TheMarchingMule
Headphoneus Supremus
TABLE OF CONTENTS (as bold, underlined, and red color throughout the review):
INTRODUCTION
COMPARISONS
MISC. NOTES/CONCLUSION
UNBOXING PICTURES
INTRODUCTION
Prior to this review, the only Monster headphones I have ever heard were the infamous “Beats.” I found them to be a step above the average BOSE line-up, mainly because they seemed to have a tad more clarity, while also having bass that had slightly more punch and body to it.
It’s not uncommon to hear on these forums of how overpriced the Beats are, but on the other side of the field, the Monster In-Ear Monitors (IEMs) seemed to have developed a strong cult following, most notably the original Monster Turbine.
The goal of this review is to best express the sound signature of the Monster Turbine Pro from what my ears hear, not to say whether what it presents is “good” or “bad” to my liking, because everybody has a preference on how they wish to hear the music.
I tried to do two things when I chose the following music: to have them be fairly popular so people can listen to the music themselves to get a better understanding of how the Turbine Pro presents said music, and to have different genres, because with various genres come different instruments.
Music used:
The Beatles – “Here Comes the Sun” (24-bit 2009 Remaster)
Michael Jackson – “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’” (SACD 24/96)
Alison Krauss – “Stay”
Bill Evans Trio – “When I Fall in Love” (XRCD)
Infected Mushroom – “Becoming Insane”
Equipment used:
foobar2000 w/ WASAPI plug-in => Pico DAC => Gilmore Lite => Headphones
Sansa Clip => Monster Turbine Pro
Tips used:
Small “Super Tips” (reason why in the “Misc. Notes”)
REVIEW
The Beatles – “Here Comes the Sun” (24-bit 2009 Remaster)
The guitar is the first thing you hear in this well-known song. It comes in warm and yet still with a sharp, sweet tone to it. As the vocals and other instruments come in, the song is enveloped in bass. The funny thing though, is that it doesn’t intrude directly into the other sounds. It’s more like a layer in front of everything else. But it is very noticeable, and I can barely discern the different bass notes at all. It is reminiscent of the time I tried to drive a Sennheiser HD650 with a portable set-up; the bass is almost monotonous, but you can pick up the subtle changes of it when you pay attention. But the vocals, as warm as they are, manage to separate themselves from the rest of the music almost, so you can hear them clearly over the rest of the music, and even the bass layer. This will be a reoccurring presentation throughout the rest of the review songs.
Michael Jackson – “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’” (SACD 24/96)
The starting synthesized beats have a deep yet light punch to them throughout the song, and what really stands out on this track is how Michael’s voice almost floats on its own plane from the rest of the music. If you focus on the vocals, it is not hard to picture himself in a large, padded sound room singing, with you a few yards away. This perspective is actually quite accurate as I listen to this song again, because like the song before this, there is no reverb or outstanding details to his voice; it’s as if the sound-proof walls around Michael captured and silenced them before they even started to get to you. This reminds me of the general BOSE and Beats sound signature: it sounds warm, mostly accurate tone-wise, and yet mainly devoid of those very subtle details that some may like to discover.
Bill Evans Trio – “When I Fall in Love” (XRCD)
Jazz is presented with the Turbine Pro’s warm sound signature, making the end result quite relaxing. The soundstage is wide enough to acknowledge that the musicians were given room to play their piece, but not wide enough to the point where you think they’re playing outside of your ears. Again though, it always feels as if the details are glossed over; the sound is enjoyable, but if you heard the music before on more revealing equipment, it feels like you’re listening to a vinyl rip of the song, and whoever did the transfer was too heavy on the de-clicking process.
Alison Krauss – “Stay”/Eva Cassidy – “Fields of Gold”/Andrea Zonn – “Better Be Home Soon”
Much of what I was going to say about this song has already been stated in “When I Fall In Love.” Alison’s voice seems to blend it a bit more with the instruments than the male vocalists do, but when her voice rises, it manages to distinguish itself a little bit more from the piano and bass. I took Eva Cassidy’s “Fields of Gold” for a female vocal comparison, and she too sounds as if a layer of bass is over her voice. It definitely gives her voice more weight to it, but it doesn’t quite float as well as the male vocals on the Turbine Pro. I also added Andrea Zonn’s “Better Be Home Soon” at the last minute because it’s very interesting to note that the Turbine Pro has introduced a new bass frequency that I never knew existed on the song. On the Shure SE530 I can recognize it now, but on the Turbine Pro, it’s definitely more prominent. It sounds like a deep, concentrated puff of air; it’s pretty cool to hear something like this to the point where you can almost feel it in your ear as well.
