I don’t usually like to typecast myself – but for all intents and purposes I guess one would consider me an audiophile. I love music -everything about it and since I keep strange hours I’ve become dependent on headphones like a normal person is dependent on water. That being said – I can be a bit of a snob when it comes to headphones and when I heard of I-Omego’s $80 Throne Cambo X1/X2 headphones I honestly didn’t expect much.
When I read that they were donating $2 for each set of headphones sold to benefit Cambodia charity efforts – they got my attention.
Style
The limited edition THRONE Cambo are available in Black (X1) and White (X2). My review pair were the X1’s. The Throne’s feature an adjustable padded headband nicely decorated with the colors of the Cambodian Flag (Red and Blue) and includes a commemorative flag stripe. The ear pads are made up of comfort foam that look pillow soft (in this case looks are not deceiving). They have a sleek somewhat throwback style with gold-plated 3.5mm audio connectors which complement the overall aesthetic. The THRONE’s easily look a bit more upper crust than other over ear cans I’ve seen and bought for triple the price.
Sound
Crisp, clear audio with deep bass. Putting the volume up to the max didn’t distort the quality of the music. I listened to Beyonce “Halo” -the instrumentation was impeccable, with “Stay Awhile” by Quincy – I heard notes in the track I never noticed before. I considered maybe I should try a more bass heavy song for a true test so I tried “Do You” by Heather B on full volume – flawless. If you’re a person that appreciates the integrity of music and occasionally likes to test the limits of just how much thump you can take before you lose your hearing permanently – then these are for you.
Feeling Charitable
Snippet from the Press Release:
These headphones are offered as part of Project Cambodia, an I-MEGO charity program that supports the improvement of Cambodian orphanages and schools. I-MEGO will donate $2 USD for every unit of THRONE Cambodia special edition sold. As part of a partnership with Taiwan-based charity ELIV (Empowering Lives through Innovative Volunteerism), these donations will give financial assistance to Cambodian Light Children/Association Siem Reap Branch and other organizations in Cambodia to rebuild and renovate dilapidated orphanages.
“I-MEGO believes in the power of education and the great potential of every child to achieve,” explains Matt Altschul, head of I-MEGO’s US Operations. “We took up this cause because we want to make an impact on people across the world, whether they are already music lovers or those who could use more music in their lives.”
I-MEGO is also sponsoring a documentary on Cambodian orphanages and music. The documentary, “Code Green” is due out in November, but a brief preview is available here: Code Green.
True Story
To give a clearer picture of how they stack up to the rest I did a comparison with my son. My son is one of those children that walks around EVERYWHERE with a pair of headphones on his head. I decided to take him to Best Buy to determine which headphones would be best. We tried Beats by Dre Solo HD ($200), Sol Republic Tracks Ultra ($179.99), Sol Republic Tracks HD ($129.99). In our test session – hands down Sol Republics won.
I waited about a few days and gave him the Throne’s to try. Several pics all over Instagram and a few hours later he declared a new winner – I-Mego THRONE
Conclusion
Aside from the distinctive attention grabbing style, lack of sound distortion regardless of music genre or volume level listened to or the $79.99 price tag – the money is for a good cause. Another bonus being – the noise isolation allows you to listen on minimal volume and still hear every detail without distraction or waking your neighbor.
