[swbf2cheater]

Note:  Super High Res Photos can be viewed at 4000x3000 on my DeviantArt profile page seen here: http://michaeljulius.deviantart.com/
 

 
 
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[size=9pt] Premium Hi-Fi DJ Style Over-the-Ear Pro Headphone[/size]

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[size=9pt] [size=9pt] Specifications              $20.87 [size=9pt] Model Number[/size] [size=9pt] MEP-839[/size] [size=9pt] Driver Unit[/size] [size=9pt] 50 mm[/size] [size=9pt] Impedance[/size] [size=9pt] 40 ohms[/size] [size=9pt] Sensitivity[/size] [size=9pt] 100 +/- 3 dB / 1mW (S.P. L at 1 k Hz)[/size] [size=9pt] Frequency Response[/size] [size=9pt] 20 Hz to 20 kHz[/size] [size=9pt] Wire Length[/size] [size=9pt] 3500 mm (11.4')  [/size] [size=9pt] [/size] [size=9pt] [/size] [size=9pt] [/size] [size=9pt] [/size] [size=9pt] [/size] [size=9pt] [/size] [size=9pt] [/size] [/size] [/size]

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I'm going to try to keep this as short as possible.  This Monoprice DJ is a best buy.  For $20US, I am not sure anything else on earth exists that is as good.  Its a rebrand of the Kicker HP 541.  Correct me if I am wrong.  The headphone feels fairly solid, I've felt far worse build quality in far more expensive headphones.  The earpads are the cheapest pleather imaginable and reminiscent of shower curtains: Very thick and cheap feeling, they get super hot very fast.  The cable is detachable with a standard 3.5mm socket.  This headphone comes with two cables, one long and one shorter.  Both are just terrible in quality and are actually audibly inferior to Monoprice interconnects which happen to sound really nice, makes no sense to me at all.  Anywho, I've a few Monoprice cables and a spare Sennheiser HD 485 cable I can swap the stock cables with, the sound improved.  Crossfeed is almost required for this set.  The difference from normal input to crossfeed is significant, it sounds much nicer to my ears with Crossfeed enabled.
 

 
 
This is not a sucky headphone, its a very good sounding headphone and one that is on par with sets 3-4x its price.  The Bass is not boomy, its not nearly Audiophile grade, but is warmer than dry, very potent and can reach deeper than I thought it would.  Rap, R&B and any Bass heavy tracks sound really good, I do not get the sense of poor quality bass in the slightest.  The mids and overall vocal experience are stellar for this price and on par with the likes of the Sony ZX700, taller and more broad than you will expect.  For $20, the quality is exceptional.  You will be shocked by them upon first listen and if you had no clue this headphone only cost $20US, you'd likely think it was much more expensive.  The highs are sibilant and pokey.  Too harsh for my tastes but fixable with EQ.   Sound stage is again, really nice for this price range.  Its not strong in imaging or width, but overall height and immersion is pretty good and for this price I have absolutely no complaints.  Ask Tyll how bad they measure, I am sure they are abysmal.  Despite that, they sound really great and I would take this set over any of the Monster Beats Headphones anyday.  They are much nicer to my ears than the Beats Solo.  This will make an exceptionally awesome stocking stuffer for Christmas or maybe a cheap birthday present.  I am not happy about Monoprice sending me a scratched and dusty unit.  I'm actually pretty pissed, because they didn't process my next day shipping needs until the end of the week, it shipped out Friday, didn't get to me until Tuesday, and I had purchased it Wednesday of the prior week.  Shipping cost more than the headphone, I got it late, Monoprice said stick it we don't have to refund you for their slow processing.  I was pretty sure the buy it button said NEW...not  Heavily Scratched and covered in Dust.   The bass is much better out of the Apex Butte than it is via the Fiio E10 or my Hisound Studio V.  Surprising neither had sufficient bass quality to match the 8323.
 
Overall yes, its great.  Go get one.  Here are some nice pictures.  Enjoy.  
 
 
 
 
 

 

[TMRaven]

They measure decently well!
 
http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/Monoprice8323.pdf

 

[Armaegis]

Since I know you love modding, try this:
 
- spray rubber in the cups or just apply nail varnish along the cup rim and baffle to get a better seal
- dynamat or similar on the driver
- acoustic foam on the bottom of the cup - mine is a heavy rubber bottom with foam layer on top
- piece of velour/felt/cotton on top of the foam
- micropore tape over the bass vents in the cup (already has a thin felt over them)
 
This is more or less my general modding procedure for most cans. It improves the bass extension, the treble extension too but also tames out the treble peak

 

[swbf2cheater]

If I can get my hands on the right type of saw, I would like to seriously butcher these headphones and cut off the entire back end of the cups, replacing it with wood.  This set has serious potential to sound better than it does, the housing itself is causing problems with quality across the board, I am super curious to know how far I can push it.

 

[eskimoo]

this cans interest me, none on market yet
can you give me impression comparison to cheap & popular sennheiser hd202? especially in SQ department. thx in advance

 

[danphan]

Great review! I love Monoprice (especially because they are in my city and allow for same day local pickup).
 
For $20, I'll definitely pick these up as a backup or travel pair.