Infected Mushroom – “Becoming Insane”
This genre of music relies on a deep, heavy beat to keep the flow going while overlaying it with various patterns of and occasionally vocals. The Turbine Pro manages to keep that heavy, driving beat going as the percussion, guitars, synthesizers, and vocals swirl around the thumping bass line. I personally see this kind of genre where presentation matters more than pitch or tine of the instruments. Besides, this is also a genre where any “normal” instrument’s sound can be altered to how the artist wants it to sound, so I personally would call the Turbine Pro a great pick if you listen to this kind of music a lot, simply because it manages to deliver that demanding pulse that most other headphones wouldn’t be able to do for the same price range, in both quantity or quality.
MISC. NOTES/CONCLUSION
Amped vs. Unamped:
This seems pretty unfair at first, looking at the two kinds of sources I used during this review. But the truth is, the Turbine Pro fares well without an overkill source and amp backing it up. Granted, there is a loss of instrument separation and clarity, but this is comparing a sub-$50 source to a $600 setup! So I can honestly say that those who prefer to go ampless/minimal with their portable will be fine, unless you want to spend a lot more in an act of determination to squeeze every last penny of performance from your headphones. And we all know how expensive portable equipment is compared to their desktop counterparts.
Volume:
Some headphones sound better (or worse) when you listen to them at a low volume, or high volume. The Turbine Pro sounds best at a medium, maybe a bit higher, of a volume. The reason why is because when you do so, the soundstage becomes wider, the instrument separation pans out a bit, and the bass doesn’t seem to overpower the rest of the sound as much, nor does it seem quite as monotonous. They’re all subtle but noticeable differences.
The Tips:
I’m sure many of you know what to expect with any decent IEM package in terms of ear tips. Three sizes of regular silicone tips, one or two sizes of triple-flange tips, and maybe some foam tips as well. Monster has forgone the foam tips in light of their new kind of tips, the kind they call: Super Tips. They’re basically the silicone tips with the backing filled with a gel. The result is a snugger fit (those with small ear canals will definitely have trouble with these), arguably more isolation, and more of a solid sound.
I used the Super Tips throughout this review, mainly because of the most solid and realistic response I got from them. The regular silicone tips lost a lot of definition compared to the Super Tips. The tri-flange tips, by the way, were the most comfortable tri-flanges I have ever used; those who know how awkward the Etymotic tri-flanges are to put in your ear, these feel like silk compared to them. But like I said before, I personally felt that only the Super Tips gave me the best sound, so I stuck with them. Monster definitely has something good going for them with these tips, and with the recent news that they’re also doing a foam version of these, I hope other companies adopt these tip styles as well in the future.
Cable Microphonics:
I went on a stroll one day with the Turbine Pro. Just because I wanted more time with them, and I wasn't thinking of testing the microphonics. But after a few minutes they started to test me and my patience. The cable is very microphonic, and every time it bumped against my shirt or I took a step, muted thumps would be heard in my ears, almost muting the music at a low/medium volume. Granted, there is a small clip that is in the box to hold the cable to your shirt, but I would have preferred not to worry about losing it some day.
The Cable Management System:
I have no clue what that means, but Monster said I should comment on this. I’m guessing that means the cord divider on the IEMs. It’s a thin piece of flexible silicone with a wide separation between the two cords leading to the left and right earphones. Actually, because it’s made of silicone, it’s harder to move up and down the wires, because it holds on to the wires so tightly. But in the end, once you have them set to a comfortable height, they get the job done, and I have never had the cables themselves trip over each other to the point where a quick shake didn’t set them straight.
Conclusion:
The Turbine Pro is definitely on the warm side of the sound signature spectrum, and it seems to start all of its frequencies from the bottom up. If you can picture this, imagine the sound (bass, mids, highs) all starting as blobs on the ground, the ground they’re currently residing on representing the low frequencies. Then as the sound plays, they stretch upwards to however high they should go, but they still maintain their ground no matter how high they stretch. So it always sounds as if the sound is being sourced from the bottom up.
