Hendeka

Reviewer: Srajan Ebaen
Financial interests: click here
Main system: Sources: Retina 5K 27" iMac (i5, 256GB SSD, 40GB RAM, Sonoma 14), 4TB external SSD with Thunderbolt 3, Audirvana Studio, Qobuz Sublime, Singxer SU-6 USB bridge, LHY Audio SW-8 & SW-6 switch, Sonnet Pasithea, LAiV Audio Harmony; Active filter: spl Audio Crossover MkII; Power amplifiers: Vinshine/Kinki Dazzle & mono Ncore 500 Nord Acoustic amps on subwoofer; Headamp: Enleum AMP-23R; Phones: Raal 1995 Immanis; Loudspeakers: Qualio IQ [on loan] Cables: Exact Express Flame, Furutech; Power delivery: 2 x Kinki/Vinshine Tai Hang on amps and source stack, Furutech DPS-4.1 between wall and conditioners; Equipment rack: Artesanía Audio Exoteryc double-wide 3-tier with optional glass shelves, Exoteryc amp stands; Sundry accessories: Acoustic System resonators, AudioQuest FogLifters; Room: 6 x 8m with open door behind listening seat; Room treatment: 2 x PSI Audio AVAA C214 active bass traps
2nd system: Source: FiiO R7 into Soundaware D300Ref SD transport to Cen.Grand DSDAC 1.0 Deluxe with POW; Preamp/filter: Lifesaver Audio Gradient Box 2; Amplifier: Kinki Studio EX-B7 monos; Loudspeakers: ModalAkustik MusikBoxx; Subwoofer: Zu Method; Cable loom: Exact Express Earth; Power delivery: Vibex Granada/Alhambra, Akiko Audio Corelli Corundum & Castello Solo; Equipment rack: Hifistay Mythology Transform X-Frame [on extended loan]; Sundry accessories: Furutech cable lifts, Furutech NFC Clear Lines; Room: ~3.5 x 8m
2nd headfi system: DAC: Cen.Grand DSDAC 1.0 Deluxe with POW; Headamp: Cen.Grand Silver Fox; Headphones: Raal 1995 Magna, HifiMan Susvara
Desktop system: Source: HP Z2 workstation Win11/64; USB bridge: LHY UIP; Ethernet bridge: LHY EFI; Ethernet reclocker: Stack SmoothLAN; DACs: Audalytic DR701 & Gustard R26II; Headphone/preamp: FangSound Dionysus; Speaker amps: Topping B200 monos; Loudspeakers: Virtual Hifi Viper; Headphones: Final D-8000, aune SR7000, FiiO FT7
Upstairs headfi system: FiiO R7; Headphones: Meze 109 Pro, Fiio FT3
2nd upstairs speaker system: Source: FiiO R7; DAC/pre: COS D1; Amplifier: Kinki EX-M7; Loudspeakers: sound|kaos Vox3 with Dynaudio S18 subwoofer
2-channel video system: Source: Oppo BDP-105; All-in-One: Gold Note IS-1000 Deluxe; Loudspeakers: Zu Mission; Subwoofer: Zu Mission; Power delivery: Furutech eTP-8, Room: ~6x4m
Review component retail: 2'499 Malaysian so ~€540 depending on daily exchange rate

What's the quintessential hifi shape? The audiogon. For real geometric goners as we advance from five to ten sides, we encounter the penta, hexa, hepta, octa, nona and decagon. Once we run out of fingers and stub a toe to hit 11, we face a hendecagon. Now let's return to hifi and Malaysia and hone in on Omne Audio and their first open-back dynamic headphone, the Hendeka. Must we really ask about its corner count? At 435g it occupies the middle ground of full-size circumaural designs. At 50mm, so does its driver. Ditto 32Ω impedance, 98dB/mW sensitivity, dual 3.5mm connectors plus 4.4mm for the amp side of the 1.2m included braided cable and 1-year parts/labour warranty. Where 11 hits 12 are the finely filigreed outer and inner carbon-fibre grills each secured with four gold hex bolts; and a pre-shipping ask of ~€550 depending on the day's exchange rate against Malaysia's Ringgit currency. Domestically the brand trades with audiophile shoppe Stars Picker Audio Library of Kota Damansara, an affluent township in Petaling Jaya. This café-style boutique describes itself as follows: "Back in 2013, audiophile-grade headphones were still rare in Malaysia. It was then that two passionate young lads just returned from studying abroad founded Stars Picker in a quaint old rented house in Kepong. Little did they know that this microenterprise would eventually grow into the best headphone-experience store of Malaysia. We have the most comprehensive collection of world-class full-sized headphones in Malaysia including planarmagnetic, electrostatic and dynamic designs, headphone amplifiers, digital-to-analogue converters and digital transport/streamers. We also carry the most variety of IEM in Malaysia." Would it be fair to think of Omne Audio as somewhat of a Stars Picker house brand? To learn that and much more, I emailed the listed contact on Omne's website. First of course they had to think my timing opportune to address the global market with more publicity when their currently listed resellers were still confined to Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore¹. Grow a brand too quickly and demand could outstrip one's ability to supply in a timely fashion.

