Thinksound On2

Just got these in today from Massdrop. Sound impressions to follow.

Note: packaging is good. Cable appears to be a 3.5 mm stereo (on both terminations) and is lightweight and flexible.

Seems to be of reasonably good build quality. Solid feel. Wood feels good but not of exceptional quality.

Clamp is quite light and is comfortable for an on-ear (if you hate on-ears do not apply).

Since the headphone is targeted mostly at portable use, my primary device will be my Galaxy S8, but as shown in the photo I will use my desk/bedside rig to evaluate as well.

Not sure which headphone to compare to since I only have a HD 6XX and a LCD-3 on-hand. I'll see if I can't get my HD 599 off permanent loan to compare (my mother has it and loves it).

Edit note: I've exclusively been listening to the On2 today to try to get myself acclimated to the sound, and while I'll reserve judgment and giving out impressions until further listening, I must say that these are very, very nice. Absolutely worth the $90 on Massdrop. The real question is how they'll stack up against the HD 6XX and HD 599 (all of these are technically $200 headphones. Each are geared towards different audiences, but I feel that the HD 6XX offers the more interesting comparison since most members here seem to be familiar with these).

 

Full Impressions/Review of the Thinksound On2

Intro/info

I am not a professional reviewer, don't have golden ears, etc etc. My ears are faulty and I'm not that experienced. That being said, I did want to contribute my experience and hope that someone may find it useful.

Thinksound is a small audio company based in New Hampshire. The On2 headphone is an update of the previous On1. Interestingly, the On2 is meant to be an "eco-friendly" headphone. The plastic parts are made from recycled plastic, the wood comes from reclaimed wood in China (essentially leftover scrap from furniture factories), heck, even the included carry bag is made from recycled materials. While I'm not necessarily the super-environmentalist by any standard, it is quite interesting what Thinksound is doing with the materials and is a cause that I can support.

Packaging/Build Quality/Features

It comes in a (recycled) cardboard box, with this egg-carton like tray. Packaging looks decent and should survive temperamental deliver workers.



The headphones themselves go in the indentation and lay flat. The "joints" (don't know what they're called) on the band allow the headphone cups to swivel to lay flat and allow plenty of articulation. They fold up nicely and combined with their light weight (approx. 7 oz) should be fairly portable for most.



Clamp is very light and the headphones are comfortable to wear despite being on-ears; however, head bobbing is probably a no-no unless you like testing your catching reflexes.

There are two included cables. Both cables terminate in a 3.5 mm on both ends (stereo). The one in the picture is the one with the in-line mic with 1 button. The mic works okay (people can understand me in a call). The button just starts/stops the music. The other cable does not have a mic. There doesn't seem to be any audible difference between the two cables. The cables are very light and flexible, but they do exhibit some microphonics which can be noticeable; however when I was just walking with my music I didn't notice the microphonics.

Build quality seem solid. The plastic feels sturdy (for plastic) and the yokes are metal, with the indentations for the adjustment being plastic. Wood feels great and sturdy. Pads are made of faux leather and memory foam, and I believe the band is the same way. The padding is more than enough for the weight and clamp for me, so I find it comfortable unless I'm sitting down for a long listening session, in which the on-ear nature does start to get to me. However, it is worth noting that I don't notice the discomfort until I take the headphones off.

While I haven't tried disassembling the headphones, the pads simply twist right off with light pressure and twist back on. Audeze, please take notes.

Speaking of the pads, I notice that the faux leather takes some time to warm up and "settle" on your ears. It sounds noticeably better afterwards, probably due to seal.

The cables and the impedance of 50 ohm do hint at the On2's intended audience at portable use. These are easy to drive and efficient cans. I'll talk about the sound below, but do note that the On2, while it improved with the use of an amp, it was a really subtle change and I have serious doubts that it'll scale.

Probably doesn't really need to be said, but if you want wireless, Bluetooth headphones with active noise cancellation, look elsewhere. These are neither wireless nor do they have active noise cancellation. However, the passive isolation from the closed-back and the faux leather pads do a decent job at passive isolation.

Sound Impressions*

Despite Thinksound marketing the On2 as part of their "monitor series," these are not accurate, uncoloured headphones. Instead, these are a fun-sounding, unapologetically musical set of cans that sound great in a wide variety of genres.