The instruments themselves seem to be given only enough room for the instrument’s main body to be heard; there feels as if they aren’t given any extra space for their sound to fade into the blackness. That isn’t to say that the Turbine Pro is completely void of being able to flush out any detail from the music, but the lack of decay also comes with the tiniest of details being rolled off before they can be heard.
The vocals however, mainly the male vocals, are what stood out for themselves. Many times they seemed to be on their own, detached from the overall sound. As a result, they managed to sound clear, focused, and separate from the rest of the music; something I’ve never experienced before.
The Monster Turbine Pro retails for the price of $250, and sometimes even less (i.e. on Amazon.com right now they’re on sale for $225). Of course, the wallet-burning question is: Is it worth that price?
Reflecting upon that question, I immediately think of the Shure SE530. They both go for around the same price these days and are arguably on the warm side of things.
I would say that if you’re looking for really deep bass or normally listen to hip-hop/rap (I did take 2Pac’s “How Do You Want It” or a spin), trance/techno, and sometimes pop, then the Turbine Pro would suit your needs. For things where detail, tone and pitch accuracy are something that are on your list of “Wants,” then the Shure SE530 is the one you should go after. I’m listening to the SE530 right now (using the Olive tips), and after the Turbine Pros, the bass sounds rather polite, the mids intimate and clear, and the highs cleanly rolled off. The entire spectrum sounds pretty neutral now, and the detail is back in every song, especially the aspect of decay.
But I really do miss that thundering bass at times when all I want to do is be moved by the beat. Some of you may remember that when I got the Shure SRH840, I sold the Sennheiser HD 600 because the former managed to give me more punchy bass than the latter. The first time I stopped listening to the Turbine Pro and switched over to the SRH840, there was a sudden unsettling moment as I wondered where the bass went.
I appreciate Monster Cable for giving me the privileged opportunity to review these IEMs, and hope many here at Head-Fi can find value with this review in order to help with their own decision in the giant sea of IEMs to choose from. If you still have any questions, please post them here in this thread, and I’ll try my best to answer them in a few days.
INTRODUCTION
COMPARISONS
MISC. NOTES/CONCLUSION
UNBOXING PICTURES
INTRODUCTION
Prior to this review, the only Monster headphones I have ever heard were the infamous “Beats.” I found them to be a step above the average BOSE line-up, mainly because they seemed to have a tad more clarity, while also having bass that had slightly more punch and body to it.
It’s not uncommon to hear on these forums of how overpriced the Beats are, but on the other side of the field, the Monster In-Ear Monitors (IEMs) seemed to have developed a strong cult following, most notably the original Monster Turbine.
The goal of this review is to best express the sound signature of the Monster Turbine Pro from what my ears hear, not to say whether what it presents is “good” or “bad” to my liking, because everybody has a preference on how they wish to hear the music.
I tried to do two things when I chose the following music: to have them be fairly popular so people can listen to the music themselves to get a better understanding of how the Turbine Pro presents said music, and to have different genres, because with various genres come different instruments.
Music used:
The Beatles – “Here Comes the Sun” (24-bit 2009 Remaster)
Michael Jackson – “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’” (SACD 24/96)
Alison Krauss – “Stay”
Bill Evans Trio – “When I Fall in Love” (XRCD)
Infected Mushroom – “Becoming Insane”
Equipment used:
foobar2000 w/ WASAPI plug-in => Pico DAC => Gilmore Lite => Headphones
Sansa Clip => Monster Turbine Pro
Tips used:
Small “Super Tips” (reason why in the “Misc. Notes”)
REVIEW
The Beatles – “Here Comes the Sun” (24-bit 2009 Remaster)
The guitar is the first thing you hear in this well-known song. It comes in warm and yet still with a sharp, sweet tone to it. As the vocals and other instruments come in, the song is enveloped in bass. The funny thing though, is that it doesn’t intrude directly into the other sounds. It’s more like a layer in front of everything else. But it is very noticeable, and I can barely discern the different bass notes at all. It is reminiscent of the time I tried to drive a Sennheiser HD650 with a portable set-up; the bass is almost monotonous, but you can pick up the subtle changes of it when you pay attention. But the vocals, as warm as they are, manage to separate themselves from the rest of the music almost, so you can hear them clearly over the rest of the music, and even the bass layer. This will be a reoccurring presentation throughout the rest of the review songs.
