Does Onkyo make good headphones?
Nov 6, 2013 at 6:23 PM Post #2 of 8
Feb 20, 2014 at 6:10 PM Post #4 of 8
Recently received the ES-CTI300... a few thoughts:
 
Design, Comfort, build:
 
I was surprised at how it was packaged since the box is quite flat (i.e. usual headphones arrived in more of a Cube/normal box style.). Once I opened them and took a look then I understood. These headphones fold flat, just like Ultrasones, and are light as heck! I think one of the lightest I have bought. The contrast of silver/brown-ish looks EXCELLENT (reminds me of the silver MDR-1R which were very good-looking as well). Construction is mostly aluminum and plastic. It doesn't feel like the most sturdy on-ear out there (i.e. Sennheiser Momentum on-ears seem better built and feel sturdier and even prefer the Kef M500s) but it's Ok. I believe their weakness will probably be the swivel mechanism for the earcups but other than that I don't see much wrong. They come with an excellent oxygen-free non-microphonic  detachable copper cable (with mic and controls) which doesn't add any weight to the headphone. Connecting the ends to the earcups is actually a bit hard to do (i.e. not as seamless as HD600s or the new Shure connections) and quite frankly I can envision someone messing their connectors or cables if they are not careful.
 
Overall, Onkyo did a good job.
Now comfort, is another story. :p
 
I'm very finicky regarding comfort because I use headphones at the office for hours on end... the fit of these is a bit weird. They don't clamp, they don't cause discomfort on top of the head BUT the earcups and earpads ("leatherette"... whatever that means... :wink: ) are quite small and even though I don't have huge ears, they are not the most comfortable for me. Every time I have to adjust, and re-adjust and when I spend more time adjusting than working or enjoying music, ... yeaah... But, take this with a grain of salt. I'm not a fan of on-ears and other people might not have any fit issues. Even though they don't clamp hard, they seem to be very stable on the head. So, beware...
 
Sound:

This is how the Momentum On-Ears SHOULD have sounded!!! ARRGHH! LOL
 
Bass presence is "there"... by that I mean, it extends quite low (sub-bass attack is good, mid-bass even better) and they are not AS boomy as the Momentums. Transition to mids I feel is very well done. Mids sound even when playing my usual female vocalist tracks and the crunch of guitars is not subdued at all. Maybe they lack a bit of "spark", but they don't feel "masked" or recessed to me. Acoustic guitars sound very nice and male vocals don't sound as nasal as I expected (i.e. compared to other on-ear headphones). Highs are present and very important, they are NOT ear-piercing. So what we have is a very enjoyable sound which can be fun depending on the track (of course) never super aggressive but never laidback either! I actually enjoy it a lot. Although at first I thought they were too lean, maybe even too bright, once I got a good fit and everything settled, I found that their sound signature is definitely enjoyable. The KEF M500 has bass that can be a bit overdone and is an overall warmer headphone. The Momentum on-ears have way too boomy bass (I still enjoyed it though... don't get me wrong), and their upper-mids sounded congested (probably due to sound stage as well). And now that I mention it, imaging/separation quite good, definitely a better overall can than the Momentum on-ears in my opinion.
 
(If you see me mentioning the Momentums a lot, is because I have them at hand as well LOL).
 
Regarding isolation, I do think they do a better job over the Momentums and might be tied with the M500s. Leakage control is definitely better than the Senns and again, on par with the M500s.
 
 
Songs being used for testing:

Miguel Bose - Este Mundo Va
Kaskade - One Heart
Jon Cleary - So Damn Good
Mima - Oigo Voces
Esperanza Spalding - What a Friend
Sara Bareilles - King of Anything
Killswitch Engage - Fixation on the Darkness
Juancho - Amor en la Mesa
J-King y Maximan - Ella me Pide Something
Three Six Mafia - Late Night Tip
Orquesta Macabeo - Me Repito
 
I listen to different genres because I work long hours and get bored easily but I can definitely say that these play well with ALL genres I've listened up till now. In the end, that's one of the most important "measures" you can have.
 
It seems there is not a lot of hype or attention for these guys, but they should have more visibility, especially for the price which I imagine can only go lower! (they're brother version ES-HF300 is already at $150 or so... I believe they are the same headphone...).
 
So overall, very good performers, extremely good looking, very light, comfort is hit and miss though :frowning2:
 
So if you are looking for a "fashion" can that sounds good, you can put these on your short list of portable-good-looking-on-ear headphones!
biggrin.gif
 
 
Feb 21, 2014 at 8:10 PM Post #5 of 8
I always thought that Onkyo make darn good home amplifiers but not headphones. Never thought they do make headphones though lol.
But it's good to read your findings on this cans. For it to match the Sennheiser Momentum cans is freaking me out!
 
Dec 1, 2020 at 9:56 AM Post #8 of 8
The reviews I've read concerning the E700M aren't as fair as they could be. I've been using these earphones for several months now, without any issues. They certainly have enough punch to wake up my morning ears. I use them with a Sony ICD SX2000, a preferred Hi-Res player/recorder due to the size & handiness when a recording is needed. The earphones perform well, and produce a well rounded sound.
 
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