Canuck57
500+ Head-Fier
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REVIEW – MONSTER TURBINE PRO (COPPER EDITION)
Opening Comments
I want to mention upfront that I received these headphones for free in return for publishing a review which is to be posted on Head-fi. The other requirements were:
· to allow the review to be posted on amazon.com and monstercable.com
· test the headphones with three genres of music
· offer thoughts on each of the Pro Sound Isolating ear tips
· offer thoughts on the Turbine Pro Cable Management System
There were no other conditions or attempt at influencing the review. I have two other in-ear headphones Ultimate Ears SuperFi 5eb and Bose (I can hear the collective groan!), both of which I rarely use. I use full-sized headphones for the vast majority of my headphone listening.
Upon completion of the review I plan on giving the Turbine pros to a good friend and fellow audiophile who does not have in-ear headphones.
Monster offers three In-Ear Speakers (IES) in their Turbine Series:
· Monster Turbine High Performance (MSRP $180)
· Monster Turbine Pro Gold Audiophile (MSRP $300)
· Monster Turbine Pro Copper Professional (MSRP $400)
Packaging & Contents
The packaging of the Turbine Pros is first rate and gives the impression of a high quality audio product. The inner box comes in a cardboard sleeve shrink wrapped in plastic. Sliding off the cardboard sleeve reveals an inner box with a magnetic closure for the lid (nice touch).
The inner box includes the following:
Build Quality
The headphone ear pieces have all metal chrome & copper housings which is quite attractive. Red and blue bands around the ear piece housings indicate right & left. The headphone cable thickness is typical for IES, very flexible and there are strain relief connectors where the cable enters the ear pieces. The cable is terminated in a right-angle 1/8” plug and comes with a 1/8” to ¼” adapter. The adapter is high quality and solidly snaps onto the 1/8” mini plug. The packaging indicates that the plug contacts are 24 karat gold plated.
The headphones come with a lifetime warranty which includes a one-time replacement (original owner only) which is very generous compared to other manufacturers’ warranties.
Test Gear
I listened to the Turbine Pros straight from an IPod (320 bit rate files) and with the iPod and a LAROCCO PRII headphone amplifier. I also used my Audio-gd Compass which is a DAC and headphone amplifier with FLAC files on my computer’s hard drive as the source.
To give you a frame of reference my other headphones are: Grado HF2, STAX 404 (electrostatic), Sennheiser HD 650 (balanced), Sennheiser HD-580, JVC AH-DX1000, Denon AH-D2000, HiFiMan HE-5 (orthodynamic headphones) to name a few.
I also have the following headphone amplifiers: Darkvoice 337, STAX SRM-3 and Little Dot MK VII (Balanced & Single Ended).
I have been an avid headphone listener since about 2005.
Music
I tested the Turbine Pros with three genres of music: jazz, blues and rock. The following is a list of the artists and albums I listened to:
Jazz
Blues
Rock
Eartips
The eartip sizes and quantities per the product literature and what was actually in the package differed, here’s what was included in the package:
To me the choice of eartip is all about getting a proper seal for solid bass response. All ear canals are shaped differently so what works for one person won’t work for another. There’s enough variety of eartips provided that it would seem unlikely that someone couldn’t find an eartip that fits their ears properly.
The best eartip for me is the white Monster SuperTip. They are of medium density with a smooth outer coating. I was able to easily obtain a good seal with these tips compared to the others.
Headphone Cable & Management System
The headphone cable is slightly microphonic however I only noticed it when there was no music playing. I didn’t notice it during quiet portions of a song.
The sliding cable adjustment is useful to keep the ear pieces together when coiling the cable for storage and also useful as far as closing the separation of the cable after the Y split during use of the headphones.
The attachable cable clip is very handy for controlling the cable while in use and also reduces it rubbing on your clothing and thus microphonics.
