OnePlus Icons Earphones (Graphite) In-ear Headphone Stereo Clear Bass Earphone with Microphone Low Cost with Better Quality

Lifted Andreas

Formerly known as geko95gek.
Pros: Full-bodied bass that remains tight, intimate presentation with great details. Very sweet sound, at least with Trance music!
Cons: Large housings and little stress relief on the jack, shallow fit can be a problem for some. No cable clip, straight plug instead of L shaped!
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First Impressions:

Cant say too much atm but the first impressions are pretty good! The sound is really big and detailed. Vocals sound full of body and without any SSS or sibilance. Same with treble it's very nicely extended but not over the top, and with no peaks! Yay!

Bass is plenty but not too boomy, my guess is that it will settle with burn in and get even tighter. So far I'm in love, these Icons produce some amazing synergy and energy with Trance music! :D

---FULL REVIEW--- (UPDATED: 19/02/2016)

At first I was dubious about purchasing IEMs from a smartphone maker, but then again aren't we all. However the looks and the exclusivity of the Icons pushed me over the edge oh and what a wonderful fall I am experiencing off a slightly sheer cliff (considering the price is a mid moist £39.99). I went for the Graphite as I think it looks classier and will retain its value much better since China seems to be having a gold craze at the moment. So glad I did, since the grey ones are currently out of stock on OnePlus UK site all the time and the gold version is always available.

NOTE: Just for the record I've done some tip rolling and my initial advice is to throw the stock tips straight in the bin (they wont do you any favours!). Personally I've settled on the ROCK Zircon large tips since they fit best and sound best to my ears, another good choice are the Red core large bore SpinFits or the Sony Hybrids. However, I must mention that the SpinFits seem to slide out of my ears a lot, so I only tend to use them when I'm stationary. The sound varies slightly between them too, with the Zircon being the largest bore the bass is full on banging and the rest of the presentation is open and airy. With the SpinFits the sound smooths out even more believe it or not, the bass tones down a little bit while still being plentiful and the treble sharpens up a tiny bit. Overall if the SpinFits didin't slide out of my ears due to their design they would be my preferred tips for the Icons. The Sony Hybrids are very similar in sound characteristics to SpinFits, except I've only got the medium pair and my right ear canal doesn't seal completely with shallow insertion IEMs so I feel a bass lightness on one side which is slightly annoying (I might end up digging up my large Sony Hybrids if I can find them for testing with the Icons). I've also got a pair of Auvio mediums coming, but I predict that they will have the same issue for me as the SpinFits and the Sony Hybrids. Its possible I will get some large Auvios in the future.

So without further ado:

Specifications:

Type: In-ear
Impedance: 32 Ω
Driver Unit: 11mm, dynamic
Weight: 15g
Cable Length: 1.25m
In-Line Remote: Yes
Sound Pressure Level (SPL): 110±2dB
Colors: Gold, Graphite
Connector: 3.5mm jack (straight)
Wire Core Material: Enamelled copper wire
Rated Power: 5mW
Coil Material: Copper-clad aluminum
Frequency Range: 20 – 20,000Hz
Total Harmonic Distortion (THD): <0.5%(1000Hz, 1mW)

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First of all, I need to say that I mostly listen to Trance, Hardcore (Freeform + Happy/Trancy), Hard Dance and EDM. So your experience may vary if you listen to any other genres.

TREBLE:

Slightly dark and well extended, with no obvious peaks or shreeks. Could easily be enjoyed for hours without any fatigue, I've had my Icons in my ears for over 3 hours so far today at the time of writing this and I barely feel them lol, Just getting lost in sweet sweet music.

MID RANGE:

Very very slightly moved back, not that its noticeable. In Trance music at least this makes for a very pleasant listening, almost to the point of being relaxing (ahem Tenores ahem). It just blends really well into the overall presentation, notice I didin't say *bleeds*.

BASS:

Its full and punchy, without being booming, it complements the rest of the presentation very well without overshadowing it.

