OVC is a major manufacturer of electronics in China, and one of those companies whose products are everywhere to see without anyone recognising them. OVC has been the Chinese OEM for the likes of Koss, Siemens, AT&T, Panasonic, LG, Samsung, Audio-Technica, Plantronics, Yamaha, V-Moda, etc. etc.
HC1000 are OVC’s rough equivalent to Audio-Technica’s ATH-ON3, Sennheiser PX100, PX200, and the Koss KSC series of headphones. There’s a closer equivalent to PX200, OVC HC800, cushioned small closed headphones, but those have 16-mm. diaphragms and are likely to have a weaker sound than the HC1000.

Neither the OVC HC1000 or HC800 have been sold outside China.

HC1000 specs state a 113 (+/-3) db/1 mW efficiency and an impedance of 32-ohm. The headphones have 30-mm. diaphragms. By comparison, Sennheiser PX100 and Koss Porta-Pro have 40-mm. diaphragms, ATH-ON3 30-mm, and Denon AH-D501 35-mm.

The OVC HC1000 do look somewhat like Sennheiser PX200 in the Head-Direct photos:

And they’re not like either PX100 or PX200 at all. They even fold in a different way:

The HC1000 come with a lot of accessories:

Spare foam pads, 3.5mm to 2.5mm minijack adapter, minijack-to-jack adapter, extension, and replacement enclosure inserts. And, of course, the carry bag.

Unlike Western mini-headphones, the HC1000 have a single cable and an extension. The cable is 50 cm. long, the extension’s 1.5 m. long.

Enclosure inserts are the “special” cosmetic feature of the HC1000: the HC1000 can switch decoration from default red to metallic silver-white and blue.
The 3.5mm to 2.5mm adapter cable will be appreciated by cell phone and some mini-player/radio owners.

Carrying bag, unlike the common fake leather pouches or Sennheiser plastic cases, is a sturdy, soft synthetic fabric bag with stiff fake leather inserts. Folded, the headphones will be well-protected inside the bag. The bag has a belt clip and is designed to hang off the belt over the leg, but it is lightweight enough to be carried on a necklace.

The whole package is designed to appeal to girls: switchable inserts, the red bag, the many useful accessories. And, of course, the stylish looks. The HC1000 are almost anime- or manga-like in appearance.

HC1000 have 30mm diaphragms, not 40mm like the Sennheiser PX100 or Koss Porta-Pro. Hence the sound isn’t as powerful in the low frequencies (or as boomy, as some would say). Low midrange and bass are a tad recessed, by the sound of it, in the 200-400 Hz region.

HC1000 don’t seal as poorly as the Sennheiser PX200, but they don’t sit as snugly as the Koss Porta-Pro either. They can start sliding (very slowly) off ears when head’s inclined, but they sit in place most of the time and seal well enough to sound solid. They could do better with the seal if there was a firm securing mechanism (such as clips).

Overall sound presentation is what they call “neutral”, lacking a bit in the low midrange and bass, but compensating by very clear upper midrange and treble. There’s a touch of “technical dullness” in the sound that most headphones in the price range have, but the HC1000 have more depth to the sound than either the Porta-Pro or the dry-sounding PX100.

In this short DX piano improvisation, the OVC HC1000 separate and play the background pad clearly. Not all headphones can do that - usually distorted piano masks the pad.

Here’s a second reverberated fragment.

As for bass response, there’s enough of it. OVC’s choice of a 30-mm diaphragm was wise, as it allows the headphones to have good dynamics, clean midrange and treble, with foam pads’ dampening providing the bass. Common “pop” records and pretty much any mainstream commercial records are likely to have the bass cut below 100 Hz; real synthesiser output though has house-rumbling bass fundamentals below 60 Hz. Like this:

Of course, house rumbling requires a decent set of speakers or a powerful subwoofer, but the benefit of headphones is their ability to reproduce bass relatively painlessly (excluding earache and possible temporary deafness if played too loud).

The HC1000 have played this piece (and many others) without trouble through the Minibox-D amplifier at rather loud volume (tolerably loud, anyway) and didn’t distort.

Except for the dip in lower midrange, the HC1000 have a pretty even frequency response, with a surprisingly deep, “3D” soundstage for small portable headphones. They’re not intrusive or fatiguing sonically at all. HC1000 can pick up details which are usually reserved to canalphones and higher-end headphones with proper amplification. They have picked up microdetails in the sound effects and music of Quake (cheers to Trent Reznor) that mini-headphones from Western manufacturers missed. Quake was spooky enough, even, which is always an indicator of accurate sound. As for other music, the more delicate synthesised pads are especially clear played through the HC1000; the tradeoff is that electric guitars and strings played at lower octaves may lose some of the “meat”. The HC1000 do sound a bit “toyish” next to, say, unmodified Koss Porta-Pro, but nowhere near the bassless, low-midrange-less mockery that are the PX200.

Build is solid; they have already survived a few pulls on the cable. The cable joint sockets are well-protected with artificial rubber cones.

Cable has a stiff, durable coating, and seems to be armoured with kevlar. They may not survive someone sitting on them, but within the protective bag (which looks like a sunglasses pouch) the HC1000 should endure. The headband is metal underneath a plastic shell. The only possibly weak parts are the enclosure inserts - the inserts’ legs are soft and brittle, and may not survive more than two-three transplants.

Comfort is what might come from lightweight headphones barely reminding of themselves. As with many headphone makes, the HC1000 even sacrifice seal and sonic power for comfort: they could’ve pressed harder and seal better, but instead they’re featherweight and barely pushing the ears.

Conclusion

The neutral, a bit light sound presentation makes the HC1000 a “companion” set of headphones, of the kind that’s there but isn’t noticeable. Likely to last as a travelling companion, too. A bit similar to earbuds in tonal balance, but without all the disadvantages of earbuds. HC1000 are a good alternative to the likes of Sennheiser PX100, PX200, Koss Porta-Pro and Audio-Technica ATH-ON3. The HC1000 come with more accessories than either of these headphones, and even have switchable coloured inserts. Also a good gift for a girl (especially one into anime or manga). Recommended.

On sale at Head-Direct, $49 plus shipping ($5 within America, $10 to the rest of the world).