Michael Jackson – “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’” (SACD 24/96)
The starting synthesized beats have a deep yet light punch to them throughout the song, and what really stands out on this track is how Michael’s voice almost floats on its own plane from the rest of the music. If you focus on the vocals, it is not hard to picture himself in a large, padded sound room singing, with you a few yards away. This perspective is actually quite accurate as I listen to this song again, because like the song before this, there is no reverb or outstanding details to his voice; it’s as if the sound-proof walls around Michael captured and silenced them before they even started to get to you. This reminds me of the general BOSE and Beats sound signature: it sounds warm, mostly accurate tone-wise, and yet mainly devoid of those very subtle details that some may like to discover.
Bill Evans Trio – “When I Fall in Love” (XRCD)
Jazz is presented with the Turbine Pro’s warm sound signature, making the end result quite relaxing. The soundstage is wide enough to acknowledge that the musicians were given room to play their piece, but not wide enough to the point where you think they’re playing outside of your ears. Again though, it always feels as if the details are glossed over; the sound is enjoyable, but if you heard the music before on more revealing equipment, it feels like you’re listening to a vinyl rip of the song, and whoever did the transfer was too heavy on the de-clicking process.
Alison Krauss – “Stay”/Eva Cassidy – “Fields of Gold”/Andrea Zonn – “Better Be Home Soon”
Much of what I was going to say about this song has already been stated in “When I Fall In Love.” Alison’s voice seems to blend it a bit more with the instruments than the male vocalists do, but when her voice rises, it manages to distinguish itself a little bit more from the piano and bass. I took Eva Cassidy’s “Fields of Gold” for a female vocal comparison, and she too sounds as if a layer of bass is over her voice. It definitely gives her voice more weight to it, but it doesn’t quite float as well as the male vocals on the Turbine Pro. I also added Andrea Zonn’s “Better Be Home Soon” at the last minute because it’s very interesting to note that the Turbine Pro has introduced a new bass frequency that I never knew existed on the song. On the Shure SE530 I can recognize it now, but on the Turbine Pro, it’s definitely more prominent. It sounds like a deep, concentrated puff of air; it’s pretty cool to hear something like this to the point where you can almost feel it in your ear as well.
Infected Mushroom – “Becoming Insane”
This genre of music relies on a deep, heavy beat to keep the flow going while overlaying it with various patterns of and occasionally vocals. The Turbine Pro manages to keep that heavy, driving beat going as the percussion, guitars, synthesizers, and vocals swirl around the thumping bass line. I personally see this kind of genre where presentation matters more than pitch or tine of the instruments. Besides, this is also a genre where any “normal” instrument’s sound can be altered to how the artist wants it to sound, so I personally would call the Turbine Pro a great pick if you listen to this kind of music a lot, simply because it manages to deliver that demanding pulse that most other headphones wouldn’t be able to do for the same price range, in both quantity or quality.
MISC. NOTES/CONCLUSION
Amped vs. Unamped:
This seems pretty unfair at first, looking at the two kinds of sources I used during this review. But the truth is, the Turbine Pro fares well without an overkill source and amp backing it up. Granted, there is a loss of instrument separation and clarity, but this is comparing a sub-$50 source to a $600 setup! So I can honestly say that those who prefer to go ampless/minimal with their portable will be fine, unless you want to spend a lot more in an act of determination to squeeze every last penny of performance from your headphones. And we all know how expensive portable equipment is compared to their desktop counterparts.
Volume:
Some headphones sound better (or worse) when you listen to them at a low volume, or high volume. The Turbine Pro sounds best at a medium, maybe a bit higher, of a volume. The reason why is because when you do so, the soundstage becomes wider, the instrument separation pans out a bit, and the bass doesn’t seem to overpower the rest of the sound as much, nor does it seem quite as monotonous. They’re all subtle but noticeable differences.
