In the audio accessories market, the FiiO EH11 propose a blend of eighties aesthetics and modern functionality. For a price close to 30 dollars, they offer Bluetooth connectivity and a parametric equalizer via app. Their translucent casing, reminiscent of vintage material renders, makes them an object of interest for our community, not only as a consumer product, but as a practical case of modeling and texturing.
A materiality exercise: translucent plastic and wood simulation 🪵
The design of the EH11 is a good example of how to visually replicate tactile sensations. The simulation of amber translucent plastic, with its tone variations and depth, requires attention to the index of refraction and light dispersion in the render engine. The details on the woods on the sides, although surely textured plastic, pose the challenge of creating bump maps and shaders that imitate the natural grain without being repetitive, something common in asset development.
The headband of faith: when retro design hits a point of tension 😬
It's almost an unwritten law: to achieve that clean retro design line, some component must bear the sacrifice. In the EH11, the plastic adjustment headband seems to have been voluntary. Its thinness evokes the elegance of the eighties, but also their structural doubts. One almost expects to hear a crack when adjusting them, a sound that, of course, the app's parametric equalizer cannot correct. It is the tribute to aesthetic fidelity.