[MorrisL]

I have lots of great over-ear headphone but really love the portability of earbuds. So I've been trying to upgrade my 7-dollar VE Monk Plus for a while and it's frustrating... The Monks are great but they're a far cry from what I could experience on even a cheap full-size headphone. I've been hoping to find something better and so far I've tried Sennheiser MX375, Yuin PK3, Yuin PK2, and several other Chinese brands (tried out of my LG v20) that are very popular these days. Even though I haven't tried the very high-end models, I am surprised that the Monks clearly sound better than all the ones I have tried and I am starting to suspect that earbuds may not really get all that much better than this after all. The PK2, for example, is over 7 times more expensive than the Monk Plus but is easily outclassed within the first second of A/B comparison.

When it comes to full-size headphones, we get clear per-dollar improvement in our sound quality all the way up say the T1 or HD 800. With earbuds, the diminishing returns seem to kick in way too early.

Any thoughts?

 

[ClieOS]

You just happened to start from VE Monk Plus which, as Wild Lee (VE's boss) stated in the past, is intentionally sold in such a low price to make a statement for the brand. It is the exception, not the rule.

 

[B9Scrambler]

Imo the sweet spot for buds is around 30 USD. HE 150Pro, Linsoul BLD, Penon BS1 Experience (discontinued unfortunately) all easily surpass the Monk+ imo, and tickle the heels of some nice 100 USD buds like the Masya and BS1 Official. Mind you, I thought the Monk+ was a downgrade from the previous version so there's also that.

 

[theresanarc]

I'm gonna try the Qian69s, they're fairly cheap and I love the Qian39s, even a bit better than the Monk+ imo. I think they're cheap enough to keep trying cos for me it's fun.

I've generally liked the ones I've gotten from here outside of a pair of Awei E10s and a FiiO pair of earphones (EM3 or something).

 

[MorrisL]

Thank you all. I will definitely try some of the buds recommended here. I'm just hoping for a real improvement of these cheap Monks - something that wouldn't distort and would have a bit lower bottom end and more natural sound. If I could get to the level of the on-ear Sennheiser PX 100 II, at any price, I would be happy!

 

[MorrisL]

You just happened to start from VE Monk Plus which, as Wild Lee (VE's boss) stated in the past, is intentionally sold in such a low price to make a statement for the brand. It is the exception, not the rule.

Oh, I know that... But the same Wild Lee is also selling $100+ earbuds and, if you believe him, those are supposed to take the sound to a whole new world... I have a feeling they offer tinniest, if any, improvement and are hardly worth what they go for. I wish people who own these expensive earbuds could chime in and say whether the sound quality they are getting is indeed better than what we all hear from these nifty little Monks.

 

[ClieOS]

Oh, I know that... But the same Wild Lee is also selling $100+ earbuds and, if you believe him, those are supposed to take the sound to a whole new world... I have a feeling they offer tinniest, if any, improvement and are hardly worth what they go for. I wish people who own these expensive earbuds could chime in and say whether the sound quality they are getting is indeed better than what we all hear from these nifty little Monks.

I don't know about how others feel, but at least for me, a well driven VE Zen 2.0 is several classes above Monk Plus, even though it doesn't in any way offer nearly as great a value-for-money factor. Then again, this is not earbuds specific and can be said to just about any headphone types when going from cheap to expensive models.

 

[40760]

VEN 2.0 properly amped is definitely leaps ahead of the regular Monk Plus...