 

[Royal Amethyst]

I was just going to post a review of my own on these. I saw them on Monoprice's mainpage and instinctively clicked it. Read the reviews there and other places on the Internet and found them to be overwhelmingly positive. For $30 after shipping, I figured why the hell not? And I'm not disappointed. I'm using the cable it came with, and it seems alright by my ears, though I don't have many other cables to compare it to. I've only got 18 hours of burn-in on it so far but damn are they nice. They're not as nice as my Sennheiser HD 598's (I would feel utterly ripped off if they did), but they're a few shades better than my old Sennheiser HD 202's without a doubt. They're bassy without being too punchy. They sound warm, maybe a bit too warm for my taste, but it can be a really good sound for the right music. I'd say if you just want to rock out to something loud and hard, these headphones are phenomenal.
 
On a scale of "1 to 10" where "1" are my old Sennheiser HD 202's and "10" are my newer Sennheiser HD 598's, I'd say these are probably closer to the HD 598's than the HD 202's. Perhaps a 6.
On a REGULAR scale of "1 to 10", taking price into consideration, maybe 8/10 for what they are. I'd recommend picking them up just to have a good pair of backups.

 

[eskimoo]

Quote:

I was just going to post a review of my own on these. I saw them on Monoprice's mainpage and instinctively clicked it. Read the reviews there and other places on the Internet and found them to be overwhelmingly positive. For $30 after shipping, I figured why the hell not? And I'm not disappointed. I'm using the cable it came with, and it seems alright by my ears, though I don't have many other cables to compare it to. I've only got 18 hours of burn-in on it so far but damn are they nice. They're not as nice as my Sennheiser HD 598's (I would feel utterly ripped off if they did), but they're a few shades better than my old Sennheiser HD 202's without a doubt. They're bassy without being too punchy. They sound warm, maybe a bit too warm for my taste, but it can be a really good sound for the right music. I'd say if you just want to rock out to something loud and hard, these headphones are phenomenal.
 
On a scale of "1 to 10" where "1" are my old Sennheiser HD 202's and "10" are my newer Sennheiser HD 598's, I'd say these are probably closer to the HD 598's than the HD 202's. Perhaps a 6.
On a REGULAR scale of "1 to 10", taking price into consideration, maybe 8/10 for what they are. I'd recommend picking them up just to have a good pair of backups.

 
 
Is monoprice can be concluded as all-arounder as HD202? Very interesting to me

 

[Royal Amethyst]

They don't compare. My HD 202's sound flat, compressed, and all around-uninspiring compared to the Monoprice 8323 DJ headphones.

 

[eskimoo]

Quote:

They don't compare. My HD 202's sound flat, compressed, and all around-uninspiring compared to the Monoprice 8323 DJ headphones.

 
seems like magic to me  , many people appraise hd202. 
what about monoprice sound signature?

 

[Royal Amethyst]

Don't get me wrong, my HD 202's did me well for many years, but now that I'm getting used to my HD 598's, they obviously can't compare. I expected the Monoprice 8323 DJ headphones to be closer to HD 202 sound, but I was simply surprised to find they were actually tipped slightly toward HD 598 sound, with a more bass and colored a bit too warm to be truly studio neutral but they are what they are for that price.

 

[eskimoo]

Quote:

Don't get me wrong, my HD 202's did me well for many years, but now that I'm getting used to my HD 598's, they obviously can't compare. I expected the Monoprice 8323 DJ headphones to be closer to HD 202 sound, but I was simply surprised to find they were actually tipped slightly toward HD 598 sound, with a more bass and colored a bit too warm to be truly studio neutral but they are what they are for that price.

 
seems very interesting to get one. Warm is good 

 

[tslane1]

I have ordered some.
Will post a review when they get here.
btw, what is Crossfeed?

 

[eskimoo]

I have ordered some.
Will post a review when they get here.

 
will keep my eyes on your review.

 

[tslane1]

I ordered these around 1 am on 6/12, they were delivered the NEXT DAY.
I DO live in CA. where the factory is.
I don't have the complaints about build quality or the condition that O.P. has.
Now, I am nowhere an expert on headphones.
I currently own, Sennheiser 203s & 419, Beats by Dre Solo, Sony MDR-PQ2, & some JVC HA RX300.
(that's just my over the ear stuff)
The Monoprice cans doesn't look out of place next to any of them.
The shorter cable DOES look & feel flimsy.
(but so does the cable on the Sennheiser 419s, & they haven't failed me, YET)
Luckily, they ARE replaceable & I do have extra cables around that lenght laying around.
because of the slight oblong shape they were a perfect fit for my ears.
The 419s were a close 2nd.
Haven't worn them long enough to report on long term comfort.
 
1st I plugged them into my cell phone HTC/TMobile G2 using the Real Player & the AnEQ apps.
With the (phone) volume on full, they were the loudest.
The Sonys were right there with them, but, can't come close in the bass response.
The bass seems a little over done, but, the highs balances them out.
Plugging them into my mp3 player & CMOY amp was a revelation.
The music seemed like I was hearing it for the 1st time.
Now the 203s and the Sonys have a more balanced sound, but the Sony lack bass, & the Sennheiser 203s are not as efficient.
And, for only $30.00??.
No way, do you lose if you purchase these.