Frequently Asked Questions

Yes.

Similar to the battery in your phone, they are “factory replaceable” by a technician with the appropriate tools and training. We do not recommend customers replace batteries themselves.

Yes.

écoute headphones are compatible with Apple products and pair using the Apple AAC codec.

AAC for Apple devices, LDAC for Android and other compatible devices, and SBC for others.

Yes.

écoute headphones have two wired connection options: an analog 3.5mm port for analog input; and a USB-C port for lossless digital.

The signal path architecture of écoute headphones was designed to deliver a superior listening experience in both wired and wireless modes.

While it’s true that sound quality is dependent on the quality of the signal input, an inferior audio signal still benefits from the same care given to a high-quality source. Our experience has been that lower-quality signals benefit more noticeably because there is more room for improvement. When used wirelessly, écoute’s vacuum tube preamp stage fills out the otherwise flat tones associated with the comparatively low quality of Bluetooth signals resulting in a warmer, more natural-sounding rendition of the signal.

When listening to high-quality audio sources via the analog 3.5mm port or USBC lossless digital input port, the built-in vacuum tube preamp stage and a dual-mono amplifier work together to preserve the integrity of the original signal revealing all its detail and texture.

It is highly unlikely to the point of no.

The Nutube 6P1 has an expected service life of over 30,000 hours under continual use.

No.

The next-generation vacuum tube (Nutube 6P1) used in écoute headphones runs cool and does not produce excessive heat like a traditional vacuum tube.

No.

The next-generation vacuum tube (Nutube 6P1) used in écoute headphones is extremely durable and not as sensitive to shock as traditional vacuum tubes.

Yes.

Yes.

écoute headphones are engineered like a component-based rack system with a built-in vacuum tube preamp stage and a dual-mono amplifier—effectively a miniaturized hi-fi system you wear on your head. This means you can plug directly into a turn table, computer, or digital audio player (DAP) without passing through a stand-alone pre-amp or amplifier.

Yes.

Because écoute headphones have a built-in vacuum tube preamp and amplifier, there is no need for an external system—but there is no harm in plugging into one either.

Some loss of clarity and excessive clipping may occur if the external amplifier volume is set too high. When wired to a pre-amplified audio source, we recommend setting the external amplifier volume low and controlling the desired output volume with the headphones.

Technically yes, but not all distortion is bad and some of the right distortion can even be good.

Vacuum tubes produce more harmonic distortion than transistors, but the total harmonic distortion (THD) measurement employed for this comparison is a misleading spec unless you know what percentage of each order of distortion is present.

The distortion that vacuum tubes produce, particularly single-ended triodes (SET), is mostly in the even order (an octave above the fundamental frequency) and is therefore generally imperceptible because it is “in-tune” with the fundamental frequency.

Transistors show a lower THD than vacuum tubes, but the distortion produced is primarily in the odd order, and even a minute amount of odd-order distortion can be audibly unpleasant.

Even though vacuum tubes show a higher THD than transistors, the nature of that distortion makes it less perceptible than the distortion produced by a transistor creating a cleaner, more natural-sounding rendition of the audio signal.

The écoute Tuning App is available for both iOS and Android. You can find it in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, or by searching for "écoute audio inc."

This isn’t EQ in the traditional sense. Most EQ apps distort the signal before it is processed. The écoute Tuning App is different. The adjustments you make in the app are applied at the firmware level, directly within the DSP—preserving full resolution. There’s no added distortion, no artifacts, no loss of fidelity—just clean, precise tuning that honors both the signal and your preferences.

This isn’t EQ in the traditional sense. Most EQ apps distort the signal before it is processed. The écoute Tuning App is different. The adjustments you make in the app are applied at the firmware level, directly within the DSP—preserving full resolution. There’s no added distortion, no artifacts, no loss of fidelity—just clean, precise tuning that honors both the signal and your preferences.

In the app, select your headset, then navigate to "Frequency Response Curves." This is where all tuning and voicing adjustments happen.

Graphic view lets you shape curves visually—drag points to adjust specific frequency bands. List view shows preset names and lets you delete them by swiping right. Tap the bottom-left icon to switch between the two.

Yes.

Start with a preset in graphic view, then move the toggle points to create your curve. Save it to add as a preset in the app. You can save up to five custom curves in addition to the built-in presets.

Each band can be adjusted ±12 dB. 0 dB is the midpoint, not the floor—so you can both boost and cut as to achieve your desired profile. That gives you a full 24 dB range per band.

Yes, you can make live adjustments as you listen. Any unsaved changes will revert to the default settings when both the app and headset are powered off.

After selecting a preset, tap "Save as Default" to set it as your default voicing on the headset. This ensures it remains active across all powered modes—including analog input—until you change it. If you don’t set it as default, the headset will revert to the last saved default when powered off.

Yes—if the headset is powered on. Since tuning is applied at the DSP level before the amplifier stage, it works across Bluetooth, USB, and active analog input. It does not apply in passive mode (headset powered off).

Yes.

The app includes the original voicing as a built-in preset, "écoute." You can re-select it and save it as default any time.