Thinksound Thunder & Rain IEM Reviews – The Eco-Friendly IEM (or More Wood) - NOTE: Thunder will be renamed TS01

[Zephoku]

Blah. It appears it's too late to cancel my Turbines now.
These look like fantastic IEMs though. Maybe I'll try some in the future.

 

[Amarphael]

average_joe so you actually like these more than a TF10? Not in the-new-toy-in-da-house sense but seriously now?

I notice you have the Nuforce-7M, Based upon the above liking is there any room for comparing? And yes I heared them both, and i MUCH prefer the TF10naturally.

 

[average_joe]

I have been burning these in (and they continue to improve), but with the AMP3 as a source, yes. I will be using other sources for my upcoming full review. They are "enhanced bass" IEMs, but not as enhanced as some others, making them a joy to listen to with pop and rock. Well, I think they sound very good with all genres I listen to. But I can't say exactly where they stand just yet.

Oh, and the NE-7M...it is my workout/hands free IEM as I think it has a compressed soundstage that just doesn't sound right vs. IEMs like the Thunder, WM2, IE8, etc. While I thought the NE-7 was great when I first got it, I now don't even compare it with my other IEMs as I don't think it is all that close in performance.

 

[Woody469]

You know, there's a good point. Things are moving real fast. Who would have thought that a sub $100 iem could even begin to compete with a company's flagship $400-$500 offering?
More and more I am seeing iems that are coming very very close to doing just that. They have almost all the goodness (or very close) to the heavy hitters like the IE8 and the TF-10 but without the inflated price tag. Ultimately, IMO, these flagship iems do less wrong than cheaper iems so it is probably still your best bet to strive for one of those.
But if you are on a budget, one can come eerily close to matching their performance for short(er) green.

 

[average_joe]

Completed review in the first post. Enjoy!

 

[tstarn06]

Excellent review Joe, and I second your feelings about the Thunder. I have the Rain on the way, so I will review those. Though I find the TF10 custom version to be more to my liking than the Thunder. Personal preference, no doubt.

Oh, and these are selling from $42-$49 (Thunder) to $54-$64 on ebay (Antonline) and Buy.com. Check it out. Very good prices, which CEO Aaron Fornier says TS will match by emailing hello@thinksound.com. But either way, a very good price if you are interested in these phones.

 

[jdc65]

Head-fi is an awesome place at its best! Average_joe, thanks for the pro-caliber review and thanks for introducing the rest of us to thinksound phones. So when are you going give the Rain a listen

 

[ericp10]

Great review @ average_joe

EricP

 

[james444]

Thanks for the excellent review! I especially like the "sources pairing" section. Given how some IEM's sound signature varies greatly from different sources, it's a very good idea.

 

[average_joe]

Hi james444, glad you like it! I agree, which is why I wanted to add the source pairing part, as well as the loud vs. quiet listening. It is interesting to me how one IEM will sound best with one source, while another will sound best with a different source. As far as volume, I usually listen at low to moderate levels, so in this and my future reviews I want to note any sound signature changes as the volume changes. Some of my IEMs are much better at lower volumes than others!

@ jdc65: Yes, I will review the Rain, stay tuned!

 

[calvinjai]

Quote:

Originally Posted by average_joe /img/forum/go_quote.gif Do you drive a Prius? Are there solar panels on your roof? Do you know your carbon footprint? If you are conscious about the environment, thinksound is a new, eco-friendly headphone manufacturer. Their current lineup consists of 2 IEMs, the Thunder and the Rain, which were released in December 2009 after over 2 years of development. The Thunder is an “enhanced bass” IEM and the Rain has a flat frequency response. This is just the start of the thinksound lineup of headphones, with higher end models to be released in the upcoming months.

Any details on these higher end models? I don't want to buy a pair of thunders only to want to upgrade a few months later

 

[average_joe]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jdc65 /img/forum/go_quote.gif With permission, I'll requote an email from Aaron: Quote: I want you to know that the RAIN and THUNDER models do sound different from one another. The THUNDER is more of the mainstream sound and the RAIN is something that I prefer and has a more natural sound signature. Many people may prefer the THUNDER over the RAIN, but I think the RAIN sound is more of what music is supposed to sound like. It is not a fatiguing earphone at all and it is very well balanced for a more natural sound that can be appreciated across all music genres. Regards and thanks Aaron Fournier

Rereading through this thread, I must say, Aaron is spot on!


Quote:

Originally Posted by calvinjai /img/forum/go_quote.gif Any details on these higher end models? I don't want to buy a pair of thunders only to want to upgrade a few months later

Higher end models are in the development stages, but thinksound is gauging how the market accepts the Thunder and Rain. Thinksound is a new company and it would be a wise business decision not to bite off too much all at once. That is my understanding, but Aaron can add if there is something i missed.

 

[average_joe]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jdc65 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I ordered a Rain and a Thunder, and some spare tips. I can verify coupon code works!

How are you liking them so far?

And anything you and tstarn can add to my review?

 

[average_joe]

Quote:

Originally Posted by james444 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thanks for the excellent review! I especially like the "sources pairing" section. Given how some IEM's sound signature varies greatly from different sources, it's a very good idea.

Oh, and speaking of source pairing, I tried these with the RSA Mustang, and wow, a great improvement! The first post has been updated.

 

[DeusEx]

Quote:

Originally Posted by average_joe /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thinksound blurb on slashgear.com

hope that helped