Venture Electronics (VE) Monk+/Monk Plus

Sound Signature: Midcentric with accented highs. Can pass as neutral.

Sound Quality: 3/5
Total Score: 3.5/5

Disclaimer: I bought VE Monk Plus from a Venture Electronics store in Shopee PH. This will be as honest a review as it can get. All you can read here will be my own opinion, subject to different factors such as gear used, music, and what my own ears perceive. I also only write reviews after thoroughly listening to it for a week or more rather than just a day; both casually and critically with reference tracks I'm personally familiar with listed below. Please be respectful towards the comments section. For these, I used standard foams and none. With all that on the side, let's talk VE Monk Plus.

Additional disclaimer: These VE Monk Plus (Smoke Grey) was modded by CLMY Audio and intentionally done to future-proof them and avoid cable problems. Regardless, I have already listened to this pair with the original TPE cables, there's no audible difference to my ears; and if there is, it is so miniscule that I can only attribute them to "confirmation bias". This review is mine and mine alone. It is given freely, without outside influence or compensation. It is the reader's sole right to either believe or dismiss it. It is also very possible for opinions to change over a certain period of time.

Price: $5/₱250

Store Links:

Shopee PH: https://shopee.ph/product/477211504/9173541238?smtt=0.84075519-1634683889.9
VE Website: https://www.veclan.com/engappliance_sel_one?eng_ApplianceVo.eac_id=4
Aliexpress: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32417311324.html
CLMY MMCX Mod Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/CLMYaudio

Specifications:

Impedance: 64Ω
Earphone sensitivity: 116dB/mW
Frequency range: 20-20000Hz
Interface: 3.5mm
Cable Length: 1.2m
Cable: Rubber cord
MMCX: Gold-plated by CLMY Audio
Plugs: Straight Plug SE termination

Gear used:
(Hiby Music) Mi 9T Pro (naked)/Mi 9T Pro > Tempotec Sonata HD Pro w/ 2 Vrms active. (Foobar2000) Desktop (naked) > Avani/ Desktop > Shanling Q1 DAC mode. LG V30 (naked). Shanling Q1 (naked)

Reference Music:
Isle Unto Thyself - Hawaii: Part II (FLAC 16 bit)
Dream Eyes - Mine, Kosuke Quintet (DSD 128)
Work 1 - Mine, Kosuke Quintet (DSD 128)
Giorgo by Moroder - Daft Punk (DSD256)
Making of a Cyborg - Kenji Kawai (FLAC 24bit)
Evolution Orange - Earth, Wind & Fire (FLAC 24bit)
Charlie Wasn't Afraid - Day Din (FLAC 16bit)
Uchiage Hanabi - DAOKO x Kenshi Yonezu (FLAC 24bit)
Upstairs - Psapp (FLAC 16bit)
Grand Escape - RADWIMPS ft. Toko Miura (FLAC 24bit)
Welcome to the World of the Plastic Beach - Gorillaz (FLAC 16bit)
Hotel California - The Eagles (WAV 32bit)
Black Rainbows - Hawaii: Part II (FLAC 16bit)
Metropolis Part 1 - Dream Theatre (FLAC 16bit)



Introduction:

Before I dived into the so-called earbuds rabbit hole, I've done my fair amount of research with "best budget earbuds" and the VE Monk Plus has been a staple to some, if not most of earbud collectors. As time goes on, my curiousity got the best of me and purchased them after my first #lokal earbuds purchase. I got a couple of days to listen to them and my "out of the box" experience made me like them a lot. A few days after I got them, my girlfriend needed a pair of buds to listen to while commuting and so my Monks were sacrificed for that purpose. A month has passed, and I decided to get them again along with the famous budget dongle: Avani. I asked a local modder, CLMY Audio to future-proof them with MMCX and when they arrived, I got to listen to these legendary earbuds once again. They're still the same but my impressions were slightly different from way back. No, they still sound the same, and yes I did an A B test for a day, so what happened? Let's discuss these legendary $5 earbuds for a bit before we get to the conclusions.

Click to expand...

Build:
Transparent plastic mx500 shells. They are painted in opaque gray which is "smoke grey" as Venture Electronics calls it. Build is quite nice, especially considering the price point. On grip, they are smooth and a fingerprint magnet, but they're easily wiped. VE Logo along with "Monk" branding can be seen at the stem. Each termination has L & R markings painted in white; they're quite hard to discern on low light. Frankly I like the shell build, it's got looks considering the retail price of $5.