Sound
According to the packaging the headphones are “designed for serious audiophiles and audio professionals.” In my mind this means that the entire frequency range is reproduced without any bias towards one part of the frequency range. In my opinion the headphones come close to achieving that, however their sound signature somewhat emphasizes the upper midrange & treble. However, I never found the treble harsh and I’m very sensitive to harsh treble.
From reading reviews and comments about various headphones over the years on head-fi and other sites, it has become quite clear that for any particular headphone it will be bass heavy for some, just right for others and bass shy for some. I must admit that I’m somewhat of a bass head, I like my headphones to have solid low bass response but not at the expense of intruding too much into the mid range and treble. The turbines have decent bass response, however I found myself adjusting the bass contour knob on the LAROCCO amplifier to achieve a more satisfying bass response. However, I’m sure that some will find the bass just right.
To me all headphones sound much better with a headphone amplifier compared to directly from a source such as an iPod. The Turbine Pros are no exception.
Conclusion/Summary
The Turbine Copper headphones are well made, come with a variety of eartips so that anyone should be able to find an eartip that fits properly. The product is attractively packaged and comes with a very generous one-time replacement to the original owner!
They certainly only had to provide once carrying pouch, whereas they provided two and each is very high quality. In my opinion the headphones are quite stylish however to each his/her own.
I would recommend the Turbine Copper Pros to those listeners who prefer more of a neutral sound signature albeit with a somewhat emphasized upper midrange and treble.
Opening Comments
I want to mention upfront that I received these headphones for free in return for publishing a review which is to be posted on Head-fi. The other requirements were:
· to allow the review to be posted on amazon.com and monstercable.com
· test the headphones with three genres of music
· offer thoughts on each of the Pro Sound Isolating ear tips
· offer thoughts on the Turbine Pro Cable Management System
There were no other conditions or attempt at influencing the review. I have two other in-ear headphones Ultimate Ears SuperFi 5eb and Bose (I can hear the collective groan!), both of which I rarely use. I use full-sized headphones for the vast majority of my headphone listening.
Upon completion of the review I plan on giving the Turbine pros to a good friend and fellow audiophile who does not have in-ear headphones.
Monster offers three In-Ear Speakers (IES) in their Turbine Series:
· Monster Turbine High Performance (MSRP $180)
· Monster Turbine Pro Gold Audiophile (MSRP $300)
· Monster Turbine Pro Copper Professional (MSRP $400)
Packaging & Contents
The packaging of the Turbine Pros is first rate and gives the impression of a high quality audio product. The inner box comes in a cardboard sleeve shrink wrapped in plastic. Sliding off the cardboard sleeve reveals an inner box with a magnetic closure for the lid (nice touch).
The inner box includes the following:
- Two (yes two!) carrying pouches. One is like the old-fashioned coin pouches my Dad used to carry. It’s opened by squeezing the top two ends together. The other pouch is a black velour-like material with a flap with a magnetic fastener to keep it closed.
- A very attractive and solid 1/8” to ¼ " head phone plug adapter.
- Two small Velcro straps to keep the cable coiled if so desired.
- Numerous ear tips of various sizes & shapes. If you can’t find a tip that fits your ears, then you must have very odd ears!
- A cable clip to fasten the headphone cable to your shirt to limit its movement.
Build Quality
The headphone ear pieces have all metal chrome & copper housings which is quite attractive. Red and blue bands around the ear piece housings indicate right & left. The headphone cable thickness is typical for IES, very flexible and there are strain relief connectors where the cable enters the ear pieces. The cable is terminated in a right-angle 1/8” plug and comes with a 1/8” to ¼” adapter. The adapter is high quality and solidly snaps onto the 1/8” mini plug. The packaging indicates that the plug contacts are 24 karat gold plated.
The headphones come with a lifetime warranty which includes a one-time replacement (original owner only) which is very generous compared to other manufacturers’ warranties.
