[dharmasteve]

The Monster Dna Pro was my favourite headphone by some distance. I used it in front of my PSB M4U-1, Yamaha Pro 400, Yamaha HPH 200, Akg K551,Denon HP700, Grado Sr80's and even my beloved Philips SHP9500. Somehow Monster had fallen from the hubris of the 'Beats' headphones and produced a miracle. Beautiful sparkling treble, perfectly positioned midrange, and enough bass tailored to match every kind of music. OK build was good but not great. Comfort I found good for a couple of hours, followed by warm ears. Sound quality the best I had had by some margin. Then the foam started to come away from the earpad. Monster were true to their guarantee and three weeks after sending the headphones back to them, a delivery courier turned up with a sparkling brand new pair of Monster Dna Pro 2 phones. After hours of usage they have developed a lovely sound, but no where near the original model. Bass is much more pronounced. Midrange from perfect, to being slightly recessed in bass heavy tracks. But worst of all that detailed, perfectly placed musical treble has lost it's sparkle and shine. It was the best treble ever in the original, but in the Dna Pro 2 it is very well integrated, but missing the magic of the original. Has anybody else experienced this and what do you guys feel about the Dna Pro original. I miss the sound of my perfect Dna Pro's. Version 2 are still ahead of the chasing pack but getting caught and no way up to the originals. Why tamper with the 'perfect' headphone. Please genuine replies only based on experience. Please no Anti-Monster replies. These are not 'Beats', but serious headphones.

 

[soundslikebliss]

Hold up, you're saying the version 1 was better than the version 2? 
I'm interested in learning more, as I'm in the market for these.  The monster inspiration ANC's are still my favorite headphones, but I'm tired of using batteries, so I'm considering DNA 2.0's. 
 
Looking forward to replies to your thread, thanks! 

 

[dharmasteve]

Hi soundslikebliss.
Good to speak to a Monster owner, these are all serious headphones. Coincidentally I also have the Monster Inspiration ANC and the passive version too. I have the ordinary Monster DNA (not pro) too and of course the DNA Pro 2 which we are discussing. Of course I had the original Dna Pro too, which are the hero of this thread. I no longer have them because the ear pads split and Monster replaced those headphones with the Dna Pro 2.
Firstly I would like to say that the Inspiration Active Noise Cancelling is a fine headphone, particularly with batteries in and the unit set to on. I have had much pleasure from it. Is the Monster DNA Pro 2 better? Yes, definitely. Bass is more realistic and present. Treble is sweeter, and the whole sound has more presence. Midrange is streets ahead on the DNA Pro 2. More where it should be and less recessed than the Inspiration ANC, on or off. Obviously with Monster changing version 1 of the DNA Pro to version 2 there were changes to tuning. Body and construction seem to be identical. What can be said for the DNA 2, after burn in, it has a big sound, is involving, and organic and integrated. It is still a great sound. What I say now is from memory. There was slightly less bass on version 1, and a different treble altogether. The treble had no fatiguing attributes at all and was refined but clearly noticeable, and was the best I had heard on any headphone. Maybe I had a really lucky production line pair. So back to the present. Do I like the DNA Pro 2? Yes, it's a wonderful headphone, particularly after burn in. Big bass, great midrange, lovely tone and very integrated treble, minus the version 1 sparkle. I'm a bit of a headphone collector and I have the PSB M4U-1, Yamaha HPH-200, Yamaha Pro 400, AKG Y50 and more. All of these are excellent in their own right. The DNA Pro 2 is better than all of them. I buy all of my headphones only if I get a real good price,in a flash sale or amazing discount. I notice that in the US there are real discounts on the Monster Pros, both original and version 2. Audition first if possible. Have no fear of either, both are better than the Inspiration ANC, particularly if you get a good discount. The smaller DNA is a good headphone too and value if heavily discounted. What is my favorite headphone for sound. My newly purchased Musical Fidelity MF-200. But the headband has such a crazy vice like grip that they take real getting used to....by the brave. Some will find them so uncomfortable they will hardly be able to listen to the music. Maybe there is room for a discussion on this.

 

[soundslikebliss]

Awesome!  Thank you for the reply!!  
My favorite thing about the inpiration ANC is that the ANC switch is basically a bass-booster.  I love how you can FEEL the sub bass on them.  Do you really think the DNA Pro 2.0's are better at this then my all time fav? If so, guess I gotta buy them!

 

[1TrickPony]

Awesome!  Thank you for the reply!!  
My favorite thing about the inpiration ANC is that the ANC switch is basically a bass-booster.  I love how you can FEEL the sub bass on them.  Do you really think the DNA Pro 2.0's are better at this then my all time fav? If so, guess I gotta buy them!

Pay attention to what he said - he owns pro v2.0 and the non pro version. In not sure if he owned/owns the v1.0 pro.
I own the 1.0 pro and it's pretty decent. Maybe of you can audition 2.0?

 

[dharmasteve]

Pay attention to what he said - he owns pro v2.0 and the non pro version. In not sure if he owned/owns the v1.0 pro.
I own the 1.0 pro and it's pretty decent. Maybe of you can audition 2.0?

Hi there
Yea it's the Monster Dna Pro that I owned (version 1). Now I own the Monster Dna Pro 2, which was sent to me by monster, because the foam in the Dna Pro came away. How do you rate the original Dna Pro? As you can see I loved it.

 

[1TrickPony]

You mean you miss v1.0 more? Interesting. I remember loving it on my android using the noozy rewire e

 

[soundslikebliss]

Which of the following three would you say had the most vibrating/punchy bass?
 
