Monoprice Hi-Fi DJ Style Headphone Review - Page 7

Quote:

Originally Posted by urinsane 

First, a thank you to Dsnuts. I haven't been doing much headphones wise lately but a late night Amazon session (looking for noise cancelling headphones actually; ended up with a pair of Phillips HN 110's that do their job nicely but aren't all that great otherwise) led me to the Kickers, and I of course needed to check reviews here before purchasing. By doing so I found Dsnuts raving review (I'll admit I thought he was a rep for Kicker for a minute there ), and luckily read the whole thread and found his post commenting that the Monoprice set might be the same. I was on vacation and feeling rich (haha) so I pulled the trigger before EpicPie had reviewed them, and had them shipped to my house to await my return.

I don't consider myself an audiophile by any means. Not that I don't appreciate good equipment; I just can't bring myself to invest. I run my headphones off of my Zune (original 30gb), my phone, or Macbook Pro. No amps yet. Previous headphone experience has always been in the sub $100 range other than short demos of nicer equipment.

Picked them up today from the post office and I'm impressed so far. Unfortunately I tend to use (abuse?) my headphones until they are no longer functional, so I can only go off of my old sets of Sony VR6's and AKG K81DJ's from memory rather than give a true comparison. Out of the box they are noticeably better than the Phillips HN110 noise cancelling set I picked up at the same time. (Again, I think the Phillips are great for noise cancelling; I hate plane rides and they really did make a huge difference on the way home, and I would recommend them to anyone over Bose or Beats for the money).

I don't feel qualified enough to give a true review or comparison (especially not being able to do side by side comparisons of the 2 mentioned above), but I can say that I'm not disappointed by any means. I like my headphones to be a bit bass heavy, and these are doing the trick on that front.

I won't say they are perfect. The pads could be better and I hope we can find a velour pad that works well. The size does seem to be a strange in-between and although they cover my medium sized ears, I think a slightly larger size would be more comfortable. I don't notice the issue with one side being louder than the other, and would recommend anyone that does have that issue exchange their set ASAP as it could be a defect.

In any case, it would be hard not to recommend these for the price. The Phillips HN110s will stay in their little pouch until my next plane trip. These $30 (with shipping to Hawaii) headphones will do just fine for my tastes, and I might just buy some for friends this Christmas.

Anyway, thanks again for pointing me towards these and saving $20 or so.

I am glad you have discovered these.. To all the guys that ended up trying these.. There aren't too many headphones that you can buy with lunch money and get this kind of sound. They aren't gonna rule the headfi world but you guys that try them know already.. These don't even come close to a $20-$30 headphone in sounds...I still listen to mine on a daily basis and that is saying something..

I think the best thing about these headphones is they are so cheap..Perhaps the best asset of these headphones is the ability to share..That is something you can't say you can do with 95% of headphones unless you have unlimited funds.. Enjoy your new headphones and definitely spread the word on these. Urinsane got the right idea. Heck for this price they make perfect gifts for loved ones...People will think you spent all sorts of money once they hear them.. Lol. and that my friends is what it is all about.

Wow, after reading the review i feel like they are going to be the best sub $30 headphones. Are they available only in the us right? 

I got them and promptly returned them.  They're quite fun and sound pretty great for $30, but this was the same day I got my 8400s, so they couldn't really compare.  Apart from that, though, if you've only got $30, and you're a bit of a basshead, they're a good deal.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marximus 

I got them and promptly returned them.  They're quite fun and sound pretty great for $30, but this was the same day I got my 8400s, so they couldn't really compare.  Apart from that, though, if you've only got $30, and you're a bit of a basshead, they're a good deal.

So why did you buy them to know that you were going to return them?

Having owned the MEP-839 for about a month now, I am somewhat surprised by some of the reviews posted here.  Given that I appreciate and enjoy a more neutral sound signature, the MEP-839 sound signature is so bass heavy that the rest of the frequency spectrum is unnaturally colored and recessed.  The sound is also compressed so don't expect much detail or clarity.  While I did not expect much from the ~$30 (w/shipping) MEP-839, I would not recommend these headphones given that the venerable Sony MDR-V6 (which I have owned for nearly 20 years and continue to be my beater cans) sell for around $60 and is definitely "streets ahead" (not sure why that "Community" reference keeps popping in my head).  The MEP-839 is now relegated to late-night tv watching (which is the reason I bought them in the first place as I tend to fall asleep with them on).  If you enjoy a bass-heavy colored sound signature, enjoy.  I think spending just a little bit more will give you exponentially better quality and more balanced sound.

