Monster Turbine In-Ear Speakers

CNET Editors' Rating

4.0 stars
    Overall score: 8.0 (4.0 stars)

Excellent

Average User Rating

62 reviews

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Monster Turbine In-Ear Speakers - EAR Monster Turbine In-Ear Speakers - HAND Monster Turbine In-Ear Speakers - PALM
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  • Monster Turbine In-Ear Speakers - EAR
  • Monster Turbine In-Ear Speakers - HAND
  • Monster Turbine In-Ear Speakers - PALM

CNET Editors' Review

CNET Editors' Rating

4.0 stars Excellent
    Overall score: 8.0 (4.0 stars)
  • Design: 7.0
  • Features: 8.0
  • Performance: 9.0
Edited by: Jasmine France

The good: Monster's Turbine in-ear headphone delivers excellent sound quality, with strong bass; robust, all metal construction; handsome carry case.

The bad: Eartip fitting may require patience.

The bottom line: Monster's Turbine in-ear headphone looks, feels, and sounds like a much more expensive model.

Review:

Monster may be new to the headphone market, but it's off to a good start. The company recently introduced the Beats by Dr. Dre, a full-size over-the-ear headphone, which was codeveloped by the master hip-hop artist and producer. That headphone received its fair share of rave reviews and was followed shortly after by the Tour in-ear model of the same branding. Next came this remarkable in-ear model, the Turbine. Monster isn't shy about making bold claims for its designs, dubbing the Turbines "In-Ear Speakers," implying the Turbines sound more like speakers than your average in-ear 'phone. We don' ... Expand full review

Monster may be new to the headphone market, but it's off to a good start. The company recently introduced the Beats by Dr. Dre, a full-size over-the-ear headphone, which was codeveloped by the master hip-hop artist and producer. That headphone received its fair share of rave reviews and was followed shortly after by the Tour in-ear model of the same branding. Next came this remarkable in-ear model, the Turbine. Monster isn't shy about making bold claims for its designs, dubbing the Turbines "In-Ear Speakers," implying the Turbines sound more like speakers than your average in-ear 'phone. We don't know about that, but we can say we're impressed by the sound quality offered by this petite pair.

We don't usually comment on the packaging headphones come in, but the Turbine's lavish box is on par with models that sell for many times the Turbine's $149 MSRP. True, it's not going to make the headphones sound any better, but its sumptuous look and feel definitely make you feel like you've bought something special.

When it comes to in-ear headphones, proper fit is everything. If they're not comfortable, if you feel pressure in your ears, or if you're constantly pushing the eartips back in, that won't bode well for a long-term relationship. To address that concern, the Turbines come with five pairs of silicone eartips (three sizes of standard and two sizes of triple flange). We put in a fair amount of time swapping between different eartips before settling on the largest standard (mushroom shaped) ones. Even so, we had to fuss with each insertion for a minute or so before achieving a good seal (everybody's ears are different, and you may get an ideal seal with minimal effort). Remember that without a tight eartip/ear canal seal you won't hear the true sound the Turbine (or any in-ear headphone) is capable of producing.

As for the Turbines themselves, their quality of construction feels way more impressive than most in-ear models we've tested, with the exception of the Ultimate Ears UE-5 Pro ($600) and UE-10 Pro ($900). The Turbines' chromed, all-metal body has a lot to do with that impression of quality; it feels like a high-end design, and it's significantly heavier than most in-ear headphones. That didn't bother us, although we were initially concerned that the metal construction might not be such a great idea during these cold winter months (it didn't turn out to be a problem). Descending from the earpieces is a 45-inch-long cable that terminates in a gold-plated straight 3.5mm plug; the wire seems less tangle prone than most headphone cables, although more so than the excellent, ribbonlike cord that's attached to the Tours. The Turbine comes with a padded black carry case with a magnetic clasp.

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Average User Rating

3.5 stars out of 62 user reviews

Rating Breakdown

  • 5 star: 32
  • 4 star: 14
  • 3 star: 2
  • 2 star: 7
  • 1 star: 7

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Most Helpful User Review

3.5 stars 8 of 9 users found this review helpful

"Just bought these..." By mjkinnyc

Pros Great sound level, terrific highs, easy left - right identification, tangle-free cord, less than $100 online.

Cons Bass can be better, no mic if used with cell phone / mp3 combo, no foam options for ear buds - can't use doing physical exercises <will fall out of ear>.

Summary I have a pair of Shure SE530's which I love to use on my commute to and from work in NYC, and wanted a decent pair of headphones I could knock around with at the gym or doing some more physical activities <I'm a bit hesitant to ... Expand full review

Most Recent User Reviews (Showing 2 of 62 reviews)

Specifications

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Quick Specs

  • Headphones Type: Headphones - Binaural
  • Product type: Headphones
  • Design: In-ear ear-bud

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