[size=medium]Pros: Detachable cable, comfort is above average, lightweight, clean sound, good frequency extension, great imaging, good isolation.
Cons: Positioning on head makes a big difference to the sound, microphonics, internal noises amplified (think of eating while wearing IEMs).
Preferred Genres: Classic rock, jazz, post-rock
Amp: Not necessary but the low-end lacks a bit without one
Listening Set-up: Musicbee (WASAPI) -> O2 -> ODAC[/size]

[size=medium]Packaging[/size]

[size=medium]There’s not much to say about the packaging as of now. The HP1 come in a white cardboard box with a page sized sticker on the front that is simply white and black with a picture of the headphones and some information with similar on both sides of the box, one side features the other specs. Kam of KAM says that this is the first production batch and that the future packaging will be more attractive.

Inside the box the HP1 are packaged with a 1/4’’ stereo adaptor, detachable cable and a set of dampening pads. The dampening pads are designed to reduce the frequency response by ~2dB above the 8k region. [/size]

[size=medium]Build Quality and Design[/size]

 
 

[size=medium]The KAM HP1 are built of lightweight plastic with a design AKG users will find similar and a feel that an owner of the Samson SR850 will be at home with. The HP1 are made from cheap materials, but that shouldn’t be a concern for durability since their primary use should be at home. The cups are closed with HP1 stamped on the right side and the entry for the mini XLR cable on the left ear. The headband is of a fake leather, I presume, and is auto adjusting like the Samson SR850, in-fact the fit and feel is very similar to them. The ear pads are made of fake leather as well and while they aren’t the most comfortable headphones I’ve ever worn they do sit light on the head with comfort good enough to wear for hours. The ear pads form a good enough seal, even brand new, to provide good isolation. In-fact the isolation on these is as good as many IEMs I’ve used and they don’t leak much noise at all. The problem with the isolation though is that microponics are heard and internal noises, such as, breathing or chewing, are amplified which is new to me for an over ear headphone.[/size]

[size=medium]Sound Quality[/size]

[size=medium]I’ve given the KAM HP-1 roughly 100 hours of burn-in time and about 50 hours of listening time. The KAM HP-1 benefit from burn-in greatly in the bass regions. I’ve kept a listening log for my test tracks with notes that can be read here.

TLR
The HP-1 are excellent headphones sonically and I find it hard to find any fault in the sound, especially at the price. The HP-1 are very clean sounding headphones with good extension in the lows and highs with a neutral sound that leans just a touch bright. Detail retrieval is on par with headphones like the Ad900 and while these are revealing of bad recordings the faults aren’t glaring as to make the recordings unlistenable, just enough to expose faults. Instrument separation and imaging are top notch, the best I’ve heard at this price. The only fault I can find with the HP1 is the lack of deep low end presence.

With the damping pads the sound becomes a bit warmer, but loses depth in the soundstage taking away some of the dynamics from the song. I prefer them without the pads.

Lows
When I first received these the bass seemed thin and lacking in punch, after initial burn-in I realized the drivers needed some time to stretch out. The bass is clean with good mid-bass punch and decent extension in the sub-bass regions though there isn’t much weight behind it. For songs that don’t emphasize bass I feel that the HP1 provides a nice punch giving kick drums a nice presence and bass guitars have nice presence in the mix. When listening to songs that demand heavy, deep, bass I felt that the HP1 lacked. The HP1 make even the deepest bass regions audible, but there’s no rumble. That’s to be expected though, the HP1 aren’t basshead headphones and those who are bassheads won’t likely consider these anyway. I can’t really ask for much more, the bass is quick, is clear, and extends nicely.

Mids
The mids are clean, full, slightly forward, and in the upper regions they tend to lean a bit bright. The mids are well done here, they certainly excel with vocal oriented music as I found vocals were pushed to the front more often than not. Guitars come off slightly forward with great clarity, certainly suiting the rock genre nicely as does the various stringed and woodwind instruments I experienced. There are little signs of added sibilance, though the HP1 heighten the sibilance in poorly mastered recordings. In recordings with good mastering the HP1 add no extra sibilance. The mids are done well, the vocals are a tad pushy, but these are clean and balanced nicely.

Highs
The highs extend nicely with only slight grain and a touch of brightness with no fatigue. Trumpets, saxophones and high pitched guitar notes are crisp with a great presence to them, but I never found them fatiguing except in the case of poor recordings with a bright sound to them already. These are fantastic highs and suit brass instruments very nicely.

