By aspect — in detail
The headline, and near-universally adored: a huge, deep, extended low end with real slam that reviewers call some of the biggest they've heard. Benches confirm it's elevated and reaches into the sub-bass. The only dissent is relative — against pricier Foster siblings a couple hear it as a touch bloomy or too mid-bass-heavy — but as a basshead tuning it's a consensus strength.
“the E-MU Teak has the largest bass response I've ever heard in a headphone. Bar none.”
Reddit — r/headphones (katalysis)
“The low-end simply kicks ass. Huge quantity of bass that is very tight and controlled.”
Reddit — r/headphones (Akora_)
“Bass is definitely worse than D7200. It's muddier that it has even more mid bass than the D7200.”
Reddit — r/headphones (brianjai)
Measured
Benches agree the bass is elevated and deeply extended — overearmania measures sub-bass down to ~25 Hz, and unheardlab hears it as 'tastefully elevated … punchy but not boomy or muddy.' ASR liked the extended bass so much it added almost no EQ there; the Foster driver's slam is a defining trait of the family.
Dynamics
Strong consensus · 4 srcA standout that reviewers single out repeatedly: effortless macro-punch and slam that hold composure at volume and, to several, embarrass far pricier headphones. The strongest point of agreement after the bass.
“Macrodynamic qualities are EXCELLENT, arguably one of the best out there even when faced with much more expensive headphones.”
unheardlab
“the Teaks seem to be cleaner and more dynamically capable than the other cans in this survey.”
Stereophile / InnerFidelity (Tyll Hertsens)
Measured
ASR credited the Teak with 'superb dynamics and bass' after light EQ; the big, sensitive Foster biodynamic driver plays loud and clean, which Tyll Hertsens noted by being able to push it louder than its siblings without it getting hard-sounding.
A pleasant surprise for a bass-forward closed-back: mostly heard as natural and coherent — one careful comparison put its midrange tonality on par with the HD650. The shared caveat is a slightly dipped presence region (~2–4 kHz), so vocals can sit a touch behind, and one critic found the upper mids a bit hot and 'hollow.'
“The E-MU Teak is the first headphone I've heard whose midrange tonality is the same as the HD650.”
Reddit — r/headphones (katalysis)
“The presence region (2-4khz) is still slightly dipped next to an HD6XX or HD600.”
overearmania
Measured
Benches show a mild presence-region dip (~2–4 kHz vs the HD600/HD6XX per overearmania) with vocals otherwise sitting fairly forward (unheardlab); ASR flags a narrow ~2.2 kHz peak it 'wish was not there,' which can add a little edge on some tracks.
Broad agreement on the character, not on whether you'll want it: a warm, fun, U/V-shaped tuning with emphasized bass and treble — explicitly not neutral, but better-balanced and less overtly warm than the TH-X00. Whether that reads as 'splendid' or 'too coloured' is preference, and it splits the aspects below.
“The Teak is a nice sounding headphone, with a musical and warm tuning.”
overearmania
“Both these cans have a somewhat "V" shaped character with emphasized bass and treble response.”
Stereophile / InnerFidelity (Tyll Hertsens)
Measured
ASR sees 'broad agreement with our preference curve' apart from extra energy above 5 kHz; unheardlab reads the shape as 'slightly U-shaped'; overearmania calls it 'not neutral by any means.' Everyone agrees on a bass-lifted, treble-lifted, mildly-scooped shape — the debate is taste, not the graph.
Genuinely split, and the same peaky-but-uneven top end is behind both readings. One camp hears it as bright and energetic, occasionally sibilant on female vocals or busy tracks; the other hears the heat as mild and non-fatiguing — smooth, even 'dark' next to the big bass — with no sibilance. A minority instead find the very top short on air. Volume and recording matter: Tyll Hertsens noted it behaves best at lower levels.
Measured
The FR really does carry extra treble energy — ASR measures elevation above 5 kHz plus a narrow ~2.2 kHz peak, unheardlab a ~12 kHz spike that 'does colour some female vocals,' overearmania a mid-treble peak around 8 kHz with only 'decent' upper-treble extension.
⚠ vs. listeners — There is genuinely elevated, uneven treble on the graph; whether it lands as 'bright/sibilant' or 'mild and smooth' tracks the listener's ears, the recording, playback volume, and how much the large bass masks the top — which is why owners disagree, and a few EQ a peak down.
Where it splits
Bright and energetic — sparkly, and can turn sibilant / colour female vocals on some tracks.47%
“the extra energy above 5 kHz which can make it sound bright”
Audio Science Review (amirm)
Widely seen as resolving for its class — one comparison heard clarity the HD650 blurred — and clean enough to satisfy at the price. The caveats: it isn't a true detail flagship (a Sundara pulls more up top to some), and a critic felt the rolled-feeling air made it read less resolving than a pricier Denon sibling.
“The E-MU Teak is a very resolving pair of cans, and I could hear clarity and details here that sounded veiled and muffled on the HD650.”
Reddit — r/headphones (katalysis)
“They don't get quite as much details in the highs as the Sundara but they're no slouches either.”
