This is my first audiophile grade headphone and I truly believe that this is a brilliant introduction to how awesome music can sound!
 
I live is South Africa, a country that is renowned for ripping off it's consumers. With the dwindling value of our Rand, I had resigned myself to asking a friend to bring a pair of headphones back from USA or Europe. Local prices of headphones and any audio equipment are exorbitant. 
 
With a heavy heart and a patient wallet, I waited for word from friend until one day a local site had them on an incredible special for one day. I bought these off of an extremely good site called onedayonly.co.za for a price of R1899 ~ $160. Incredible!
 
Build
When I received them I was absolutely blown away by the look of them. Wood does amazing things to people's perception of quality, but it's a bit of a pity that I can't say the same for the plastics used. I know that these are made of recycled material. Regardless, everyone I showed them too were blown away by the look, and said that they'd never seen headphones made of wood like this! It would have been nice if these had come with a hard case as the provided hemp bad doesn't give me confidence in transporting such beautiful headphones. Minor gripe, but one worth mentioning.
 
Comfort
The padding on the earphones are more than adequate, with lush memory foam and synthetic leather that I can pass off as real leather the only issue that I have with them is that the headband padding, while looking more than sufficient, seems to separate at the ridge that runs down the middle of my skull. What I mean is that the quality of the foam seems to be lacking, and as a result it gives way to the weight of the headphones and compresses to the point where I can feel the metal band in the headband. I have a little bit of bruising in the week that I have been wearing them, but I've decided to take a teaspoon of cement and toughen the hell up because I can hardly take them off! This leads me to the sound ...
 
Sound
Ladies and gentlemen, load your weapons, because what I'm about to say will surely anger you ... I am using my 8 year old Logitech X-530 headphone jack as my source. Straight onboard produces too much emf noise. As I said, I'm just starting out in the world of audiophile music and haven't been able to get a decent source. With the price of just a Audioquest Dragonfly 1.2 going for what equates to over $350 here, I've shifted my goal to the $150 Meridian Explorer that I'm hoping my girlfriend's uncle can bring back on his next business trip (If any of you are headed to SA and would like to do me a solid, send a PM ).
 
On to the sound: Absolutely brilliant! Despite my cringe worthy set up, I have been floored by the quality and separation of the music. Everyone that I play this for literally have their jaws on the floor. Now despite my avatar name of biggysmalls (neighborhood nickname growing up) I listen mostly to folk, rock and acoustic. With Foobar2000 installed I've been listening to FLAC albums of Queens of the Stone Age, Milky Chance, Sam Smith (who sound amazing with these), Noah and the Whale, Beck, Queen and Taylor Swift. A SA band, Al Bairre, who releases all their music in high quality recordings have also been high up on the list. All of them sound as what I imagine they were meant to sound. These are extremely versatile headphones that will adapt to whatever you decide to throw at them. From the bass to the treble, the movement is very fluid and nothing seems really accentuated. I'm not a bass guy so I'm very happy that the bass, while slightly accentuated, is not overblown.
 
Conclusion
I'm not going to throw fancy words around because I honestly would probably make a fool of myself amongst such professionals that frequent this site, however I can say that I've gone from someone who almost never listened to music through headphones to being the permanently glued to them. One minor issue I have is that there is very slight sibilance. Very minor, but I'm hoping to kick these babies into the next level when I eventually get the Meridian Explorer in the coming months! Update to follow!

---

---

Me: I am a 21 year old student living in a small town in India. I would like to call myself a music enthusiast, rather than an audiophile. I was inspired by music since childhood, and as the time passed, the passion of music grew in me, and that subsequently led me to join Head-Fi. Eventually, I found the pleasure of listening to music mainly by the HD600 and recently, by the seductive LCD2 headphones, and realized the true components of recorded music. I usually like to listen to Indian Classical Music along with Bollywood songs. My main listening genres include classical, vocal, instrumental, jazz and sometimes pop.

---

 
Intro:  Thinksound is a new US brand specializing in the area of headphones and IEM’s. They are based in Somersworth, NH. Their products are all designed & developed in the U.S, but made in China by high standards. ON1 is the On-ear Closed-back headphone offering from Thinksound.
 

