Disclaimer: This review unit was purchased by me with my own moolah ($60 for the early user combo package) as part of the initial sale for the FB group members. This is my unbiased opinion, based on my listening preference.
Packaging:
The combo package included the following items:
- Monk IE Smalls
- Monk IE Biggie
- Monk Espresso
- Premium Metal case
- 3 cables - Espresso, SPC and the regular cable with mic (all 3.5mm TRS opted by me)
- Black, narrow bore, circular silicon tips (4 pieces of each size - S, M, L, XL)
- White, wide bore tips (4 pieces of each size - S, M, L)
- Black, triple flange tips (4 pieces, single size)
Setup for the review:
Mine is a poor man's setup - For the sake of this review and for my usual listening sessions, I pair my earphones with my LG G6 (with ES9218P DAC from ESS) or with my Asus laptop. I don't use any sort of equalization unless explicitly mentioned. I have a few free FLAC samples, else it is primarily Google Play Music at highest quality settings. So in a nutshell, I'm a regular bloke who likes music.
Build and Fit:
The Smalls are constructed almost entirely out of plastic mould, except the rear plate which appears to be metal (probably aluminium). The are finished in a pearlescent white paint, which gives it a premium look.
The mould is essentially two pieces (back and front) glued together. The joint surface is not a perfect; a slight overlap on one side is observed (May not be the same with all pieces). This can cause some dirt to accumulate, which is quite visible owing to the white color, as shown in the picture below.
The ear-tip extension is fairly short. While tip is around 4mm, it gradually becomes bigger till the point it meets the driver enclosure. This can cause some discomfort after some 90 minutes and hence they may not be suitable for extended listening sessions.
At the base, they have the female jack of the 0.78 mm connectors. The Monk IEs fit with the cable going over and around the ears. The little dot seen at the base of the earbud (right side), near the connector, is to indicate that this is a left ear
The wide options of tips will suit most users. I prefer to not have a 100% seal and this makes the bass a bit bloated. So, irrespective of the earphones I use, I go for the almost fitting tip which tames the bass and gives some airiness to the sound-stage. So for the Biggie and Smalls, I use the Black tip Size L (its almost like M2, rather than L).
Review of the Sound signature:
The world of earphones and music can suck you in once you are paying more attention. While prior to the Monk IEs, I learnt about different sound signatures and sound-stage from my modest collection of earphones and headphones, the Monk IEs introduced me to another concept - the earphone cables can also influence sound-signatures.
So for this reason, this review will have my impression of the Smalls on both the SPC and the Espresso cables.
Lee, from VE, recommends 50 hours of burning in both Smalls and Biggie. My Smalls have 50+ hours on them. I don't see any noticeable difference, post burn-in.
The Smalls on SPC cable:
Silver is a better conductor of electricity than copper. The SPC cable brings about a slightly brighter sound to the Smalls with a decent amount of details. This helps the rolled-off highs to some extent.
With that said, the highs of the Smalls lack energy as the treble is rolled off early. It may be suitable for casual listening and never sibilant. I use 'Cake by the Ocean' to see if the treble is tolerable and the Smalls on SPC managed to not be sibilant on this track. The highs can sound a bit artificial at wider stereo imaging - like in the case of Hotel California (Hell freezes over) where the crowd claps and cheers at the end or the claps at the beginning of Cake by the Ocean (DNCE).
The Mids are slightly recessed, but good enough to appreciate the vocals on tracks, not the finer details though. Many would not even notice that mids are slightly recessed. Most people used to a V signature may even find the mids forward. Acoustic tracks like Ed Sheeran's One sound great on the Smalls. ALMA's voice on 'Bonfire' song by Felix Jaehn sounds good.
The Lows of the Smalls are better controlled than the Biggie. That is not to be taken as a compliment in itself. The bass was slightly bloated out of the box, but after sufficient burn-in i could probably feel some perceptible difference, but not much. Maybe its just my brain playing tricks. The Sub-bass can be heard, but not felt. Royals (Pure Heroine) is a great track for bass; Smalls are average on this track.. The Mid-bass is quite well controlled, but you can hear some mid-bass bleed into vocals on certain tracks like Apologise (Dreaming out Loud).
Instrument separation is lacking, soundstage is congested, especially on tracks with multiple instruments playing simultaneously. Muse's songs - Panic Station and Uprising are not enjoyable on the Smalls.
Soundstage width is decent, but the depth is a bit lacking, so instrument positioning may not be that great. Tundra by Amber Rubarth (thanks to Paul Brooko for referring to this track in his reviews) is a great track for judging sound-stage. The Smalls perform quite decently and you can easily appreciate the width it offers. Mangta hai kya (Rangeela) sounds magical on the Smalls. So does Changes by Faul & Wad Ad.
So how does it perform on complex tracks?
