Passion Turned To Perfection

Malaysia has firmly established itself in the global audiophile community, renowned for champion in-ear monitor brands like Elysian, Unknown Custom, and Alpha & Omega. These brands exemplify how true passion translates into international success. However, one segment has remained largely unexplored, the world of headphones. Enter Omne Audio. Founded by the passionate duo Nabil and Leong, veterans with years of industry experience, the brand aims to fill that gap with its debut dynamic driver headphone, the Hendeka. Positioned in the competitive mid-fi arena, the Hendeka has some formidable players to contend with. Is Omne Audio’s brainchild, The Hendeka ready to rise to the occasion? Let’s find out.

But first, a huge gratitude to Omne Audio for the opportunity by sending us a loaner sample of the Hendeka and no monetary transactions or affiliation is garnered for this review for an honest take on these headphones. Review is done solely by personal opinion.

Functions & Specifications

Before we start the review, here are the specifications of the Omne Audio Hendeka;

• Style: Open-back, over-ear headphone
• Transducer Type: Dynamic
• Frequency Response: 20Hz – 20,000Hz
• SPL 1mW: 98dB
• Driver Size: 50mm
• Impedance: 32 ohm
• Weight: 435 grams
• Cable Length: 1.2m
• Connector: Dual 3.5mm entry
• Termination: 4.4mm balanced

The Omne Audio Hendeka can be purchased at their website and in Starspicker Malaysia, Respawn Gaming Tech Indonesia, Zappelin & Co and Beyond The Music Singapore.

OMNE Audio – HENDEKA 50mm Open-Back Dynamic Driver Headphones

https://www.respawngt.com/products/omne-audio-hendeka

OMNE Audio Hendeka

https://www.beyondthemusicid.com/product-page/omne-audio-hendeka-50mm-dynamic-driver-headphone

Packaging & Accessories

The packaging here is simple with a high quality, large hard carry case that is practical for storing the headphones alongside the cable safely and it is suitable to carry along the headphones for travel. The cable included is a 1.2 meter 8 core braided black cable with 2.5mm dual entry on the headphones side and 4.4mm balanced on the input side. Pretty standard accessories for and the cable looks and feels robust.

Design

The design isn’t your off the mill design, instead a 3D printed PC body with carbon fibre grilles that has unique engravings with their logo in the middle alongside some acoustic foams to prevent dust from entering. They possess a leather headband with a rather thick cushion on the bottom and metal length adjustment rods similar to Audeze headphones. The design here has a vintage boxy cup shape that has 11 points to them which translate to the Greek word for 11, Hendeka. The design here is original and they do look futuristic albeit a vintage inspired design. The Hendeka is a circumaural, open back headphones that creates a wide, airy soundstage with the caveats of sound leak, so these aren’t headphones to be used in public.

Weighing in at 435 grams, they are on the heavier side but not as heavy as the offerings from Audeze. The clamping force here is spot on for my medium sized head and comfortable even for long listening sessions. The metal slider adjustments mechanism is tight and they do hold in place well when being used.

Earpads are soft and made from velour with some sort of slow rebound memory foam. They are a snap on, user replaceable earpads with 50mm aftermarket earpads being usable.

Driving the Hendeka is a specially picked and matched 50mm dynamic driver with some tweaks being done by Omne. These dynamic drivers do sound robust and capable of handling high powered headphone amplifiers without issue, showcasing a high quality drivers being used.

The cable included is rather basic with a black sleeve 8 core braided cable with only 4.4mm balanced termination available. The headphones side are the standard 3.5mm dual entry that is similar with many headphones in the market, so 3rd party cables are easily sourced.

Gears Used for Comparisons

Songs list

Tone and Presentation

The tone of the Hendeka is a neutral to warm sounding headphones with a balanced presentation that doesn’t majorly emphasize on any frequencies apart from a small focus at the lower midrange to the bass region. They do lean slightly towards a darker tonal balance without sounding too dull, instead, they are highly musical sounding headphones that are smooth and velvety. The overall sound is clean, organic and transparent with a minor touch of colouration that adds a jovial touch and without interfering in the overall naturalness in their sound reproduction. Designed for pure musical immersion, these headphones let you feel the music instead of picking it apart.