SOUNDSTAGE:

Its pretty intimate, however that doesn't mean you're loosing out on details. Its not a micro detail monster, however I am hearing some effects and sweeps in my Trance mixes for the first time. Please be aware you're not going to be surrounded by sound in wide space so if you want that please look elsewhere.

CONCLUSION:

A very well balanced, fun signature sounding IEM. Where the sound is thick and exciting without making one part of the presentation stand out or be annoying. This is THICK, EXCITING sound at its best. A new yard stick for IEMS, at this price range at least. Sounds really natural as well, especially comparing to the likes of ROCK Zircons.

SHAMELESS PLUG:

Most of my mixes can be found online:
http://mixcloud.com/liftedandreas
TwinACStacks
TwinACStacks
Nice review. To the point. I agree the ICONS are special.
slowpickr
slowpickr
Great review.  I'm grabbing the Icons more these days than any other IEM I own.  No regrets whatsoever about the purchase.
Lifted Andreas
Lifted Andreas
@TwinACStacks @slowpickr Thanks guys, hope to read your reviews at some point soon too. These Icons need a bit more fame than what they are getting atm tbh. Btw, if there's something I missed (apart from comparisons) in my review then please let me know. :)

suman134

Headphoneus Supremus
Pros: Sound quality as a whole, Cable, Looks good, comfortable enough.
Cons: Lacks proper stress relivers, Can sound a bit thicker, are on the biger side.

INTRO:-
 
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 I don’t think even one of you are unaware of OnePlus. Still, OnePlus is a is a Chinese manufacturer founded on 16 December 2013 and has grabbed plenty of attention for its flagship killing Mobile phones, the most famous one being the OnePlus One. At this time they have 3 mobile devices, OnePlus 2, which was released a few months ago, and OnePlus X, a compact flagship was released a few weeks ago.
 But what we have here is their latest addition to their list of accessories (after they relesed their sand back cover for iPhone) OnePlus Icons!!
  Icons is an earphone for android devices, loaded with a 11mm driver unit and a 3 button mic and remote unit. Designed like a premium earphone, packed like an expensive mobile priced at just $50, if you are an Indian (like me) you will be paying 2999 for this.
 Before we get into the main business area, I would like to show my gratitude to OnePlus, Bridget and Shirothi for this Review unit. Thank you.

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 PACKAGE, ERGONOMICS & MISCELLANEOUS:-
 
 Unlike other earphones in this price range, Icons comes in a premium looking mobile style Red colored box. No cutouts to highlight the earphone inside but that is not necessarily a bad thing. The top cover of this box has a nice texture and if you see closely you will find an engraving of the earphone on it.
 Neat looking box. With branding kept to the bottom right and top left only, open the top cover and you will find some branding on a black flap with OnePlus logo and their tag line "NEVER SETTLE". Under that lies the real deal.
 There is a small magnetic flap pouch for storage, two extra pairs of ear tips and an user manual. Thats it. Nothing fancy at all. Not even a cable clip.
 Now i have to admit that this earphone is big. Made out of plastic, the shell is not exactly big but it’s their solid and long stress relievers which make these look huge. Even if these are on the bigger side, fitment is not a problem for me but can be bothersome for those with small ears, you can go over ear if you want to. Angled design means this earphone has shallow fitment. Ergonomics is not bad, but I won’t call it as good as q-JAYS and is not comfortable if you sleep sideways with this earphone on.
 Due to its angled design Isolation is not exactly good but manageable. Stock tips are okay but I am using 
Brainwavz red core tips as they provide better isolation. Don’t expect to jog with this earphone, please!! This is not made for activities like these.
 
This earphone does lack any kind of supple stress reliever at the earpiece end, some protection is found at 3.5 mm jack end. There is no cable or chin slider, most headsets doesn't have one.
 The cable is one of the best i have experienced in terms of microphonics, not much microphonic and good for under $100 for sure. It’s externally covered with braided cloth type material and rubbery after the Y splitter, just like piston 3. Feels strong enough and will survive some heavy yanking. Remote unit can be found on the right cable.
 Even if this earphone is big, it is one of the most elegant and premium looking earphones under $100.