I normally use Fusion music to see how an earphone handles complex tracks. Nothing can be more complex than Indian and Western sounds mixed together. "Dil Mein Tu" by Colonial Cousins (Aatma) is a great Fusion track - Veena, hi-hats, bass guitar and the constant drum beat with carnatic and western vocals, and the Smalls handles it easily. The music surrounds you; the Smalls exhibit great channel separation and imaging, and it feels like listening to a live studio performance. The warm sound signature with rolled off treble makes it easy listening. But this is just Level 1.
Then I decided to up the game and subjected the Smalls to Radiohead's National Anthem (Kid A). The Smalls started off well on this track, but around the 3 minute mark when the cacophony is at the max with so many different sounds from multiple instruments come together, it is just too difficult for the Smalls to handle and it blurts out a mish-mash of sounds. 'Shofukan' by Snarky Puppy on Smalls is like listening to a tin can filled with cereal falling on the floor.
The Monk Smalls are clearly for casual usage and not audiophile or reference material. They are not even a material for the slightly serious, non-audiophile bunch. They can handle most songs from an average daily playlist well. But for those who are used to energetic highs with good instrument separation, the Smalls will leave them wanting a lot more.
The Smalls on Espresso cable:
The Espresso is a copper cable offered by Venture Electronics. Since I have already covered the musicality of the Smalls with the SPC cable, in depth, I will primarily concentrate on the differences in sound signature.
The Smalls with Espresso have a slightly warmer signature. The treble is definitely not as bright as in the case with SPC, which in itself is not a good reference. The claps and cheers are less artificial than with the SPC. The treble on 'Cake by the Ocean' is easily tolerable.
The mid-bass and lower mids are slightly more pronounced. While those who prefer a bit more of bass would like that, it also brings a slightly more noticeable mid-bass bleed. Ed Sheeran's voice is noticeably warmer on One (X - Wembley edition).
I don't notice any impact on soundstage between the SPC and Espresso cables.
The Smalls with Espresso may suit everyday listening habits and you can go a bit longer on these without ear fatigue, if you are a warm-hearing person.
I personally prefer them with SPC of the two cables.
Other significant points
The Monk IEs are a good budget earbud offering, especially in the combo form. But would I purchase the Smalls separately, not as a part of the combo package? Maybe not if it is priced at a planned $40, individually, as mentioned in the FB page. There are a lot of significantly better options at this price range, that are technically better both in construction and tuning.
Here's a parting shot of the VE case that came along with the Monk IEs.
Packaging:
The combo package included the following items:
- Monk IE Smalls
- Monk IE Biggie
- Monk Espresso
- Premium Metal case
- 3 cables - Espresso, SPC and the regular cable with mic (all 3.5mm TRS opted by me)
- Black, narrow bore, circular silicon tips (4 pieces of each size - S, M, L, XL)
- White, wide bore tips (4 pieces of each size - S, M, L)
- Black, triple flange tips (4 pieces, single size)
Setup for the review:
Mine is a poor man's setup - For the sake of this review and for my usual listening sessions, I pair my earphones with my LG G6 (with ES9218P DAC from ESS) or with my Asus laptop. I don't use any sort of equalization unless explicitly mentioned. I have a few free FLAC samples, else it is primarily Google Play Music at highest quality settings. So in a nutshell, I'm a regular bloke who likes music.
Build and Fit:
The Smalls are constructed almost entirely out of plastic mould, except the rear plate which appears to be metal (probably aluminium). The are finished in a pearlescent white paint, which gives it a premium look.
The mould is essentially two pieces (back and front) glued together. The joint surface is not a perfect; a slight overlap on one side is observed (May not be the same with all pieces). This can cause some dirt to accumulate, which is quite visible owing to the white color, as shown in the picture below.
The ear-tip extension is fairly short. While tip is around 4mm, it gradually becomes bigger till the point it meets the driver enclosure. This can cause some discomfort after some 90 minutes and hence they may not be suitable for extended listening sessions.
At the base, they have the female jack of the 0.78 mm connectors. The Monk IEs fit with the cable going over and around the ears. The little dot seen at the base of the earbud (right side), near the connector, is to indicate that this is a left ear
The wide options of tips will suit most users. I prefer to not have a 100% seal and this makes the bass a bit bloated. So, irrespective of the earphones I use, I go for the almost fitting tip which tames the bass and gives some airiness to the sound-stage. So for the Biggie and Smalls, I use the Black tip Size L (its almost like M2, rather than L).
Review of the Sound signature:
The world of earphones and music can suck you in once you are paying more attention. While prior to the Monk IEs, I learnt about different sound signatures and sound-stage from my modest collection of earphones and headphones, the Monk IEs introduced me to another concept - the earphone cables can also influence sound-signatures.
So for this reason, this review will have my impression of the Smalls on both the SPC and the Espresso cables.
Lee, from VE, recommends 50 hours of burning in both Smalls and Biggie. My Smalls have 50+ hours on them. I don't see any noticeable difference, post burn-in.