Cables are protected by rubber, easy to handle but still retains kinks. They can be laid down on a flat surface if you do the "over and under" wrap though might fight back from time to time. I asked CLMY Audio to mod my VE Monk Plus with gold-plated MMCX for future proofing (plus it looks way better).

Comfort:
Some mx500 shells trigger my dermatitis or hurt my conch after hours of listening, and these are one of them. Despite being lightweight, when dressed with standard foams, they irritate my upper conch; making it uncomfortable after extended use. Still your mileage may vary.

Isolation:
These are earbuds, don't expect too much.



Lows:
Monk Plus's weakest frequency. To my ears, they are thin rather than lean. I tried it with multiple sources, even with the coveted VE "synergy-champion" Avani, and still, it did not do justice for lack of texture the Plus exhibits. Quantity is decent, with average to mediocre punch. As most earbuds, sub bass is rolled-off which makes rumble almost null. Listening to Charlie Wasn't Afraid by Day Din, I wanted more as synths barely achieve depth. Decay is quick, I can only describe them as "starting without the intention of finishing". Making of Cyborg by Kenji Kawai feels incomplete, as mid bass rolls-off right after the first thump. Though switching to Gorillaz's Superfast Jellyfish makes lows a little bit more appealing, due to the track's tight bass display. Regardless, Dubstep and Electro genres might sound less than appealing with Monk Plus's Smoke Grey variation.

Midrange:
Smooth and clean. Venture Electronics captures a pleasing midrange timbre but fails to reach a cohesive lower treble transition. Uchiage Hanabi by DAOKO x Kenshi Yonezu, Kenshi's voice sounds average, with decent thickness albeit lacking but DAOKO's voice sounds cold and somewhat hollow. Listening to Isle Unto Thyself by Hawaii: Part II backed this up, as the woman's timbre during her opening symphony sound oddly nasal. Such characteristics can only be explained by an uneven upper midrange (1k-4khz) and an ascent to presence region (4k-6khz). If you keep on reading reviews proclaiming that Monk Plus has "great" vocals, sure they can compete, but just because they present intimacy and is positioned forward doesn't mean it's "excellent".

Treble:
The greatest strenght of VE Monk Plus and is one of the reasons why it rose to fame back in 2015. It has crisp treble presentation, a good decay that makes indie rock a pleasure to listen to. Hotel California by the Eagles sounds quite pleasant, guitar bites are well portrayed with good definition. They're micro-detail capable, and they do it really well considering the price. Despite the praise, you can say that Monk Plus has a really "safe" tuning. Treble is tuned to be quite flat, to my ears; they sound dry, as percussive instruments lack initial attack. Treble transients are snappy but may sound dull. A good example should be Dream Eyes by Mine, Kosuke Quintet; VE Monk Plus showcases good saxophone & guitar bites with snappy hi-hats/clappers, but the follow-up isn't just there. Though I'll agree to those who claimed that Monk Plus is airy (decent slow-off on 10k-20khz), I desire more treble extension to compensate for that dry tonality.



Soundstage:
Quick Note: Soundstage is a highly subjective spectrum of audio. Different factors such as how the track was recorded or if it was properly mastered, plays a crucial role in identifying soundstage. Please take everything with a grain of ajinomoto seasoning.

Soundstage is above average. Using On The Run by Pink Floyd as reference as well as Upstairs by PSAPP, horizontal imaging is on point and depth is present. It needs more extension with depth to be considered spatial, but they do the job well. Vertical imaging is also present but not immersive. This is one of VE Monk Plus's strength, a good air region roll-off without costing definition or clarity.

Layering and Separation:
For $5, VE Monk Plus Smoke Grey has better separation than most chi-fi in the entry-level market. This is due to the fact that treble roll-off was controlled and clarity wasn't blunted. You can clearly identify which is which and it does quite decent on busy tracks such as Metropolis Part 1 by Dream Theatre. Still, layering suffers when multiple air and string instruments were played, but for the price? they're pretty good.

Comparisons:
Quick disclaimer: Comparisons are made with my own preference and bias, solely based on experience. My ears are my own. Whether you take this as a compliment, a constructive criticism or dismiss it entirely is up to you.