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 REMOTE AND MIC:-
 
 I own a few android devices, 1S, zenfone 2 to name some and let me tell you that this earphone works flawlessly with all of my mobile devices. Microphone clarity is top class too. Only problem with this remote is that its buttons are stiff and slightly difficult to get a hold of.
 It's functions are similar to other 3 button Mic units. Single press of the middle button will play or pause music and will receive calls, double click will jump to the next and triple click will go back to the last track. Other two buttons will increase or decrease volume. If you have a MI device, you can configure these volume buttons to skip tracks too.

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SOUND QUALITY:-
 
 Usually When I review a $50 earphone I don’t keep my expectations high. either they are good or average. Mostly they are good. But Icons is better when compared with other $50 earphones, in the ballpark of meelec A151p 2nd gen to be precise, Mee has a flatter, more analytical approach, Icons is slightly more fun to listen to. Balanced? You can say that, V shaped? Not exactly but highs are elevated which helps it to sound more detailed.
 
 Overall its signature is warm, slightly bright.
 And just for your information, I have burned these in for more than 80hrs. And i have to admit that this earphone sound fantastic out of the box. No need to amp or anything, Icons is loud enough, louder than q-jays and Piston-3.
 As I had plenty of time, I tried various type or tips, narrow bore, wide bore, long short and I can tell you that wide and short tips sound the best with Icons.
 
Let’s do the usual.
 
LOWS:-
 As i said earlier, its balanced, but its not lacking by any means, i had not used an dynamic driver earphone in its price range that has this much of bass precision. Its just as much as the track has. It can pound when called upon and go flat when not wanted. No nonsense. And that's what I was not expecting from it. I was like, really? $50?
 Its full when required and flat when not called upon, moves enough air thanks to those vents on the front. It doesn't slam like a bass cannon, it slightly softer but still has enough slam.
 I have to admit that it lacks some sub bass quantity but its not lacking at all. Bass doesn't go as deep as some bass cannons like JVC XX earphones or XB90EX but goes as deep as E50 and Meelec 151 2nd gen. Mid bass has a hump but nothing offensive as its more soft than harsh. Upper bass is there and makes its presence felt but doesn't bother.
 You could have sensed from above that it has awesome decay speed and doesn't bleed into mids. Icon's bass can be explained as something that is middling E50 and A151 2nd gen.
 All in all it’s a bass that isn't fatiguing even after annoyingly long listening sessions. It has something else that might annoy. We will talk about that later.
 
MID RANGE:-
 For me, mid range is the life of an earphone. It has the most amount of details and holds the base of its quality and Icons just can’t disappoint unless you like thicker notes. If you are okay with sharper notes presentation, you will enjoy these with a smile on your face as you just can't believe how precise this earphone sounds!!
 I won’t call it full bodied but its healthy enough, notes have required amount of depth and presentation is more than acceptable.
 Doesn't matter what type of vocals you are listening to, everything sounds clear and to the point. Thanks to its sharper presentation female vocals sound enchantingly beautiful.
 There is an elevation in its upper mid region which helps instruments like piano and guitars shine.
 I am not going call this the most reveling earphone I have heard in its price range. Even when these do lack some micro and nano details, you will find this reveling more than its price tag suggests.
 Did I forget to tell you that its mids are slightly in the valley? Just like Titan-1, still a bit more balanced as titan-1's high end is borderline sibilant and mid bass has more elevation.
 
