Just to follow up on my post about my broken cable above.
In short, they replaced my broken phones with a new pair, no questions asked. For those of you who care to read on, I would just like to share a few things from my visit.
Finally got around to visiting Monster's Hong Kong distributor, called Dah Chong Something or Rather Company today. Their office was in a run-down industrial building (as opposed to a nice commercial office type building). I understand that the system over here is a little different from the States because I think you have to post your headphones back and forth and communicate over the phone with Monster (correct me if I am wrong). I suppose this in-person-service system works in Hong Kong because the place is so geographically small that anyone can travel anywhere in the region within a few hours. Monster products are also crazy-popular over here.
There was a young fella in front of me who complained that his iBeats (?) remote + mic functions did not work with his Samsung Galaxy I. The man at the counter tried to explain to him that the Control Talk features only work on Apple i-Devices because the Galaxy I uses a different pin-out plug. The young fella left in a fit of rage.
Next up was a lady returning 2 pairs Beats by Dr. Dre (don't know the model, but they folded up). Not sure what the problem was.
Then it was me. I opened up my box to show the man behind the counter the broken strain relief and explained to him that it broke when I pulled it out of my ear. He checked my receipt (which was from an authorized retailer), and gave me a little form to fill out. He went out back and returned with a new set of MD Trumpets mint in the box. He opened the box and just gave me the new phones to try out. They worked fine, so he took my old broken phones away and told me that I don't get the new accessories as well (which is fair, I wasn't expecting to get another copy of Sketches of Spain + tips + cases anyway).
The guy behind me also had a broken pair of MD Trumpets, so we went off lamenting how fragile these phones were but how much we liked the sound. Turns out he had a cable fault too, though his did't break completely off like mine. He said he wanted to "upgrade" to a pair of MD Tributes and that he would pay for the price difference, but not surprisingly, the Monster staff said no. I told him that my MD Tributes seem pretty flimsy at the cable joint as well and that I am a little reluctant to use them on the go, so it probably wasn't a good solution for him.
I got caught up in the moment and brandished my good old Ety ER4.S, exclaiming how durable they were. The Monster staff and the other Trumpet owner silently stared at them, in awe, I thought at first. Then they both talked about how beautiful the MD Trumpets were in comparison... and they were right, the ER4.S's look like they were cobbled together from spare computer parts in the 1980's.
The Monster staff went on to explain that they use bio-degradable plastic in their headphones, which is supposedly weaker than regular plastic. I am not sure what to make of this, but it almost seemed like an admission that there was a problem with their product's durability. Mine broke within a month and the other guy said his pair was 2 months old.
All in all, it was an interesting experience. Monster really came through on the limited lifetime warranty, so I am glad. Of course, I would rather they not break in the first place.
So, the basic Comply T-400s work with these? I have emailed Comply, but I have not received a response, yet.
