At CES 2013, Onkyo's become the latest company to join the headphone market: two closed-back on-ear designs will hit the shops in the UK in March, with a pair of in-ear models following a month later, and a headphone equaliser app for smartphones and tablets on the way, too.
The headphones, which were previewed when we visited Onkyo last summer, feature detachable cables, either in a no-tangle flat profile design or in a 6N oxygen-free copper version, with a clear elastomer cover designed for minimal mechanical noise transmission.
The cables will be available separately, allowing buyers of the headphones supplied as with the flat profile cable to upgrade to the high-purity copper version if required.
The two closed-back models are the £149 ES-FC300 (above), supplied with the flat-profile cable, and the £179 ES-HF300 (below), which comes with the 'audiophile' cable.
Both use wide-range 4cm titanium drivers, designed for midband and treble clarity, while ported sub-chambers ensure good bass response.
The aluminium driver housings are styled to match the volume controls on Onkyo's audio products, and suspended on a single hanger, also made from aluminium.
The ES-FC300 model comes in a choice of three colours: black with red cable, white with white cable, and violet with violet cable.
The Onkyo earphones, on sale in April, are the £99 IE-FC300, and the IE-HF300 at £129. Both are housed in aluminium and use 14.3mm drivers, giving what Onkyo describes as 'silky bass with an open and natural midrange',.
The main difference is again the cable, the more expensive model using the 6N cable and the IE-FC300 the tangle-free elastomer-sheathed cable in red, violet or white.
MORE: Onkyo ES-HF300 review