*Impressions done on a SDAC + Wyrd and Magni 3. Compared against the HD 6XX (stock) on the same system for sound.

Bass:

• Boosted, but not by an ungodly amount. Maybe +3 dB? Definitely more bass than the HD 6XX. I'm not sure if this is because of the closed-back nature, but the On2 also seems to have a hump in the response, but lower in frequency in comparison to the HD 6XX.
• Extends surprisingly well for an on-ear, but it's roughly equivalent to the HD 6XX. Granted, the reverb effect from the cups plus the boosted nature of the bass can fool people into thinking they extend better. I will say they do seem to have more "rumble" whatever that means.
• Just a touch of looseness in the bass. I wouldn't call it flabby though. Resolve is decent, but it's not the HD 6XX.
• Pitch differentiation on par or better than the HD 6XX (my gut tells me that I only think the On2 is better here due to having moar bass. Leaning towards being on par in this category)

Mids:

• Recessed in direct comparison to the HD 6XX. Using the 6XX as reference, the On2 sounds a bit U-shaped. However, the mids are not missing by any measure.
• Leans towards being warm.
• Vocals are somewhat indistinct. This might be partially to the point directly below.
• In the mids, it's clear that the On2 doesn't quite have the cleanest definition of the beginning of notes. The 6XX has both better definition and resolve, and I believe it shows in the mids the most. This can make the On2 sound busy or slightly congested in songs where tons of instruments are playing at once.
• I'm not certain, but the upper mids might have a dip similar to Audeze LCD series headphones. On every LCD-# I tried, I find it slightly difficult to tell the ride cymbal apart from the crash cymbal on certain rock songs where the recording may not be of the finest quality and that trend continues here. The fundamental of some ride cymbals seem a little muted while the overtones seem exaggerated.

Treble:

• This is the area where it's extremely clear the On2 is not neutral. There is an impressive sense of air and lots of sparkle; so much so it sounds exaggerated. However, this is part of the On2's charm and is definitely an aspect I enjoyed.
• Despite what I said about it being exaggerated, the treble is not harsh or grating. I find it to be relatively smooth and somewhat non-fatiguing. However, not as smooth as the 6XX.
• That being said, if you love your classical and your violins and piano, these....aren't the best. No, they're not bad. They just won't draw you in like some other headphones can. The 6XX is much better in this regard.
• Treble extension seems better than the 6XX.

Soundstage is gawd-awful. but perhaps that's being unfair because I'm comparing a closed-back on-ear to an open-back over-ear. However, the soundstage is that three-blob of front/right/left. However, the reverb from the cups can create an artificial sense of space; the On2 kind of makes everything sound like it was recorded in a larger room. Not concert hall-like, but close. This also gives the sensation that you're sitting a bit further away from the stage; if the 6XX puts you in row 5, the On2 is more like row 15-20.

Conclusion

If you listen to a lot of pop, rock, hip hop, and/or jazz, and you're looking for a portable set of cans, the On2 is a fantastic, musical choice. So far it hasn't failed to put a smile on my face, and I find myself amazed that an on-ear can sound this good. Combined with the build quality, I'd say that the On2 is worth the $200 MSRP.

That being said, the set I have I bought off Massdrop for $90, and I've seen it on sale on Amazon for ~$120 US. At those prices, as long as you don't need Bluetooth, I don't think these headphones can be beat. It would be interesting to compare vs a Koss Porta Pro, but I don't have one on hand.

Recommended, 4.5/5

 

@ShaneD Hi there! Introduce yourself here. Hope your wife likes the On2!

I've never heard of the CAL!, but what I can tell is that the passive isolation on the On2 works really well. In my experience, they actually have more isolation than the Campfire Solaris with the stock silicone tips.

I genuinely believe that these are a good value even at the standard price of $200. The only real drawbacks to the On2 compared to other portable sets is the on-ear nature and the wired connection (that and you won't truly get the best out of them unless you use an amp). However, the On2 folds flat, making it pretty easy to store with its included bag. Essentially, if you want portable but really want good sound quality, than these are really hard to beat (unless you mostly listen to classical, then these are just ok. Perhaps the Meze 99 Noir?).