Introduction
These headphones were provided to me in return for a full and frank review - for good or for bad. I share no affiliation with SCV and am not trying to advertise this product. You will see it around various Audio Shows and will get the chance to try it out for yourself. If you buy one and you think it's rubbish. Fine. Tell me/ us on here. the more opinions the better. But take it as you will, this is mine.With great thanks to Matt Esau of SCV Distribution and @glassmonkey for introducing us and starting this ball rolling, I have another first - for me anyway. The Even H1 headphones look like your standard wood effect on ear closed back headphones. But look closer. You'll see a 4 button panel halfway down the cable. That is where all the trickery lies. Inside that box is the means to tune these headphones individually to your ears. It's a case of pressing the Even button at the bottom. Then press twice and a lady called Sarah will take you through a calibrating program which will last approximately 90 seconds depending on how old your poor tired ears are. after that, switch on the Even button so it stays Green. You're calibrated and hearing the best these headphones can throw at you. Provided you've done the test correctly. Don't worry it can be redone by pressing the Even button twice.
These headphones were the evolution of the E1 earbud and have been possible through raising $2.55 million from some sort of crowdfunding enterprise. There's a sister company called MeQ audio from China involved in this and they have what looks like plenty of experience in the Audio Industry. Beyond that, this is an entirely new product from an entirely new company I had never previously heard of. Obviously not every new technology out there turns out to be exactly new when you come to investigate further. So that's where I come in....
Build Quality
The finish of these is excellent. Walnut wood housing is an excellent way to start your first full size headphones with. There is a shiny steel look to the connector to the headband which is a little out of sorts to the overall look of the H1s. I would have preferred them colour matched to either the headband or the cups. The cups swivel to a flat position and are easily transportable thanks to the rather attractive carry case supplied.
Otherwise supplied - a USB cable to charge the amp, a cardboard storage case with a cardboard outer and a double sided colour brochure. And that's your lot. I would have expected an instruction manual here, after all this is "ground breaking tech" we are talking about. It's not particularly difficult to look up the Website if you want more information thankfully. Beyond the investigations of a reviewer it really isn't necessary to learn much about this product. All you need to do is press the Even button then again twice in quick succession. After 90 seconds you'll probably not think about what's happening again.
One more thing about the build quality, and this could represent an unexpected bonus. All the technology comes from a cable that is entirely detachable from the headphones. Are you thinking what I'm thinking? If you have a set of full size headphones with the right connections, what's to stop you from putting this cable straight into them? So have a look around because if you have a headphone that takes 2 standard 3.5mm plugs this cable will go right in no problem. It's a shame I haven't got any myself to try for sure but I can't see why there'd be a problem.
The headband unfortunately has a clamping effect after the first 6 hours I had them on. It's not quite enough to need to take them off, but your ears know you've had a workout.
Sound Quality
Introduction
There was naturally an urge to try the sound without the calibration. I'm sure everyone who gets this will have to try what it feels like before their headphone was transformed to their own EarPrint. The sound before was pretty good for a closed phone around the $200 mark. Once I performed the threshold of audible hearing test and I switched on the button I was extremely pleased with the results. In fact, I was more than a little shocked at the clarity these headphones have. Are my ears that bad that they need to be calibrated? I wonder what I am missing out on with my other top headphones.....
Bass
The bass is just a little bloated. It's not overwhelming in the sense of a pair of Beats, it doesn't quite have the refinement of my TH610s and isn't quite as visceral at the Meze 99 Classics. For those who like little extra warmth in their tunes this should do nicely. I found the bass for me listening at home critically in a quiet room was slightly overdone. However, I'd take these out and about quite happily and play them through a Dap or a mobile phone. For such outings I'd be looking for that lower frequency boost to take out some of the rumblings of the City.
Mids
The mids was where I found these headphones revealing some grain to voices and some micro effects I was simply expecting to hear from a set of headphones this price. The mids are how I would have wanted to hear them had I been designing the headphones. I can't make a higher recommendation than that.
Highs
I tell you I'm having a good time with these H1s. I'm getting some width to the sound. There's lots of treble detail here but it doesn't glare and slap me in the face. I think they've got a good balance in the higher end.
Sound Quality Conclusions
At first I thought this was simply a result of the Even H1s not being pushed with the right sort of music. I had been listening to the Classical Spectacular CDs all day.
I suspected that electronic instruments would perhaps be a tougher match. Queue some 80s American Rock. Cold as Ice by Foreigner Bat out of Hell by Meat Loaf and Legs by ZZ Top all confirmed what I thought was happening. Bat out of Hell can sound rough and congested at the best of times. The Evens brought out all the excitement and power of this, the craziest of all the road kill songs. These headphones are ready to go up against the competition. Even electric guitars cranked up to the max couldn't make these phones wobble.
Not cool!!!