New Moog Etherwave Theremin

Mute switch, decoupling schematic...

How about the audio pitch preview?

Mute switch, decoupling schematic...How about the audio pitch preview?

From Moog's website, the headphone output still is active when the mute switch is on:

"MUTE BUTTON On: Audio Out muted; Phones Out active Off: All outputs active"

This is the same implementation that Claravox uses (they suggest using a foot mute switch in combination). So I guess Moog expects you to find the note with the mute switch on, switch off mute, and then find that note again to actually play. Of course, that's not how Thereminists use pitch preview (I suppose you could use it to tune prior to playing).  Hopefully it's still possible to use the internal jumpers to get the pitch preview experience that we've come to expect on an etherwave.

What I really want for pitch preview is for it's volume to be "inverse" of the main audio output; on when muted (either through switch or volume loop), then dropping off as the main output engages. Hobbs theremin works this way so I know it's doable - It's disappointing that Moog is still pushing an approach that's not of much utility.

What I really want for pitch preview is for it's volume to be "inverse" of the main audio output; on when muted (either through switch or volume loop), then dropping off as the main output engages. Hobbs theremin works this way so I know it's doable - It's disappointing that Moog is still pushing an approach that's not of much utility.

On the Subscope's pitch preview it's adjustable between inverse to the main output volume and remaining always audible.

Hopefully it's still possible to use the internal jumpers" - bendra

Waiting for "ESPE02 pitch preview mod"?

Taking a couple of quotes from the "buying guide" topic:

Decoupling changes the tone, mostly but not only in the bass register. Whether thats good or not is somewhat subjective;  people who like it say it makes the tone "smoother", people who don't like it say it makes the tone "less rich".

there are few static harmonic configurations that don't sound weird when glissed over several octaves, which was a surprise to me.  The removal of coupling helps to linearize the far-field, but it also removes one of the few timbre changing elements on analog Theremins.  There are folks who have regretted installing the ESPE01

I'm still a relative newbie to theremins, I've owned my EW+ for less than a year and I'm slowly learning and practicing with Carolina Eyck's book.
I had always assumed that the ESPE01 only had advantages, and was planning to install it sooner or later. It does sound smoother in the videos I've seen (with shitty youtube audio quality, of course), but if that means losing most of the tonal variation, that's definitely a thing to consider.

Something I'm also wondering about is the sound through the headphones output has been improved.

As a side consideration, is the headphone out really of such terrible quality in the EW series? 
I live in a flat so I normally practice on headphones. When I connect the EW+ to an external speaker the quality is of course better, but I'm not sure if that depends on the speaker, the room acoustics or the inherent quality of the main audio out.

PS sorry, don't know what happened with the quotes in my previous post, they turned gigantic and I have no idea how to edit it, there's no "font size" menu or at least I can't find it

"PS sorry, don't know what happened with the quotes in my previous post, they turned gigantic and I have no idea how to edit it, there's no "font size" menu or at least I can't find it" - Spider76

Edit your post and use the "less than / greater than" button on the far right to reveal the formatting codes so you can delete them.  And if you copy & paste in this mode you won't get extraneous formatting.

Spider76 a while ago I recorded sweeps before and after the YAEWSBM mod on a Big Briar Etherwave:

http://www.mediafire.com/file/kfgnqv3a73u6bam/2018-05-02_big_briar_unmod_mod.mp3

MODIFIED: samples 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11 = no; samples 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 = yes.
BRIGHTNESS: samples 1 thru 6 = 0%; samples 7 thru 12 = 100%.
WAVEFORM: samples 1, 2, 7, 8 = 0%; samples 3, 4, 9, 10 = 50%; samples 5, 6, 11, 12 = 100%.

Coupling profoundly changes the timbre of the low end, though it cramps up the far field too.  Removing all coupling via buffering gives a more constant waveform throughout the range, which in a sweep can sound like a "roar" or "meow".  Someone else discovered and documented a way to keep the timbre variation while smoothing out the far field using a simple resistor and capacitor, but I haven't tried this yet.

"PS sorry, don't know what happened with the quotes in my previous post, they turned gigantic and I have no idea how to edit it, there's no "font size" menu or at least I can't find it" -

Spider76 Edit your post and use the "less than / greater than" button on the far right to reveal the formatting codes so you can delete them.  And if you copy & paste in this mode you won't get extraneous formatting.

Got it, thanks!

And most of all thanks for the A/B comparison of a standard vs. modified Etherwave: I must say that I hear the difference but can't decide which I like most, now I'm more confused than before hahah!
Well, I guess this means that right now I should stop worrying on these technical details and go back to practice!

Manual:  https://api.moogmusic.com/sites/default/files/2022-04/Etherwave-Theremin_Manual_2022.pdf

I see that (unlike the Claravox) they have coil tweaking instructions. 

The web address for the latest manual on page 31 of the manual itself seems dead (I get a 404): http://www.moogmusic.com/etherwave-theremin

Finally found a link to the manual on Moog's site: "sandwich" icon | Support | Downloads | Theremins | Etherwave Theremin | Manuals + | (on right).  They need a link right off their EW page IMO.  (I hate their sideways sliding web pages, and waiting on that stupid resistor animation!)