[SoundFreaq]

I ordered mine the first time you mentioned them, Dsnuts. Unfortunately I'm still waiting for mine to arrive. Can't wait. 

 

[Madcatyoji]

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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.. . 

Yeah, I have a 1/4" adapter at work and I will try them then with my Amp/DAC I only had my iPhone as source. I'll post a second review tomorrow.

 

[ri_toast]

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I ordered mine the first time you mentioned them, Dsnuts. Unfortunately I'm still waiting for mine to arrive. Can't wait. 

me too, they are at a post office 10 miles from home. hopefully a clerk there has them open and is burning them in for me. they do that right? yeah: priority, express, first class, standard and burn in.

 

[Dsnuts]

Well I am just pickles that you guys are all interested in a freaking cheapo bud. Haha..I know these aren't gonna best anything high end at all but what they are hopefully will defy any type of logic and will be worthy of all your collections.
 
I eagerly await more impressions..I want to know exactly where these stand for all you guys with others that you clearly spent more money on sound alone.. @ MadcatYoji.. Keep them on the burner if you can. Mine sound smooth as all get out. I think I have over 100 hours easy on mine.. I don't think they change much sonicly but become a bit more coherent and smoother over time. 
 
I also noticed pending on tips seal and size of the sound hole on the tips. This affects the sound. I went from stock tips to the Sony ones and it brought out more bass it seems. It doesn't surprise me that it does change with tips.  I am gonna have to find some foam tips to try with these.

 

[Dsnuts]

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I ordered mine the first time you mentioned them, Dsnuts. Unfortunately I'm still waiting for mine to arrive. Can't wait. 

Hey how is your Westone 4.? That is my question. 4 drivers in those.. That sounds insane.

 

[SoundFreaq]

 
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Hey how is your Westone 4.? That is my question. 4 drivers in those.. That sounds insane.

 

Oh man! The Westone 4 is just great. I'm so impressed with them! They are so lightweight and comfortable, they are never a bother. I was nervous about that. My Shure E3C's - well, let's just say I can definitely tell when I'm wearing them. 
 
The bass is so solid. It's very high quality and maintains very tight control. As a basshead, I am actually very satisfied, surprisingly. I was afraid I wouldn't be. If the track calls for loads of bass (Deadmau5, Richie Hawtin) then they will pound it into your skull. If the track doesn't call for it, the bass is present and controlled, never blooming or out of place. 
 
The mids are forward, detailed, and liquid. They compliment the entire range very well. The highs are incredibly extended, detailed, and ... smooth. I would never say rolled off... that's not it. They are still extended and detailed, but they're just smooth. Necessary, in my opinion, for an IEM. 
 
The soundstage was wicked wider than I ever imagined an IEM could be. While it doesn't come close to an open can, the soundstage still made classical come very alive (for me, I need a large soundstage for classical), and instrument placement and separation were very much top notch. Which leads me to make comment about the detailed imaging. While it was smooth, it was very sharp. 
 
With IEM's, I'm concerned about several things. Comfort, bass impact, and screech or sibilance in the upper mids and highs. The Westone 4 does it all to perfection. I am so happy as I found the perfect portable solution. They are loud, and deliver unamped. They pack small and are lightweight. Not to mention, they sound world class. I am very pleased, and I am hard to please sometimes. 
 
Can't wait for the Monoprice so I can compare my new favorite IEM's with them. 
​

 

 

[Elysian]

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

What mod are you considering?  These could be nice IEMs since when I'm out and about, I pay more attention to low and mid freqs.
 
Would be nice if there's a cheap way to deal with noise picked up through physical contact with the wire.  I've had that issue with most sub-$50 IEMs I've used, but my $150+ IEMs don't have that problem.

 

[CatboyMac]

I don't even need them to be "world-class". I'm simply hoping for "not-crap". I recently realized that I don't have any "taking a dump" or "desperately attempting to ignore the real world's problems" headphones, and decent IEMs would cover both bases.

 

[Dsnuts]

Wow those sound off the hook nice SoundFreaq.  I was looking at some Vsonic Vr07s and reading up on them.. It seems to have a nice bang per buck so far and mid tier Iems go.
 
Ex600s as well...I know you are like me in that you have both headphones and Iems. It is interesting how there are 3 camps around here. The IEM guys.. The headphone guys and guys like us.  We swing both ways.  I wonder if there was a debate on what sounds better who would win.  The headphone guys or the IEM guys...
 
I am not quite ready to venture into the Iem path full bore but I am sure I will get there.  I think that was a good thing as I would have skipped these cheaper Iems all together.. So for this IEM noob I am quite satisfied with what I have, a bunch of bass cans and my monoprice iem.  I suppose I am easier to please than most.  Even if these monoprice comes half as sounding good as your Westone 4 I would call that a success I hope they do....

 

[xxhaxx]

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What mod are you considering?  These could be nice IEMs since when I'm out and about, I pay more attention to low and mid freqs.
 
Would be nice if there's a cheap way to deal with noise picked up through physical contact with the wire.  I've had that issue with most sub-$50 IEMs I've used, but my $150+ IEMs don't have that problem.

Just planning to rewire it 
 

 

[Dsnuts]

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I don't even need them to be "world-class". I'm simply hoping for "not-crap". I recently realized that I don't have any "taking a dump" or "desperately attempting to ignore the real world's problems" headphones, and decent IEMs would cover both bases.

I know the common perception of what a cheap IEM and how they should sound is all too familiar. Canny or hollow sounding, Thin and not defined. Muddy and booming bass with recessed mids and highs.
 
I can assure you these monoprice is none of the above.. I usually use my MP3 players with my monoprice and I threw on my Fiio E11 and I forgot how much more fuller and cleaner that makes these sound.. Bob Marley which I haven't heard in a long time just threw a big smile on my face...I deem them worthy for you guys to discover. As far as budget goes these will surprise every single one of you guys in how they sound.  To me they don't sound like anything budget at all..I am more curious to find out just how close these sound to the higher end Iems.  That is the big question for me.

 

[SoundFreaq]

 
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 Even if these monoprice comes half as sounding good as your Westone 4 I would call that a success I hope they do....

I would call that a raging success! I hope they do too. 
 
And as far as headphones vs earphones, I think a top-end headphone will always be king as you just have more space to work with. Larger drivers push more air resulting in many benefits, but soundstage would be a big one. But then of course I've neer heard a top-end custom IEM...
 
 

 

[Dsnuts]

It is funny as I asked a few of the fellow headfiers that use cans only.. If they ever get into IEMs. The answer would be no. " I can't stand anything in my ear"  I suppose that is a valid answer but yet they put up with headphone clamp and sweaty pleather?  To me if it sounds right it sounds right..
 
I read that the SONY ex600s have a big wide stage that is interesting.. I wouldn't call the sound staging in the monprice wide but it is definitely ample..

 

[kmhaynes]

OK, drinking the kool-aid.  Can't be too bad for $8.99 in the USA.  Need a cheap good sounding phone for cutting the grass, vacuuming, etc. 

 

[Dsnuts]

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OK, drinking the kool-aid.  Can't be too bad for $8.99 in the USA.  Need a cheap good sounding phone for cutting the grass, vacuuming, etc. 

You got that right.!! Tomorrow should be interesting. We will get about 3 to 4 guys that will get theirs in the mail..You know it is kinda funny but when I was looking at Koolaid man here I drank a whole lot of it when I was a kid.. Brought back some memories. Lol!!