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Thinksound ts01 (Thunder) Review
First Impressions: Hmmm, I’m not sure I like the box. It looks and feels intentionally “au natural” like the sort of thing I would expect to find in the Body Shop. “Sound with a conscience” it tells me which frankly worries me, it makes me wonder if what’s inside is like some fair trade products I’ve encountered. They change you more for a nice idea but give you a substandard product. The little baggie they come in likewise disappoints, I’d much rather a little hard case.
The earphones themselves are a really nice surprise as they look just lovely, both aesthetically and in terms of quality. I’m not sure pictures of them really do them justice, if they are something you have the chance to see in person I suggest you do. So how do they sound? A quick 15 minute listen has me thinking that Thinksound may well be on to a winner here. It’s a rich warm sound and seems to pretty decent clarity wise too. Away to the burn in machine.
Source 1G iPod Shuffle with a 75 ohm adapter added
Lows: Very good. There is a rather a bit much I feel, these a very warm rich IEM and the bass quantity is sitting right at the very upper limit of what I deem acceptable. Since they are being marketed as the bass heavy siblings and have an “enhanced bass” sticker on the front it’s fairly safe to say that the buyer knows what they are getting into. I don’t think that the very warm, rich bass we have here suits everything terribly well. In faster songs with more hard hitting punchy bass lines the ts01 does tend to come across as a little too warm, a little too slow and a little too happy to dominate. If allowed these will happily really thunder out a bass line (maybe why they used to be called Thunder’s.) So let’s now assume, you want this quantity of bass then I must say it performs pretty damn well. It has great depth and low range power, it does get a little soft but that’s more a preference than a failing. It does mean its far happier being asked to produce rich, deep, smooth lows than it is quick punchy beats. If your musical tastes lay in Dance, Electronica, etc then this isn’t going to cut it for you. If on the other hand you like smooth, rich Jazz then it’s a pairing that works quite nicely.
Mids: Vocals come across rather nicely here but like the lows there is clearly a marked warmth and richness here. For some vocals that suits them just perfectly (Erasure’s Spiralling is one) but others the opposite. For me I feel it’s really pushing the limits of too warm, too rich. Everything is too softened vocally, guitars don’t quite have the twang they ought to. You might think of the ts01 as being the acoustic equivalent of a soft lighting filter you often see in bond films, that gentle soft fuzziness to smooth any hint of a line or wrinkle on a face. This is what happens to the midrange, it’s that little hint softer than it ought to be and while it may have a beauty to it for its price range its falling a little behind some of its rivals. So while it can be pleasant to hear it’s not really the best available.
Highs: I’m sure many wouldn’t be surprised to find that given the previously commented upon warmth that these are not the most treble abundant IEM’s that ever there were. I am never a huge treble fan so I’m quite happy with what’s here both in quantity and quality. Neither aspect is something the ts01 excels at, its relative lack of treble means it doesn’t suit Rock for example (unless of course you want the treble diminished and softened.) The quality is perfectly reasonable compared to the other items that sit around a similar price but like the mids it’s just not quite as good as some of its rivals. It’s over emphasis on a smooth warm sound just means its not quite so suited to all types of music. It in many ways reminds of the Sony EX500, a big, soft and warm gentle sound so I’m sure it will have a great deal of mainstream appeal but I cant help find the highs to be slightly disappointing.
Soundstage: As it’s a dynamic as usual its fair, it isn’t the largest of sounding IEM’s but it doesn’t overly lag behind rivals like the M6, iM-590, Jazz etc etc. It has a good, full, rich sound but not the best instrument placement in the world.
Comfort: Your mileage may vary of course but for me was absolutely fine. It’s a nice small bud that disappeared in to me ear and was nice and light too.
Fit: Like an ever increasing number of IEM’s these are dynamic driver based and dynamic drivers need to be able to move about. They don’t like it if they are being held under pressure and they won’t sound right either. Here I did have an issue where it would take me a minute or two to fiddle with them to get the air pressure just right. It’s a pet peeve of mine, just vent the things and this wouldn’t be a problem. It wasn’t a huge problem but it was an annoyance.
Cable: Fine, cable never gave me any trouble or made me even give it much of a thought. The jack is straight but feels of a nice quality.
Microphonics: As I wore them up I never had any trouble, if you wear them down you will get some but it’s not anything terrible.
Amped/Unamped: There was the usual differences going on but nothing particularly marked. I would suggest they like a brighter amp like the Icon Mobile but given that these are so very warm that’s hardly a shocker. Use if you want but not worth adding the bulk in my opinion.
Value: In just pure music terms then you can do better for US$75. That said if the idea of a warm sound appeals to you then its competitors become the EX500 and ViSang R03 / Brainwavz M2 (they are the same thing just marketed differently) and each has some detracting factor. The Sony has a J cable many including myself hate and it has a weird shape that may not fit all. The R03/M2 is just plain ugly and at present is only available online from ebay or the Far East which some may be unhappy buying from. The ts01 while decent sounding of those 3 it’s coming in alongside the Sonys at best, the Sony however comes with a lovely slab of dead cow case.
