[xedjflowx]

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Well I think a bunch of people will be getting these tomorrow...have to admit I'm definitely curious. He did say they sounded like some $200-$300 IEMs...wonder how that plays out XD

check back. i will definitely give a review before and after burn-in. compared to my nuforce ne-6's

 

[Gilly87]

Excellent. Hopefully they don't require signage and I will have mine waiting for me when I get home from work

 

[John In Cali]

Alright me and "Some1" are organizing a small group buy to UK anyone interested?
Shipping is going to run a lot cheaper than monoprice wants.

 

[s0lar]

Interested in the group buy. UK only or Europe? I live in Belgium.

 

[some1]

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Interested in the group buy. UK only or Europe? I live in Belgium.

Yes i can help you.
 

 

[anadin]

Already on the bandwagon, im waiting for mine.

 

[nipit]

I would be also interested in these ones. I live in Lithuania , that's in Europe.

 

[Klaasje]

In on Europe groupdeal, let's see what this baby can do.

 

[s0lar]

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Yes i can help you.
 

Thank you, I am sure all European head-fi members interested in the IEM thank you too!
 
 

 

[vijaja]

Subscribed and awaiting for reviews.

 

[Madcatyoji]

Ok, I've done some fairly extensive listening and A/Bing.
 
Methodology: I listened for 2 - 2 hour blocks after letting the headphones burn in for a bit over 14 hours. I listened to a lot of my favorite songs to let my ears adjust to the sound. I took an hour rest and did some reading to let me ears come down. I A/Bed four pairs of earbuds, The Monoprice earbuds, Shure E2c's, Apple iPhone earbuds and some cheapo skull candies. I listened to each earbud against the Monoprice with each song and I broke it up into rounds against each while taking some notes. I rested about 15-20 minutes between each round.
 
 
Music tested: 
Foo Fighters - I should have known. I'm a bassist and my dad is a drummer with about 35 years experience. We are both Foo Fighters fans. I should have known has some very impressive Bass and drum work. The bass Riffs kick in very heavy at about 2:52 and I feel that the raw sound of the bass in this song exemplifies rough Bass. For that this is one of my top test tracks that's "recent"
 
Beatles - Blue Jay way Very odd song, lots of headphone switching. It's a very revealing song I find. It's one of those you can listen to hundreds of times on different set ups and hear a completely song each time. It's a very fun song to listen to on good headphones or a really good stereo set up.
 
The Eagles - Seven Bridges Road I really like this song for the vocal harmony. I find it's a lot of fun to listen as long as your headphones aren't harsh. Bright headphones can absolutely ruin this song in my opinion.
 
Gerry Rafferty - Baker Street I prefer the Foo Fighters cover of this song. The horns in this version are just haunting though. I have always enjoyed this song and have heard it on many systems and it's one of my top control picks.
 
Fort Minor - Remember the name I'm not huge into Hip Hop any more but I really like Fort Minor. This is a good song for thumping bass and quick precise vocals. It also has some "in the head" movement effects that good headphones can pickup and great headphones display with startling clarity.
 
 
Results: I'm not going to give full reviews of the three alternative headphones just brief overviews I will go into a detailed review of the Monoprice phones though since that's what everyone is here for.
 
Apple earbuds - Lots of us have these and have probably used them much more than we'd like to admit. I find there's no space and air in
music when listened to with these. They are very bright and forward. The bass is lacking and gets muddled when you try to get any volume out of them. Isolation on these is extremely poor. Overall I rate these a 2/10.
 
Skullcandy earbuds - These are cheap buds in the $20 range that were bought on sale. I don't have a specific model. They present with a moderately clean sound. Highs are muddled and mids are colored. The bass is tolerable but once again gets fuzzy and almost seems to slow down as you try to get more sound out of them. The isolation in these is less than ideal. I rate these a 2/10 also.
 
Shure E2c's - These are my long time "go to" earbuds. I've had them for a long time. They are extremely comfortable and present with a very pleasant experience. Mids and highs are clean, the bass is a little light but is fast and clear. The isolation is excellent with the right tip, these have been on many plane trips. I rate these a 6/10.
 
Monoprice earbuds -  I would like to preface this by saying I only had the original tips on hand to test these with; I found them somewhat uncomfortable but overall they did fine once I got the positioning right. 
 
Build Quality: I am impressed with the overall build quality of these headphones. The jack itself seems to actually have some weight to it, as does the small junction piece where the cable splits. The earbuds themselves are surprisingly nice. Three small screws attach a small metal screen to the back, the screens are functional as covering them does alter the sound. The tips come off easily and the small tube has a collar that seems very sturdy.
 
