Quote Originally Posted by RedFox View Post
Except for я in endings:
Катя [ˈkatʲæ] vs Кати[ˈkatʲɪ]
дача [ˈdaʨæ] vs дачи [ˈdaʨɪ]

For about unstressed э, i.e. [ɛ] after a hard consonant, after a vowel or at the beginning of a word, it is rather rare and can be found only in loanwords:
экран, эфир, коэффициент, муэдзин, диэлектрик.
It is normally reduced from [ɛ] to [ɨ] or [ɘ], but not to [ɪ]:
[ɨkˈran]
[ɨˈfʲir]
[kəɨfʲɪʦɨˈɛnt]
[mʊɨˈdzʲin]
Exception: иэ as in [dʲɪ.ɪˈlʲektrʲɪk], ɪ + ɨ is assimilated to ɪ + ɪ.
I was a bit too quick when it comes to the vowel я, it is pronounced /ə/ in final positions. And what I wrote about the vowel э is wrong, it is of course reduced to /ɨ/ - like you said - not /ɪ/. I tried to keep it on a phonological level, so that it might be easier for a learner to understand. However, the word-final /ə/-reduction is found on a phonological level, and should therefore be included, my bad.

I have corrected my post.