Quote:

Originally Posted by BotByte 

So why did you buy them to know that you were going to return them?

Heya,

I buy and return headphones all the time. It's fun to try things and not have to keep them. If I can't return something, I simply sell it on the boards. Goes fast.

Very best,

Quote:

Originally Posted by brianhkim 

Having owned the MEP-839 for about a month now, I am somewhat surprised by some of the reviews posted here.  Given that I appreciate and enjoy a more neutral sound signature, the MEP-839 sound signature is so bass heavy that the rest of the frequency spectrum is unnaturally colored and recessed.  The sound is also compressed so don't expect much detail or clarity.  While I did not expect much from the ~$30 (w/shipping) MEP-839, I would not recommend these headphones given that the venerable Sony MDR-V6 (which I have owned for nearly 20 years and continue to be my beater cans) sell for around $60 and is definitely "streets ahead" (not sure why that "Community" reference keeps popping in my head).  The MEP-839 is now relegated to late-night tv watching (which is the reason I bought them in the first place as I tend to fall asleep with them on).  If you enjoy a bass-heavy colored sound signature, enjoy.  I think spending just a little bit more will give you exponentially better quality and more balanced sound.

I'm not a fan of them either (Kicker HP541 which is the same). For $30 it's hard to complain, but I can see how many would like them. They have a TON of bass. Now I love my bass, but not when it's overkill. There were a few modifications I tried to reduce the bass a little and add some treble, but it only goes so far. I think I got these only to sound OK when I replaced the pads, modded them and used an EQ.

Now if you love their signature as is and love it's bass, then there is no reason to change them. It'd be interesting to see a frequency graph for these. I bet the bass quantity is similar to the XB500 or D1100, but maybe not?

Honestly I'd only suggest these for bassheads. Calling these neutral or balanced is nonsense, but luckily nobody has done that yet (I hope). Strangely enough, sometimes the mids were good and other times they were terrible. It always varied between songs. Now in comparison to THESE the M50 is much, much more balanced.

Since I'm not a huge fan of bass heavy headphones, these just were not for me. I gave myself a good week though and spent way too much time with them really.

Quote:

Originally Posted by tdockweiler 

Now if you love their signature as is and love it's bass, then there is no reason to change them. It'd be interesting to see a frequency graph for these. I bet the bass quantity is similar to the XB500 or D1100, but maybe not?

Heya,

Bass quantity isn't matched with the XB500 nor D1100. It hits the same tones. But it doesn't rattle your jaw the way the XB500 does, nor have the impact. Raw bass, the XB500 simply is king at only $50.

I felt the M50 and MHP-839/HP541 had quite similar bass. The only real difference I noticed in the M50 and those two beaters was that the M50 was more bright with some higher peaks, it was clear the beaters had rolled off highs and were smoother, reminded me of laid back headphones. The beaters really boil down to being a mellow M50 in my book. Then again, I don't like the M50 at all.

Very best,

Everyone's been commending the excellent performance of these at the budget price, but I'm wondering how they compare to the (also $30) Portapros - I realize that it's hard to compare between open and closed, but from what I'm reading both are excellent choices?

Additionally, do you think using one of these instead of the 3.5mm cables that come included will improve sq?

Quote:

Originally Posted by treblagnahc 

Everyone's been commending the excellent performance of these at the budget price, but I'm wondering how they compare to the (also $30) Portapros - I realize that it's hard to compare between open and closed, but from what I'm reading both are excellent choices?

 

Additionally, do you think using one of these instead of the 3.5mm cables that come included will improve sq?

The PortaPro is much more balanced IMO and has much less bass and not as much bass bleed. Soundstage is far better too. Porta Pro is also more clear sounding (without EQing the Monoprice)

This headphone almost looks makes the Porta Pro look bass light..and it's not.

I personally prefer the Porta Pro or KSC75. It really depends on the signature you want and your music preferences.

With cable upgrades on the Monoprice, the improvements will be  minor. You still have the stock wires inside the headphone going to the driver.

I actually prefer the $46 XB500 over the Monoprice/HP541, but only with major EQ changes. I drop the bass on them by -6DB(!!). Without an EQ they sound real bad.

Having used these several times this week I can't say I'm a huge fan of them either. They're fine headphones I suppose but to be honest I think I'd rather listen to my SkullCandy Hesh cans. They're bassy, and more comfortable. I really don't like how small the cans on these are, but the pad on the headband is really comfy. If this is actually what M50s sound like, I am so glad I ended up with HFi-580s.