In this feature, Marcus reviews the I-Mego The Throne Poison, which is a set of closed-back dynamic driver headphones with a quirky design. It is priced at $139.90
Disclaimer: This sample was sent to me for my honest opinion. Headfonics is an independent website with no affiliate links or status. I thank I-MEGO for their support.
Click here to read more about I-MEGO products previously tested on Headfonics.
Note, that this article follows our latest scoring guidelines which you can read here.
I-Mego contacted me about a month ago and asked if I would be interested in reviewing their Throne headphones and ZTone earphones and after having a close look I decided to take a gamble and try out the Throne Poison headphones.
I passed on the Gold Throne, I simply do not play basketball, mix records or even remotely look bling enough to carry that look off. Not that the Throne Poison is not in every way a bling can but silver and purple are a bit more mature for me than gold.
I also picked the Poison version for the claim that it was the more balanced of the two being engineered apparently for vocals and acoustics over beats and electronica which is the purpose of the Gold version.
The posted frequency charts suggested that the Poison would have a stronger or more forward mids performance for vocals than the Gold though both posted reasonably elevated bass responses to suggest this would still be quite a colored headphone.
Design
Of course, I did all my picking according to some marketing shots and FQ charts but even so, when they arrived I was pretty impressed by the effort put into a $130 headphone regarding packaging and accessories.
This is not shoddy by any means and visually they look as impressively silver and purple as they did on the website pics but sadly my hope that the metallic looks was indeed some sort of heavy-duty metallic finish was punctured flat by the feel of plastic.
Oh well, it is $130 after all but still looks undeniably flashy and bling. Opening up the box it also reminded me of the Blaupunkt 112 DJ Edition which has been out for a while now and is being sold for around $60 these days.
Sadly I never got to hear the 112DJ but the Throne does have that feel albeit with a different design. I cannot say if they share the same driver or technology sadly based on the specs but the vibe is there in terms of form factor.
Cable
Unlike the 112DJ though the cable is not detachable from the Throne cups but it is single-sided and the cable seems reasonably durable, purple, and terminated with a gold-plated 3.5mm jacks. In the accessory kit apart from a soft cloth pouch there is also a quarter jack adapter and a small mobile phone adapter cable.
The headphone itself is a mix of mainly molded plastics and metal with a leather finish with an impression of I-Mego in Gothic type lettering on the top.
The cups are in a more oblong rounded rectangular shape, much the same as the 112 DJ version, and finished in plastic and an internal purple cloth behind the silver plastic. The pads are made of plether and memory foam and of reasonable depth.
Comfort
On the head, the clamp is also of average pressure but not too much in the way of passive isolation but perhaps on par with the Marshall Monitor in that respect. This is an on-ear closed headphone of the slightly larger variety and sits reasonably well on my ear with some slight adjustment for comfort and seal.
The overall fit was quite comfortable but of course a bit sweaty in hot conditions after prolonged use. The leather headband was a bonus and sat very well indeed with above-average distribution of pressure. All in all quite a comfortable wearing headphone.
Sadly the Throne doesn’t fold or lay flat with the cups having a somewhat limited swivel capability so it feels bigger than it had to be and coming with a soft pouch there is not that much protection for it to be a robust commuters’ choice.
The build quality for me is above average in terms of visuals but a little lacking in terms of durability. Though not fragile these are not rough and tumble headphones like the Aiaiai Capital, TMA-1 of the German Maestro 8.35D which are veritable tanks and priced not too far off.
However, They will catch the eye far quicker than some other cans on the retail shelf, which is sometimes half the battle.
Sound Impressions
The I-Mego Throne Poison tonality can be best described as warm and fuzzy with a rolled-off top end with much of the emphasis on the lower mids and an elevated mid-bass that doesn’t overwhelm the mids but also doesn’t hit massively hard or deep.
The somewhat tapered top end and laid-back non-aggressive presentation do struggle for top-end sparkle. For many, this will mean the joys of a very non-fatiguing listening experience with no hint of sibilance and nasty lower treble peakiness.
