INTRODUCTION

    Every once in a while i happen to be on the receiving end of a product so good that it surpasses every other similar one I’ve used till that exact moment and by every once in a while i mean every at least 2 or 3 years. Of course that is to be expected from this industry since technological advancements occur regularly but still it's quite remarkable how a top of the line ultra-high end device can drop to mid-end in such a short period of time. For example roughly 6 years ago i got my hands on a pair of professional headphones by Ultrasone which simply put laid waste on everything else i had used previously and it wasn't until 2 years ago that i received the TMA-1 DJ Fools Gold edition from AIAIAI which actually sounded even better and have found a permanent home on my desk drawer ever since. Well today here i have what could be its replacement (my initial opinion based solely on its specs sheet) and more specifically the brand new On1 Monitor Series Headphones by thinksound.

    thinksound™ was founded by Aaron Fournier and Mike Tunney, who met while working at Tivoli Audio over a decade ago. After spending their formative years working alongside industry legends Cary Christie (Infinity/Artison) and Tom DeVesto (Tivoli Audio/Cambridge Soundworks); they decided the time was right to strike out on their own. With the belief that products should be designed and manufactured responsibly, without sacrificing quality or price, thinksound was launched. We started thinksound™ to make headphones that we would want to listen to; and we’re not easily satisfied. They not only had to sound amazing; they had to look good, feel comfortable in your ears and be designed and manufactured responsibly too. We gave ourselves quite the challenge. Back when we set out to do this; it was unheard of in the audio industry. Over the years, other companies have taken notice. They’ve copied the design, the packaging, the accessories, and even have taken text directly from our website and catalog. While these companies and their headphones may try to look similar; it’s only skin deep. The sound, what matters most, just doesn’t compare. Don’t take our word for it either; read the reviews on our site. We’re a small company. We work hard to make extraordinary products and offer them at affordable prices and we back all of this with unmatched customer service. We’re not happy accepting “good enough” and honestly you shouldn’t be either. Thank you for supporting thinksound.

    Just like all the previous products I’ve gotten my hands on by our friends over at thinksound the On1 Monitor Series headphones offer unprecedented HD audio immersion and judging by the specs sheet i really look forward to that. So this time over thinksound has placed two 40mm full-range dynamic drivers featuring a somewhat remarkable frequency response of 5Hz-22KHz with 50 Ohm impedance inside two earcups made out of high-quality hand-crafted natural wood. On the other hand the headband of the On1 may not be just as impressive but still it's made out of durable yet quite flexible metal. An in-line microphone is also present with one of the two available Kevlar-reinforced tangle-resistant fabric cables and that's perhaps the only thing about the On1 Monitor Series that I’m really skeptical about (although i personally wouldn't use an audiophile-grade headphone set to make/answer calls on my smartphone). So specs-sheet aside the time has come for us to see what thinksound has to offer now with their On1 Monitor Series Headphones.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

We received the On1 Monitor Series inside a white box made out of recycled materials. At the front there's a product picture, the company logo and an award by Digital Trends.

Thinksound has placed their logo on both sides of the box.

A few words about the product are placed at the rear along with the specifications list, contact information for thinksound and a picture of one side of the headphones.

Once you remove the cover you will see the main box which is indeed made out of recyclable paper just like the carrying pouch.

Inside the box you will find the On1 Monitor Series Headphones, cloth carrying pouch (we left it out to close in more on the rest of the bundle), warranty and care information paper and two detachable Kevlar-reinforced tangle-resistant fabric cables with 3.5mm gold plated plugs on both ends.

THE ON1 MONITOR SERIES HEADPHONES

The On1 Monitor Series headphones are not only very compact but they just weight 177g.

To showcase just how small the On1 Monitor Series Headphones are we placed them right next to my favorite REVO wireless.

Thinksound has carved their logo on the wood of each earcup.

The 3.5mm audio in port is placed at the base of the right earcup.

Much like most headphones in the market the earpads are filled with memory foam to improve comfort.

Of course the earpads are removable in case you want to clean, replace them or access the drivers beneath them.

Thanks to the specially designed hinges the earcups can rotate 90 degrees, fold and tilt for easier storage and increased comfort.

Left and right markings are placed on the exterior of both sides right above the thinksound logo and on the interior (red for right and black for left).

In order to reduce size and weight thinksound has placed a very think headpad covered with cloth (still because of its extremely low weight we didn't find this to be an issue).

The headband increases a total of 31mm on each side via 12 increments 6 of which are visible from the interior.

As expected the company name is placed (stitched) on the exterior of the headband.

The Kevlar-reinforced tangle-resistant fabric cables come fitted with gold plated 3.5mm plugs and i have to say that they look and feel very durable.

CONCLUSION

   When i first heard of Thinksound roughly 5 years ago i didn't really know what to expect since back then all the headphones i owned and/or reviewed were manufactured by one of the very well-known (to me anyways) and established brands like SONY, Onkyo, Panasonic, Ultrasone and Philips. In the end thinksound made me see things differently and so largely because of them i started looking at products for what they could offer and not for who manufactured them. Moving to the On1 Monitor Series Headphones i really think that thinksound has outdone themselves not only because they managed to squeeze two 40mm drivers capable of producing accurate, crisp and incredibly detailed mids and highs but also because they do very well in terms of bass. Of course I’ve tested headphones in the past that offered better bass in terms of volume but the thing with the On1 is that they produce soft and warm bass something that should go a long way with audiophiles. The low weight of just 177g paired with the memory foam earpads and the small frame that doesn't squeeze your head with force allow the end user to use the On1 for very long periods of time without the slightest issue while the rotate/fold/tilt feature came in handy in more than just a single occasion. Build quality is also superb although appearance-wise the cloth used to cover the headband is not on par with that of the rest of the product. That however is just a minor detail since with headphones we primarily check 3 things, audio quality, build quality and comfort and the On1 Monitor Series Headphones excel in all three. Noise isolation is also excellent and we were all susprised to see that by touching one earpad to the other was enough to "mute" whatever was playing even at maximum volume! As for the in-line microphone i have to say i only used it once just out of curiosity and i can't say that i was disappointed since on the other end they received my call crystal clear although like i said in the introduction page i wouldn't use such a headphone set to make/answer calls.

   Although you can find the On1 Monitor Series Headset online for a price tag of USD252.46 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and 302Euros inside the EU (Amazon.co.uk) i think that your safest bet is to order them directly from thinksound since they currently have them for sale at USD249 including free shipping for USA customers. With that out of the way i really don't think that you can possibly find a headphone set under USD400 that can perform better than the On1 Monitor Series by thinksound and that's not something i can say for any of the other headphones I’ve used in the past (although i can't claim to have used every single one out there). Of course i do think that thinksound is capable for even more if they decide to make something not so "portable" but at least for now the On1 delivers on everything they promise and since it's now our number one favorite headphone set it gets our Platinum Award.

PROS

- Impressive Build Quality (Metal/Wood/Recycled Materials)
- Accurate & Extremely Detailed Mids/Highs
- Good & Warm Bass
- Design
- Size/Weight
- Turn/Fold/Tilt Capable Earcups
- Noise Isolation
- Removable Kevlar-reinforced tangle-resistant fabric cables
- Gold Plated Connectors

CONS

- Price (For Some)