thinksound On2 Wood on-Ear Monitor Headphone (Natural Black)

Well, looks like I never reviewed these when I got them. Even though they are no longer available, I see the company is working on an updated version so maybe this will end up being helpful to them, or a potential buyer, anyway.The sound quality is quite nice. It's balanced across the audio spectrum, without over-emphasizing any particular range too much. They can also get quite loud. (Maybe almost too loud. Seriously people, be careful with your hearing and keep the volume down.)The wood is very attractive and classy looking, and they seem fairly sturdy mechanically. I don't use them every day, but fairly regularly, and they have survived with no problem.There are, however, two big physical problems with these phones.- While they initially feel comfortable, with soft ear pads, after listening for an hour or two they start to hurt due to the clamping force on my ears/ head. And I have a small body frame and head. So I can't imagine how these would be for someone with larger physical features.- Unlike every other pair of headphones I've ever owned (and that's been many), the cable on these phones exits the right instead of the left ear phone. For use with portable devices, this might not be a problem or even noticeable. However, for someone such as myself who listens (and plays their own music) in a fixed setup that has been optimized for more standard headphones, this is incredibly annoying. Seriously, why would you make headphones and just toss out literally decades of an unwritten "standard" like this?First, the cable is just a bit too short for me to plug in where it needs to go (whereas it would have just worked if the cable came out on the left side) so I had to buy a new cable. Fortunately there is a jack on the phones to plug in the cable, instead of the cable being hard-wired, so it was easy to replace.Secondly, the cable always ends up hanging somewhere inconvenient and that gets in the way, like across my lap or across my guitar. So every time I use these I either have to just get used to that frustration, or spend extra time trying to drape the cable around my back or something so it's not in the way.Hopefully these issues will be fixed when the company releases their updated version.

Ok, well this is so positive of a review that I guess I’ll preface with the fact that no one has paid me to say a thing here and I do not know the company at all. Hopefully you find it a detailed review, but short of it is I have nothing but good to say about these.Tested them out using several sources: an iPhone 6s, Little Dot MKIII headphone amp, Macbook & iTunes, and old 2005-ish iPod Classic.Build Quality: I’m no expert headphone reviewer, but these seem like high quality materials and do not seem like they will break with heavy usage. The wood is very appealing, by the way, much more so in person than in pictures. I was surprised by that. The ear pads are very comfortable and isolate a ton of outside noise. I am typing this review and cannot hear the keyboard at all with low level music on. No music on? I can hear typing, but with just low level music it goes away completely along with any other outside noises. A nice addition that I didn’t have high expectations for with passive isolation. And the ear pads do not make your ears hot or sore. I’ve had these on over three hours now.The braided cord is very sturdy, seems tough. I do not see this deteriorating any time. I find it just the right length for portability too.Ok, let’s see if I can be critical about something. Always room for improvement, right? Well, the microphone has a play/pause button for phones/iPod, but it would be nice if it had volume control too.Sound: Full disclosure about me – I have never owned a pair of headphones that have cost more than these. For what it’s worth, I’m very picky about music and have a discerning ear . I’ve played guitar for 20+ years and am kind of a gearhead for tube amps, guitars/pickups, and analog pedals. That may not be your definition of audiophile, but the point is I’m darn picky on sound.The first pair of On2 headphones I bought was a used Amazon Warehouse Deal. The right driver was broken. No fault at all of the company, clearly these were used and not just open box. They were packaged back and sold with a broken driver. I could hear the weak bass/mids on one side and a sound test confirmed it. So, not just my ears! Cool! The 2nd pair I received was perfectly fine. With that out of the way…What can I do to convince you of how awesome these are? I’ll be honest and say that if there is anything worth taking away here it’s that these headphones made EVERYTHING I own for music, FLAC, Vinyl, CD, MP3, even YouTube audio and web streaming sound fantastic.What did I test out? A lot. Some of it was Pink Floyd, Oscar Peterson, Miles Davis, Genesis, Queen, Phish, Grateful Dead, Nine Inch Nails, Allman Bros., Metric, Neil Young, Muse, Dire Straits, G n R, Black Crowes, Alice in Chains, Silversun Pickups, Queens of the Stone Age, Prince, MJ, and on and on. You’ll notice classical missing here but I did listen to some classical and it was fantastic sounding; everything from quiet almost silent passages to big crescendos. Even EDM/techno and Pop sounded cool, which I do not really go listen to much. Example of a song that never did much for me: Daft Punk’s Get Lucky sounds so fun on these and prior to owning these headphones I would never sit through that whole song with all my attention given to it. I’d only passively listen if I heard it on somewhere. Anyway, my point is that any sounds coming through these just in general were mesmerizing. And that was just using YouTube on an iPhone 6s. Through my tube amp Little Dot MKIII, even better.Here’s the thing with these, the frequency range is really, really good. I have had other headphones where I’ve said something kind of common when upgrading to new/better headphones. “I’m hearing things I’ve never heard before in songs I’ve heard a million time!” Well, that has happened a little with these headphones, but I’ve had good enough headphones for a while now that have done that for me already. With these it is specifically the clarity across all frequencies, high and low. It is much clearer than anything else I’ve owned and it has made me completely immersed and lost in the music, both new and old! It’s the way these handle the highs and lows. So clear and so entertaining/musical.Even my live soundboard Grateful Dead music through an iPod sounds amazing. Did not at all have expectations for this type of live recording to sound great. Phil’s bass is so smooth and deep, I can hear every drum hit, Jerry’s sparkling Fender amp highs are not shrill, and Bobby’s rhythm guitar is clear as day (and that says something because it can lack on other headphones because of his style using subtle fills at several volume levels from loud to quiet as a mouse – dynamic range is huge to my ears here).I mentioned a little before, but the passive noise isolation is great. It’s very easy to get lost in the music and really, that’s what we all want, right?I have a flight coming up soon and it’ll be interesting to see how this hold up during a flight. I’ll try to update my review after the flight.All in all, I tested a ton of different tunes and genres. For fun, if I had to pick just one so far, my favorite tune at this point on these headphones is Nine Inch Nails Into the Void from The Fragile. Around a minute in to this song the bass or mid-bass (?) that kicks in is just so satisfying to the ears. The distorted guitars at two minutes in? Clear and awesome. Wait clear distortion? Yes! The distorted guitars sound just like distorted guitars should sound! Not muddy! Clear notes and chords! Everything going on is so clear in this song. And there is a lot going on. At four minutes in there is just an awesome eh, I don’t even know what to call it, edgy/cutting distorted guitar maybe? that feels like it’s right there in front of you. Very, very fun!You will have a hard time taking these headphones off.I’ve never written a review this long, yet I feel like I could continue quite a bit more.edit 6/21/17: Traveled on an airplane (sat at the wing both flights) with these and you definitely will hear the engine hum with these, however with an iPod at about 50% or more, it dwindles the hum out enough to still have a very enjoyable experience. I probably listened at 75% most of the time, which was not too loud on my old iPod. If you need complete outside sound isolation on a plane these are probably not going to satisfy you. At the same time, this is no knock on these because it it was not on my list of needs at all when purchasing them.I will also say that I'm still completely in love with these and cannot get enough of them.