Edit: I now have AMP3 pricing and its £49 currently with 10% off making them £44 http://www.advancedheadphones.co.uk/shop/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=thinksound
At present they are available for US$45 on Amazon US and then they become a much more appealing option but still not a clear winner. Simply a pretty and viable alternative to the M2 / R03.
Conclusion: This review somehow hasn’t really panned out like I thought it was going to. On my first listen the ts01 were a big bundle of luscious richness, like a big dollop of Whippy soft ice cream (thank you Baroness Thatcher) it’s soft and smooth and you just love it. As time went on it was like having more and yet more Whippy ice cream. I began to like it less and then not really at all and by the end a several hour stretch I really just didn’t want any more. It’s not that they are bad because they are by no means bad but they are just too rich and too warm. I can see why some would like them that way, it’s how Sony tunes their things so there is certainly some appeal and I am sure that many will love how they sound. I just increasingly found that warmth too much for long term use. What I also can’t ignore is that when I compare these head to head with the R03/M2 its gets beaten pretty much across the board, never by a huge margin but they do get beaten. The ts01 if it had come out a couple of years ago then it would have pretty much demolished the competition but that was then and this is now. I find myself wanting to say nice things about the ts01 but every aspect of its beaten somewhere (except in the looks department). I’d like to be able to say it’s a great all-rounder like the iM-590 but it’s not, it’s so very rich, warm sound means that there is a lot of music out there that just is not suited. Has it been tuned this way to emphasise its wooden nature perhaps? Maybe this is just the warm, bassy end of a panoply of IEM’s Thinksound are planning to produce? If that’s the case then by all means I can see a place for these.
What I must really comment on is that these are being quite prominently marketed as being wooden and natural. The packaging is all recyclable and as the packaging tells me they aiming to have the “smallest eco-footprint possible” which I guess is an admirable goal. If this is something that’s important to you then by all means buy them on that basis. Likewise if looks matter to you then these are just top notch. I am telling you now photographs do not do these justice, they look beautiful. Obviously being little bits of dead tree they well all look at least slightly different but this pair, uber pretty.
How importantly you rate its eco friendliness and its prettiness much is entirely up to you but be aware they have to be the deciding factor. On sound alone while good they aren’t the very best you can get. They will easily beat the majority of junk out there and they will spank the rubbish that you get with players (oh you know I’m looking at you Apple) so as an upgrade I’m sure most would be very happy with the pretty ts01.
First Impressions: Hmmm, I’m not sure I like the box. It looks and feels intentionally “au natural” like the sort of thing I would expect to find in the Body Shop. “Sound with a conscience” it tells me which frankly worries me, it makes me wonder if what’s inside is like some fair trade products I’ve encountered. They change you more for a nice idea but give you a substandard product. The little baggie they come in likewise disappoints, I’d much rather a little hard case.
The earphones themselves are a really nice surprise as they look just lovely, both aesthetically and in terms of quality. I’m not sure pictures of them really do them justice, if they are something you have the chance to see in person I suggest you do. So how do they sound? A quick 15 minute listen has me thinking that Thinksound may well be on to a winner here. It’s a rich warm sound and seems to pretty decent clarity wise too. Away to the burn in machine.
Source 1G iPod Shuffle with a 75 ohm adapter added
Lows: Very good. There is a rather a bit much I feel, these a very warm rich IEM and the bass quantity is sitting right at the very upper limit of what I deem acceptable. Since they are being marketed as the bass heavy siblings and have an “enhanced bass” sticker on the front it’s fairly safe to say that the buyer knows what they are getting into. I don’t think that the very warm, rich bass we have here suits everything terribly well. In faster songs with more hard hitting punchy bass lines the ts01 does tend to come across as a little too warm, a little too slow and a little too happy to dominate. If allowed these will happily really thunder out a bass line (maybe why they used to be called Thunder’s.) So let’s now assume, you want this quantity of bass then I must say it performs pretty damn well. It has great depth and low range power, it does get a little soft but that’s more a preference than a failing. It does mean its far happier being asked to produce rich, deep, smooth lows than it is quick punchy beats. If your musical tastes lay in Dance, Electronica, etc then this isn’t going to cut it for you. If on the other hand you like smooth, rich Jazz then it’s a pairing that works quite nicely.
Mids: Vocals come across rather nicely here but like the lows there is clearly a marked warmth and richness here. For some vocals that suits them just perfectly (Erasure’s Spiralling is one) but others the opposite. For me I feel it’s really pushing the limits of too warm, too rich. Everything is too softened vocally, guitars don’t quite have the twang they ought to. You might think of the ts01 as being the acoustic equivalent of a soft lighting filter you often see in bond films, that gentle soft fuzziness to smooth any hint of a line or wrinkle on a face. This is what happens to the midrange, it’s that little hint softer than it ought to be and while it may have a beauty to it for its price range its falling a little behind some of its rivals. So while it can be pleasant to hear it’s not really the best available.
