I never new the Teaks had a larger cavity. I doubt the PH vs sepele shape difference would cause a sound change. The only way that would matter is if the volume was significantly different.
Hello,
Here a picture from the Emu Rosewood and Ebony cups.
Ebony
Rosewood
I find Emu made the better cups.
Also from the sound point of view, they have made significant improvements after the conversion of the cups.
Unfortunately I can only compare the terrible Fostex Tr x00 mahogany cup.
I would say Emu makes the better cup if you are not from the same manufacturer.
Hey everyone,
It’s been a while since I last wrote here. Lately, I’ve been playing with the thought of selling my th-x00 and buying an e-mu teak instead. Do you guys think there’s a legitimate chance I would vastly prefer the teak over the ebony I’m using right now (which was also made by emu)? For a recap, I didn’t really like the sound signature of the original Fostex mahogany cups I had, but I really like the ebony cup I’m using right now.
By the way, the last time I wrote I was about to buy some more earpads highly rated here to review them, which I eventually did, but never ended up actually writing the reviews because my experience was the exact opposite of everyone else’s here: None of them came even close to the originals. At least by the end I was able to identify what it was that I really liked in the original earpads, as it turns out, that sound was thanks to the protein leather. It’s unfortunate I chose to start my journey with everything that wasn’t protein leather. I am yet to give a try to the Dekoni protein leather pads, but I’ve got a feeling that’s going to be the last one for me.
Hello,
Buy the Deconi Rings and add them to the pads you have bought.
You will hear significant differences.
I have always tested the cushions with and without rings and found that without the rings the cushions sounded more and more spongy.
With the rings the spongy was gone and it unfolded.
Make sure that the rings are aligned to the seam when you install them, so you get the best result.
Concerning the headphones Tr x00 and Emu teak.
The headphones are the same in terms of construction and drivers.
The secret is really the wood.
So wood hardness, volume, wood species.
If you believe the testers you find on the net, many people say that the Emu Teak is a mixture of Ebony and Rosewood.
I think you would probably only hear the nuances, but if that is worth $500 you will have to decide.
As a hint I can only give you the rosewood cups.
They are more V-shape in their signature than the Ebony and should be more W shape.
You might like it better if you go more in the direction of the V-shape.
I noticed this in my conversions when I changed the Denon to rosewood and the Tr x00 to Ebony with the Emu cups
The Rosewood is a bit more present and lively and brighter than the Ebony, which is a bit backwards and darker and not as present.
Unfortunately, Emu does not sell the teak cups, they know why, and would have encouraged me to buy them.
In the end everyone has to decide for himself if the Emu teak is worth buying.
Who already has a lot of mods behind him probably does not.
Since you only notice nuance.
If you are flirting with teak you will of course hit the mark if you have never had anything to do with Fostex and co.
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Hey, thanks for the reply.
Regarding the Dekoni rings, I did try every earpad I have both with and without them, and yes, I agree that they do make a very significant difference, still, none of the combinations seemed satisfactory to me.
If the difference between the Th-x00 mahogany and the emu ebony cup is anything to go by, those were not just nuances, they sounded like completely different headphones to me, that’s the only reason why I’m still curious about the teak. If the people here hadn’t convinced me to give the ebony cup a try, I would probably have sold them by now.
I upgraded my X00 with Lawton cups and use ZMF Ori hybrid pads with dekoni attenuation rings. If your budget allows, I strongly recommend reaching out to Lawton. They offer numerous wood types so you’ll be able to find your desired sound. Here’s a thread where you can read about my Lawton upgrade.
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The Teak are often considered the best of the 1 tesla foster driver family. If you are really curious then I would get the Teak before selling your ebony and see which you like best. It’s also worth mentioning that the Teak will either have an attachmeed cable or use the rattle prone 3.5 connectors (this is why drop has only done the attached cable recently).
As for pads, what is it you don’t like about the pads you’ve tried do far?
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Well, it’s hard to answer that question since it’s different with every pad, but the bottom line is that while they might improve a few things here and there, I don’t think the trade-off is worth it. (I originally only started looking for a replacement because the stock pads were uncomfortable)
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What would be a good amp pairing with the 1 tesla foster driver?
I’m currently running my emus with a SMSL SP200 and I’m wondering if there’s an amp pair better with them.
What price range?
Lets say $300 max.
I would say Asgard 3 then, if you’re US based. I haven’t heard it myself but I also imagine they do well with the new iFi Zen CAN amp too. IMO THX and other op-amp based amps are not the best sonic matches because those Fostex biodynas are pretty transparent and can be sharp in the treble. To my ears such amps are also treble sharp and the combo is piercing.
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I second the Asgard 3. Its adds a touch more impact to the bass and otherwise sounds sounds clean and lively.
Hello,
I had good results with the Fostex Hp A3 in the past, but I found it a bit thin in the bass range, but otherwise very musical.
It got better in combination with the Cambridge Audio Dac magic 100 and Beresford Capella, Schiit Vali 2 was not bad with the Electro Harmonix 6822 Gold Edition tube.
Since I got the Singxer Sda 2 Advance I am happy and happy all around.
Unfortunately it costs a bit more.
I had the Smsl Sp 200 when it was released and it was really bad.
Much too stiff in sound and totally unloving, it went straight back.
With the new chips from Akm 4493 and 4497, the Fostex driver really blossoms out. From a purely musical point of view, the heart opens up and it lacks nothing in most cases.
Circus logic it comes also well clear chip moderately.
Everything else Burr brown and Esabre did not please me so much.
The headphone amplifier should be warm and have enough power.
Then it already goes in the right direction.
I have heard a lot of good things about the Asgard 3, even the import is worth it.
But a small Lake people G103 should not be wrong.
Jan meier Audio little Corda Jazz if you can get it.
Jds labs Atom if you want to keep the precision of the thx but with a little more love.
Ok, thanks, I’ve been looking at the Asgard 3 for a while.
I bought the E-MU Teak in June this year. I didn’t ask them about the cable, and the headphones came with a removable cable. I don’t use it, as I prefer the cable recommended in the Z Reviews video on the Teak (HD700 cable). I don’t have any trouble with this cable rattling around, thankfully.
I really like the ZMF Eikon pads on my Teaks. I had read elsewhere that the Eikon pads keep the sound closest to stock, and in my limited opinion this is true plus the bass sounds more powerful.
Here’s the Z Reviews video with the amazon link in the description to the replacement cable for the Teaks - I’m not sure if Z gets money from you clicking on the link and buying the cable, but in case he does, why not help him out a bit!
To add to this, I can happily report that the Accessory House sheepskin upgrade pads improve the comfort greatly and stay close to stock sound as well, as long as you use attenuator rings. I had some 3D printed, haven’t tried the dekoni ones.
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Hey everyone, these are copies of ZMF pads. Please spend the extra $15 if you can, and support ZMF. Thanks.
$15? Try double… whatever makes you feel better I suppose 
For those who don’t bother wringing their hands in anxiety over the state of the free market: these are great pads, highly recommended.
No, the pads are Ori pads clones and they are $49.99 on ZMF, these are $35.00. So I don’t know where you are getting double. You should support ZMF over these copies, if you can.