Are the frames and cups sourced from Esmooth?

they are on sale now - http://esslabsusa.com/headphones/

@CJG888: Judging from some of the pictures, I'd say yes. Will see if I can get confirmation somewhere.

@presata: Nice find! Wasn't aware they came in black, too.
@nick n: Grant Fidelity is also doing the introductory $249 deal...

A really great review. Nicely organized and full of information. Not to mention those pretty pictures!
I find these headphones to be extremely weird as a whole. They're like Audio Technica woodies with wings..except they're on-ear and have multiple drivers.
So Heil AMT Driver is just a fancy term for Ribbon Tweeter, right? Awesome, I've been waiting for a ribbon headphone! It's too bad it has to be on-ear, though...I just can't stand on-ear cans.
Oh, and one last thought. Do these play loudly without any distortion? I've heard that Heil AMT drivers have trouble with high SPLs.

@CaveManta: Thanks for the feedback, Stephen. Glad you found the review enjoyable . My understanding is that AMT = Ribbon, but I'm not really up on the technology. I'm with you on the on-ear thing, but it is what it is, and the sound is what's important in my opinion. Unfortunately can't comment on the distortion question as I just packed these up to send to a friend to try out. While reviewing these I did listen at good volume and don't recall hearing any distortion... I do tend to listen louder than the average bear, so would imagine you'd be getting into ear-piercing territory before you'd notice any high SPL issues. Can test this when the phones come back (or ask @nmatheis to comment when he has them).

Thanks for the input, @nick n. Agreed on sound being most important, but the technical side is nice to know.I appreciate the fact that I get to learn something from the comments. Cheers!

.

..

Thanks @nick n. Good points again. Was the bit you edited out about the GF link? You got me in a panic (the pre-edit came through in my email), but looks like the link is working.

Nice review!
Airdrie? That is an odd place for a distro-centre.

@Bansaku: Fair point. Land prices are cheap, good access to Calgary and the airport... makes a lot of sense. Actually, GF had a brick-and-mortar store there, and branched into online later. 

This is really cool! My first speakers in high school where a pair ESS PS-8's. I loved them! They were not small. Sound was very detailed. Fast forward to today and now I have MartinLogan bookshelves, also with the famous, but upgraded AMT driver. Love it. Many others brands use derivatives of the AMT. Sad news is that while Dr. Heil invented it, he didn't make much money from his invention. The only other headphones I know of taht use an AMT are the oBravo HAMT and HRIB series headphones. I believe they sell for ~$2000. I heard the HAMT-1's at RMAF 2014 and they sounds great, but needed tuning. An AMT for under $500? Cool!

so are these the same headphones as http://www.mezeheadphones.com/meze88classics.php ? wish I had a bit more time to listen to these at the meet. 

Hmmm, also http://www.woodheadphones.com/product/es-880eb-ebony-wood-around-ear-headphones . Perhaps they use the same shell, wherever it is manufactured. If its the same headphone, I'd be a bit skeptical of all the "revolutionary, and unique, technology that remains unsurpassed and is state-of-the art".. actually I'd be skeptical of that claim in any event. 

While they look the same on the outside (probably the same OEM), I'm guessing the internals are probably different. Don't have any experience with the Meze...

Am I missing something? The ESS site doesn't say anything about the headphones using an AMT hybrid speaker. It just says a 50mm speaker. http://esslabsusa.com/headphones/

Some of the info for my review (particularly on the AMT inclusion) came from this link, reporting on the CES event in January: http://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/ces-highlights-from-venetian-floor-30-and-lvcc-south-hall-headphones-and-related-electronics/?page=5

@Jeff Y, @nick n, @CJG888, @presata, @CaveManta, @Allanmarcus, and @Malfunkt: I've edited the review to include the following:
 
"Edited June 29th, 2015: When I initially wrote this review, I was under the impression - based on the few reviews I had been able to find on the RLM-713 - that this was a hybrid headphone with an AMT driver. After receiving a number of questions in the review comments and on the RLM-713 discussion thread, I contacted Rick, the head designer at ESS, directly to find out more about the driver technology. Based on my discussions with him, this is what I discovered:
The RLM-713 is a dynamic driver headphone. It does not contain a Heil AMT driver, but has been designed and tuned to mimic the ESS sound. Rick began working on these headphones 3 years ago, and it took him 2 years to get the sound the way he wanted.The casing and headband looks the same as some other woodie headphones currently available online (ESmooth and Meze), but the inside of the wooden chamber and the drivers are different. The wooden case is designed to be like a ported wooden box, with larger than normal chamber. The drivers were designed in the USA by ESS, and the headphones were built overseas. Earpads have a specially formulated, high density foam for natural noise cancelling and more impactful bass.Rick has asked the sites that claim the RLM-713 to be a hybrid headphone to change their stories, but this has not yet occurred. He is currently working on a Heil AMT headphone that will contain ONLY an Air Motion Transformer. He is hoping to have prototypes ready late in the summer, and planning a release for fall (October/November). 
On learning that my original description of this headphone was incorrect, I briefly considered deleting this review entirely; however, the remaining product details and my sound impressions remain unchanged and valid, so I've decided to keep the review up, with this edited information included. I can only apologize for any misinformation given."

Thanks for clarifying Hakushondaimao!