Reddit — r/headphones (Matticus0989)
Measured
Resolution tracks the clean bass and the elevated (if uneven) treble; the ~2–4 kHz presence dip and the strong low end can mask fine 'bite' on some material, which is why the same set reads 'very resolving' to one listener and 'less resolving' than a Denon D7200 to another.
Generally a strength for a closed-back — layering and separation that beat most mid-fi to several ears, with good center image — though not pinpoint-precise, and one critic rated it below the pricier D7200.
“Layering and separation are fantastic, clearly better than most mid-fi headphones.”
unheardlab
“it's less resolving and worse imaging than the D7200”
Reddit — r/headphones (brianjai)
Measured
Tyll Hertsens heard the image as 'surprisingly wide and deep … but not terribly precise,' noting the hazy top blurs placement a little — separation is a plus, pinpoint accuracy is not the draw.
Soundstage
Contested · 5 srcSplit, and its semi-open leakage is likely why. One camp finds it surprisingly wide and open-sounding for a closed-back; the other finds it merely average and 'not particularly wide,' blaming the small pad openings. A real point of disagreement rather than a settled strength or weakness.
Measured
It isn't a truly sealed design — it leaks like a partly-open headphone, which is likely why some hear it as open-sounding; unheardlab ties the limited width to the small inner pad opening restricting air, and overearmania simply calls the stage 'average.'
Where it splits
Surprisingly wide and open-sounding — more like an open-back than a sealed one.48%
“Imaging with the Teak is surprisingly wide and deep—they sound quite like open headphones—but not terribly precise.”
Stereophile / InnerFidelity (Tyll Hertsens)
Average / not particularly wide — the small pad openings hold it in.52%
“Soundstage is not particularly wide, probably due to the small inner opening of the ear pads that does not allow much volume of air when fitted.”
unheardlab
Split, and it tracks ear size. Everyone agrees it's fairly light (~348 g), but the pads are small, shallow and firm, and the cup opening is rectangular and tight — so larger ears get pressed and find it tiring, while smaller ears (and a pad swap) often find it fine. The headband is also only thinly padded.
Measured
ASR measured the cup interior at 59×33 mm — a small, rectangular opening — and rated the weight 'average'; owners peg it at ~348–350 g. Several fix the fit with deeper aftermarket pads (Dekoni/Brainwavz), and one critic found the stock pads touch the ears even on a small head.
Where it splits
Small, shallow, stiff pads and a thin headband — presses larger ears and tires over time.61%
“earpads openings are a bit small and the headband lacks padding.”
overearmania
Light and close to comfortable — fine for smaller ears.39%
“It is not 100% comfortable due to rectangular opening of the cups but it is almost there.”
Audio Science Review (amirm)
The looks are the point, and they land: real teak wood cups almost everyone calls gorgeous, on a solid Foster frame with a detachable cable. The knocks are the accessories and longevity — a stiff, microphonic supplied cable and slightly loose cable connectors, and wooden cups that can shrink (even detach) in very dry climates.
“The E-MU Teak is beautiful to look at and hold.”
Audio Science Review (amirm)
“The supplied cable for this version is not good, it's only about a meter long, it's very stiff, and if the L and R cables rub against eachother you can hear it in the headphones.”
Reddit — r/headphones (Blinxsy)
Measured
Real teak wood cups on the Foster frame, ~348 g, with a removable-cable option (~$50 more). Both ASR and Tyll Hertsens warn the wooden cups can shrink in low humidity — Hertsens found spare cups had 'shrunk considerably and no longer fit,' needing re-humidifying — so dry-climate owners should watch for it.
Isolation
Moderate · 4 srcA weak point, and a design choice: it's only semi-closed, so it leaks and blocks outside noise more like a partly-open headphone than a sealed one. Buy it for the sound, not to isolate on a commute.
“they do leak a fair amount. I would say about half-way in between my 598s and a true closed back.”
Reddit — r/headphones (Akora_)
“a closed headphone that doesn't isolate very well”
Reddit — r/headphones (Imlulse)
Measured
Derived from the semi-closed Denon/Foster lineage, it isn't truly sealed — overearmania flatly calls it 'not a true closed headphone,' and owners rate the leakage as roughly midway between an open HD 598 and a sealed can.
Mostly seen as worth it — a gorgeous, wonderful-sounding closed-back that several name a favorite under $500 and Tyll Hertsens called a bargain at its Massdrop price. The lasting caveat: it uses the same driver as the cheaper Fostex TH-X00, so the premium mainly buys the wood, the detachable cable and subtle refinement — hard to justify if you already own the X00.
“The Teak is so far my favorite closed-back under $500.”
overearmania
“has made an appearance on Massdrop for around $450, which seems like a bargain to me”
Stereophile / InnerFidelity (Tyll Hertsens)
“Not really worth upgrading from TH-X00 if you already have it unless you really want the detachable cable.”
Reddit — r/headphones (I_want_all_the_tacos)
Measured
About $450 (roughly $50 more for the detachable-cable version), used around $340–400 — built on the same Foster biodynamic driver as the ~$399 Massdrop TH-X00, so its value case rests on the teak cups, cable and small tuning gains rather than a different sound.