[cjp87]

Earlier this spring, Stereophile released an article saying that Thinksound was working on a set of on-ear headphones. I got an email from Thinksound today announcing they're now on sale. The On1 headphones look pretty gorgeous in my opinion, but I'm also partial to the wood design. I'm a longtime ms01 user, and I've been a huge fan of the Thinksound company ever since Aaron Fournier contacted me on these forums directly in response to a warranty issue that wasn't even the company's fault (my dog ate them...). 
 
The headphones themselves are made from a "natural wood housing", and utilize 40mm dynamic drivers, a response range of 5Hz-22kHz, and an impedance of 50Ω. It also comes with two detachable cables, 4.5' each, one with volume controls and one without. 
 
The ear pads look to be pretty plush, the site says they're made from memory foam. I recall when Mr. Fournier posted about these here last spring that he said a major concern was avoiding pain from pressure on the ear lobes, so hopefully that goal was accomplished. 
 
MSRP: $299
 
Unfortunately for me, I can't afford these right now, seeing as I just recently picked up a pair of Shure SRH-840s and I'm on a grad student's budget, but they're definitely on my audio wish list. I just figured the fine folks here would be interested in seeing them. 
 
 
 
http://www.thinksound.com/on1.php

 

[7Sevin]

Anybody got any guesses on that "natural wood housing"? Looks pretty good to me.

 

[Mandala]

Just based on my love for the TS02 and MS01 I'm tempted. It's a gorgeous looking headphone. Alas, it is teetering on the brink of financial irresponsibility at the moment, at least until some reviews come in and the bank account builds itself  back up a little more. Maybe by the end of the day I'll be able to talk myself into taking one for the team.

 

[Mandala]

Okay, temptation has officially been succumbed to and the proverbial plunge has been taken. Hopefully my very first Headfi review will be forth coming in a week or so.

 

[cjp87]

Exciting stuff. Looking forward to hearing your impressions. I don't doubt that I'll cave and pick some of these up in the future, but probably not any time soon.

 

[swartzy.baby]

Yeah...I'm a big fan of their ms01, and was secretly hoping they'd come out with a non-IEM set.  I'm a little bit bummed that these are on-ear, but I'm tempted to wish myself a happy 30th with these anyway...

 

[Mandala]

Yeah, I've been trying to suspend any expectations or preconceived ideas about the headphone's performance , being that it's supra-aural, until I listen to it. It's definitely a step in the right direction though, and no one can deny that it's a definitely gorgeous headphone. I hope it sounds as good as it looks. 

 

[Beocord]

I'm not familiar with Thinksound, but those better sound good for that price. For 60$ you can get awesome looking on ear woodie.
 
http://www.aliexpress.com/premium/winintone.html?ltype=wholesale&d=y&origin=y&SearchText=winintone&initiative_id=SB_20131108141128&catId=0&isViewCP=y
 
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Metal-Ebony-Wood-high-quality-Headphones-headband-headphones-for-music-on-PC-Macbook-ipad-cell-phone/905979031.html
 
Insert a proper driver and one could make quite a profit margin. Those winintone headphones sound horrific...it's all about the looks, and those do look as good as in pictures. With that price they're close to the price of madooma dt770. http://www.madooma.com/shopHP/neu_beyerdynamic/BEYERDYNAMIC_DT_770_Edition_BW-600_Premium_Kopfhoerer_DT770_e.html
 
If Thinksounds are not awesome I'd know which way I'd lean. Of course beyers are not portable but then there's always

ATH-ESW9A​

 

[koda]

Thinksound is hands down the best company I have ever done business with. I own a pair of their in ear TS02's.and they are my fav out of the many in ears i have owned, by far. For me, they beat out pairs that are twice, triple the ts02s price point. They are in the same ballpark as the image s4, but the s4 just sounds completely dead and boring in comparison. Thinksounds entire line are very musical and lively, while still sounding accurate. And Ive never owned a more well rounded in ear. They simply just work for everything.Not to mention how forgiving they are of lower bit rate mp3's. The ts02s specifically, sound phenomenal with string/acoustic instruments.Also, It won Sound and Images 'In ear headphone of the year' for good reason. And you can tell that  Aaron, the owner, really is passionate about what he does when talking with him.And dude really knows how to voice a headphone. When I had problem with my first set (which wasnt even there fault, I broke them) he replaced them right away. When it comes to CS, thinksound is unmatched. 
 
