Ratings say it should sound bad, but the story gets weird from there.
The Korg Nutube 6P1 vacuum tube, 32-bit DAC, dual-mono Class A/B amplifiers, and 8-band DSP are not standard headphone components. However, a startup that no audiophile has ever heard of, crammed everything inside two ear cups and priced the TH1 at $899.
They are also the only wireless headphones in production with a true vacuum tube built in. This puts their estimates at a total harmonic distortion of about 1%, which is about 100 times that of a typical solid state design.
That should be a dealbreaker. Instead, most reviewers still like how it sounds. This is where that gap starts to make sense.
How the TH1 Audio System works
Each side of TH1 uses its own independent signal path. Bluetooth audio hits the receiver, goes through a DAC, is shaped by a custom DSP, and enters a Nutube 6P1 preamp before a Class A/B amplifier pushes it through a 40mm titanium driver.
That makes six sections in each ear, with two completely separate chains. A dual-mono architecture like that usually resides inside loudspeakers that don’t leave your desk.
The Nutube 6P1 sits in the signal path between the DSP and the amplifier. Korg builds it using vacuum fluorescent display manufacturing.
Like a conventional tube, however, it produces structured harmonics. The second harmonic is placed one octave above the fundamental frequency, which helps explain why listeners describe the effect as warm. Meanwhile, odd-order harmonics, often associated with transistor designs, fall at intervals that the ear usually registers as strong.
That color is the whole reason desktop tube amps exist. The écoute realized it had to be portable.
At AXPONA 2025, premium headphone makers were showing models with cables tied to external tube preamps. So, écoute’s decision to put a tube inside a wireless headphone has generated a surprising reaction.
Engineering is ambitious. But even if it sounds good, that’s where ideas break down.
Ratings Say No, Ears Say Yes
On paper, the TH1 makes a strong case for itself. In its operating environment, the Nutube 6P1 measures about 1% total harmonic distortion, which is about 100 times more than a solid-state headphone amp.
Obvious distortions can disqualify many developers.
But reviewers heard otherwise. They described the bass as tight, controlled, and extended deeper than expected from a closed wireless design. The midrange had ‘vocals that sounded lifeless and unforced’. Also, the treble remained detailed without being harsh, with the tube adding a sweetness that made the cymbals feel a little digital.
That difference clearly shows how the headphones are tested. Even reviewers who focus heavily on ratings found themselves enjoying the sound more than the numbers would suggest, with one noting that his “objective brain” disagreed with what he was hearing.
The most focused reviewer in the group, from Pragmatic Audio, gave the TH1 4 out of 5 stars.
Good impressions, then. But the TH1 sits in a price bracket that invites tough questions.
At $899, the TH1 costs two to three times more than most wireless competitors like the Audeze Maxwell or the Cambridge Audio P100 SE. Despite that, reviewers rank them as competitors not only with standard wireless models, but with other high-end wired setups.
Real-world operational problems
Professional reviewers and everyday users come from different places. At Head-Fi, users describe problems that no amount of tube warming can eliminate.
Touching the left ear cup, or simply walking, produces an audible high-frequency ringing that can persist for seconds. The sensitivity of the Nutube microphone converts visible vibrations into sound.
“Nutube rings (high pitched) like hell and can continue when vibration is introduced,” hecrews users reported.
User fisherc6 compared the TH1’s Bluetooth mode to “$5 Amazon Basics Bluetooth headphones.” But switching to a 3.5mm cable, which bypasses the tube entirely, reveals a “completely different animal” with extended bass and enhanced treble.
That gap between modes suggests unit-to-unit variations or firmware incompatibilities.
The noise complaints are specific to the way the TH1 handles their signal chain. But, their practical trade-off is simple but real. At 424g, the TH1 weighs more than most wireless competitors, and its 20-hour battery life is a fraction of what the competition offers.
The customer service conflict has arisen again. After reporting the news, fisherc6 described receiving “talks and insults” about what they heard. The company also admitted that the first units were too big.
First generation issues, all of them. And écoute seems to know.
What’s Next on écoute
The TH1 already sounds like a proof of concept as a finished product. It presented a truly unconventional vision, but it also came with the kinds of compromises that often follow ambitious first-generation hardware.
But, the company’s latest moves suggest it’s building rather than regressing.
Écoute announced the TH2 at CanJam and is reportedly launching its Kickstarter in February 2026 with promises to address many of the shortcomings of the TH1. The price, however, is going up rather than down.
One reviewer described écoute as “a fledgling company,” and it has since brought in industry veteran Andy Regan, formerly of Dan Clark Audio. That’s not the kind of hiring a company makes if it plans to leave this category.
Whether the écoute is truly the best Bluetooth audiophile headphones is hard to say. What’s more clear is that the company made an expensive bet on a niche idea, and TH2 is where that bet is tested the most.