[2021 Update] Venture Electronics (VE) Monk V2, Monk Plus & Monk Go: a $5 earbud that taking the world by storm!!!

[Codrin Dinu]

  [Moderator Comment]
 
Everyone is entitled to an opinion gentlemen.  And just because it differs to ones own does not mean the person is trolling.

 
Thank you very much for pointing this out. It's hard express a different opinion than the vast majority without being hunted for various "reasons". I have tried to be respectful and have a more than decent choice of words. Not everyone seems to appreciate that, but i guess that's the charm of having such a wide community. 
 
To summarize the experience on a more "constructive manner", the things i don't like about them are: 
 
- hard to find a perfect fit (even on average ear canal size). I think the diameter of the cups is just a tad too big to fit nicely. I use the full foam covers
- I find the sound clean and neutral to slightly warm, which is nice, but the bass sounds just a bit artificial, instrument separation, sound stage - not that great. The details are good but the sound is compact. To me there is no feeling of space. 
- the cable is shorter than i thought. Tried to take them out shopping. Usually i would hide the cable under the jacket and then into the phone in a side pocket. There is not enough cable for that. Also, it's very easy to get out pf position just by walking. 
 
 

Just for the record I've got no problem whatsoever with people having different opinions (after all want a terrible world it'd be if everyone had the same impressions of everything).

There are, however, different ways to express that opinion and imo the way it's done here is little constructive and very offensive.

 
Like i said before, my intention was not to offend anyone, Peter. I am deeply disappointed by product, and that's that. It seems unfair that someone else would read all of this thread and think: wow, can i get a pair of earbuds that sound like a 100-200$ headphones, end everyone agrees. Well, i don't agree. This is an over-hyped product that creates very high expectations and I don't want people to have the same disappointment as I did.
 

  Thank you so much for your post, now I gotta to show off my customer service.
 
And this apply to all head-fi users, it is a 5usd earbud or 8usd shipped
 
if u and anybody like think it is 8usd wasted, contact me on AE, and show me a proof of them completely smashed 
 
and I will give u a full refund.
 
And do not think for a sec that I will sell u anything ever again, can't have u waste ur hard-earned USD ~
 
Take ur business somewhere else plz
 
Cheers 
 
Lee

 
Dear Lee, 
 
I have read lots of your posts, and I have the utmost respect for you and VE. Take an advise from an ex-customer care specialist: you cannot please everyone. I do not take any pleasure in pointing out the negatives of the Monks. I just want a realistic image of pros and cons. And this thread is full with praises, but not a lot of people have complaints. Well, i have.  All i want to say is the Monk is not a wonder product. It has flaws as well as positives. 
 
To answer your kind offer of refund: I will keep them in my collection for rare listening and as spare. I will say it again: it's not about the 8$. It's about over-glorifying a product with obvious flaws. 
 
In conclusion, I truly wish everyone enjoys their Monks, Monks+, and whatever you are listening to, cheap or high-end. 

 

[leobigfield]

  dx80 + vemonk sounds wonderful

What about Shanling M2 + Monks?

 

[audio123]

  What about Shanling M2 + Monks?

pretty damn good too !

 

[golov17]

Spoiler

Thank you very much for pointing this out. It's hard express a different opinion than the vast majority without being hunted for various "reasons". I have tried to be respectful and have a more than decent choice of words. Not everyone seems to appreciate that, but i guess that's the charm of having such a wide community. 

To summarize the experience on a more "constructive manner", the things i don't like about them are: 

- hard to find a perfect fit (even on average ear canal size). I think the diameter of the cups is just a tad too big to fit nicely. I use the full foam covers
- I find the sound clean and neutral to slightly warm, which is nice, but the bass sounds just a bit artificial, instrument separation, sound stage - not that great. The details are good but the sound is compact. To me there is no feeling of space. 
- the cable is shorter than i thought. Tried to take them out shopping. Usually i would hide the cable under the jacket and then into the phone in a side pocket. There is not enough cable for that. Also, it's very easy to get out pf position just by walking. 