Vido Red: Winner (VE Monk Plus) The good thing despite VE Monk Plus's dry tonality is that their treble made sure that there's no congestion and there should be sufficient technicalities. Those things are what I don't like with Vidos. They have better punch on lows, a livelier presentation but that's about it. Side by side, I'd pick Vido over VE Monk Plus just because Vido sounds and feels like a beater buds. Vido's bloated lows is its downfall, masking lower midrange notes whilst Monk Plus has cleaner frequencies all throughout. I'd go for Monk Plus on this one.

Faaeal Iris Ancestor: Winner (Faeeal Iris Ancestor) Warm and soothing, the Faaeal Iris Ancestor gets the crown for this match because of three things: tonality, lows and price. The Ancestors have smoothened midrange, clean with proper weight especially on male vocals. Monk Plus's cold timbre made the Iris a clear winner in terms of mids. Iris also creates better bass presentation with punchy, tight, and full-bodied lows. The Monk Plus wins on technicalities, as the Ancestors have weaker percussive transients thought it's not without difficulties. If you'd ask me what I'd listen to more? Faaeal Iris Ancestor would be my pick between the two.

Tingo TC200 Old: Winner (Tingo TC200 Old) Same price, same strengths. VE Monk Plus proves to be a challenger for the $5 category due to its airy soundstage, good imaging & separation plus the crisp hi-hats and cymbal strikes. The TC200 aren't slouches either as they show the same pros as the Monks but arguably better. TC200 despite sibilant to some, does a far better upper midrange to lower treble transition than Monk Plus. Articulate with natural timbre, the TC200 upgrades our challenger's cold mids to a decent, analytical presentation. Our contender has better soundstage as well, it was originally one of the airiest earbuds in my collection until some #lokal earbuds surpassed them. They take home the belt for this match.



Conclusions:
These $5 legendary earbuds had become a staple to earbud collectors and audiophiles worldwide. They gained their legendary status for showcasing that price does not define sound. They were hyped for years and are still considered to be one of the greatest even to this day. Somebody told me that these are the earbuds to beat, but I have to disagree. I'd say that they are indeed the earbuds to beat back in 2015 to 2017 but right now? no they're not. As the years go on, more and more earbuds come pouring in at the budget price range. A lot of unknown brands posed a challenge and shook the entry-level market, names like Faaeal, Tingo, Qianyun, K's and so on surfaced from nowhere and garnered a name for themselves. Do I still recommend them? If you are taking your first dip into the earbuds world, VE Monk Plus is a really good first purchase that sounds good for the price and will not break your bank. However, if you have more than 40+ earbuds in your collection or had auditioned way more than your fingers and toes could count, I'd say VE Monk is nothing exceptional.

I tuned mine this way for listening to classical music and it has made them come alive. Absolutely spectacular.
The difference eq makes for gaming is sensational. I hopped into a game of Battlefield 3, applied the above eq and just listened for a moment in awe of the immersion they created. imaging could be better, especially depth (there is none really to speak of), however what can you expect given the crazy low price!
I think they may even better better than my TIN T2 (at 5 times the price) and better in some respects (soundstage and gaming immersion) than my Audio Technica A900!
edit: I also purchased '12 Pair (24 pieces) Foam Earpad Replacement Sponge Covers for Earbuds/Earplugs/Earphone (Grey) ' for them which helped their comfort!

price to performance: amazing
looks: the smoked (semi-transparent) MX500 stock shell they use is very nice, feels sturdy
cable: not the highest quality, but it will do
To note: I listened with the black foams.
sound: I advocate the use of EQ!
Since I like a linear / neutral frequency response, I found these very boxy (way too much 100-250Hz), the sub-frequencies are hidden, the highs and high mids are recessed and low and high mids have some irregularities.
So I played around with EQ looking at innerfidelity's and my own measurements, just listening to music.
You could achieve similar sound with less bands but it's what I used.
Together with the HRTF plugin I use (hear) this EQing makes them very useable, but without HRTF it might make them too bright so you'll have to experiment.
Also, the punch / transient response, once EQ'd, is very, very nice!
The thing I seemingly can't get out of these is detail in the high frequencies. If I push the highs beyond balance, they start to sound tiring. But eh, what even can you expect more out of these?