HIGHS:-
 If you are sensitive or intolerant to shining and sharp highs, do have a listen before you buy this. Icons don't have a high end as bothering or sibilant as GR-07 but its sharp never the less and it’s this sharpness that gives it it's “more detailed than others" advantage.
  It’s not something like Titan-1, not even balanced, it is there in between. Thanks to this sharpness cymbals and violins sound vivid and beautiful. Sibilance is nowhere to be found, doesn’t matter what type of music you are playing. Sadly things do sound grainy.
 Extension is not as good as A151 2nd gen still it reaches high enough.
 
 Sound stage is one of the plus points of this earphone. It is comparable to Titan-1 bit more rounded, lacks some depth but has good width and height.
 Layering and separation too is done right for its price range. Nothing more can be expected from an earphone at this price range.

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SUGGESTED IMPROVEMENTS:-
 
  • Tune the mid bass down a bit, add some sub bass, Mid range can be done better with added thickness, highs should be more balanced to suit average consumers (its fine for me but there aren’t many who enjoy this much of energy with their highs).
  • Sounds slightly grainy overall, which needs refinement.
  • Even when this earphone looks good, those solid stress relievers are huge, and nozzle can be longer which will help isolation.
  • Add a cable clip and few more tips.
  • Slightly bigger pouch will be better.

CONCLUSION:-
 
 I have to say it’s a good attempt from OnePlus, things are done pretty well. Icons sound satisfying to me.
 It’s not the most detailed earphone or something that sounds ground breaking for its price, but is better than earphones like Sound magic E50 and VSD2/S, Brainwavz S1/S0 and comparable to VSD5.
 
 If you are looking for an Elegant looking earphone that doesn’t pour out bass, sounds precise with good vocals and instrument clarity, one should consider this for $50.
 
 And if you want Headset goodness with above mentioned attributes, OnePlus Icons Should Top your list. A Thumbs Up from me.

 Some more pics.

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 Cheers guys, Enjoy, have a nice New Tear.
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bhazard

Headphoneus Supremus
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Introduction
 
When the Oneplus One came out, I waited about two months for an invite to purchase it. When I did purchase it, I was floored by the performance for the price. Nothing in the smartphone market came close in value and performance. With the Oneplus Icons, Oneplus seems to look to do the same in the earphone market. Did they succeed like they did with the Oneplus One, or did they stumble a bit like they did with the Oneplus Two?
 
I'd like to thank Gearbest for providing the sample to review.
 
About me
 
I’m a price/performance value shopper in everything I purchase. I spend an extensive amount of time researching purchases and always look for a good value.
I have also spent many years as an A/V and music enthusiast. I have owned some high end audio equipment, from amps, speakers, subs, to just about anything audio related you can think of. I eventually moved on into building my own DIY custom speakers, as I felt the value and performance of most commercial speakers were lacking. I found out through this process that you could create high end setups from equipment costing thousands less than most branded commercial setups.
Since I cannot play music at 100+db all day and night in an apartment complex, I started looking for similar values in the Headphone/Earphone/IEM world. In a Beats dominated world, I was very disappointed.
I then found out about some excellent headphones/IEMs at great prices being made by Asian companies that are not known of here in the US. It renewed my interest in headphones and became the basis of the Asian audio thread.
 
REVIEW
 
Specifications
 
  1. Impedance: 32 Ω
  2. Driver Unit: 11mm, dynamic
  3. Weight: 15g
  4. Cable Length: 1.25m
  5. In-Line Remote: Yes
  6. Sound Pressure Level (SPL): 110±2dB
  7. Colors: Gold, Graphite
  8. Connector: 3.5mm jack (straight)
  9. Wire Core Material: Enameled copper wire
  10. Rated Power: 5mW
  11. Coil Material: Copper-clad aluminum
  12. Frequency Range: 20 – 20,000Hz
  13. Total Harmonic Distortion (THD): <0.5%(1000Hz, 1mW)
 
Accessories
 
 

Package contents: Faux Leather Pouch. 3 Silicone tip sets. Oneplus Icons
 
 
 
Housing/Fit/Isolation
 
The Oneplus Icons have a beautiful and unique Organ Pipe shaped design to them. The housing extends upward in an asymmetrical fork like shape, with the driver attached in between. The angled nozzles and long body allow for a very snug yet comfortable fit, excellent for active users at the gym or running. I have seen a review stating the Icons fell out of the reviewer’s ears quite a bit. This is easily solved with a pair of tips that actually fit your ear. My favorite to use on the Icons (and many other IEMs) are the JVC Spiral Dots, large size.
 