 
Thinksound has a specific vision in making their products: The products should last long and must be made up for eco-friendly materials. Infact, Thinksound is the first brand which has taken up such environment friendly initiatives in audio industry. Currently all of their headphone and IEM lines are closed back, solidly built by wood, fabric & cotton components, and all of them have a very natural and musical listening experience with them. Mr. Aaron Fourniner is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Thinksound.
 

 
Specifications of the On1:
 
Type: Closed back, On ear with Passive Noise Isolation
 
Driver: 40mm dynamic
 
Frequency Response: 5Hz-22 kHz
 
Impedance: 50 ohms
 
Hand crafted wood housing
 
Plug: 3.5mm steel reinforced gold plated
 
Cable: Kevlar® reinforced, tangle-resistant fabric cable
 
Earpads: Memory Foam Pleather

---

 
Let us see what the On1 has got for us,
 
Packaging and Accessories: The On1’s arrive packed inside a strong cardboard box with a removable outer sheet, on which features and other information have been mentioned upon. Once the box is lifted open, The On1 is seen resting. The layer of cardboard can be lifted off to reveal another storage compartment, in which cotton pouch and user manual are present. Packaging is very eco-friendly, which reduces synthesized materials as much as possible. Thinksound has done some really innovative and eco-friendly packaging out here. Even the small velcro is made up of natural cotton material.
 

 

 

 
List of accessories in the box, which include the following: 
 

 
Fabric Cables:  One short 1.25M four pole 3.5mm audio cable with mic and volume controls, and another regular 2.0M cable.
 
Cotton Headphone Pouch: This pouch has a eco-friendly finish to it, and functions as a storage pouch for the On1.
 
User Manual: Contains instructions to operate the On1 and other warranty information.

---

 
Design and Build: The On1 has a very good overall build quality, except a few areas where the plastic arms are not finished well and give out a finnicky look.
 

 
The entire housing shell is made up of high quality Wood, and is well polished and coated. cans are pretty small, and appear to be large in pictures. These are light in weight. Thinksound logo is printed on the rear side of the housing shell. Left and Right markings are particularly easy to see, and are clearly indicated. Headband is made up of natural sewn cloth. Earpads have pleather material as cushions.
 

 
The On1’s are already nimble, easy to handle, wear on and power requirement is low. Along with all these, these are fold-able, and are easy to carry around. On1 has a common 3.5mm cable socket, hence the cable is of very common type, a 3.5mm audio interconnect. This ensures, even if the current cable breaks, a replacement is easy to obtain, any 3.5mm cable audio cable will fit in. One downside I observe here is, wiring for opposite driver is embedded on upper end of headband, and through yokes and into the housings.
 

 

 

 
Cable has a very good build. It is light, flexible and does not get tangled. I could not notice the presence of any microphonics. Plug is straight and gold plated. Both ends of cable have same connectors, thus the cable can be used either way: topside down or vice versa. The stock cable does a great job in transferring signals along with great transparency, but the stock cable provides a slightly  ‘thin’ sound delivery, and this can be changed for any optional upgrade 3.5mm cable, which are are very easy to obtain under 15$.
 

 

---

 
Comfort:  ON1’s are very comfortable to wear in general, and its yoke is long enough and hence comfortable for almost any-sized heads. On1 is ergonomically designed. But since the earpads are madeup of pleather, ventilation will be less, thereby causing sweating; especially in tropical climate. But it can be continuously worn over an hour without any discomfort issues.
 

 
Since On1’s are closed back headphones, these will isolate the listener from outside noise. This level of isolation is very good for a traveller. Going by weight factor, these feel really light and very easy on head. Clamping force is relaxed and not at all imposing and pressing against ears. Headband has a good cushioning, but it can dirty quickly due to its fabric nature. Also, the On1’s housings have high degree of rotation, ensuring a good comfort for any given heads and ears.
 

---

 
Sound: As for the most important part, the On1 has a very neutral, clear & airy sonic character. It is very transparent and detailed. We have to keep in mind that, with on-ear headphones, sonic presentation may feel different with different fit. Therefore fit/angle is the deciding factor for sound being perceived by ears.
 
