Onkyo ES-HF300 headphones review

With great balance throughout the ranges, these Onkyo headphones deliver a crisp high end, rich and smooth bass and a crystal clear mid range. Crank them up to full volume and the audio remains level and undistorted. The Onkyo ES-HF300 headphones are intended for the home consumer, the bass is rich but probably too ‘present’ for mixing audio.

Headphones generally have a genre of music that they excel at, usually dance or acoustic. The Onkyo ES-HF300 headphones can handle any type of music you throw at them, dance, metal, alternative, acoustic, pop and classical all sound fantastic.

Each musical element are clearly defined, even when listening to a busy metal track, each instrument is easily identifiable. The music never descends into a cloudy mess. You really do get the impression you’re listening to the songs as the artists intended you to. You can almost imagine yourself sitting in the mastering studio listening to the final render of the track played through studio speakers.

Here’s what they have to say about it:

These folding on-ear headphones bring listeners closer to genuine hi-fi performance. Two wide-range 40 mm titanium drivers deliver stunning clarity in the mid- and high-frequency bands. Onkyo’s unique ported bass sub-chambers, meanwhile, help define a deep, muscular bottom-end response. The aluminium driver housing (shaped to resemble the volume control on Onkyo’s hi-fi and A/V components) and single aluminium hanger presents a clean, understated profile.

Another example of how good these headphones are is how they make you appreciate the music you’re used to listening to even more. They look awesome and the build quality is great. After handling the Onkyo ES-HF300 headphones, other models look cheap and fake.

I would have liked the cable to be a little longer, 1.2m doesn’t seem quite long enough. What I do really like about it is you can detach the cable and replace it, great feature! The connections to the headset feel secure, you have to push fairly hard to get the sockets into place. Once they’re in there, you really do get the sense they’re not going anywhere unless you intend to remove them.

The burning question is this: are they worth £179.99? Honestly, yes they are. If you love music, being able to listen to it with such quality on the move makes the Onkyo ES-HF300 headphones worth every penny.

For more information go to http://www.onkyo.com/

Tech Specs
Impedance: 32 Ω
Frequency Response: 10Hz~27kHz
Output Sound Pressure Level: 97dB/mW
Input Power: 1000mW
Input Connector: 3.5mm (1/8″) L-Shaped Gold-Plated Stereo Mini Plug

Accessories
Detachable cable (1.2m(47 1/4″) x1), 3.5mm
Carry Case

Gillan Williams