Test Gear
I listened to the Turbine Pros straight from an IPod (320 bit rate files) and with the iPod and a LAROCCO PRII headphone amplifier. I also used my Audio-gd Compass which is a DAC and headphone amplifier with FLAC files on my computer’s hard drive as the source.
To give you a frame of reference my other headphones are: Grado HF2, STAX 404 (electrostatic), Sennheiser HD 650 (balanced), Sennheiser HD-580, JVC AH-DX1000, Denon AH-D2000, HiFiMan HE-5 (orthodynamic headphones) to name a few.
I also have the following headphone amplifiers: Darkvoice 337, STAX SRM-3 and Little Dot MK VII (Balanced & Single Ended).
I have been an avid headphone listener since about 2005.
Music
I tested the Turbine Pros with three genres of music: jazz, blues and rock. The following is a list of the artists and albums I listened to:
Jazz
- Patricia Barber - Modern Cool
- Diana Krall – Only Trust Your Heart
Blues
- Ronnie Earl – Ronnie Earl & Friends
- Eric Clapton – Crossroads 2: Live In The Seventies
- Mick Taylor Band – Little Red Rooster
Rock
- The Rolling Stones – Get Yer Ya-Ya’s Out
- Cowboy Junkies – Trinity Revisited
- Jeff Beck – Blow by Blow
- Jimi Hendrix – Band of Gypsys
Eartips
The eartip sizes and quantities per the product literature and what was actually in the package differed, here’s what was included in the package:
- Segmented or Triple Flange (2 sizes - Black)
- Foam (1 size – Grey/Black)
- Performance (5 sizes - Black)
- Regular Type Tips (3 sizes – Black)
- Monster Super Tips (5 sizes - White).
To me the choice of eartip is all about getting a proper seal for solid bass response. All ear canals are shaped differently so what works for one person won’t work for another. There’s enough variety of eartips provided that it would seem unlikely that someone couldn’t find an eartip that fits their ears properly.
The best eartip for me is the white Monster SuperTip. They are of medium density with a smooth outer coating. I was able to easily obtain a good seal with these tips compared to the others.
Headphone Cable & Management System
The headphone cable is slightly microphonic however I only noticed it when there was no music playing. I didn’t notice it during quiet portions of a song.
The sliding cable adjustment is useful to keep the ear pieces together when coiling the cable for storage and also useful as far as closing the separation of the cable after the Y split during use of the headphones.
The attachable cable clip is very handy for controlling the cable while in use and also reduces it rubbing on your clothing and thus microphonics.
Sound
According to the packaging the headphones are “designed for serious audiophiles and audio professionals.” In my mind this means that the entire frequency range is reproduced without any bias towards one part of the frequency range. In my opinion the headphones come close to achieving that, however their sound signature somewhat emphasizes the upper midrange & treble. However, I never found the treble harsh and I’m very sensitive to harsh treble.
From reading reviews and comments about various headphones over the years on head-fi and other sites, it has become quite clear that for any particular headphone it will be bass heavy for some, just right for others and bass shy for some. I must admit that I’m somewhat of a bass head, I like my headphones to have solid low bass response but not at the expense of intruding too much into the mid range and treble. The turbines have decent bass response, however I found myself adjusting the bass contour knob on the LAROCCO amplifier to achieve a more satisfying bass response. However, I’m sure that some will find the bass just right.
To me all headphones sound much better with a headphone amplifier compared to directly from a source such as an iPod. The Turbine Pros are no exception.
Conclusion/Summary
The Turbine Copper headphones are well made, come with a variety of eartips so that anyone should be able to find an eartip that fits properly. The product is attractively packaged and comes with a very generous one-time replacement to the original owner!
They certainly only had to provide once carrying pouch, whereas they provided two and each is very high quality. In my opinion the headphones are quite stylish however to each his/her own.
I would recommend the Turbine Copper Pros to those listeners who prefer more of a neutral sound signature albeit with a somewhat emphasized upper midrange and treble.