Soundstage

The Hendeka soundstage is highly commendable partly due to its open back style and they possess a great width and height that doesn’t feel closed and they are solid in their price range. They are wider and tall and perform like a large near field monitor that projects sound forward producing an intimate, immersive and lively sound that has a great amount of air and space. Headroom here is spacious and has a large headroom that doesn’t feel boxy in any sense. In terms of accuracy, the Hendeka possesses a holographic soundstage that has an accurate 3D spatial sound that makes sound easily distinguished that is suitable for gaming or movies.

Separation and Timbre

Separation here is superb and performs above their asking price here. Imaging and layering is accurately clean and crosstalk issues are non-existent, producing a wide dynamic range that separates the left and right sound in a wide, accurate stereo width. Timbre here is organic, punchy and natural as they don’t display any weird unnatural sheen, instead they are accurate sounding headphones really. The overall timbre is rich and full-bodied that shows a quintessential sound of a true dynamic driver.

Drivability

While rated at 32 ohms with a 98db sensitivity, they are lower sensitivity headphones that require some driving power to perform to their best and it is recommended to have a dedicated full fledged desktop setup to bring out their full potential and having adequate loudness. A simple dongle surely wouldn’t do justice for them to unleash their potential and they are rather suppressed, meanwhile, a better, stronger setup does scale them up quite significantly by increasing their dynamic range, imaging and clarity. Source matching here does slightly lean towards a neutral sound with a slightly bright tone in to give some extra body but they are quite flexible in matching as per user’s taste. The Hendeka is a pair of headphones that is a little forgiving as they are a tad revealing and not so picky in the types of files being played but will benefit from a good mastered track and though it is usable for monitoring or editing, there are plenty others of headphones that is purposely built for in this department.

The Bass (Low)

The bass is a neutral with a mild boost in the mid-bass and they are a pure dynamic that is punchy, deep and natural. It has the authority and they are meaty giving a tight, clean slam that isn’t muddy nor bloaty but the amount here surely isn’t for bassheads, instead they are for users who want a good bass presence without being overwhelmingly distracting. Details here are superb and they possess a clean, clear, well textured bass that is highly technical without any bleed present. Mid-bass is slightly lifted that gives some weight into the music with no major peaks and they do have a slow roll off that gives a lingering bass that extends well, giving an airy, spacious bass presentation. Resolution here is great with a defined overall bass that also excels in their transparency. The sub-bass is natural with a good rumble that reaches low. The sub-bass has a good amount but the mid-bass lift here has the better part in overall presence. The overall bass do have a good pace to keep up with bassy tracks but energy here is slightly average. A quality over quantity situation indeed.

The Mids

Midrange on the Hendeka is a slight forward presentation that has a warm-ish sound that doesn’t steer far from being neutral and pushes out a lush, sweet midrange that has a unique richness for a more enjoyable experience. There is some thickness present here but in a natural amount enabling the mids to be relatively neutral. The mids are full with no gaps and there is some focus towards the lower midrange that gives a slightly darker tone while also having a light peak in the upper mids for more brilliance and bite. Details here are great with a focus on the macro details alongside decent micro details and they do have a clean, clear midrange. The accuracy here is good but there are some instances of colouration present but they are highly resolving with a vivid yet precise sound reproduction. Vocals here are sweet with a slightly intimate sound that is close to your ears and they are balanced in their vocals as they have great depth and a shiny brilliance. The tuning here actually suits female vocals better for their shiny brilliance. Instruments sounded accurate but on some high pitch instruments like violins, electric guitar or woodwinds, they do lack bite but in a small margin.

