Danish instrument maker Baum has introduced ellipse, a closed-back headphone built around 50mm dynamic drivers and shaped in collaboration with working musicians. It is the Aarhus-based brand’s first headphone, extending a decade of guitar and instrument building into a wired, over-ear design aimed squarely at people who sit down to actually listen.
Designed by Musicians, Not in a Lab
Baum started in 2015 building guitars for musicians, and says that relationship shaped how the Baum ellipse came together. Rather than tuning the headphone purely in a lab, the company brought working musicians into the design process as collaborators, asking what makes a sound feel “huge, alive, worth coming back to.” The result, Baum says, is a headphone that does not colour the music but reveals it, with a sound signature defined by the people who make the music in the first place.
Big Drivers, Closed-Back Isolation
Most headphones use drivers between 30mm and 40mm; the Baum ellipse steps up to 50mm dynamic neodymium units, which Baum says move more air and give bass real weight and presence. Frequency response is specified from 12Hz to 40,000Hz, extending well beyond audible range on both ends. The closed-back design relies purely on passive isolation, with thick velour ear cushions sealing out ambient noise with no battery, no noise cancellation and no digital processing in the signal path.
Brass Hardware and Replaceable Ear Pads
In keeping with Baum’s instrument-building background, every joint and metal detail on the ellipse is brass rather than the plastic or lightweight alloy common at this price point, a material Baum uses on its guitar hardware for its weight, density and resistance to corrosion. The headband uses faux leather over an aluminium frame, and the ear pads, typically the first part of any headphone to wear out, are user-replaceable without needing a new headphone. A wired connection means no compression, no latency and no pairing, and a second pair of ellipse can be plugged directly into the first to share the same source between two listeners.
Pricing and availability
The Baum ellipse is available now for €339 (reduced from €399), including a protective travel case and two cables (1.5m and 3.0m) worth €49. Baum offers a 30-day at-home trial with a full refund if the headphones are returned.
The Baum ellipse enters a closed-back headphone market that already includes recent launches such as the Audeze Maxwell 2 ANC, though Baum’s design leans on passive isolation and analogue simplicity rather than active noise cancellation. Full specifications and ordering are available on the official Baum ellipse product page.
Key specifications
- Type: closed-back, over-ear, wired
- Driver: 50mm dynamic neodymium
- Frequency response: 12Hz – 40,000Hz
- Impedance: 32 ohm
- Materials: brass hardware, aluminium frame, faux leather headband, velour ear pads (user-replaceable)
- Included: protective travel case, 1.5m and 3.0m cables
- Price: €339 (regular price €399)
