Articles

The Evolution of Tube Audio: Rethinking Headphone Design

From early radio amplifiers to modern portable hi-fi, vacuum tubes have defined the sound of recorded music for over a century. This evolution—from the Audion triode to today’s Nutube technology—re...

Wi-Fi Interference and Your écoute Headphones

Hearing a faint buzzing or clicking in your écoute headphones near a Wi-Fi router? That sound is RF (radio frequency) interference—not a defect. Wireless signals can interact with highly sensitive ...

Understanding Bitrate, Bit Depth, Resolution, and Compression in Audio

Bitrate, bit depth, resolution, and compression are often confused—but each plays a different role in digital audio quality. Understanding how bitrate affects data flow, how bit depth defines dynam...

Why Put Tubes in Headphones?

Why put vacuum tubes in headphones? Because sound quality is defined by architecture. Most portable headphones collapse the entire signal chain into a single chip, sacrificing the depth, warmth, an...

Bluetooth and the Myth That “Wireless is Inherently Bad”

Is Bluetooth audio really bad, or is it an outdated myth? Modern wireless codecs like LDAC and AAC deliver audio quality far beyond early Bluetooth limitations, offering high resolution, low noise,...

Why Tubes Sound More Real—Even When They’re “Less Accurate”

Why do vacuum tubes sound more real—even when measurements say they’re “less accurate”? The answer lies in psychoacoustics. Tube audio introduces even-order harmonics and natural frequency balance ...

How to Use écoute Headphones with a DAP

The 20 Hz to 20 kHz range defines the limits of human hearing—not the limits of audio technology. While modern headphones and DACs can exceed this frequency range, true hi-fi sound depends on accur...

Custom Sound: The Power of the écoute Tuning App

Take Control of Your Sound with the écoute Tuning AppMost headphones make you adapt to their sound. The new écoute Tuning App flips that script—letting you customize your headphone’s sound at the f...

Signal Paths, Explained:

How You Listen Changes What You HearDigital, analog, or wireless—each input on your écoute headphones unlocks a distinct sonic experience. Whether it’s the clarity of USB-C, the warmth of a vinyl-f...

Burn-In: Real or Imagined

Burn-In: What’s Really Changing—Your Headphones or Your Ears?Burn-in is real—but not always in the way people think. While subtle hardware shifts can occur, especially in bass response, much of wha...