Burn in: These improve a lot with time. Let’s say a playback of 20 hours provides major audible improvements, along with softening of pleather earpads and better clamping force. Bass prior to break-in is slightly looser, and eventually it becomes more accurate, Mids will sound more open, airy and natural. Highs become slightly smoother; soundstage opens up by a margin.
 
Lows: are accurate, tight and refined; have a strong impact. Depth is very good.
 
Mids: sound very neutral, airy and clear.
 
Highs:  Detailed treble with slight grains and sparks. Unforgiving on bright recordings
 
Soundstage: Unlike majority of portable cans, the On1’s soundstage is more airy natural and circular soundstage. Depth is excellent. Instrument separation is very good.
 
On1 portrays music in such a way that, one feels as if the music is all around him (excellent soundstage for a portable closed can). According to my observation, these cans sounded good in all genres I tried, and hence I also observed these are unforgiving to poor recordings. Hence these are appreciably transparent in character. The On1 sounds almost like open headphone, very airy, a vast 3D like soundstage.
 
Instruments placement & positioning is great.  I wouldn’t call On1 a natural sounding, but as neutral, detailed, transparent. Its resolving power is very good and worth mentioning.
Low volume listening is pretty impressive. One can hear On1 in very low volumes, yet it retains all the details & elements present in a track.
Comfort and fit plays a vital role in sound being perceived to our ears. Especially in case of On1 where the earpads are very compact, if they fit in a wrong way, they will leak sound leading to missing details.

---

 
Amplification: The On1’s are rated at 50 ohms, and designed to be power efficient, and hence are fairly easy to drive, and can be driven by almost any sources, smartphones and DAP’s. Although setup like an O2/ODAC does indeed increases accuracy, soundstage and dynamics, and the difference in quality is clearly audible. Power is not very important aspect here, but a transparent setup indeed does help in increasing SQ;

---

 
Conclusion:  I feel the On1’s are a very special and unique set of cans. Build quality is phenomenal, sonic presentation is very pleasing, with fairly good soundstage. I really like to listen to these cans. I have nothing but praises for the On1. The On1 is also a very responsible headphone when it comes to environment; it is designed as eco friendly headphone with recycled packaging box, cotton pouch.
 
On1 also minimizes the use of artificially used materials like plastic. The idea implemented is very again very inspiring & may lead to major manufactures to make a similar move. Overall and satisfactory and excellent purchase for an On ear headphone. The On1 is available at amazon for 200$ and performs excellent when related to its price, and is worth every single penny spent. 
 
Pros: 
 
1) Build Quality: The On1 has a good wood/metal/plastic build, and is more environment conscious than majority of its counterparts.
 
2) Sound quality: Sound presentation here is very neutral, detailed, & airy, it is very much like-able and fatigue free for music listening.
 
3) Power Requirement: On1’s can run off on smartphones without issues, and still sounding very good. Amplification or source requirement is comparatively less. One can satisfy the hunger of ON1’s’s with just a cmoy amp.
 
4) Eco-Friendly: As per my memory, Thinksound is the first brand which has been manufacturing headphones while keeping environment safety in mind. It is not very easy to do the same in current industrial situation which focuses mainly on Plastic/Fibre.
 
Cons:
 
Rough Surface: The plastic finishing in the outer body of headphones is not well done, and gives rough edges and finicky feel. I hope Thinksound will improve the On1 in this regard.
 

---

---

---

These headphones sound very precise and balanced. You will hear your music as it was recorded, mixed, and mastered which is the approach I prefer to trying to find headphones that try to EQ things for you. I listen mostly to metal, jazz, synthpop, and instrumental music and the On1s have impressed me in everything I've tried. They can get very loud when powered from a PC and sound great straight from my Nexus 5. The wood used to make the cups is very beautiful and pleasant to the touch. They change color slightly depending on viewing angle and lighting which is cool; much more classy than red and white plastic. The headband is comfortable and quite durable; you can find a youtube video of it being stretched and twisted to no ill effect. The included cables are also pretty. The one with the inline pause/play and microphone works well for phone calls/skype when used with a smartphone. They also did a decent job of muffling noise while I listened to podcasts on a flight recently. Strictly passive noise cancelling obviously, which may vary in effectiveness depending on the size and shape of your ears.

