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"Just bought these..." on 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 use $400+ headphones at the gym>.
I love dance / hip hop music, and heard the Turbines were great for reproducing deep bass. Overall they are okay, but the fit just doesn't compare to those of Shure's. If they came with foam ear buds, my tune would change I have no doubt. -
"Great all-around performer" on by tstarn04
Pros: Study build
Balanced sound, no need for amp.Cons: Cable microphonics
Treble sometimes a little "watery"
Limited sleeve selectionSummary: Full disclosure. I received the Monster Turbines as part of a "focus" group of sorts, so I did not pay for them.
My music collection weighs in at about 13,000 pieces, in every possible genre and style. From country to classical, jazz to ska, I probably own it. So the Turbines have had their share of styles and musical forms to handle. A
In my comparison, the Turbines faced some formidable competition. I own the Westone 3s, a pair of Phonak Audeos (a relatively new, high-performance in-ear phone from a Swiss hearing aid maker) and a pair of Sennheiser IE8s.
I own and use four igital audio players (DAPs), including a Sony A818, a Microsoft Zune80, an Apple iTouch (2G) and the Sansa Clip.
Being a dynamic phone, the Turbines do not need a portable amp to sound their best. And with each of my music players, the Turbines mesh very well, especially the Zune80, which has no EQ and delivers, in my view, the best headphone out sound (sans EQ) of any of my players, with the Touch being a close second (bigger soundstage).
Dynamic phones require a burn-in period. I put the Turbines through 30-40 hours of pink nose burn-in after listening to them briefly out of the box. With dynamics, it?s a pretty good bet that the bass will be a little too boomy until the diaphragm settles down, and using pink or white noise on a constant loop (or just plain music, too) will break in the phones, settle them down. All my listening for this review was after the Turbines were burned in for 30 hours.
The Turbine bass is deep, rich and not boomy (as is the case with low-cost in-ear phones). It is subwoofer-like, but to me, you really can't say anything stuck in your ear is the same as hearing a good sub on a home system - just a completely different experience.
Suffice it to say that the Turbine bass is ear-pleasing, and does not drown out the mids and highs, which is a really impressive balancing act for a dynamic in-ear phone.
As far as punch, the bass, once it calms down after burn-in, is quick, neat, yet deep, without a mid-bass hump (another characteristic of poorly rendered bass in an in-ear phone).
Regarding clarity and detail, the Turbines deliver, especially for a single dynamic driver (as opposed to an armature driven phone). I?ve owned another pair of well-known dynamic phones, the Atrio M5s, and the Turbines clearly deliver crisper, cleaner details across the spectrum. I did sense a little bit of a ?watery? or sibilant edge with some treble presentations, on some tracks more than others. It's allmost a synthetic feeling listening to the highs/treble on occasion, but it?s not a deal-breaker.
The Turbines are at least on par with several phones I have heard or owned over the years. They definitely are not muddy and reveal music details with phones costing twice as much ? another plus for their price.
A few comments about build quality. The Turbine driver housing is excellent, a real slick bit of engineering and design. I wish I could say the same for the cable and strain relief. The cable is somewhat microphonic, but you can tame that through the use of a shirt clip. Also, I prefer an L-shaped plug, not straight, and also would beef up the strain relief both near the drivers and also at the plug. Today, users can be tough on portable phones, and it would be great to see a little more toughness in the build, certainly a more study cable ? especially from a company known for making AV cables.
Conclusion
I think the Monster Turbines are a winner, but could use a little refinement. Of course, the cosmetic suggestions are doable. And the treble issues I encountered may just be the way I hear them. The Turbines can do battle with some higher-end phones from Shure, Etymotics, UE and the other portable phone makers - especially for their street price of $149. -
"Best I've used" on by bobd4
Pros: Clear, concise and rich sounds and it really drowns out the ambient background noise
Cons: Wired, but that's not exactly since they aren't supposed to be.
Summary: Flying to VA with a layover in Atlanta, I found my existing ear buds could simply not drown out the sound of the engines on the plane. Walking around the Atlanta Airport I discovered a location selling ear phones and other tech goodies. The salesman sold me on these because of their bass reproduction. I couldn't exactly test them for the noise reduction at that time but they fit securely enough in my ears so I thought I'd give them a try. At $120, I figured I was getting screwed on these but was feed up enough with not being able to hear anything on the plane I was ready to overpay.
To my surprise when I checked these on line later and found what I great deal I received, and at an airport no less, I was amazed. If you're in the market for top quality ear buds and don't mind paying a bit for them, these are fantastic. If you're in the Atlanta Airport, you can get a deal vs the on line dealers I've seen. -
"At last, killer ear buds!" on by tommyshaw
Pros: Full range audio in a friendly small package
Cons: No complaints
Summary: I have always liked the space saving aspect of ear buds, and gotten used to the fact that if I wanted to hear any real bass I had to put pressure on them to create a seal in my ears.
With the Turbines, I was able to find a pair of the rubber tips (included) that fit and with a little careful manipulation got them to fit snugly into my ear canals. Nice fat, full range sounds! The only thing better than this is an actual pair of headphones. At this year's NAMM show I tested them side by side with Monster's new noise canceling headphones (which not only kill most external noise but actually sound incredible and will be very useful in the studio) and the Turbines gave them a good run for their money. I will also be keeping these as spares in case one of my custom in-ear monitors goes out on future Shaw Blades dates.
I also like the carrying case.
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"sound amazing but not long lasting" on by newtechforme7
Pros: The sound from these IEM's are amazing. deep bass that is distortion free.
Cons: THE LEAST DURABLE HEADPHONES I HAVE EVER OWNED! not even after a month of use, no signs of fraying or anything and then my right ear bud loses sound! The worst costumer service. talk is cheap monster!
Summary: If these earphones lasted more than a month I would highly recommend them. They sound great. I babied these things and everything. I have not had product with this price tag fail on me like these did. I was not impressed with the customer service at all. The website i purchased these earbuds from are authorized dealers and when i told the monster costumer service guy about them, they said that they weren't and authorized dealer. So after that whole disappointment i had to call the people i got it from and had to go through a lengthy process to even get them sent out. needless to say, monster makes great cables for TV's and speakers. I just wish they made their turbines as good as they make their cables. Other than the durability issues, there is no sound constest if u like bass. its about 60 percent bass and 40 treble. I've owned the klipsch custom-2's, sennheiser eh-250, bose IE triports, v-moda's and the list goes on (I love to spend money on new gear) these are by far the best sounding. Too bad they lasted the shortest.
Monster Turbine In-Ear Speakers user reviews
