Headphones — Erzetich Audio Charybdis

The Charybdis is an open-back orthodynamic model from Erzetich Audio, a Slovenian workshop that hand-builds its products in small production runs. It is placed above the Phobos, Mania and portable Thalia in the brand's headphone range, carries a price of EUR 3,000, and every pair is run in for 12 hours in the workshop before it leaves. The North American price is USD 3,200.

Key specs that matter

Erzetich uses a proprietary orthodynamic design with a nominal impedance of 43 ohm. The planar driver measures 105 x 115 mm, and sensitivity is 105 dB per mW. Total weight is 740 g. The earcups are octagonal and CNC-machined from solid blocks of aluminium, and the headband is carbon fibre with a rubber-like suspension strap resting on the head, and aged linden wood is used for some trim parts. The design is fully open at the back and worn over the ear.

Engineering and use context

The cable detaches at both cups through 4-pin mini-XLR sockets wired to a standard pinout, so aftermarket leads fit without adaptation. The supplied cable is balanced and ends in a 4-pin XLR plug, and an adapter to a 6.35 mm single-ended jack comes in the box for amplifiers without balanced outputs. Erzetich fits deep leatherette pads as standard and packs a second pair in velour, letting the owner choose the material without buying extras. The pads are generously deep, which keeps the ear clear of the driver surface. The headphone is handcrafted in Slovenia within the EU and backed by a two-year limited warranty. Its weight is well above most open-back models, and the whole headphone is built to be serviceable, with parts that can be replaced by the owner. The mass matters for long sessions and for listeners sensitive to clamp and headband pressure.

Pairing

The moderate impedance and the included balanced lead point towards a desktop amplifier with a 4-pin XLR output and enough current for a planar load. Erzetich's own Perfidus, Deimos and Scylla amplifiers were designed with the brand's headphones in mind, and the Scylla takes the same approach into a fully balanced circuit.

Alternatives

The Erzetich Phobos is the lower-priced open-back planar magnetic model in the same range, using 100 mm drivers in resin earcups at 690 g.