The aluminum alloy the shell is constructed of is lightweight yet strong. The Icons have taken some serious pocket abuse and haven’t gotten a scratch on them.
 
Isolation is above average. Outside noise is blocked out nicely, while little to no sound escapes to the outside.
 
 
 
Cable/Mic Functionality
 
The Icon cable uses a regular plastic coating going to each ear after the Y split, but uses a Kevlar type rope coating for the rest of the wire. This has actually helped prevent tangling in my pockets by quite a bit, and I like the design. I only tested the mic briefly, but it worked clearly with no issues. 
 
 
Sound Review
Testing Gear (in order of quality)
 
LH Labs Pulse X Infinity 2.0
LH Labs Geek Out V2+ Infinity + Moto X Pure
Moto X Pure
MSI Gaming 7 amped onboard DAC
 
Testing Songs
Random Metal, Rock, EDM, Rap, Top 40, Hip Hop, Blues, and anything other music genres I feel like listening to at any given moment. I focus on songs I know well to spot differences in frequencies amongst a/b comparisons. 
 
Amplifier Needed?
No. The Icons are driven well by nearly any source.
 
Sound Signature
The Icons are so close to being balanced audiophile level IEMs, but the upper mid range places a slight metallic emphasis on guitars and vocals where it shouldn’t be.
 
Resolution
Above average. The clarity is comparable to sets in the $100-$150 range the majority of the time, with all parts of the sound well represented.
 
Bass
Bass levels are done very well, with a slight boost down low that adds a pleasingly tight and controlled level of fun to the music without bleeding into or muddying the rest of the spectrum. Along with the highs, bass is one of the Icons consistent strong suits. Bass lovers will very much enjoy these.
 
Midrange
The midrange is the crux of the Icons. At first, it seems excellent. It is not recessed and punches out a very good level of detail. To achieve this enhanced sense of clarity, the driver seems to be being pushed too much or tuned unnaturally.  This produces an uneven peak in the upper mids where guitars/vocals normally lie. Once you hear it, it can start to detract from the music a bit. This doesn’t mean the Icons aren’t highly enjoyable however. The Icons were almost on par with my current favorite (discontinued) set, the LZ-A2 during an extended listen of Megadeth Dystopia.
 
 
Treble
Despite the enhanced midrange, the highs remain natural and well extended. Cymbals hit with natural power and are easily heard within the music. Small enhancements can be heard within, but no major troubling peaks seem to jump out.
 
Soundstage and Imaging
Very good for a single dynamic driver. The soundstage is wide, but not open back headphone wide. Instruments can be individually heard, but tend to blend into the middle of the soundstage instead of being able to be easily picked apart in the left and right channels.
 
Comparisons
The Icons are appropriately priced for the quality of sound they put out. They compare easily with many sets in the $50-150 range from well-known companies. They sit alongside my Dunu Titans, LZ-A2, and Havi B3 Pro 1 as the go-to favorites in my collection.
 
Conclusion
 
Like the Oneplus One, I believe Oneplus has winner in the Icons that deserves more attention. It easily gets a thumbs in quality/value from me, and I hope it does for many others.
 
The OnePlus Icons can be found at OnePlus’ online store, and can be found at Gearbest here: 
http://www.gearbest.com/earphones/pp_261000.html
Kevang
Kevang
How is the cable quality (microphonics, durability, etc.)?
bhazard
bhazard
Mic works great. Clear, sturdy cable, stays in place during workouts, crisp sound. I really like them, and they would be my daily driver if I didn't have pairs that cost significantly more.
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