The Tips:
I’m sure many of you know what to expect with any decent IEM package in terms of ear tips. Three sizes of regular silicone tips, one or two sizes of triple-flange tips, and maybe some foam tips as well. Monster has forgone the foam tips in light of their new kind of tips, the kind they call: Super Tips. They’re basically the silicone tips with the backing filled with a gel. The result is a snugger fit (those with small ear canals will definitely have trouble with these), arguably more isolation, and more of a solid sound.
I used the Super Tips throughout this review, mainly because of the most solid and realistic response I got from them. The regular silicone tips lost a lot of definition compared to the Super Tips. The tri-flange tips, by the way, were the most comfortable tri-flanges I have ever used; those who know how awkward the Etymotic tri-flanges are to put in your ear, these feel like silk compared to them. But like I said before, I personally felt that only the Super Tips gave me the best sound, so I stuck with them. Monster definitely has something good going for them with these tips, and with the recent news that they’re also doing a foam version of these, I hope other companies adopt these tip styles as well in the future.
Cable Microphonics:
I went on a stroll one day with the Turbine Pro. Just because I wanted more time with them, and I wasn't thinking of testing the microphonics. But after a few minutes they started to test me and my patience. The cable is very microphonic, and every time it bumped against my shirt or I took a step, muted thumps would be heard in my ears, almost muting the music at a low/medium volume. Granted, there is a small clip that is in the box to hold the cable to your shirt, but I would have preferred not to worry about losing it some day.
The Cable Management System:
I have no clue what that means, but Monster said I should comment on this. I’m guessing that means the cord divider on the IEMs. It’s a thin piece of flexible silicone with a wide separation between the two cords leading to the left and right earphones. Actually, because it’s made of silicone, it’s harder to move up and down the wires, because it holds on to the wires so tightly. But in the end, once you have them set to a comfortable height, they get the job done, and I have never had the cables themselves trip over each other to the point where a quick shake didn’t set them straight.
Conclusion:
The Turbine Pro is definitely on the warm side of the sound signature spectrum, and it seems to start all of its frequencies from the bottom up. If you can picture this, imagine the sound (bass, mids, highs) all starting as blobs on the ground, the ground they’re currently residing on representing the low frequencies. Then as the sound plays, they stretch upwards to however high they should go, but they still maintain their ground no matter how high they stretch. So it always sounds as if the sound is being sourced from the bottom up.
The instruments themselves seem to be given only enough room for the instrument’s main body to be heard; there feels as if they aren’t given any extra space for their sound to fade into the blackness. That isn’t to say that the Turbine Pro is completely void of being able to flush out any detail from the music, but the lack of decay also comes with the tiniest of details being rolled off before they can be heard.
The vocals however, mainly the male vocals, are what stood out for themselves. Many times they seemed to be on their own, detached from the overall sound. As a result, they managed to sound clear, focused, and separate from the rest of the music; something I’ve never experienced before.
The Monster Turbine Pro retails for the price of $250, and sometimes even less (i.e. on Amazon.com right now they’re on sale for $225). Of course, the wallet-burning question is: Is it worth that price?
Reflecting upon that question, I immediately think of the Shure SE530. They both go for around the same price these days and are arguably on the warm side of things.
I would say that if you’re looking for really deep bass or normally listen to hip-hop/rap (I did take 2Pac’s “How Do You Want It” or a spin), trance/techno, and sometimes pop, then the Turbine Pro would suit your needs. For things where detail, tone and pitch accuracy are something that are on your list of “Wants,” then the Shure SE530 is the one you should go after. I’m listening to the SE530 right now (using the Olive tips), and after the Turbine Pros, the bass sounds rather polite, the mids intimate and clear, and the highs cleanly rolled off. The entire spectrum sounds pretty neutral now, and the detail is back in every song, especially the aspect of decay.
But I really do miss that thundering bass at times when all I want to do is be moved by the beat. Some of you may remember that when I got the Shure SRH840, I sold the Sennheiser HD 600 because the former managed to give me more punchy bass than the latter. The first time I stopped listening to the Turbine Pro and switched over to the SRH840, there was a sudden unsettling moment as I wondered where the bass went.
I appreciate Monster Cable for giving me the privileged opportunity to review these IEMs, and hope many here at Head-Fi can find value with this review in order to help with their own decision in the giant sea of IEMs to choose from. If you still have any questions, please post them here in this thread, and I’ll try my best to answer them in a few days.
