Écoute audio has announced the TH2, second-generation wireless over-ear headphones that combine dual Korg Nutube 6P1 preamp stages with independent DAC cores and discrete Class A/B amplification. Building on the TH1, the new design adds improved tube-stage shielding, quieter hybrid active noise cancellation, eight-band sound tuning, and a modular chassis. The $999 headphones are scheduled for North American availability in November 2026.
Écoute audio has announced the TH2, second-generation wireless over-ear headphones that combine dual Korg Nutube 6P1 preamp stages with independent DAC cores and discrete Class A/B amplification. Building on the TH1, the new design adds improved tube-stage shielding, quieter hybrid active noise cancellation, eight-band sound tuning, and a modular chassis. The $999 headphones are scheduled for North American availability in November 2026.
The interesting part of the écoute audio proposition remains the decision to build a complete playback system into wireless headphones, with an analog gain stage between digital conversion and the power amplifiers. In the TH2, each channel has a dedicated DAC core, a Nutube triode preamp stage, and a discrete analog output amplifier. The two preamp stages use the Korg Nutube 6P1 dual-triode device to provide actual voltage gain, bringing the operating behavior and harmonic characteristics of vacuum tubes into a battery-powered wearable design.
Developed by Korg and Noritake Itron using vacuum fluorescent display manufacturing technology, the Nutube is a directly heated triode with a filament, grid, and anode. Its flat glass package looks very different from a conventional audio tube, but amplification still results from controlling electron flow inside a vacuum. The compact construction and low power requirements make it practical to integrate this behavior into portable products. Korg introduced the technology in 2015, opening opportunities for tube circuits in applications where conventional devices would impose substantial thermal, mechanical, and battery constraints.
audioXpress explored those possibilities in Pete Millett’s “R&D Stories: The Korg Nutube 6P1,” originally published in May 2017. Millett described a device with a 700mV filament rating, filament consumption of only 12mW per triode, and operation possible with plate supplies as low as 5V. The TH2 applies this technology as an analog voltage-gain stage, with separate solid-state amplifiers providing the drive for the transducers. Operating point, loading, and buffering determine how the device’s gain and distortion characteristics are used.
The company behind the implementation combines industrial design and manufacturing experience. Écoute audio was co-founded by creative director and product designer Kendall Liddle and CEO Josh Fairbairn, also CEO and founder of product development and contract manufacturing company MorphoMFG. The founders met while living in Montréal, Québec, providing the connection to the French name, meaning “listen.” As documented following demonstrations at CES and NAMM, and in audioXpress’s TH1 coverage following AXPONA 2025, the company’s objective was to translate the experience of a home hifi system into portable headphones.
The TH2 advances that same platform with particular attention to the difficulties of putting a sensitive analog tube circuit beside a Bluetooth radio and inside headphones that move with the listener. Écoute specifies enhanced RF and microphonic shielding around the tube stage, addressing interference from the wireless electronics and sensitivity to mechanical vibration. The company also reports a lower noise floor from the hybrid ANC system, a more natural transparency mode, and improved passive isolation. These changes target the background noise and mechanical behavior that can become especially noticeable during quiet passages.
The architecture retains independent left and right signal paths from conversion through amplification to the drivers. A dual-core DAC provides hardware decoding capability up to 32-bit/384kHz, followed by the two Nutube gain stages and discrete Class A/B output amplifiers. Écoute attributes the intended tonal character to the low-order harmonics generated in the analog preamp stage. The relevant feature ends up being the allocation of separate functions to conversion, voltage gain, and transducer drive, allowing the tube stage to operate within a system designed around its electrical characteristics.
Acoustic development accompanies the electronics changes. A redesigned resonance chamber is intended to extend bass and treble relative to the TH1, with the TH2 retaining 40mm titanium-coated Mylar diaphragm dynamic drivers. The closed-back headphones have a specified frequency response of 20Hz–20kHz and weigh 424g. Their aluminum chassis incorporates a hybrid suspension headband with three points of articulation and stepless adjustment, distributing the weight over a broader contact area. Replaceable earpads and headband wraps support servicing and customization, with a lambskin pad option also available.
Sound customization builds on another development effort introduced with the TH1. The écoute Tuning App provides eight-band parametric adjustment with ±12dB available per band, writing the settings to the headphones’ firmware so that the selected response persists after power cycling. This places user tuning within the onboard DSP and allows the headphones to retain their voicing independently of a particular playback application. It also gives écoute a way to combine a defined analog circuit character with adjustable frequency-response preferences.
Connectivity includes USB-C digital audio, a 3.5mm analog input, and Bluetooth 5.3 with SBC, AAC, and LDAC support, enabling up to 24-bit/96kHz transmission on compatible Android sources, while USB-C provides the wired digital connection. Battery life is rated for 20 hours at maximum volume, with a charging time of approximately 3.5 hours.
According to écoute, the TH2 crowdfunding campaign launched on February 16, 2026, attracted more than $200,000 in pledges in its first 24 hours and ultimately exceeded $1 million. The second-generation design will be available in Charcoal, Nickel, and Gunmetal finishes in November 2026, at a suggested price of $999. Écoute’s website currently lists a $899 presale price.
www.ecouteaudio.com
