Satyr 4Satyr 4

It does almost everything well enough while not doing anything wrong, and its tonal balance leans fun in the most rewarding way. Mid-bass forward, smooth with enough attack. It’s a combination of tonal features that results in a headphone I want to listen to for hours on end.

What is Satyr 4What is Satyr 4

It’s a headphone designed by Capra Audio, and you can build it yourself — if you are able to 3D print the required parts and order a few more on the internet. Everything you need can be found here: Satyr 4 on Printables.

Sourcing the parts is much easier now than when I built mine. Capra Audio sells the Satyr 4 DIY Kit — drivers, wiring, resistors, mesh, threaded inserts, screws, ear pads, a cable and even a USB-C dongle DAC, about $80 in the US, with retailers in other regions. You still print the parts yourself, and you’ll need a soldering iron.

When I built mine, I ordered every part separately. Many of them only come in multiples, each with its own shipping fee. I paid a little under $300 in Poland, but that’s enough for at least three headphones, and I have most of the parts to keep building if I order more drivers (which are not the most expensive part).

Even if I consider this headphone a $300 piece, it’s well worth it. Hell, I haven’t found any headphone I like more than this under $500 yet!

A few words about biasA few words about bias

I paid for all the materials, 3D printed and assembled the headphone myself in late May 2026. I had a lot of fun with this project, but I can acknowledge that being this involved in the process of creating it makes me positively biased towards it.

Having said that, every review is biased — humans are subjective creatures. Audio in itself is incredibly subjective, and objective truths die the moment a headphone leaves the measuring rig and lands on your head. If you want to know more about me, my experience and my biases, check here.

BassBass

On first listen, Satyr impressed me with its rounded and impactful bass presentation. Open-back headphones without a significant EQ’d bass shelf rarely deliver satisfying bass. Satyr 4 manages to hit hard out of the “box”. The bass is very pleasantly rounded without losing detail. It’s a very dynamic-driver-like presentation, with a very natural and organic-sounding bass.

It pleasantly blooms, giving the overall listen a fuzzy, warm feeling, and at the same time it doesn’t cover the midrange in a way that would muddy it up. The word LIQUID keeps popping into my mind. The bass is very wet sounding and, personally — I love it.

It’s without a doubt my favourite sounding bass I’ve heard so far. It’s not the most resolving, fast or correct. But it brings the warmth and organic feeling I try to achieve with impedance adapters, tubes and R2R DACs on other gear, and rarely get there.

Now the bad part. The contour and texture of the bass get smoothed over, and it has a slow decay, so it’s not accurate. It’s mostly a mid-bass forward presentation. It has the ability to rumble.

MidrangeMidrange

Vocals and instruments have proper weight — the mid-bass bloom adds a bit of weight to the presentation. I wouldn’t call it neutral, but it’s definitely natural sounding. There are no treble peaks in relation to the mids that make it sound weird or unnatural. The timbre of instruments and vocals is correct.

It’s just shy of “magical” sounding. But it never sounds incorrect or weird — which is one of the highest compliments I can give a headphone.

TrebleTreble

Treble extension is close to perfect on my head. No piercing, over-extended highs that pose as detail. I would say 90% of the headphones I try have significant issues with treble (on my head), or they just sound dark. Rarely do I get to listen to a headphone that does treble as amazingly as Satyr 4. The longer I listen to it, the more I get really bothered by other audio gear I own.

There are no sharp colorations trying to bring anything forward. The treble is just even and smooth. It presents as smooth but not boring.

There are many headphone options that are more incisive in their lower and mid treble, and most of them read as harsh sounding to me. Satyr, on the other hand, sounds amazing while not being boring. The HEDD D1 is more detailed and a bit more contoured in its treble, but to my ears it lacks upper extension — there is no pleasant shimmer that Satyr has.

After High End Vienna 2026After High End Vienna 2026

(at the time of writing) I’m fresh after High End Vienna 2026. I’ve heard multiple headphones there — many of them impressed me, made me smile, and made me wish I could just buy them. I feared that coming back from the show would somehow change my perception of the gear I own. To be honest, it did, but not in the way I expected.

Coming back to the Mega5EST, DUSK and Satyr 4 made me realise that I can easily find something more impressive, but rarely can I find something I would want to listen to for hours.