I'll do a better review later but for the meantime they have my five star rating. These are outstanding headphones. Beautifully built and they have the best sound of any headphone or IEM I have or have had.Brief sound description Neutral with some slight warmth added to make them suit both the audiophile and general consumer. Very accurate bass which represents the way the song intended it. If the song or genre needs low bass... that is what is portrayed. These do not over emphasise bass, it's tasteful, balanced and quick. Mids are profoundly detailed but not in the boring analytical way cos they're very musical and an absolute joy to listen to. Treble is just perfect for me. Detailed, good attack and slightly extended without ever getting shrill. the timing and attack is delightful as is the separation of instruments and vocals around the soundstage. You can pick out every sound clearly. I have the HiFiMan He400s (£200) and the Senn HD650 (£320) and for me the ON2 beats them both for detail and microdetail (nuances most cheaper sets don't catch in the mix). They are both open ear full sized headphones as well.I have around 80-90 headphones/earphones. It's my hobby. I have among my collection a wide range from budget (£10) to mid fi (£300), along with dacs/daps and amps. i am a regular on Head Fi and I know what sounds good. The Thinksound ON2 would not be out of place in the £200-300 bracket... I say that without trying to over-hype or exaggerate their sound. They are very very well tuned. You can tell they are made from fellow enthusiasts who have experience and a passion for creating good sound, especially as the ON2 can cover a wide range of genres... I haven't found anything they can't do.Those wanting an on ear headphone to wear on the go should look no further. isolation is great as is build. So comfy and light and the pads are just perfect. I wore them for five hours straight today and there is no build up of heat or sweat around my ear. These sound better than the excellent Senn HD25ii and Meze Classic 99 £230) (which IMO even tho look over ear are actually on ear and smaller than they look. They barely cover my small ears... although the cups are slightly bigger than the ON2).UPDATE : These are still my go to headphones and I'm now in a position to sell a lot of my other sets as I'm still in awe of the sound of the ON2. It's been tuned to perfection for my tastes. Slight update on sound is the bass can be ever so slightly loose AT TIMES depending on the source (important you read that). Like using my valve AMP gives it a deeper thud, but more smooth and less firm as it does with say my Topping NX2 which is very neutral/bright. It's still very tasteful and balanced.I love how the sound changes with different sources... DACS/DAPS/AMPs. It can go from firm, neutral and more detailed and ever so slightly bright with certain AMPs and then you add a valve AMP and the soundstage opens up and the sound becomes very fun, warm and inviting. It allows for either a more audiophile listen to outright fun (consumer sound).i still love the sound of drums with the ON2... I've yet to hear them as accurate with any other set I have or have had... including sets twice as expensive like the Senn HD650. The HiFiMan he400s is the same but with the ON2 you get better timing and attack.I still hear them as being very balanced, but sometimes slightly V shaped... and i mean SLIGHTLY.