the highs are detailed but not sibilant. I can't think of another headphone that presents everything so well, most TOTL have compromises. Even my 6X0 which I love is extremely balanced, but lacks some bass.

Good - Timbre, Speed, Physical Weight
Another thing I first noticed when listening to these is the timbre, it doesn't suck. Some reason every headphone I've heard with good/decent bass: Verite Open, Focal Elex, LCD2C all displayed some awful timbre. The timbre here isn't 6X0 levels, but it doesn't offend and instruments and vocals sound correct and there's a wide ability here for the driver to display the correct sound of the instruments / vocals.

Additionally, these headphones are very quick. They are not Verite Open level speed, but the transients are fast and the driver can keep up with just about everything I throw at it.

And just a final note, I like how light these are. Sub 400g headphones are my preference for sure.

Bad (Tolerable) - Stage, Transients, Build
I'd describe the sound-stage here as a wall of sound with marginal right and left stage and very little stage depth. While this headphone destroys the Koss KSC75 in clarity, bass and speed the KSC75 still presents a deeper soundstage. I do find the stage to be 2 dimensional unfortunately.

I'll admit it, I'm a bit out of my realm here with putting into words what I'm hearing. But there is something unnatural about the transients. I think the upshot here is it's less of an offender than ZMF. But something about the speed of the driver can sometimes cut out the bleeding edges of sounds. I wish these were a bit more of a step in the KSC75 and Porta Pro transients (although not all the way as I find them a bit blurry, although very musical?).

To me the build is really lacking, I think this is a given. I'm looking at this headphone like it's a prototype so I can get past that. To me the big problem with the build is when it gets into the way of listening and it often does here. The headband and driver are very squeaky. I've blasted it with dry electronics lubricant and that has remedied most of the squeeking. Because of this I can't really use the headphone while on the move as I can hear it over my music, unless it's fully dry lubricant up. I see the Mini C has addressed some of this, which is great. I think if ETA can address the build here, my other complaints about this headphones that might be inherent to the driver can be looked past.

There's some comfort problems with me for the on ear pads. I think these pads soften up a lot over time, so this might remedy that.

Finally, the 300ohm version is a bit of a use case confusion. I would love to have these as a headphone I can toss into my backpack (in a case) and run off a headphone jack. So I'm really glad to see ETA is only offering 32ohm from here forward. And due to the build I don't feel like I can walk around much and do chores in this headphone. So there is a bit of a use confusion here. I think these are a really really strong desktop headphone or portable but sitting in a chair.

 

Notes on the 300-ohm ETA Mini + cheap dongles:

I realize this will only be relevant to a few folks who have a 300-ohm version of the ETA Mini that they want to plug into a headphone jack-less phone for an ultra-minimal setup. This is less about SQ and more about which dongles have enough power to drive a 300-ohm headphone to jammin levels.

Google Pixel USB-C to 3.5mm dongles:

• v2 of this dongle (current production, I believe): can't really drive the 300 ohm ETA Minis beyond a pretty medium, weak-sounding level.
• v1 of this dongle (available used; I got mine on eBay): has enough juice for satisfying listening. Provides only a 48k sample rate, but puts out more picowatts or whatever than the other dongles described here. Makes an annoying click if you yank the dongly from the USB-C jack with the headphone still plugged into the dongle.

Apple USB-C to 3.5mm dongle: very similar to v2 Pixel dongle. Weaksauce-sounding because of limited power into a 300-ohm load.
Apple Lightnin' to 3.5mm dongle: Pretty similar to the v2 Pixel and Apple USB-C to 3.5mm dongles.