Some things to note: they are quite comfortable but can cause some irritation if you wear glasses with them for long periods of time. I've found that moving my glasses up a bit sidesteps that issue. This issue is inherent to on-ear headphones, so nothing against this model in particular. While the braided cables are pretty they can cause some noise when rubbed against other fabric surfaces, such as my shirt collar when I'm sitting at my desk at work. This can be avoided by using a different non-braided cable or by not wearing shirts with collars I suppose.

Ultimately I think these headphones are worth the money as they sound, look, and feel great. Those who appreciate quality, unbiased sound across wide varieties of music and portability will find their money well spent on the On1s.

This is an UPDATE of my original review.  Listening further, experimenting,
taking suggestions from the comments.
 
My original rating was 3.5, because these headphones do - as noted - display
clearly audible sibilance wherever it can possibly occur.  
 
Some comments suggested using aftermarket cables, and I did so.
The sibilance disappeared.
 
Most recently, I've been using these with a plain cable offered by V-Moda.
Straight, light, and reasonably priced.  (I tried 5 different cables in all.)
 
While IMO thinksound has to bear responsibility for bundling a cable
with these headphones that degrades their quality, the fact is that
aftermarket cables are widely available - and thinksound did "think"
to use a standard 3.5mm input, allowing the use of many different
cables.
 
And, with the V-Moda cable (and others mentioned in the comments
below), these headphones sound superb, easily holding their own
sonically with any of the competition.  Rich, warm sound, highly
detailed, great dynamics, and a superior soundstage.  
 
They're also very comfortable - one of the more comfortable
on-ear designs I've worn.  
 
They have a solid feel, and the wood earcups look terrific.
 
At $260.00 or so there's plenty of competition - e.g. the Beyer T51p,
the NAD HP50, the KEF 500.  But the onOne's compete very well
indeed.  I recommend listening to them if at all possible (with an
aftermarket cable at the ready).
 
And withal, I'm raising my original 3.5 rating to 4.5.
 
Comments, jeers, cheers, all welcome.
 
 
ORIGINAL review follows:
 
 
 
It will be a short review.
 
Sibilance.
 
I was excited to find these headphones, since I had use for a closed on-ear set of reasonably high quality.
I had the Senn Amperiors, but IMO their bass was too much.
I'd had the Senn HD25 1 II, but the clamping pressure was too tight for me - also, soundstage was small.
Looked at the new aluminium Senn HD25, but they didn't seem to be 'wowing' anyone at $329.
KEF 500 looked OK, but I noticed the pads are flat - and flat pads generally bother my ears (physically).
B&W P5, P7 - thought I was paying too much for bling type materials e.g. leather (plus the name).
(I happen to be a fan of B&W speakers, own them, (2 pairs).
 
Then I saw these Thinksound headphones, which I remembered vaguely from a review.
 
Bought them (brand new).
 
Initially, out of the box, I was delighted.
They did pretty much everything well.
Sounded bigger than most closed headphones,
beautiful and very nicely made,
a rich sonorous sound through and through.
Punchy dynamic bass (perhaps even slightly too much for some listeners),
smooth, coherent; soft yet detailed treble.
 
The cord was microphonic but with all I'd looked at, it seemed nitpicking.
I figured I'd probably just get another cord.
 
And then > 
 
Sibilance!  On one of my top test albums, one Id listened to hundreds (thousands) of times
Female, mezzo, "s"
 
Then I heard it again, this time on a "t"
 
Not happy about that.
 
Listened to a couple more albums that I use for testing and know very well,
...sibilance on every one.
And not a small, "I can live with that" sibilance,
but a strong, "Here I am" sibilance.
 
After burning in the headphones for about 10 hours,
I listened to them again for a few days off and on
using a different playback system.  
Specfically, a DX50 > O2 (FLAC files only).
 
It was a bit frustrating because the headphones continued
to sound great but for that blasted sibilance.
 
Reluctantly, I've packed them up and
will return them to the seller on Monday.