For others though it will lack bite and dynamics and some clarity to engage with what is being listened to.
It is not a monitoring headphone, it is aiming for musicality. However, competing with the Superlux and Capitals of this world will be pretty tough sound-wise and to be honest, I think the Superlux pulls this off a bit better with the likes of the HD631 DJ Pro more muscular and meatier dynamics though not quite as striking visually.
I understand that this one is designed more for vocals rather than beats since the Gold has been marketed as a “Beats-orientated’ headphone.
With that in mind, the Poison Throne version does still seem to be engineered with a stronger emphasis on the lower mids and upper bass, and everything above that area for me just a little too muted and recessed for vocals to sound expressive and instruments to have any real sense of space and imaging.
Synergy
Now this is the first headphone I ever decided to use some EQ to see if I could shake it loose of its veil.
JDS 02 Amp
Thankfully using a Z10 Neutron Player and a JDS 02 Amp I was able to give a nice boost in the 3-5KHz and reduce the 250-500Hz and produce a fuller and more forward treble that I think does this headphone a lot more justice whilst at the same time toning down for a more balanced response in the mid-bass.
The enhanced 6Khz did add a touch of unwanted sibilance but the clarity was light years ahead of the stock sound.
Sadly the mids didn’t quite jump out as I hoped but for anyone wanting a slightly different presentation definitely up the 3-7KHz range and tone down the bass and you will find something that I think is a bit more realistic.
JDS Labs C5
The JDS Labs C5 added a touch more sparkle to that EQ’ed setup with a slightly more forward and faster-paced presentation than the 02.
Using the tricks thus far the Throne Poison was becoming a rather pleasant-sounding and cleaner headphone that, if not the final word in resolution, certainly sounds a lot more musical than straight out of the box.
I did notice with amping and pushing the top end a lot harder there was a noticeable level of distortion. Now I read in other tests that lower-end distortion was audible when driven hard well the reverse is true when you ramp up the treble giving me a feeling that you simply cannot push this headphone that hard.
That is a shame really because with some tweaking and the right amping you can produce a better and more expressive performance out of the Throne Poison.
Astell & Kern AK100
Straight out of the AK100 was a return to that muted top end and veil that I initially struggled with so once again going to the AK100 and boosting the lower treble and reducing the lower end brought about much the same results as the initial setup in my trusty Z10 neutron app.
As a bonus though, the AK100 brought about a much better level of control over the entire range with minimal distortion compared to the the other setups. The lesson here is to avoid any pre-amping I guess and keep the gain to a minimum if possible.
My Verdict
The I-Mego Throne Poison has some potential with the right setup and visually looks unique and doubtless will appeal to a lot of the casual consumer market.
The lack of sibilance and warm inoffensive but veiled reproduction will give countless hours of non-fatiguing listening and the fit and comfort levels are quite good.
At $130 though things are getting more and more competitive with the the likes of Superlux learning and developing a wide range of sounds for half the price and the Aiaiai Capital is almost a king at this price range in terms of durability though considerably less comfortable to wear than the Throne.
I credit I-Mego for putting some nice touches into the headphones to create a visually striking product that will certainly keep the retail shelves interesting to the eye.
With the use of amping and different sources, the higher up you go in the food chain the more you can squeeze out of the Throne Poison’s top end and dynamics and it can do some nice things now and then but without the use of any amping and EQ the stock sound leaves me a little wanting.
Just as I write there are now two new versions out, the Dark Angel and the White Devil and by reading their charts also I believe the White will be the equivalent to the Poison and the Dark to the Gold.
I-Mego Throne Poison Technical Specifications
- Type: Headphones
- Driver Diameter: 40 mm x 2
- Frequency Response: 20 – 20,000 Hz
- Impedance: 32 ohms
- Weight: TBC
- Cable: 1.2 m in length
- Connector: 3.5 mm stereo plug