If the On1 are anything like their in ears, im sure the 299 price point will be a total bargain. And they sure didnt rush the On1 like so many other companies do, just slightly "upgrading" some current model and stamping a new name on them. They have been working on getting them as perfect as possible for the last year. I cant wait to hear them.
 
I probably sound like a fanboy, but I really cant rave enough about thinksound. 

 

[koda]

 
Correction....So I dont get called out, the TS02 was runner up in the Sound and Image in ear of the year. 

 

[Mandala]

Thinksound is a great company. Much like Schiit, they're a small, American company run by industry veterans-- Thinksound cofounders Aaron Fournier and Mike Tunney both having worked for Tivoli Audio--  who take pride in their business ethic, producing quality gear at reasonable prices, and-- in the case with Thinksound-- using sustainable/recyclable materials to reduce their eco-footprint. Thinksound's customer service is exemplary. I emailed CEO Aaron Fournier after ordering my ms01 IEM explaining that I'd lost the only  ts02 tips that fit me and he responded promptly asking what size tips I used, and subsequently, sent 10 pairs of large tips along with my ms01 (the ts02 and ms01 having interchangeable tips). If that doesn't display dedication to one's customer base, I don't know what does. Half the reason why I opted to spend $300 dollars on a supraaural headphone that I wasn't particularly in the market for, and hasn't yet yielded any reviews is because I am a huge fan of the company and their business ethic, not to mention of course that this is their first foray outside of the world of IEMs, which, to me, is exciting stuff.
 
They're performance to price ratio has always been on point. The ts02 and ms01-- the 2 most recently released out of the 4 IEMs they've released so far can be had on Amazon for 80 and 100 dollars respectively. In my opinion both IEMs perform at a level well above their price point, and reviews from others on Headfi, (not to mention Stereophile and Whathifi) reflect the same opinion. Considering everything that I know about the company, the idea of them slapping random drivers into OEM wooden housings, charging $300 for them, and waiting for the profits to roll in runs counter to everything I've come to know about the company's business integrity and vision. Now is the on1 going to compete strongly against the Beyerdynamic DT1350 or the Sennheiser HD 25-1 II? That remains to be seen, but I have faith that it is going to be a great sounding headphone that at the very least reflects its price point, if not exceeds it.
 
Edit: well it seems like I'm not the only Thinksound fanboy here.

 

[swartzy.baby]

Not to rush anybody, but I am intensely interested to hear some first impressions of these.  I can't help but think they sound fantastic, the comfort factor is more a worry for me.

 

[Mandala]

  Not to rush anybody, but I am intensely interested to hear some first impressions of these.  I can't help but think they sound fantastic, the comfort factor is more a worry for me.

My pair will be delivered tomorrow. I really don't have any worries about the comfort; they look very comfortable to me, I'm just really curious about what the sound signature will be like, if it will at all resemble the U-shaped, slightly fun, yet very coherent and resolving nature of the ms01. If I have any worry it's that the bass won't be controlled enough to my liking. I have this feeling though that's it's gonna be something of a "refined basshead" phone.

 

[jupitreas]

They look like a cheap pair of Audio Technica ATH-ESW9 but naturally, that does not say anything about how they might sound. 

 

[Mandala]

  They look like a cheap pair of Audio Technica ATH-ESW9 but naturally, that does not say anything about how they might sound. 

 
There's definitely a resemblance, yes. I don't know that I would say that they look cheap, but that the AT is a little more refined looking. I saw a video on youtube of Aaron Fournier throwing a pair fairly forcibly against the wall and then bending the headband (I believe it's metal) beyond the point of being flat. I'm guessing their quite durable. I'll soon see, that is if this package gets here before I have to leave for work.