The Smalls on SPC cable:
Silver is a better conductor of electricity than copper. The SPC cable brings about a slightly brighter sound to the Smalls with a decent amount of details. This helps the rolled-off highs to some extent.
With that said, the highs of the Smalls lack energy as the treble is rolled off early. It may be suitable for casual listening and never sibilant. I use 'Cake by the Ocean' to see if the treble is tolerable and the Smalls on SPC managed to not be sibilant on this track. The highs can sound a bit artificial at wider stereo imaging - like in the case of Hotel California (Hell freezes over) where the crowd claps and cheers at the end or the claps at the beginning of Cake by the Ocean (DNCE).
The Mids are slightly recessed, but good enough to appreciate the vocals on tracks, not the finer details though. Many would not even notice that mids are slightly recessed. Most people used to a V signature may even find the mids forward. Acoustic tracks like Ed Sheeran's One sound great on the Smalls. ALMA's voice on 'Bonfire' song by Felix Jaehn sounds good.
The Lows of the Smalls are better controlled than the Biggie. That is not to be taken as a compliment in itself. The bass was slightly bloated out of the box, but after sufficient burn-in i could probably feel some perceptible difference, but not much. Maybe its just my brain playing tricks. The Sub-bass can be heard, but not felt. Royals (Pure Heroine) is a great track for bass; Smalls are average on this track.. The Mid-bass is quite well controlled, but you can hear some mid-bass bleed into vocals on certain tracks like Apologise (Dreaming out Loud).
Instrument separation is lacking, soundstage is congested, especially on tracks with multiple instruments playing simultaneously. Muse's songs - Panic Station and Uprising are not enjoyable on the Smalls.
Soundstage width is decent, but the depth is a bit lacking, so instrument positioning may not be that great. Tundra by Amber Rubarth (thanks to Paul Brooko for referring to this track in his reviews) is a great track for judging sound-stage. The Smalls perform quite decently and you can easily appreciate the width it offers. Mangta hai kya (Rangeela) sounds magical on the Smalls. So does Changes by Faul & Wad Ad.
So how does it perform on complex tracks?
I normally use Fusion music to see how an earphone handles complex tracks. Nothing can be more complex than Indian and Western sounds mixed together. "Dil Mein Tu" by Colonial Cousins (Aatma) is a great Fusion track - Veena, hi-hats, bass guitar and the constant drum beat with carnatic and western vocals, and the Smalls handles it easily. The music surrounds you; the Smalls exhibit great channel separation and imaging, and it feels like listening to a live studio performance. The warm sound signature with rolled off treble makes it easy listening. But this is just Level 1.
Then I decided to up the game and subjected the Smalls to Radiohead's National Anthem (Kid A). The Smalls started off well on this track, but around the 3 minute mark when the cacophony is at the max with so many different sounds from multiple instruments come together, it is just too difficult for the Smalls to handle and it blurts out a mish-mash of sounds. 'Shofukan' by Snarky Puppy on Smalls is like listening to a tin can filled with cereal falling on the floor.
The Monk Smalls are clearly for casual usage and not audiophile or reference material. They are not even a material for the slightly serious, non-audiophile bunch. They can handle most songs from an average daily playlist well. But for those who are used to energetic highs with good instrument separation, the Smalls will leave them wanting a lot more.
The Smalls on Espresso cable:
The Espresso is a copper cable offered by Venture Electronics. Since I have already covered the musicality of the Smalls with the SPC cable, in depth, I will primarily concentrate on the differences in sound signature.
The Smalls with Espresso have a slightly warmer signature. The treble is definitely not as bright as in the case with SPC, which in itself is not a good reference. The claps and cheers are less artificial than with the SPC. The treble on 'Cake by the Ocean' is easily tolerable.
The mid-bass and lower mids are slightly more pronounced. While those who prefer a bit more of bass would like that, it also brings a slightly more noticeable mid-bass bleed. Ed Sheeran's voice is noticeably warmer on One (X - Wembley edition).
I don't notice any impact on soundstage between the SPC and Espresso cables.
The Smalls with Espresso may suit everyday listening habits and you can go a bit longer on these without ear fatigue, if you are a warm-hearing person.
I personally prefer them with SPC of the two cables.
Other significant points
- The Smalls are rated 24 ohm and are easy to drive. They are quite loud and can be driven easily though mobile phones without the need for any amp.
- The SPC cable has memory wire which I found irritating in the beginning, but quite used to it now.
- The SPC cable is slightly prone to micro-phonics, so I would recommend a collar clip.
- The Espresso has no micro-phonics whatsoever and easily the most comfortable cable.
- The SPC and the cable with mic come with chin slider.
The Monk IEs are a good budget earbud offering, especially in the combo form. But would I purchase the Smalls separately, not as a part of the combo package? Maybe not if it is priced at a planned $40, individually, as mentioned in the FB page. There are a lot of significantly better options at this price range, that are technically better both in construction and tuning.
Here's a parting shot of the VE case that came along with the Monk IEs.