First of all, I personally own this set, which I bought from the official OAK Audio store on the Chinese Taobao marketplace for around USD 24 a couple of months ago, and I genuinely think this was one of the best audio purchases I’ve ever made. I almost feel bad for underpaying for what they deliver. Since then, this pair has received more listening time than any other set I own. And I currently have more than three dozen pairs, some of which cost many times more than the Nature SE. I’m not great at describing sound in words, but I think the flathead audio community really needs to hear about these. I wish they were more freely accessible to the world.

These earbuds have something extraordinary that makes me consistently reach for them over others. I suspect it’s the natural timbre, which makes music feel alive and organic. They might not be the most technically capable earbuds out there, but their natural timbre, beautifully textured bass and good imaging carry music with real authority and coherence.

I had never heard of OAK Audio before, but I will definitely keep an eye on their future releases. It seems there are a couple more coming out this year.

Developed by OAK Audio, a boutique Hi-Fi brand founded by experienced audio engineers of Oakleaf Audio, the Nature SE follows the company’s signature tuning approach—natural, spacious, refined, and fatigue-free. Its sound signature is slightly warm and highly balanced, with a subtly elevated midrange that brings vocals and acoustic instruments to life while maintaining accurate imaging and an impressively realistic soundstage.

What makes the Nature SE particularly unique is its painstaking manufacturing process. The housing is crafted from genuine ebony wood, selected after extensive testing of numerous wood species for their acoustic properties. Ebony is one of the densest and most stable hardwoods in the world, requiring 200–300 years to mature and offering exceptional resonance characteristics.

Production begins with precision CNC machining, where the ebony components undergo more than a dozen separate operations to achieve their final shape. However, the most demanding stage is entirely manual. Each earbud features a complex resonant chamber design with nine carefully positioned acoustic ports. Because these ports are drilled perpendicular to the curved housing surface, they cannot be produced using conventional automated methods. Instead, every hole is individually drilled by hand using specialized steel drill bits and then polished multiple times using traditional hand-finishing tools.

This process alone requires approximately 45 minutes per housing, or around 1.5 hours per pair. Including assembly, soldering, acoustic tuning, and final inspection, each pair requires well over two hours of skilled manual labor, which is one of the main reasons for the limited production capacity.

The Nature SE features a custom 15 mm dynamic driver with an uncommon combination of 150 Ω impedance and 115 dB sensitivity, offering many of the sonic benefits of a high-impedance design while remaining easy to drive from virtually any source.

Quality control is equally rigorous. Every driver is measured before assembly, tested again after assembly and burn-in, and finally subjected to a subjective listening evaluation. Only after passing all stages of inspection does each pair receive its final certification.

What makes OAK Audio particularly interesting is its design philosophy. Rather than emphasizing exotic driver materials or marketing-driven specifications, the company focuses on acoustic chamber engineering, carefully selected materials, extensive listening tests, and labor-intensive craftsmanship. It is an approach more commonly found among small enthusiast-driven audio workshops than large commercial manufacturers. The result is an earbud that combines the precision of modern CNC manufacturing with the character and individuality of traditional handcrafted audio products.

Specifications

  • Driver: 15 mm Custom Dynamic Driver
  • Driver Type: Internal Magnetic Dynamic Driver
  • Frequency Response: 20 Hz – 20 kHz
  • Impedance: 150 ± 2 Ω
  • Sensitivity: 115 dB
  • Total Harmonic Distortion: ≤ 0.1%
  • Rated Power Handling: 100 mW
  • Housing Material: Solid Ebony Wood
  • Acoustic Design: Multi-Point Resonant Chamber with 9 Acoustic Ports
  • Cable: 1.2 m 4N OFC (Oxygen-Free Copper)
  • Cable Construction: 30-core × 0.05 mm twisted pair
  • Connector: 3.5 mm Gold-Plated Straight Plug
  • Solder: Silver-Containing Proprietary Formula
  • Included Accessories:
    • Waterproof Protective Storage Case
    • 2 Pairs of hollow foam covers
    • 2 Pairs of solid foam covers
    • Quality Certificate

For those you would like to purchase the OAK Audio Nature SE earphones, please be aware that these are made to order and waiting time can be up to one month or even more. I got them via Superbuy from Taobao store. If you have never bought anything on Taobao, you will find a short guide here.