Like i said before, my intention was not to offend anyone, Peter. I am deeply disappointed by product, and that's that. It seems unfair that someone else would read all of this thread and think: wow, can i get a pair of earbuds that sound like a 100-200$ headphones, end everyone agrees. Well, i don't agree. This is an over-hyped product that creates very high expectations and I don't want people to have the same disappointment as I did.


Dear Lee, 

I have read lots of your posts, and I have the utmost respect for you and VE. Take an advise from an ex-customer care specialist: you cannot please everyone. I do not take any pleasure in pointing out the negatives of the Monks. I just want a realistic image of pros and cons. And this thread is full with praises, but not a lot of people have complaints. Well, i have.  All i want to say is the Monk is not a wonder product. It has flaws as well as positives. 

To answer your kind offer of refund: I will keep them in my collection for rare listening and as spare. I will say it again: it's not about the 8$. It's about over-glorifying a product with obvious flaws. 

In conclusion, I truly wish everyone enjoys their Monks, Monks+, and whatever you are listening to, cheap or high-end. 

Uhh.. you stubborn .. Once again, call for all abot the manufacturer of any model of "earbuds" that are better for you in the category of up to $ 30, and we will evaluate, buy, compare, and be grateful for the help. And yet it's all words, words ..

 

[audio123]

i used to hate earbuds and prefer iems.
 
over the time, i started to appreciate earbuds and bought my first earbud from VE which is the VE Monk and fully understand why there is a craze over it although fitting isn't the best for me as compared to iems. soon after that, got my hands on the Monk+.
 
if i am going to buy earbuds again, they are going to be from VE.
 
thank you @zhibli06 for the monks!
 
p.s to iem users, do not hesitate to buy the monks. understand that it is out of your comfort zone but these earbuds are worth a try.
 

 

[audio123]

[/spoiler] Uhh.. you stubborn .. Once again, call for all abot the manufacturer of any model of "earbuds" that are better for you in the category of up to $ 30, and we will evaluate, buy, compare, and be grateful for the help. And yet it's all words, words ..

well if he has a better iem or source i can understand haha but unfortunately no.

 

 

[nmatheis]

Codrin Dinu: Agree that you should express yourself. Also find some of the opinions here overhyped. BUT, as you pointed out we should all be free to express ourselves and provide our opinions. Perhaps they really do like Monk / Monk Plus as much as more expensive full size cans in their collection. Who are we to judge.

Agree with golov17 that it would be helpful if you provided context with some earbuds (not IEM) you've tried and enjoyed more. Earbuds aren't for everyone. They fit my smaller than average ears just great and sound changes dramatically with fit and whether or not you use foams (and which foams you use). Maybe you're just one of those people who can't use buds due to anatomy or preference issues.

Finally, for context... I brought Monk Plus to work and handed off to a buddy that I frequently share new IEM with. He is a music lover, longtime trumpet player, and his dad has a high-end hifi setup. In short, the guy knows good sound. I gave him Monk Plus. After letting him listen to a few songs, I asked how much he thought they'd cost. He said $80-100 based on sound quality. The look on his face when I told him less than $10 shipped was priceless

 

[leobigfield]

   
Thank you very much for pointing this out. It's hard express a different opinion than the vast majority without being hunted for various "reasons". I have tried to be respectful and have a more than decent choice of words. Not everyone seems to appreciate that, but i guess that's the charm of having such a wide community. 
 
To summarize the experience on a more "constructive manner", the things i don't like about them are: 
 
- hard to find a perfect fit (even on average ear canal size). I think the diameter of the cups is just a tad too big to fit nicely. I use the full foam covers
- I find the sound clean and neutral to slightly warm, which is nice, but the bass sounds just a bit artificial, instrument separation, sound stage - not that great. The details are good but the sound is compact. To me there is no feeling of space. 
- the cable is shorter than i thought. Tried to take them out shopping. Usually i would hide the cable under the jacket and then into the phone in a side pocket. There is not enough cable for that. Also, it's very easy to get out pf position just by walking. 
 
 
 
Like i said before, my intention was not to offend anyone, Peter. I am deeply disappointed by product, and that's that. It seems unfair that someone else would read all of this thread and think: wow, can i get a pair of earbuds that sound like a 100-200$ headphones, end everyone agrees. Well, i don't agree. This is an over-hyped product that creates very high expectations and I don't want people to have the same disappointment as I did.
 
