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High-End Earbuds (VE, Blox, SHOZY etc) and Earbud Gear Discussion & Impressions Thread
Mar 11, 2016 at 4:46 AM Post #916 of 1,031
So I finally got my hands on a pair of VE Monks after waiting for them for a month from China. I know I'm many months late to the party haha. I have been around the earbud scene for a long time and seen a lot of hype and expectations ruined but here I can honestly say I am very impressed. I don't think there's any question at all these sound better than all the other previous hyped up budget earbuds I've heard such as the old Tingo, Mrice/Baldoor, and the little obscure ones here and there. The Monk is definitely better than all of them easily. I think it is even better than the Blox BE3 even if the BE3 has a little bit more detail in the mids and highs. The Monks sound signature is just close enough to the full experience that it's fine if the top end is a bit rolled off. The monks are definitely crazy at $5. Does anyone know the OEM maker of the drivers and the diaphragm material? Is it Foster? 
 
Mar 11, 2016 at 5:04 AM Post #918 of 1,031
golov17 said:
Not OEM
http://www.head-fi.org/t/783669/venture-electronics-ve-monk-a-5-earbud-that-seriously-deserves-a-place-here
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Yes I saw they have their own thread. I didn't get a chance to read every single reply from hundreds of pages, but I know VE sells them and Lee seems like a great guy. I was just wondering who makes the original diaphragms unless you mean Lee himself makes the voice coils and magnets by himself which seems very unlikely. I know Blox made them by hand themselves and they could never make enough earbuds to meet demand. The VE Monks seem mass produced which I would expect if it is selling for $5 (one of the best deals ever). 
 
Apr 28, 2016 at 9:06 PM Post #922 of 1,031
Hi goldenSHK,
 
thanks for your list and the treble/mids/bass-ratings! :)
 
Question: You rate the bass of the Monk 1.0 as jaw dropping. Is your source and amp section increasing the low-ends so intensly? To my experience the Monk's are lacking in the lower end very much. To better understand the bass-rating in relation to the higher end earbuds, your EQ settings would be interesting! :)
 
Apr 29, 2016 at 3:41 AM Post #923 of 1,031
mc0ne said:
  Hi goldenSHK,
 
thanks for your list and the treble/mids/bass-ratings! :)
 
Question: You rate the bass of the Monk 1.0 as jaw dropping. Is your source and amp section increasing the low-ends so intensly? To my experience the Monk's are lacking in the lower end very much. To better understand the bass-rating in relation to the higher end earbuds, your EQ settings would be interesting! :)
Click to expand...

I actually don't use EQ because I don't want to compare any earbuds against another with different EQ settings so all my EQ is 0. 
 
Are you sure you have a proper seal on the Monks? I think a lot of people really think they have excellent bass. Also, notice their place on the list, even though they have "jaw dropping" bass it is still in the middle to lower part of the list because the resolution of the bass is still not as great as even bass lighter buds. But still, the bass is one of the best strengths of the Monks in my opinion and a lot of people agree with me. Especially for a $5 earbud, nothing comes close to the bass until at least $20-$30 I think. 
 
Apr 29, 2016 at 6:21 AM Post #924 of 1,031
goldenshk said:
Especially for a $5 earbud, nothing comes close to the bass until at least $20-$30 I think. 
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Edifier H180. Far better bass, deeper and more accurate at the same time, with a better impact too... IMHO.
Monk V1 is a mid-centric earbud for me, not a bassy one.
 
Apr 29, 2016 at 3:47 PM Post #926 of 1,031
darkzenith said:
  Edifier H180. Far better bass, deeper and more accurate at the same time, with a better impact too... IMHO.
Monk V1 is a mid-centric earbud for me, not a bassy one.
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I definitely wouldn't say the Monk V1 is a mid-centric bud, are you sure you're getting a good seal with them? In any case, I'll try to pick up an Edifier H180 for comparison then and add it to the list. 
 
Apr 29, 2016 at 4:08 PM Post #927 of 1,031
No, I dont' have a good seal with Monk. But I don't think you can get any seal with any earbud at all : an earbud doesn't seal. This is not an IEM.
 
For bassheads on a budget, Awei ES10 is also a good choice... Just saying.
wink.gif
 
 
Apr 29, 2016 at 5:03 PM Post #928 of 1,031
To me, Monk Plus is more mid-centric as Monk v1.
Monk v1 is more treble and bass forward, so these high frequencies gives more instrument details.
I would say that Monk Plus is overall more balanced, treble has the right amount for almost all kind of tracks, and the fact it has a bit more mids, make jazz songs especially very enjoying to me (reminds me Zen 2.0 a lot), but for electronic musics, I still enjoy better the old Monk version.
Seal for me is the best with donut foams (both v1 & v2, since they are same housing).
 
Cheers'
 
Apr 29, 2016 at 5:40 PM Post #929 of 1,031
darkzenith said:
  No, I dont' have a good seal with Monk. But I don't think you can get any seal with any earbud at all : an earbud doesn't seal. This is not an IEM.
 
For bassheads on a budget, Awei ES10 is also a good choice... Just saying.
wink.gif
 
Click to expand...

 
Yes, but there are definitely different degrees of sealing from very loose on the outer ridge of the ear to pressed up against the ear. There's definitely different sound signatures depending on how you have them fit. 
subwoof3r said:
  To me, Monk Plus is more mid-centric as Monk v1.
Monk v1 is more treble and bass forward, so these high frequencies gives more instrument details.
I would say that Monk Plus is overall more balanced, treble has the right amount for almost all kind of tracks, and the fact it has a bit more mids, make jazz songs especially very enjoying to me (reminds me Zen 2.0 a lot), but for electronic musics, I still enjoy better the old Monk version.
Seal for me is the best with donut foams (both v1 & v2, since they are same housing).
 
Cheers'
Click to expand...

I haven't heard the Monk+ yet, but pretty much agree spot on about the Monk. It's decently V shaped. 
 
Apr 29, 2016 at 7:41 PM Post #930 of 1,031
goldenshk said:
  I actually don't use EQ because I don't want to compare any earbuds against another with different EQ settings so all my EQ is 0. 
 
Are you sure you have a proper seal on the Monks? I think a lot of people really think they have excellent bass. Also, notice their place on the list, even though they have "jaw dropping" bass it is still in the middle to lower part of the list because the resolution of the bass is still not as great as even bass lighter buds. But still, the bass is one of the best strengths of the Monks in my opinion and a lot of people agree with me. Especially for a $5 earbud, nothing comes close to the bass until at least $20-$30 I think. 
Click to expand...

Hi golden SHK,
 
ok thanks for clarification. Have you also tried out those earbuds with conventional gear like a smartphone or tablet? I have compared the Monk with the H180 and the E100 earbud and came to the conclusion, that Monk has some bass but is far away from covering the frequency range that the bottom end offers. The H180 reaches as DarkZenith has said, much lower and also has more punch to it.

Got the hint of Awei ES10 several times, so perhaps just have to give them a try too (= Some more earbuds are on their way since two weeks to add to the budget knowledge base :p
 
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