Monoprice Premium 8323 Hi-Fi DJ Style Over-the-Ear Pro Headphone

I bought 4 pairs of these guys at $16 a pop for the kids to play games/movies while traveling. So, portability, inexpensiveness, and isolation were mostly the point. These nail those pretty well at that price.

As noted the way the ear cups fold into the headband is pretty cool. They are lightweight and less susceptible to breakage than my nicer cans.

I'd compare to soundstage to listening to a miniature performing group (beetle-sized, say) in a humid broom closet. The midtones are very muddled, but the bass sometimes surprises. It may be muddled also, but it's kinda there. So, the frequency response does come across to my ears as fairly "balanced". Just equally fuzzy.

They do shine a bit on Vivaldi's flute concertos. The single flute really comes out. At that frequency I hear the mushiness, but it doesn't bother me as much.

Best for smaller ears -- I have to stuff my ear in the cups and I can feel it touching around 50% of my ear perimeter.

So I am fairly new to the audio world. The Monoprice 8323 was my second purchase on starting to get into headphones (after Superlux HD681 EVOs). I have had these headphones for about 6 months now.
 
First the bad things about them. The cables and pads are the let downs in terms of build quality. There are two cables. The first is really long and cheap feeling. It also has pretty bad microphonics. The second is a mobile cable but it is literally the thinnest cable I have seen and feels even cheaper. Fortunately since they are just standard 3.5mm stereo to 3.5mm stereo cables they are very easy to replace. Monoprice has mobile cable on their website for $3-$4 (depending on length) which is a big upgrade on the stock ones both in terms of feel and microphonics. The pads are very uncomfortable and cheap feeling. The soundstage also isn't great. Due to the pad and tight clamping force, I could not wear these for more then 30 minutes at a time when I first got them. In terms of sound quality, the two let downs for me are the bass can be  too much and make some songs muddy. The mids can also be recessed.
 
Now the great things about them. They are sixteen freaking dollars and for that price you'd expect completely crap sound quality and build quality but you don't get it. They feel well put together (better then the Superlux HD681 EVOs) for the most part (minus pads and cables). There is plenty of bass and the response is good. The highs are fairly crisp. They are easier to drive then the Superlux and offer fairly good isolation. The other great thing about these headphones are that they are easy to modify and respond well to the modifications. See this thread. http://www.head-fi.org/t/610542/mod-monoporice-8323. Brainwavz HM5 pads fit and do wonders for comfort and the sound (reduces bass fixing the muddiness, brings out midrange). The angled HM5 pads I found improved the soundstage as well. 
 
So if you buy these, I'd suggest the following mods for sure; the Monoprice mobile cable ($3), Brainwavz pads ($22) and leaving them stretched over something over night to fix the clamping force. The problem with this is then the total cost is $42 which is more then the Superlux HD681 EVOs which I think sound better or the Superlux HD668b which I like way better.  That is ultimately why I gave them 3.5 stars. 
 
I'd suggest the Monoprices for two groups of people. Someone who wants something inexpensive that is more portable and offers better isolation then the two Superlux I own or someone who wants a pair of headphones to play with and modify.

Amazing headphones.

Very nice sound and good bass response for the modest entry price. They are very sturdy, and the 1 year warranty is a plus. However, the black ear pads are far too hard and unyielding. I replaced them with far softer and more comfortable red ear pads from Monoprice, but the clamping force of these headphones still make them uncomfortable if worn for extended periods. The included cable is very thin and a bit short, so I replaced it with a nice braided V-Moda one for only $12. So a fairly substantial total of $56.55 invested, including shipping costs. At that price, a set of Shure SRH144 or SRH145 'phones for $39 are a better buy, sound better and are likely much more comfortable to wear.

I bought these headphones because of all the hype on forums such as this one claiming they are better than headphones costing several times more. Compared to my £150 Grado SR125i there is no contest. The Grados simply blow these away. Before i listened to the Grados I thought these headphones sounded good. But after i heard the Grados i wanted to sell the Monoprice immediately.

They are about as good as my Koss KSC75 but with a bit more bass. Now I quite like the Koss, so it is no bad thing being as good as those. But the Koss are £12 earphones, so the price of the Monoprice is about right for what you get.

