Disclaimer
1. I was part of the Pro-Ject's Hear it One tour review. I had the chance to evaluate the headphones for 14 days.
2. I have no affiliation with Pro-Ject Audio in any way.
3. The following words are my personal opinion, I wasn’t forced or leaded to give a favorable review in any way.
Big thanks to Felix (WayneWoondirts here in Head-Fi) and Pro-Ject Audio for giving me the chance to review this headphones.
About me
I'm an avid music lover. I'm all about listening music on the go, I have tried several Apple product but never own one. To carry a brick has never been an option for me. Used many Creative players for years. The X3 was my first hi-definition portable player.
I don’t consider myself an audiophile, but certainly can appreciate quality and I drive myself to find it with the better value possible. My music taste goes from Jazz, to Industrial, to Rap. My digital library is now mostly flac files but also a lot of lossy mp3 files (224 kbps or more), and some 24bit flac files.
I’m a web developer and app developer for smartphones, technology is part of my life.
About this review
This review comes after evaluating the headphones for 14 days.
Many files type were used in the evaluation, FLAC, mp3, m4a, wav at different bit rates.
Specifications
http://www.box-designs.com/main.php?tech=hearitone&cat=headphones&lang=en
Packing and Built
The headphones come in a nice box that give you all the information you need. Inside, the first impression is very good, neat presentation. Getting the headphones out of the box wasn't easy, cable was secured to the box in multiple points, more effort than needed to get the product out of the box.
The headphones have a 3.5mm plug, included is a 6.3mm jack adaptor and carrying bag.
Cable is non detachable, the cable feel reminds me of the Klipsch Custom 3 cable, which after some months of use it becomes awful to handle. I couldn't test this given the duration of the evaluation period so take it with a grain of salt. Length is 1.25 meters long, suitable for portable use.
Overall, build quality is OK for the price, the included carrying bag is certainly a plus.
Comfort
Not suited for long listening sessions, found the clamp force a bit too much, making them not comfy. Maybe I'm being a bit unfair here since I'm used to the comfort of the Sennheiser HD600. After a bit more than an hour I would have to remove the headphones and take a break, my ears would be warm and -tired-. The materials on the Hear It One pads seem good quality and soft, this is why I put the emphasis on the clamping force, probably this will vary depending on the head size.
Sound
In short, these headphones sound good but nothing more than that. Fun sound was my first impression, warn but enjoyable, even when this is not my preference in sound signature.
Highs, mids and bass all make presence, the later taking a main role. Unsurprisingly the bass was enjoyable on genres like Hip-Hop, Rap, not so much on others. When listening to a broad range of genres is where the main sound issue with these headphones becomes clear, bass can be overwhelming on a lot of genres, more specifically it seems like there is something out of place with the mid-bass. Songs like Jesus, Etc. by Wilco or Atonement by The Roots resulted in a dark touch to the songs, overtaking the mid, making them opaque.
This doesn't mean the mid-range is bad, there is a big "it depends" here, if the song doesn't has a mid-bass that would basically eat the mids, is possible to appreciate the best sound of this cans.
Micro details are above average, this was a surprise since in my experience fun sounding headphones doesn't provide much micro detail. On rock music or similar genres is easy to spot congestion.
Other considerations
Isolation is very good. Definitely the best I have found for an on-ear headphone.
Using as main source the Fiio X5, but as well tested with smartphones HTC One m8 and Moto G 1st gen. As expected with the Fiio X5 and the HTC One the results were more pleasant, especially the bass with the X5 as source.
Conclusion
Hear It One headphone is a difficult recommendation to make, not because the product itself, which offers a fun enjoyable sound, but because, depending on the genres and songs its user plays on it, this might not be the case.
As for value, the options on the price range of the Hear It One are abundant, sound, style are factors here, and the first attempt from Pro-Ject Audio doesn't shine on any.
1. I was part of the Pro-Ject's Hear it One tour review. I had the chance to evaluate the headphones for 14 days.
2. I have no affiliation with Pro-Ject Audio in any way.
3. The following words are my personal opinion, I wasn’t forced or leaded to give a favorable review in any way.
Big thanks to Felix (WayneWoondirts here in Head-Fi) and Pro-Ject Audio for giving me the chance to review this headphones.
About me
I'm an avid music lover. I'm all about listening music on the go, I have tried several Apple product but never own one. To carry a brick has never been an option for me. Used many Creative players for years. The X3 was my first hi-definition portable player.
I don’t consider myself an audiophile, but certainly can appreciate quality and I drive myself to find it with the better value possible. My music taste goes from Jazz, to Industrial, to Rap. My digital library is now mostly flac files but also a lot of lossy mp3 files (224 kbps or more), and some 24bit flac files.
I’m a web developer and app developer for smartphones, technology is part of my life.
About this review
This review comes after evaluating the headphones for 14 days.
Many files type were used in the evaluation, FLAC, mp3, m4a, wav at different bit rates.
Specifications
http://www.box-designs.com/main.php?tech=hearitone&cat=headphones&lang=en
Packing and Built
The headphones come in a nice box that give you all the information you need. Inside, the first impression is very good, neat presentation. Getting the headphones out of the box wasn't easy, cable was secured to the box in multiple points, more effort than needed to get the product out of the box.
The headphones have a 3.5mm plug, included is a 6.3mm jack adaptor and carrying bag.
Cable is non detachable, the cable feel reminds me of the Klipsch Custom 3 cable, which after some months of use it becomes awful to handle. I couldn't test this given the duration of the evaluation period so take it with a grain of salt. Length is 1.25 meters long, suitable for portable use.
Overall, build quality is OK for the price, the included carrying bag is certainly a plus.
Comfort
Not suited for long listening sessions, found the clamp force a bit too much, making them not comfy. Maybe I'm being a bit unfair here since I'm used to the comfort of the Sennheiser HD600. After a bit more than an hour I would have to remove the headphones and take a break, my ears would be warm and -tired-. The materials on the Hear It One pads seem good quality and soft, this is why I put the emphasis on the clamping force, probably this will vary depending on the head size.
Sound
In short, these headphones sound good but nothing more than that. Fun sound was my first impression, warn but enjoyable, even when this is not my preference in sound signature.
Highs, mids and bass all make presence, the later taking a main role. Unsurprisingly the bass was enjoyable on genres like Hip-Hop, Rap, not so much on others. When listening to a broad range of genres is where the main sound issue with these headphones becomes clear, bass can be overwhelming on a lot of genres, more specifically it seems like there is something out of place with the mid-bass. Songs like Jesus, Etc. by Wilco or Atonement by The Roots resulted in a dark touch to the songs, overtaking the mid, making them opaque.
This doesn't mean the mid-range is bad, there is a big "it depends" here, if the song doesn't has a mid-bass that would basically eat the mids, is possible to appreciate the best sound of this cans.
Micro details are above average, this was a surprise since in my experience fun sounding headphones doesn't provide much micro detail. On rock music or similar genres is easy to spot congestion.
Other considerations
Isolation is very good. Definitely the best I have found for an on-ear headphone.
Using as main source the Fiio X5, but as well tested with smartphones HTC One m8 and Moto G 1st gen. As expected with the Fiio X5 and the HTC One the results were more pleasant, especially the bass with the X5 as source.
Conclusion
Hear It One headphone is a difficult recommendation to make, not because the product itself, which offers a fun enjoyable sound, but because, depending on the genres and songs its user plays on it, this might not be the case.
As for value, the options on the price range of the Hear It One are abundant, sound, style are factors here, and the first attempt from Pro-Ject Audio doesn't shine on any.
Nice review though