 
Dear Lee, 
 
I have read lots of your posts, and I have the utmost respect for you and VE. Take an advise from an ex-customer care specialist: you cannot please everyone. I do not take any pleasure in pointing out the negatives of the Monks. I just want a realistic image of pros and cons. And this thread is full with praises, but not a lot of people have complaints. Well, i have.  All i want to say is the Monk is not a wonder product. It has flaws as well as positives. 
 
To answer your kind offer of refund: I will keep them in my collection for rare listening and as spare. I will say it again: it's not about the 8$. It's about over-glorifying a product with obvious flaws. 

 
Don't take me bad also, but you would have avoided a lot of the problems if your post was like this from the beginning...
 
Now trying to help, that's how they sounded to me before i get decent fitting. I have medium size ears with shallow concha cavum and earbuds don't fit my ears in the standard manner at all. Knowing that i can't wear earbuds properly, before i purchase the monks i asked if Lee could sell me the Earhoox-like thing he had been preparing for the Zen and asked him to include in my package and he was kind enough to send me a pair. First i tried the monks with all the foams combinations and could not ever get a proper fitting. So i tried the earhook and thought much better, i couldn't get a good bass. So this is how i use them:
 
Earhook + double doughnut hiegi foams:
 

 
Works wonders for me! With this configuration congested is last thing i would call them. Instrument separation and soundstage are really something very good for the price with them! Another thing that really impress me with the monks is it's speed. These are one of the fastest (if not the fastest) dynamic driver i've ever heard, no matter how fast the music is, they seem to never ever loose a beat and even take a sweat. Double bass lines, guitar solos and riffs, drums, nothing seems sluggish nor to stay behind. They do have a small eco-ish sound/reverb sometimes but to me it makes some of the magic and fun since it makes the sound fuller and more like a live presentation, adding to the stage depth feeling. This is by no means a reference, but till now it's the most entertaining go-to earbud-iem to my ears, even more than my $40 Tomahawks and any of my 3 KZ. And yes, they do give my Denon D2000 a run for it's money. But why? By no means they are better in any aspect but there is some  magic (fun -- preference -- easy_of_use -- some_of_my_music_seems_to_have_been_recorded_to_the_monks) involved that sometimes makes me reach out to them over my full-size cans even in my computer desk. And please again, they are by no means better than my cans, it's just preference sometimes and if you read between the lines, i guess that's what most people says when they say that they prefere the monks. At least that's how i see things.
 
Hope it helps! 

 

[myemaildw]

I compared ve monk to deltas which are 90 euro new. and ve monk has more detail than delta. delta have 3d sound and nice layering. monk are plain sounding like a picture rather than 3d, but i wouldnt not say chich is better, i cant compare iems to earbuds or headphones. these are differrent.

there were plenty people who didnt think the hype was equal to the sound quality as me but complaining about it on thread especially the earphone thread will get you banned, also it stagnates the thread before it picks up pace if it does.

now for the buds remove the foam from dinamyc and superglue the cable to rim of bud and put sellotape over the circuitboard and listen the sound transform into flair audio r2a iem levels for 200 euro

 

[waynes world]

now for the buds remove the foam from dinamyc and superglue the cable to rim of bud and put sellotape over the circuitboard and listen the sound transform into flair audio r2a iem levels for 200 euro

 
Where is that video tutorial? 

 

[golov17]

Where is that video tutorial? 

pics

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=240870582970088&id=105610586496089&ref=bookmarks

 

[waynes world]

pics

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=240870582970088&id=105610586496089&ref=bookmarks

Thanks golov17! Have you tried it? nick n I'm counting on you to give it a whirl!

 

[golov17]

Thanks golov17! Have you tried it? nick n I'm counting on you to give it a whirl!

it, I have not tried, a lot of work, not enough time ..

 

[jincuteguy]

So when can we expect Custom Fit earbud? 

 

[golov17]

So when can we expect Custom Fit earbud? 

not from me