Are you sure it's the exact same model we're talking about and not something else from that brand in that line? If so, does it sound weird on other devices? If so, might be a bad pair. They should not sound like you described.

Sorry I was unclear.

They are the same model, they haven't shipped yet. The hot treble was from his source, his cheap iPod knock off. He loved the price more than the sound I think. He's a newbie to all this. Thought getting him a pair of the Tenore's might be a way to get him to buy a better source if they roll the treble as was mentioned in this thread.  I thought for the price, there wasn't much to lose trying. I'm sure if he doesn't like them he'll give them to me or someone else to use.