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

[DJScope]

Agreed on what you said. Monk+ to my ears has better treble presence, not harsh as the old Monk and with better extension. Instruments like piano and guitar sound more natural. Bass is a little weak however it is more controlled. Separation is better on the Monk+ and details can be heard more easily.

After spending some time with the Monk+ the old Monk sounds a bit unnatural to me. I think it is time to give away the old Monk and order some Monk+ as spares. That's not to say the old Monk is bad. No way but Monk+ is what I could have asked for the Monk to be. Congratulations Lee and KK for retuning the Monk and making it much better.

 
Ahh yes! When I did my comparison, I gave my original Monk to my friend for his birthday. My wife still has one though for comparisons. I completely mirror what you said. The treble is less metallic and more linear, which makes the mid range much more natural. The bass is indeed more controlled and more sub bass orientated, which is translates to a more refined and detail rich presentation. Where the original Monk has this old opera house effect the Monk+ has a modern concert hall feel, if that makes any sense.

 

[haiku]

When I read the last pages, it reminds me of the story about the blind man and the elephant. Some say the Monk+ is more airy, others say the highs are more laid back, for some the mids are clearer, for others the mids are not so present any longer, for some it has way more bass, others say the bass is lacking. Interesting....  

  

 

[gattari]

Also I am a bit disappointed, I want the price 0,5 dollars and sound as hd 800 grrrr

 

[To.M]

yeah, I love such a way of thinking, product X is good but not as good as product Y 100 times more expensive, so product X sucks, iron logic it is

changing the subject, some time ago we asked a question here "is there any equivalent of Monks in the world od IEMs?" well, I have fallen in love with Joyroom E107 recently, the ratio price/SQ is also great and they provide me with a lot of audiobliss they are great outdoors, comfortable and offering a good isolation.

Have you found anything?

 

[H20Fidelity]

When I read the last pages, it reminds me of the story about the blind man and the elephant. Some say the Monk+ is more airy, others say the highs are more laid back, for some the mids are clearer, for others the mids are not so present any longer, for some it has way more bass, others say the bass is lacking. Interesting....     

That's called Head-fi.

It amazes me sometimes we come to any conclusion on anything haha.

Then add people come here for research and understanding products, it makes me smile. Hence why I always say if you read a thread long enough you generally learn nothing but become more confused. Its amusing in that aspect.

However, look for repetition, if you see the same thing mentioned several times by different members, that's the way to read threads.
.

 

[DJScope]

  When I read the last pages, it reminds me of the story about the blind man and the elephant. Some say the Monk+ is more airy, others say the highs are more laid back, for some the mids are clearer, for others the mids are not so present any longer, for some it has way more bass, others say the bass is lacking. Interesting....  

  

 
It's all come down to preferences. Some people prefer a warm and brash forward mid range, whilst other prefer a more accurate and detailed forward mid range. Both are forward but sound completely different. To crowd A, a cleaner and more detailed mid range will sound thin, whilst to crowd B, a warmer mid range will sound veiled. Each to their own.

 

[ngoshawk]

yeah, I love such a way of thinking, product X is good but not as good as product Y 100 times more expensive, so product X sucks, iron logic it is

changing the subject, some time ago we asked a question here "is there any equivalent of Monks in the world od IEMs?" well, I have fallen in love with Joyroom E107 recently, the ratio price/SQ is also great and they provide me with a lot of audiobliss they are great outdoors, comfortable and offering a good isolation.

Have you found anything?

I very much enjoy the Fiio EM3 along with the Monks. Several of us have done extensive write ups on the Fiio. They are so close, that it was hard to choose. Both are wonderful.

 

[B9Scrambler]

changing the subject, some time ago we asked a question here "is there any equivalent of Monks in the world od IEMs?" well, I have fallen in love with Joyroom E107 recently, the ratio price/SQ is also great and they provide me with a lot of audiobliss they are great outdoors, comfortable and offering a good isolation.

Have you found anything?

