Here's something cute that I’ll enjoy writing about, right from the start. A company with a name that sounds Romanian at first, until you notice that it is correctly spelled in English, no Romanian. I'm talking about none other than Audio-Technica. They usually target photo cartridges, stage and studio microphones, but once in a while, they do headphones as well.

Recently, they introduced the ONTO, which is a series of portable headphones with a new nickname - Seamless Headband - which they really sport. Being designed with an ultra thin headband that not only doesn't mess up your hairdo, but also doesn't feel like wearing headphones. Presented in 6 eye candy colors, Audio-Technica's ATH-ON300 are light and comfortable headphones.

If there are also other headphones with headbands that don't mess up your hairdo, then I'm pretty sure there aren't (and know not of any) other headbands so slim so as to allow you to wear a hat or beanie.

If Audio-Technica is the name, let's see what's behind the tech. The headphones are of dynamic type, running on 30mm drivers that out a topping 102dB pe mili-Watt. The maximum input power heads as high as, you won't believe it (I know I still don't), 100 mili-Watts.

Doing a little math, knowing that the headphone drivers output 102dB for 1 single mili-Watt and that the sound pressure level increases logarithmically by 3dB each time you double the input power, we reach 120dB for 64mW. I only calculated the SPL without going way over the maximum input supported by the headphones, but for the SPL addicts, mind that you will get a distorted 123dB for 128mW, and still they're not even close to the state of the art Grado GR8 that drive 130dB with a mere 16mW input.

Pricing for these was set at $49.99.


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