Interview with Noel Lee, "Head Monster" of Monster Products - Head-Fi TV - Page 2

I guess you meant to say that they also make expensive products, which of course is true.

 

Btw, measurements from IF:

Inspiration.pdf

Gratitude.pdf

 

Monster has been boasting they have the "best" for quite some time, with and without Beats. I think it's a good thing to hope, but foolish to expect.

 

And even if they do end up creating amazing headphones (the Inspiration sounds very good), I still wouldn't trust them as a company.

xnor - I'm assuming that's a passive version of the Inspiration? If not, that's just sad. (I'm looking at the isolation figures primarily).

I love my Monster Miles Davis Trumpets. They are comfy, the sound signature is silky smooth, and I still love how there's strong bass presence, yet detail retrieval is very good and the treble is so controlled and not sparkly, like my JVC's, though I like my JVC's thick note presentation. Something about it is addicting...but so are the MMDT. Well done, Noel. 

I also did enjoy the beats studio a little more than the senn hd 25-1 II, so they can put out a decent product... Still i c monster aiming towards a fashion savy market... Not so much n audiophile one. Maybe they will make a great can... But they sell what their Target market wants... N i don't think that market will change to Munch. Half those kids wouldn't even know a good can if they heard one. Still maybe toss ours a step ina new direction

I gotta say, if the Diamond Tears are any indication of the direction in which Monster is heading, I am optimistic. I'd like to try the Inspiration and the Trumpets to see if Monster is truly stepping up their game with these price points.

Inspiration at least *looks* decent - maybe the pictures are deceptive, but I'm not seeing the gobs of cheap plastic and awkward design cues that I associate with Beats and other rapper headphones. Diamond Tears look neat in photos, and look neat in video, but I can't help but thinking after a few years they'll just look scratched up and horrible - like any other clear plastic. (Or what if it yellows? ). I've seen the Trumpets and Gratitude in person (Magnolia wouldn't let me demo them though), they looked to be of similar build quality and finish to my Denon IEMs (I have the C751), or to other ~$200-$300 IEMs of that sort. Again, I haven't heard any of these - this is purely aesthetic.

None of them are massively expensive either (okay so $200 isn't "nothing" - but it's a departure from the $300-$600 range that Beats wants to move into, and is certainly in the ballpark alongside plenty of offerings from Sennheiser, AKG, Grado, Audio-Technica, etc). Still - I'm leery; they've got a serious uphill road after producing so much crap for so long.
Edited by obobskivich - 2/16/13 at 10:37pm

I think it is safe to assume in our society we put sound first and design second. One of the reason why V-Moda is so successful is doing exactly that. They actually decided to engage directly with the community and using their feedback they tuned their headphone to satisfy most while keeping price as low as possible and design as durable and appealing as they can.

Any company who is willing to do this will be successful. 

I for one could not care less about looks, I care about sound and comfort. If I cannot use a headphone for at least two hours I will sell it. My listening session are two hours, non-fatiguing drivers and headphone design are essential to me. 

Well personally i'm feeling quite positive about Monster right now. If the diamond tears are anything to go by they certainly took the SQ up a notch after their split with beats. Regardless of business ethics or marketing methods, as an audiophile, i am excited to see what Monster can come up with now that they are more geared towards actual SQ.

 

.... Whether or not i may look like a hippie wearing it is, or course, a different matter entirely. 

Interesting interview there. Seems like a lot of high end stuff is on the market though.

Hats of to Jude; this what makes Head-Fi such an awesome place to hang out for audiophiles.

This. ^^ V-MODA has made some huge strides in terms of SQ and actual communication with their customers, not to mention their BQ has always been top notch. I haven't seen a company so in tune with what many people are looking for as well as being loyal to the kind of sound (and style) they shoot for. You have to respect a company like that.

Anyway, this was a really interesting interview indeed and thanks Jude for posting that. Hope Monster will only improve their products and keep them at reasonable prices, however I think they have A LOT of competition. Hope to also hear their new cans as well. My only wish for this interview was that you guys went into more detail on the SQ and sound sig of these cans. Maybe there'll be another episode comparing these to some of the newer cans in the market? Hope so.

I have the Trumpets, and though i've only had them for a couple days, so the burn in time has yet to lapse, I think these are rival and greater than my GR07's, my RE-ZEROS's, and my UE 700'sin just silky smooth fun sound signature, and overall balance. These are indeed a balanced earphone, with beautifully articulated bass, but not deep reaching or sub bass monsters. Not like say the Coppers or the Atrios. 

amen! exactly my take as well.

Quote:

 

You get a small container of polish and a polishing cloth with the Diamond Tears. Nice added touch. And DT is possibly the most balanced headphone in it's price range.