 
For me, the KZ EDR2 offers up the same level of price vs. performance. Completely different signatures, but equally excellent. The Monk and EDR2 are my top hyper-budget audio products.

 

[haiku]

   
It's all come down to preferences. Some people prefer a warm and brash forward mid range, whilst other prefer a more accurate and detailed forward mid range. Both are forward but sound completely different. To crowd A, a cleaner and more detailed mid range will sound thin, whilst to crowd B, a warmer mid range will sound veiled. Each to their own.

Exactly, and the gear they are listening with is another important factor imo. 

 

[Lorspeaker]

Monk for vocals...Monk+ for instrumentals/orchestras  
gonna keep both in my bag

 

[Brooko]

Measurements with ARTA and Veritas.  Bear in mind this just shows relative raw data.  I still need to calibrate my coupler at some stage - as it measures lower than it should from about 4-5 kHz up.
 
No covers.  Monk1 vs Monk2
 

 
Monk2 has more bass, similar mid range, slightly less peaky in the lower treble.
 
Now how the Monk2 changes with different foams:
 

 
No covers obviously has the lowest bass, the thin covers (included with the new Monk2) - they tear easily though. Donuts have more bass - slightly less of a mid-range peak (my favourites at the moment).  Full thin foams can be really bassy if you get a good seal.  Depends on your ear anatomy.
 
And finally - combos which come closest to original Monk with foams:
 

 
Again personally I find the new thin foams a bit peaky with Monk2

 

[haiku]

That's called Head-fi.

It amazes me sometimes we come to any conclusion on anything haha.

Then add people come here for research and understanding products, it makes me smile. Hence why I always say if you read a thread long enough you generally learn nothing but become more confused. Its amusing in that aspect.

However, look for repetition, if you see the same thing mentioned several times by different members, that's the way to read threads.
.

Depends on which member you trust. For some an earbud is automatically better just because it is new.  

 

[fourrobert13]

  When I read the last pages, it reminds me of the story about the blind man and the elephant. Some say the Monk+ is more airy, others say the highs are more laid back, for some the mids are clearer, for others the mids are not so present any longer, for some it has way more bass, others say the bass is lacking. Interesting....  

  

That's why I take sound descriptions with a grain of salt.  Everyone hears things differently.  Brooko's info is what I look at, but when discussing $5 earbuds, I'd just buy and try because they're not very expensive.

 

[Ruben123]

Measurements with ARTA and Veritas.  Bear in mind this just shows relative raw data.  I still need to calibrate my coupler at some stage - as it measures lower than it should from about 4-5 kHz up.

No covers.  Monk1 vs Monk2




Monk2 has more bass, similar mid range, slightly less peaky in the lower treble.

Now how the Monk2 changes with different foams:




No covers obviously has the lowest bass, the thin covers (included with the new Monk2) - they tear easily though. Donuts have more bass - slightly less of a mid-range peak (my favourites at the moment).  Full thin foams can be really bassy if you get a good seal.  Depends on your ear anatomy.

And finally - combos which come closest to original Monk with foams:




Again personally I find the new thin foams a bit peaky with Monk2

So the new Monks don't have less bass, thanks for the charts. As I read the + are more balanced and neutral though, very interesting (new toy syndrome guys? Lol)

 

[d marc0]

  Measurements with ARTA and Veritas.  Bear in mind this just shows relative raw data.  I still need to calibrate my coupler at some stage - as it measures lower than it should from about 4-5 kHz up.
 
 
Now how the Monk2 changes with different foams:
 

 
No covers obviously has the lowest bass, the thin covers (included with the new Monk2) - they tear easily though. Donuts have more bass - slightly less of a mid-range peak (my favourites at the moment).  Full thin foams can be really bassy if you get a good seal.  Depends on your ear anatomy.
 
 

 
The measurement around the bass to low midrange mirrors exactly what I'm hearing. With the thick foam, there's an audible muddiness in-between the bass and midrange when listening to guitar driven metal tracks. The Foam rings (donuts) are highly recommended on the Monk Plus.
 
Thanks for the measurements Paul.