In my opinion, the people who hype these up on forums are too impressed by the low price and have not made proper comparisons to decent headphones. Then there are those who have nothing better to do than to make wild claims about the sound quality of the headphones they own. I would be very careful about believing these people and all of their hype. I was taken in, but I wish I had read reviews from more experienced and trustworthy people who recommend the Creative Aurvana Live in this price range. Those are the headphones i would choose if you are looking to spend little money. The CAL have a similar sound to the Monoprice, but when you compare the two you notice how much more energy and sparkle the CAL have. This extra energy makes a huge difference. They make the Monoprice seem a bit dull and boring. I may even get rid of the Grados now that I've heard how good the CAL sound.

Final negative for me is that the Monoprice are uncomfortable thanks to the fake leather pads that made me sweat after about 10 minutes.

Sound/Seal
 
The Monoprice 8232 are a great headphone for a person that isn't a real audiophile and audiophiles them-self. The headphones give exceptional quality for the price of around $20-$33.
 
Bass: Tends to get muddy and compromises other audio aspects. 
Treble/Flatness: Depending what you do with these, you can tune them to have a flatter frequency than what they have. These headphones have high potential. 
 
I found that the headphones could do well in songs without much bass, but they really started to really fall apart when challenged with high bass songs. If you like bass, you'll probably like these.
 
The Seal is alright. It keeps some noise in but can really start leaking at higher audio levels. 
 
Portability/Design
 
The headphones are impressively portable. The ear cups can turn up to 90 degrees so that they can lay flat and they also swivel to make them a-lot more compact for storage. There is no real possible way for these headphones to break hardware wise because of the 3.5mm jack. I'm sure these will take care of themselves.
(Update) After a few months of usage, these headphones started to show signs of cracking. 
 
Comfort
 
There aren't many problems with this headphone (apart from my own personal problems) besides the comfort. The headband is probably the worst part. It feels as if I'm getting a pebble pressed against the top of my head very hard and it hurts after long usage. The pads are hard and don't fit completely around my ears. If you have big ears get different pads (like Shure) The pads are lackluster and start cracking due to the materials used. 
 
Overall
 
A few images showcases features. Portability ect. 1 2 3
 
These headphones are okay. If you're looking for something to toss around for a bit, they'll be everything you'd probably want and more. The removable cable is an addition that you wont find on headphones in this range and if you're looking for bass, albeit not really great bass, then get these. 

Comes w/ 2 cables - one is short, very thin, and perfect for portable use.
 
One is bigger, thicker, and perfect for home use. Comes w/ a 1/4 inch adapter that works fine on either cable.
 
While not the best headphones out there, they rival most sub-$100 cans pretty well.
 
I would compare them most accurately to Equation RP-22 X ($120 headphones that I thought were a good deal at that price)
 
The built quality isnt fantastic, but seems sturdy enough. I would recommend these are great beater headphones or great closed headphones for if you are a rare basshead and don't want to blow $100+ on cans for the rare time you listen to really thumpy music.

For a pair of headphones that are only $30, I was blown away by these. They are the best headphones I've heard out of all headphones at this price.
 
Compared these to some headphones in a similar price range
 
Auvio HF202 ($40)
Koss UR/20 ($25)
EarPollution Mogul ($36)
 
Note- Yes, I realize that the Mogul headphones are terrible, but they fit the price range.
 
Highs - Highs are clean, crisp, and definitely not fatiguing whatsoever. Better than all of the ones I compared it to.
 
Mids - Surprisingly good sounding. Like most closed cans, they are recessed, but better than any other can I've heard in this price with mids. Much better than the HF202.
 
Bass - This is their highest area of excellence. Bass is incredible with these. Powerful and very clean, but they don't overpower the mids or highs whatsoever. These really have a great potential for bass.
 
Comfort -  Very nice to wear. Can be worn for long periods of time without discomfort. Only downfall is the material of the earpads makes your ears sweat. You don't normally feel it until you take them off.
 
Overall - I cannot recommend these enough. These are basically perfect for the price, unless you are looking for soundstage. With their amazing build quality, detachable cable, and price, these cannot be beat.