Highs: I’m sure many wouldn’t be surprised to find that given the previously commented upon warmth that these are not the most treble abundant IEM’s that ever there were. I am never a huge treble fan so I’m quite happy with what’s here both in quantity and quality. Neither aspect is something the ts01 excels at, its relative lack of treble means it doesn’t suit Rock for example (unless of course you want the treble diminished and softened.) The quality is perfectly reasonable compared to the other items that sit around a similar price but like the mids it’s just not quite as good as some of its rivals. It’s over emphasis on a smooth warm sound just means its not quite so suited to all types of music. It in many ways reminds of the Sony EX500, a big, soft and warm gentle sound so I’m sure it will have a great deal of mainstream appeal but I cant help find the highs to be slightly disappointing.
Soundstage: As it’s a dynamic as usual its fair, it isn’t the largest of sounding IEM’s but it doesn’t overly lag behind rivals like the M6, iM-590, Jazz etc etc. It has a good, full, rich sound but not the best instrument placement in the world.
Comfort: Your mileage may vary of course but for me was absolutely fine. It’s a nice small bud that disappeared in to me ear and was nice and light too.
Fit: Like an ever increasing number of IEM’s these are dynamic driver based and dynamic drivers need to be able to move about. They don’t like it if they are being held under pressure and they won’t sound right either. Here I did have an issue where it would take me a minute or two to fiddle with them to get the air pressure just right. It’s a pet peeve of mine, just vent the things and this wouldn’t be a problem. It wasn’t a huge problem but it was an annoyance.
Cable: Fine, cable never gave me any trouble or made me even give it much of a thought. The jack is straight but feels of a nice quality.
Microphonics: As I wore them up I never had any trouble, if you wear them down you will get some but it’s not anything terrible.
Amped/Unamped: There was the usual differences going on but nothing particularly marked. I would suggest they like a brighter amp like the Icon Mobile but given that these are so very warm that’s hardly a shocker. Use if you want but not worth adding the bulk in my opinion.
Value: In just pure music terms then you can do better for US$75. That said if the idea of a warm sound appeals to you then its competitors become the EX500 and ViSang R03 / Brainwavz M2 (they are the same thing just marketed differently) and each has some detracting factor. The Sony has a J cable many including myself hate and it has a weird shape that may not fit all. The R03/M2 is just plain ugly and at present is only available online from ebay or the Far East which some may be unhappy buying from. The ts01 while decent sounding of those 3 it’s coming in alongside the Sonys at best, the Sony however comes with a lovely slab of dead cow case.
Edit: I now have AMP3 pricing and its £49 currently with 10% off making them £44 http://www.advancedheadphones.co.uk/shop/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=thinksound
At present they are available for US$45 on Amazon US and then they become a much more appealing option but still not a clear winner. Simply a pretty and viable alternative to the M2 / R03.
Conclusion: This review somehow hasn’t really panned out like I thought it was going to. On my first listen the ts01 were a big bundle of luscious richness, like a big dollop of Whippy soft ice cream (thank you Baroness Thatcher) it’s soft and smooth and you just love it. As time went on it was like having more and yet more Whippy ice cream. I began to like it less and then not really at all and by the end a several hour stretch I really just didn’t want any more. It’s not that they are bad because they are by no means bad but they are just too rich and too warm. I can see why some would like them that way, it’s how Sony tunes their things so there is certainly some appeal and I am sure that many will love how they sound. I just increasingly found that warmth too much for long term use. What I also can’t ignore is that when I compare these head to head with the R03/M2 its gets beaten pretty much across the board, never by a huge margin but they do get beaten. The ts01 if it had come out a couple of years ago then it would have pretty much demolished the competition but that was then and this is now. I find myself wanting to say nice things about the ts01 but every aspect of its beaten somewhere (except in the looks department). I’d like to be able to say it’s a great all-rounder like the iM-590 but it’s not, it’s so very rich, warm sound means that there is a lot of music out there that just is not suited. Has it been tuned this way to emphasise its wooden nature perhaps? Maybe this is just the warm, bassy end of a panoply of IEM’s Thinksound are planning to produce? If that’s the case then by all means I can see a place for these.
What I must really comment on is that these are being quite prominently marketed as being wooden and natural. The packaging is all recyclable and as the packaging tells me they aiming to have the “smallest eco-footprint possible” which I guess is an admirable goal. If this is something that’s important to you then by all means buy them on that basis. Likewise if looks matter to you then these are just top notch. I am telling you now photographs do not do these justice, they look beautiful. Obviously being little bits of dead tree they well all look at least slightly different but this pair, uber pretty.
How importantly you rate its eco friendliness and its prettiness much is entirely up to you but be aware they have to be the deciding factor. On sound alone while good they aren’t the very best you can get. They will easily beat the majority of junk out there and they will spank the rubbish that you get with players (oh you know I’m looking at you Apple) so as an upgrade I’m sure most would be very happy with the pretty ts01.