The side-view insert shows a strong forward angle for the cable exits; and a slight rearward angle for the slider shafts.

¹ For less than 2 years, the sovereign city state of Singapore was actually a state within the Federation of Malaysia from 1963 -1965 before separating into its own nation. It's home to audio brands Ares, Plixir and Vinshine whilst neighboring Indonesia hosts famous driver house SB Acoustics and the Balinese cable/speaker boutique Vermöuth. Malaysia itself seems far more off the beaten hifi track though DALI maintain there an Asia Pacific regional office with specialized production and NAD too do some of their production there. As to wholly Malaysian hifi brands however, Omne are the first I've come across. Google AI calls IEM manufacturer Elysian Acoustic Labs a premier Malaysian brand but their website lists them as headquartered in Singapore though "designed and developed" in Malaysia. Either way, headfi seems popular in this country of 36.3 million people.

From its limited published descriptions, we see that its makers view Hendeka as a musical omnivore equally adept at metal and musette, rap, reggae, rock and Rachmaninov to be religiously genre agnostic. The exposed bolt heads make no apologies for boutique origins yet the protective hard case goes the extra mile. If the cups are 3D-printed, some potential buyers may wish to know the material; and perhaps more on the makeup of the star of the show, the dome driver. Likewise for details on the ear pads and their mounting scheme. The height slider integration with the headband looks like early Audeze to promise long-term stability whilst the dual-entry 3.5mm ports become a revolving door to rampant cable rolling without headaches over non-standard connectors. Something about the Hendeka had me flash on Blas Erzetich who like Franc Kuzma operates out of Slovenia. That was probably because Erzetich's headphone shape isn't round or oval either but octagonal and suspended by the same type slider shaft. When Omne's Nabil responded to my inquiry with enthusiasm, I included with my shipping address the following questions:

♦ what material/s is/are the cup bodies made of?
♦ what is the driver made of – bio-cellulose, aluminium, carbon-fibre, other?
♦ how do the ear pads attach and what are they made of?
♦ what is the headband made of – leather, leatherette?
♦ for international customers, what is the preferred sales portal? Is there a fixed international price or is it always tabulated against the day's exchange rate of your domestic currency? How about shipping? Is it included or extra? What carrier do you use – FedEx, UPS, DHL, other?
♦ is your team associated with the Stars Picker headphone café/boutique like a quasi house brand?
♦ what can you tell our readership about team Omne, i.e. who you guys are, how many of you are there, what your backgrounds are, what got you into hifi manufacture and headphones in particular?
♦ what about the genesis story of Hendeka? How many years did its R&D take, how close to initial ideas did the final version materialize? Did you have particular design goals and things you wanted to avoid?

Kuala Lumpur's iconic Twin Towers | Stars Picker's headfi experience centre.

For roughly price-appropriate contrast agents I had HifiMan's Ananda Unveiled, aune's SR7000, Meze's 109Pro and FiiO's FT7. Here price appropriate doesn't mean perfect matches but competitors I had on hand from which today's prospective buyer might still pick. At €349, my 2wpc/32Ω fully balanced Audalytic HP70 headamp with R2R volume seemed ideally positioned, too. For more power though less coin than my FangSound Dionysus, Cen.Grand SilverFox and Enleum AMP-23R, I had Shanling's EM7. That combines an SD card reader with a 60°-tiltable touch screen, ESS 9038Pro DAC and 7wpc/32Ω headphone amp for a true all-in-one proposition, naught else required. But first, what else might Nabil share with us on their company and its maiden project?