Soundstage
This is where I am most impressed. The sound of the HP1 are similar to my other favorite closed headphone the Brainwavz HM5. They are wide with a feeling of being open, despite isolating well. The HP1 go a step further though with it’s excellent imaging. At times I felt as if I were transported to the middle of an intimate concert with the music coming from all directions. The width and depth are only above average, but the instrument separation and imaging are fantastic. The sound is presented slightly forward, in an intimate matter, with no congestion period. The soundstage is great here.[/size]

[size=medium]Conclusion[/size]

[size=medium]The closest competitor to the HP1 would be the Brainwavz HM5/NVX XPT100. The HM5/XPT100 excel in the build quality, comfort and bass response, but the HP1 surpasses them when it comes to clarity and overall audio quality, especially in the imaging department. The HP1 are very capable headphones and my only faults with the HP1 are superficial. The HP1 are the best sounding closed headphone I’ve heard under $150 with the HM5, XPT100, Audio Technica M50, Shure SRH840, and Koss Pro DJ100 for comparison. The HP1 should be on everyone’s wishlist who wants a slightly bright neutral closed headphone with excellent imaging, a logical upgrade from the Sony MDR-V6 in my opinion.[/size]
 
[size=medium]Come see more pictures here.[/size]

Seems like KAMinstruments.com is down and HP1 might as well be not available anymore. I wonder what specs the drivers do have. They might have been be some OEM from ISK, for example HP-980, but with HP680 cups. I am very curious about that. If that gets sorted out we might gain a solid Hifi headphone at below $100 mark. Now that would be something, wouldn't it?

rhalf said:

  Seems like KAMinstruments.com is down and HP1 might as well be not available anymore. I wonder what specs the drivers do have. They might have been be some OEM from ISK, for example HP-980, but with HP680 cups. I am very curious about that. If that gets sorted out we might gain a solid Hifi headphone at below $100 mark. Now that would be something, wouldn't it?

Click to expand...

 
the site now have lots of info on those cans!
 
http://kaminstruments.com/Headphones_%26_monitors.htm
 
and lots of pics of the driver! i respect that. i was on the fence over a bunch of models (was almost going for the audio technica a900x) but that page made me go for the sketch seller on amazon that have (possible only one) of those

alright! the amazon seller without any reviews delivered on the second try.
 
the sound is very good. the parts are very generic (i was looking for the mini-xlr connector to make a shorter cable and found the exact same male plug they used on dealextreme.com
 
overall it is very comfortable and neutral, which was my goal. but i don't think the price was justifiable. I think a $50~60 can would have done the same job. but it was nice to kill the curiosity. your review was spot on. can't disagree with anything now that i've been using it for a little while.

Received my HP 1 this tuesday. Was I expecting more than another good sounding headphone in my collection? To be honest. I wasn`t expectng nothing! Much has been written about this headphone so I boughtit from sheer curiosity. Stupid? Maybe. Out of the box it looks a sibling to the Superlux H 668(for example). Plastic, lightweight looking. Hm, is it worth the money I spend on it? After 3 days of listening, I can say yes! The bassheads will turn it down, the extreme audiophiles will also turn their thumbs down. For the rest of you, give this headphones a chance. It`s a pleasure to listen to your favorite music hour after hour without your ears bleeding or headaches. Just put them on and you`ll forget that you are wearing headphones. I`ve been listening to nearly all kinds of music, from Jazz-Rock over to Blues and then  Heavy Metal and the soundquality of the HP 1 still remained awesome. Good soundstage, clear to hear bass, mids and highs are perfectly balanced. So what more can one expect? Love this cans. The asking price may be to high. I got mine for 81 $,(76,30 EUR) and the regular price at Ebay is 107 $(100,80 EUR). 75$(70,60 EUR) would be a fair deal!

i doubt you like it in 3 days.

for the first week i considered throwing it in the garbage

it was somewhat muffled. after some break in it was the expected flat.

i still don't use it much for music. i paid over 100$ and any now-made-in-china-audiotecnica for 50$ is much better (since no music is masterized for flat cans). Much better.

i use the hp1 only for two things. tv at night during insomnia. and technical/scientific recordings. hate it for music overall.

@gcbo
What one likes is turned down by others. It´s the usual game . From your point of view you may be right. As I pointed out the requested price is way to high. Superlux headphones are sold for `bout 25-50 EUR here in Germany, China made as nearly all cans these days. I didn`t write that the HP 1 is in full blossom after three days, but it`s getting better from one listening session to another. On the other side, I had 3 Sennheiser over the years all around 150 EUR and I sold them. Because I didn`t like them and none of the three gave me the listening pleasure I have with the HP 1. Yeah I know beat on the brat .