Try the double thin foams.Sub bass exists!
Double up the foams eh? Maybe I'll give that a try later.
I've spent a fair bit of time with the Monk+ today and decided to listen back-to-back with the original. Still not sure which I like more but there are a couple things I've found.
I compared with my preferred foam setups using my laptop (Asus G73J) and phone (HTC One M8); Monk+ on colored foams, Monk on Sennheiser foams. Could have used the same foams on each but I wanted them to be at their best to my ears and preferences. These findings are of course based on only a couple hours of comparing and with more time, different setups, etc., could very well change.
Positives:
- Monk+ is way easier to drive from both my laptop and HTC One M8.
- I'm finding the Monk+ to have lessened mid-bass presence with about the same sub-bass extension. Feels a bit punchier and better controlled.
- Treble is cleaner and more focused. Really beneficial with rock and metal.
- Extra treble and upper mid emphasis gives the impression of greater clarity and detail.
- Soundstage is similarly massive.
Negatives:
- Monk+ seems to have lost some of that warmth I loved about the Monk's mids. Female vocals just sound so much better to my ears out of the Monk (used Massive Attack's Mezzanine album for testing here).
- With poor qualify files the Monk+ suffers; bass sounds cheap and hollow. This is not an issue I ran into with the original. Monk+ will not be coming with me to work as a result since all I have access to is low quality audio.
If I were to sum up what I'm hearing; Monk+ has reduced mid-bass, less warmth, more detail, more emphasized upper mids/treble. Contrary to the majority, I actually find the Monk notably bassier (particularly in the mid-bass) than the Monk+ and as a result I am still preferring it with my favorite genres; Drum & Bass and Hip Hop, foam type non-withstanding. I like the Monk+ more with pretty much everything else. Rage Against the Machine sounds gawd dang epic! Give 'Ashes in Fall' and 'Pistol Grip Pump' a whirl. I'm very glad I'm lucky enough to own both. Big thanks to Lee for a very worthy follow up to the original Monk.
PS: The 8-bit print of 'Monk' on the stem is awesome!
PSS: I prefer the look of the Monk+, but the plastic used on the Monk. Not sure if there is any difference in the quality of plastic used, but the Monk just feels a little more solid in-hand. Could be my mind playing tricks due to the clear vs. solid coloring, but alas, that's how it comes across. *shrug*