Monster Inspiration
Monster DNA Pro 
Monster DNA Pro 2.0

 

[dharmasteve]

Hi
Sorry for late reply. Usually I get an email when someone writes on the thread. I obviously missed it. Apologies.
I would say Dna pro 2 has more bass. It's good bass too. With more burn in mine have seemingly got even better. Probably me getting used to them. I like Reggae, so bass is important to me. The Dna Pro 2s have good bass but if you can, take your Monster Inspiration Actives to a shop and compare side by side. I would be surprised if you did not like Dna Pro 2, but all things are so subjective check them first. I don't know why but some people are so prejudiced against Monster headphones. I have the Monster Dna, the Dna Pro 2, the Monster Inspiration Active and the Monster Inspiration Passive. I was lucky to get an amazing deal for all of them, and am not being paid to advertise them. I just find their headphones exceptional soundwise and came across them purely by accident. I would nor pay full price for any of them, but that goes for any headphone. My original Monster Inspiration Active cost me £39.00 and drew me into the Monster world.

 

[dharmasteve]

OK. So I have been comparing the sound of my Monster DNA Pro 2's with my memories of the Monster DNA Pro (original). Realizing the inaccuracy of memories, I bought the Monster Dna Pro again (original) for a bargain price. So now I have the Dna Pro 2, and the Dna Pro original, next to each other. I have to say that in the main part my memory was reasonably correct, yet slightly exaggerated. The treble of the original is cleaner, crisper, refined, and more prominent than the Dna Pro 2, but still the treble on the Dna Pro 2 is good. The bass on the Dna Pro 2 is definitely more exaggerated and pronounced than the original. Perhaps Monster felt the need to compete with the Beats once again. The Dna 2's still sound good. After burning in the bass solidifies and has a good thump. Where it needs to be it is very good, but in some songs can overpower the midrange a little. The Dna Pro originals are almost perfect to me, even though they have not been burnt in. Treble is very much a major part of the mix, but without a hint of harshness. Classical music is simply wonderful through these. Bass is cut perfect for all kinds of music, yet the midrange is correctly positioned in every song I have listened to with them. It really is a shame Monster changed the tuning of these for the Dna Pro 2's. They had them pitch perfect, originally, in every way. I don't believe the build quality is worth the full price for these headphones, you cannot replace the earpads, but the sound quality of the originals is definitely worth the price. The headphone themselves are visually identical in every way and could easily be mixed up. Then the serial number or sound would be the only way to tell them apart. If you get a bargain priced pair of the original Monster Dna Pro then you will get a musical, lovely toned, big sounding headphone. If there is an important criticism to make, both of these headphones do not have the three dimensional sound-stage of the real top headphones. Hence the Musical Fidelity M200's are probably the lowest priced headphones (discontinued now and bought for £55) that bring the really amazing effects that a really three dimensional sound-stage bring. Unfortunately the MF200's are maybe one of the most uncomfortable headphones I have worn, so take almost too much getting used to. 
So if you get a chance audition the Dna Pro original model, they are a class act and sound great. The Dna Pro 2's are good too, but mainly if you are into strong bass. The originals are better though.

 

[1TrickPony]

OK. So I have been comparing the sound of my Monster DNA Pro 2's with my memories of the Monster DNA Pro (original). Realizing the inaccuracy of memories, I bought the Monster Dna Pro again (original) for a bargain price. So now I have the Dna Pro 2, and the Dna Pro original, next to each other. I have to say that in the main part my memory was reasonably correct, yet slightly exaggerated. The treble of the original is cleaner, crisper, refined, and more prominent than the Dna Pro 2, but still the treble on the Dna Pro 2 is good. The bass on the Dna Pro 2 is definitely more exaggerated and pronounced than the original. Perhaps Monster felt the need to compete with the Beats once again. The Dna 2's still sound good. After burning in the bass solidifies and has a good thump. Where it needs to be it is very good, but in some songs can overpower the midrange a little. The Dna Pro originals are almost perfect to me, even though they have not been burnt in. Treble is very much a major part of the mix, but without a hint of harshness. Classical music is simply wonderful through these. Bass is cut perfect for all kinds of music, yet the midrange is correctly positioned in every song I have listened to with them. It really is a shame Monster changed the tuning of these for the Dna Pro 2's. They had them pitch perfect, originally, in every way. I don't believe the build quality is worth the full price for these headphones, you cannot replace the earpads, but the sound quality of the originals is definitely worth the price. The headphone themselves are visually identical in every way and could easily be mixed up. Then the serial number or sound would be the only way to tell them apart. If you get a bargain priced pair of the original Monster Dna Pro then you will get a musical, lovely toned, big sounding headphone. If there is an important criticism to make, both of these headphones do not have the three dimensional sound-stage of the real top headphones. Hence the Musical Fidelity M200's are probably the lowest priced headphones (discontinued now and bought for £55) that bring the really amazing effects that a really three dimensional sound-stage bring. Unfortunately the MF200's are maybe one of the most uncomfortable headphones I have worn, so take almost too much getting used to. 
So if you get a chance audition the Dna Pro original model, they are a class act and sound great. The Dna Pro 2's are good too, but mainly if you are into strong bass. The originals are better though.

Thanks for the fine review and comparison! I guess I got lucky when they sent me this instead. The bass never felt short whenever I listen to any good live rock record. Perhaps this will pair quite well with a warm source.