There are some issues however. I find the cable, although nice is extremely tangle prone. It also has the misfortune of translating any physical contact into noise that can be heard through the earbuds. While walking my dog I could hear every step that caused the cord to move across my hoodie. Tucking the headphones under my shirt fixed this though, so it's not a huge deal.
 
Sound: I will start off by giving props to Dsnuts. These are exceptional headphones for the price, I do not regret buying them one bit. 
 
I started off listening to I should have known, letting Foo Fighters start things off with a bang. The depth of sound was impressive, but was not amazing. However as things picked up and got louder things started falling into place. The guitar separated from the vocals and the Bass, the sound stage expanded quite a bit and as the drums kicked off the accuracy of these little headphones surprised me. Sharp punchy drums, snappy cymbals with plenty of distance still separating the vocals, guitar and drums. I was impressed with the honesty of the musics reproduction, I could hear the angst in Dave's voice. At around 2:52 that monstrous round of bass riffs fired off and I was blown away. They sound so raw and and metallic, I can surprisingly hear each string release.
 
as Seven Bridge Road starts up I am instantly impressed. The vocals sound crisp and clear, they weren't bright or colored in any perceptible way. The crowd in the background is completely separated from the opening vocals. As the guitar intro comes in the sound seems to drift in a space that doesn't seem like it should be there. I found the highs to be a little bright as the song progressed the mids took on a slight bit of color for a few brief moments as well.
 
Baker street started up and I was immediately assaulted by a slightly bright and forward flute. It wasn't horrible but it's definitely there. I was afraid the horns would also exhibit the same bright forwardness but they seemed more recessed and mellow. The small chimes are easily audible and a few smaller more hidden noises are on the fringes of the perceivable sound. As the horns continue they seem to sound almost sweet, they aren't to bright but they have a bit of warmth to them. I appreciate this in this particular song, some may not in other area's I found it does present on a few songs.
 
I had Fort Minor come on to finish things out and I have to say while I'm not into hip hop as much as I used to be that's definitely where these shined. The bass is there in spades, it doesn't get muddy as the volume comes up either. I did notice in a few sections though with faster hard bass tracks firing off their was a perceptible crackle within the speaker that was not part of the music. Backing off on the volume slightly cured this and increasing the volume allowed me to present it again. So it's possible that in fast bass driven tracks that some clipping and or crackling may occur.
 
All in all I am very impressed with these IEM's. These are leaps and bounds above both the skull candies and the Apple earbuds. I actually was as happy listening to these as I was my Shure E2c's. It's not the same sound, but it's a good mostly clean sound that you will NOT find in any earbuds anywhere near this price range.
 
My main issues with these are: The cable is kind of obnoxious, it's very tangle prone and being able to hear every bump and scrape isn't something you want in a portable IEM. I couldn't achieve a fantastic fit, but I only had the stock tips, with others they might fit better. They are a bit bright and as such 2 hours is about the maximum I can listen to these before my ears feel fatigued. Overall for the money I am very impressed and I give these a 5/10 rating overall and a 9/10 for value.
 

 

[Elysian]

Great review!  Looks like we have a winner in the $50 IEM category, then?  I think I'll probably stick to the higher-end IEMs for listening.  I've had IEMs that provide feedback from physical contact which is pretty distracting for me, but I'll keep these Monoprices in mind for budget IEMs for when Future Sonics aren't necessary.

 

[antberg]

hope to be wrong,but probably because they`re made in burkina faso from child-slave-labour.god must be a bad cynic black humor comedian.if he would even exist,probably not

 

[xxhaxx]

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Great review!  Looks like we have a winner in the $50 IEM category, then?  I think I'll probably stick to the higher-end IEMs for listening.  I've had IEMs that provide feedback from physical contact which is pretty distracting for me, but I'll keep these Monoprices in mind for budget IEMs for when Future Sonics aren't necessary.

Seems like the first thing imma do is rewire it with meelec :] 

 

[Dsnuts]

Thanks for your impressions MadcatYoji. I have to agree with you on how they tangle easily..I have a feeling if you get a proper fit and with more time the monoprice will grow on you as it has for me..While these sound great for all music in general I think anything with bass emphasis is where these shine the best. That is why I love listening to trance and hip hop with these but does awesomely well with rock n metal.. I would try some different tips and keep listening to them..These do smooth out even more so over time/use..
 
Keep us updated on your finds as time progress. I noticed one thing that depending on source and player I have heard both bright sounds and warmness using the monoprice. I wouldn't call the overall sound bright on these but I can see how you can get to that conclusion. I mostly listen to bassier tunes and the sound is a lot warmer on those.. .