This is my review of the ETA MS, MC, MO & O2. thought i'd share my impressions after nearly a year of eta ownership.
All of my listening is from my pc, ipad air 1 or iphone 11 pro max. no amp or dac.
Here is a spider chart I made up, also a few references like the ksc75, hd6xx and the discontinued MO so people who haven't heard recent eta maybe have a better idea.
Mini
semi closed 32ohm -
MS
Mini
closed 32ohm -
MC
Mini
open 32ohm -
MO
Open
2 32ohm -
O2
highlighted quick dotpoints of what I think each standout for
MS • Bass punch, wider stage, semi open sound
The MS has a
neutral tone and can be altered by sources slightly, and offers great
extension. with this semi open design the
bass is there but isn't as weighty like the MC rather more quick and punchy,
mids are a little recessed but are clear and free of bass bleed.
highs are clean with no nasties.
soundstage and
openness is very nice, perfect amount flow/vent from the front and rear to give great distance and accuracy with
imaging while maintaining that semi closed environment.
transients are snappy and enjoyable.
detail and
layering is very impressive all the sounds amazingly executed from multitasking creating a perfectly clear listening experience.
MC • Bass extension, bass weight, isolation
The MC has a
neutral tone and can also change slightly off sources, also offers even more
extension, Bass has some nice weight that is quite enjoyable when outside, really feel theres more tactility of it on my ears compared to the MS. sometimes the
bass bleeds into the mids which can make listening blurry/fuzzy, but this can be changed with pad selection or tuning dot placement change which i found helped greatly.
highs still remained clean with no nasties. for a closed back the
soundstage is still quite wide similar to the 6xx but not as wide as the MS.
Isolation is great for putting these on to ignore the outside or household noises and enjoy what you're listening to, though outside in a rather noise city these will not isolate enough. the
imaging is quite enjoyable and remains accurate but is ever so slightly blurred off perfect, slightly trailing behind the MS.
transients are again snappy and enjoyable. the MCs
detail and
layering are great for a closed back, defined and well spaced separation for enjoyable listening.
MO • Impacting/intense, earfeel, tactility • sadly discontinued. only 4 32ohm MO's in the wild
The MO has a
neutral tone which doesnt really change off source, and offers less
extension, but as this is an on ear the
bass/rumble grit and impact/intensity or tactility are far greater/exaggerated, something about the foam pads and the driver being so close with a far smaller room between ear to driver, which provides an incredibly exciting listening experience.
mids are free flowing with alot of bite, very open sounding.
highs are great with alot of sparkle in the top end.
soundstage is sorta lacks, but i think the MO suits the close-ish staging, it makes for that upclose and personal tactile impacting sound that all the owners love.
openness the MO is a very open on-ear with only the foam ear pads, front grille and rear tuning nylon mesh to go through, so open that you can see through the driver.
Imaging is well defined but soundstage too pretty close to make good use of the imaging accuracy.
transients are yet again snappy and enjoyable.
detail and
layering are as good as i can ever dream for, almost cant think of something with better detail and layering.. oh wait the O2..
O2 • Airflow/openness, effortless, clarity/detail
The O2 has another
neutral tone which i found changed the most by source over the others above, and offered similar
extension with a little less impact from the far more open design. there is a minor low end bump that gives abit more grunt to the
bass, but sometimes towers over the remainder of FR.
mids have abit more emphasis and energy than the MO,
highs have a nice little sprinkle of ev's tuning juice giving them some top end sparkle.
soundstage lacks the most, id suspect its because of how close the O2 is to my ears. this is etas most
open headphone publically sold, crazy amount of frontal and rear venting creating such an effortlessly easy sound from unrestrictions.
imaging is well defined but the soundstage is too close to make full use of the defined and accurate imaging.
transients are the best of the bunch being responsive and snappy but theyre no ksc75.
detail and
layering are the O2's strongest points with the openness of this headphone they're are so well executed from the openness removing any restrictions that cause a lazy/heavy driver sound
O2 MO ↓
i did not enjoy on ear headphones previous to biting the bullet with eta.
eta should definitely appeal to those who are wanting competitive high end low priced hifi that can be driven off just about anything. only compromise for me is the aesthetic, but i spend more time wearing than looking at my headphones.
performance > appearance
links:
https://etaheadphones.com/
thanks:
MS, MC, MO measurements yoinked from Vtory
O2 unverified measurements yoinked from E_Schaaf