The Highs

The high range here is a neutral presentation with a mild lift in around the 10 to 20kHz region and they are energetic yet able to sound smooth without any harshness or sibilance. The highs extend really well, enabling them to give out an airy, spacious high range and the roll off here is slow that gives a high range that decays slowly. Sparkle amount is good and they do possess mild crisp decay that makes the overall sound more lively and prevents the high range from being overly smooth. Details here are excellent with high nuances well portrayed and they do have clean, clear highs that are highly resolving. The smooth yet present high range here actually excels in their timbre by giving an organic timbre that sounds as natural as it is without any artificial artefact present. Treble here is balanced and extended with a mild lean towards a laid-back, inoffensive sound with a decent push in the overall clarity without any dullness present.

Comparisons

VS Sennheiser HD800s (1500USD)

• HD800s is a neutral bright and are more suitable for monitoring but not as musical as the Hendeka
• High range amount, sparkle, crispness and details are on HD800s but both has similar clarity
• Hendeka high range is smoother and more forgiving
• Mids on Hendeka is thicker and fuller while the HD800s excels in details, clarity and transparency
• Bass on Hendeka has better weight and body while the HD800s has better accuracy and clarity
• Sub-bass on Hendeka reaches deeper with a bigger rumble marginally
• Soundstage on HD800s is wider and taller with a bigger headroom but airiness are rather similar

VS Sony MDR-MV1 (299USD)

• Both has similar neutral warm tone with Hendeka slightly leaning towards the darker tone
• Highs on both are very similar with the Hendaka extends better with slightly more presence
• Midrange on the MV1 is slightly more recessed than the Hendeka that gives it more space while Hendeka is more intimate
• Vocals on Hendeka is lusher and sweeter while the MV1 has better accuracy
• Bass on the MV1 has a bigger mid-bass lift marginally and a stronger sub-bass rumble with similar depth
• Soundstage on Hendeka is wider and taller with a bigger headroom

Synergy

Matching source: Bright, neutral to slightly warm

Examples: IFI Diablo, FiiO Q7, Aune S8 Pro, Qudelix T71

Not so matching sources: Bassy, warm

Examples: FiiO Q15, EPZ TP35 Pro, Cayin HA1A MK2

Who Is It For?

Suited for casual to serious audiophiles, light monitoring, daily usage, movies, gamers, treble sensitive users

Not really suitable for bassheads, studio use, critical listeners

Genres selection: Classicals, acoustics, pop, rock, instrumentals, metal, live performances, EDM, Hip-hop, modern pop

Not recommended genres: ACG, some female vocals (nitpicking)

Final words

Being their first dive into the headphones world, The Omne Audio Hendeka successfully delivers on its promise of immersion, offering a smooth, velvety listen that prioritizes emotional connection over clinical analysis. While it demands adequate amplification and won’t satisfy bassheads or reference purists, its warm, forgiving nature and superb timbre make for an exceptional debut. The exquisite design and build really shows their passion in producing something special and the fruition is audibly great. With the Hendeka, Omne Audio proves that sometimes, the most rewarding listening experience is simply feeling the music rather than dissecting it.

4 and half stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐½

Pros

• Superb technicalities
• Solid build, well designed
• High quality velour earpads, supremely comfortable
• Smooth, highly musical sound
• Top class separation, imaging, resolution and transparency
• Great overall clarity and details
• Organic, breathy timbre
• Great headroom and soundstage
• Linear, punchy, meaty, extended bass
• Natural sub-bass depth and amount
• Clean, accurate, full-bodied midrange
• Smooth, inoffensive upper midrange
• Sparkly, crisp and smooth high range
• Well extended, balanced treble
• Practical, high quality hard case
• High value versus performance index

Cons

• Not for critical listeners/reference neutral listeners
• Not really a monitoring headphones
• Not for bassheads nor trebleheads
• Upper mids and highs a little smooth/polite (subjective)
• Full fledged desktop setup needed for maximum performance
• Cable quality can be better (nit-pick)
• Treble a little lean (nit-pick)