Monster® DNA In-Ear Headphones with ControlTalk™ for Apple - Black

zach8278

New Head-Fier
Pros: Tight bass, good mids, nice highs. Flat cable (tangle free), apple remote, 90 degree plug
Cons: Made out of plastic, loose feeling center button on remote
The Monster DNA in ear earphones are part of Monster Cable's effort to further distance themselves from the failed Beats By Dre experiment that supposedly took the headphone market by storm some time ago. Have they succeeded in their goal, or have they took a huge step back? Let's find out:
 
So, a lot of people know that monster cable is an electronic giant, mostly known for their really good sounding turbine line of earphones. and with the DNA in ear headphones, you get a really well rounded sound. With the DNA in ear earphones, you get this glossy black or white plastic completely comprising the earpiece. With the cable, it is a flat wire design, and i can confirm that it does succeed in getting rid of tangles. 
 
The Apple remote is located down the left of the earphone, and it what i have noticed is that the center play/pause button is a little loose, so these earphones are not as solid as i would have liked.
In terms of accessories, you get a fair amount of accessories, including ear tips, a shirt clip, and a carrying pouch.
 
I didn't have much to say at the intro of this review, forgive me. With the DNA earphones, you get this really nicely balanced, warm-tilt to the sound, with nice, tight bass impact, balanced vocals, and by that i mean they are not harsh in any way, so you can listen to your vocal tracks and be fairly pleased. The mids envelop you and make you get lost in the music, no matter what kind of song you are listening to. Treble extension is good... a bit bright, if i were to sum it up in one word. But again, these are very well balanced. Now, i am a tiny bit disappointed, because for $99, these are competing with the Audio-Technica ATH-CKM55, some Sennheiser products, and ones from AKG, and among others. So, the overall quality of the sound is sort of mid-fi, but, that is not bad, because for $99 you can't expect much.
 
Now, before i go, i just wanna talk about the misconceptions that people have about Monster Cable and their products, and that is this: they are not bad at all. Ever since the beats by dre craze has gone away, Monster Cable has really been getting serious about their headphones/earphones. You can't judge a headphone from a 2 or 3 minute store demo, remember that. 
 
Thanks for checking out this review. Bye.

hyperhead

New Head-Fier
Pros: Amazing highs, amazing mids, flat cord, in-line controls, comes with a surplus of earpads, build quality.
Cons: barely any bass, price.
I bought these around half a year ago, and have finally come to a decision on how I feel about them.
 
First off, I paid $70 for these on amazon. At the time, I thought this price was a little lofty, but I figured that "you get what you pay for."
 
After I bought these I was both pleasantly surprised and hugely let down. The first quality that I noticed was the beautiful mids and highs that these babies produce, but at the same time, there was absolutely no bass or lows. When the beat dropped in a song, I could hear it, but I could not feel it. Bass is more of a "feel" to me; it's like a shock wave that pulses into your ear, but I did not get that at all with these.
 
Don't get me wrong, these headphones are an absolute joy to use daily.  It handles all kinds of genre's, even without deep bass, very nicely. My favorite genre to listen to with these headphones is synth-pop (Owl City, Lights, Ellie Goulding, etc.) since the snare, or highs, are so prevalent, while the bass is not. Another genre I love is dubstep, and I feel that these headphones handle it like a beast. Finally, I love listening to movie soundtracks with these. The intricacy of, say piano or violin, is especially highlighted with these earbuds.
 
I'd also like to mention that the hardware of these earbuds is seamless. The flat cord has worked amazingly in preventing tangling. Also, the inline controls are very handy if someone starts talking to you when you have your phone in your pocket. Every single pair of earbuds I have owned so far have ripped at the part of the cord that connects to the part of the earbuds that you put in your ear, except this pair. I have seen no damage whatsoever in these headphones, and I haven't exactly babied them.
 
So in conclusion, if you love you some snare, and don't care too much for a butt load of bass, then these are the headphones for you. Although the price is, in my opinion, 10-20 dollars too high, you are still getting nice sound, great hardware, and some handy accessories with these earbuds.
GL1TCH3D
GL1TCH3D
How long have you owned them?
Have you tried any other decent quality earbuds or is this a comparison to nothing/ipod earbuds/skullcandy?
KodaO
KodaO
Don't throw all SKDY out, all of the newer editions of the Skullcandy line are absolutely outstanding in terms of total value.
 
I've tried the DNA IEM's and can agree their low end is weak at best, but I own a pair of the Turbine Pro Coppers, and they don't have the bass I was expecting from Monster either :p
Back
Top