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Monster Turbine Pro Copper Review
Firsts Impressions: Oh mother of god they are shiny, oh Mr T you left your IEM’s behind! Sound wise, hmm getting fit trouble but I guess they sound okay but I can see a lot of tip playing about with is going to be needed. You know these remind me of the Radiopaq Pops.
Source 5G iPod Video line out through a Practical Devices XM5 with LM6171 opp amps and a 1G iPod Shuffle with a 75 ohm adapter added.
Lows: Well these having a big dynamic driver at their heart the bass is pretty abundant. Actually it’s not anywhere near as abundant as I feared it might be. It’s clean and gives a good amount of punch but seems a little more restrained at holding a smooth low note. It’s much happier smacking out a fast snappy bass line than it is the lows of a double bass. It does feel as though these are a little mid bass happy and combined with their punchy nature can either make you a very happy chappy or piss you off. For me I can’t decide but erring towards the irritated. The styles of music I prefer don’t respond well to randomly and powerfully smacking me round the head. However I have not any doubt that a great many out there will utterly adore this. If you’re all about fast paced high impact bass then these are for you. Not unlike the bass of a Triple.Fi 10. The thing is I can’t help but want it to just calm down, it a really dynamic fun bass but like the Pop’s it gets tiring and right now I just want to give it a couple valium.
Mids: Those that know me know I’m a big mids fan and as such these are not wowing me. The mids while of a high quality are just too peaky. Sometimes they feel recessed then they will sibilantly jump out and stab me in the ears. I can’t say I like how these deal with mids and nor do I think for its high price that its performing how it ought to. The mids are just too all over the place and uncontrolled. While I can see many finding this wild dramatic sound to be very fun and engaging (and it really can be) I find it exhausting on the ears. There is a high degree of quality and resolution here but not matching that of its price tag. Guitars however do work much better here than voices.
Highs: Being a dynamic I really hoped this would be where it can shine as I never feel BA stuff gets the highs quite right. This can give high highs and a reasonable amount of shimmer but like the rest of its sound there is too much dymanasism. Crash boom bang. The cymbals can blast out of nowhere with a bright hard edge to them. Are some going to love that? Oh hell yes. Do I? Erm not so much. The highs are just too splashy and grainy. Too “WAAAA LISTEN TO ME!!!!!!!” As I mentioned at the beginning these do remind me of the Radiopaq Pop’s. Crazy fit sensitive and dependant and too over dramatic. With the Pop’s it was not all that unexpected at its price but the Coppers are in a different league. They are priced to run with the big boys and they are more than a little uncouth. These, when compared to the treble on the IE8 just sound so brash and wild. While I can see why many would find this appealing the lack of any finesse and delicacy in the highs makes these rather disappointing for me.
Soundstage: When the fit wasn’t right it was tiny and narrow. Once I got the fit right they did open up much more as is common with dynamic based things. While it is reasonable it’s nothing to write home about.
Comfort: For all my moaning about the fit and the trouble that gave me, the comfort of something so heavy was actually not a bother. However before I caved and used complys the fit issues caused notable discomfort and by that I mean pain.
Fit: Well the fit for me wasn’t good. The coppers are unvented and I had a whole barrel load of trouble with the fit and air pressure issues. The faffing about pulling these out then pushing them back in an attempt to get the air pressure equalised (same issue I had with the Ortofon e-Q7) irritated my ear so much it was painful. When using complys and rolling them before inserting got around this problem but I hate complys. Complys look so dirty after just a few days use I hate it and they are so expensive to be constantly replacing them every week. So while I know many don’t have the trouble I had I know there others who have. For me it made me glad these were loaners otherwise they would go the same way the e-Q7 went. As always fit is a personal thing and just because I had problems it doesn’t mean you will.
Cable: The cable is really very nice, not perfect but pretty close. Its flexible, sturdy and both the jack and cable splitter smacks of quality (very very shiny quality.)
Microphonics: I wore these up and I never had any at all. Which is how it should be.
Amped/Unamped: While the coppers did benefit from amping what I felt helped them more was the addition of an extra 75 ohms. It helped them calm down a bit and made them not so splashy and all over the place especially in the highs. It didn’t make them anywhere near as calmed as I would have liked but the difference it make did really clean up the highs adding a level of refinement they were hitherto lacking. I only wish it had made even more of a difference.
Isolation: For a dynamic these was a huge amount of isolation, far more than I was expecting. However id happily trade it to have these vented and fit me properly. The isolation really is very good for a dynamic and is heading towards equalling the less isolating BA stuff out there. Not sure I’d be picking these for tube or plane use but I bet I could and not want to kill myself.
Build Quality: Oh no doubts its top notch, these feel chunky and solid all over. You know you have something of value in your hand here.
Accessories: As this was a loaner pair I didn’t get the full package. They did come with a nice range of tips that I’m sure many will find useful. I however did not.
Value: Erm, well I can’t say these are good value. They aren’t terrible to listen to and you get an amazing warranty on them. The trouble is on just sound quality alone they just do not deserve to cost what they do. In the UK these are £200 yet the IE8 cost no more than £180 (I’m not hunting for the best price possible) and when you put them side by side I cant say I love the sound signature of either of them but its blatantly apparent that the IE8 spank the Coppers up and down the place. If these were sat around the price of the IE7 I could argue a case for getting them but at £200 I’m sorry but I just can’t except under certain circumstances.
Conclusion: It’s hardly going to take a savant to have worked out by now I’m really not feeling the love for the Coppers. I can understand why they have gotten much love on head-fi in the same way I got that people liked the S4. People out there like a powerful abundant and aggressive sound. I could see many dismissing my failure to love the Coppers as an expression of my dislike of their bombastic sound signature but there is the problem of the IE8’s. For those who can remember back I was and still am no great lover of them. I have often said I much prefer the sound of the IE7 but yet I can recognise that the 8 is the superior of the two. The Coppers for me have been like an upgraded Radiopaq Pop. They have a wild aggressive exuberant ebullient sound that can be lots and lots of fun. If these were maybe £100 - £120 these would be a clear and easy choice for many. The thing is they cost double that, making them compete with some seriously stiff competition and they just fall short. They may look the part but when they go toe to toe with the IE8 or Triple.Fi 10 they just cannot keep up with the resolution and finesse they possess. The random spikes in the highs and the random sibilance left me reaching for the next track button with alarming frequency.
I can’t say I found these to be wholly unenjoyable; there was the occasional song that would come on and work really well, mostly songs that are quite restrained. The trouble is the number of songs that had me demanding I hit next was overwhelming. At this price point I demand a little more poise and control and the coppers just don’t have it. They are a splashy acoustic jumble that while many may find fun in the short term I cannot help but feel these won’t have the legs to last the long term. These strike me as being the “chav’s” of the higher end IEM world. All blingy, loud mouth exuberance that may be fun for a bit but after a while grows very tiresome.
Firsts Impressions: Oh mother of god they are shiny, oh Mr T you left your IEM’s behind! Sound wise, hmm getting fit trouble but I guess they sound okay but I can see a lot of tip playing about with is going to be needed. You know these remind me of the Radiopaq Pops.
Source 5G iPod Video line out through a Practical Devices XM5 with LM6171 opp amps and a 1G iPod Shuffle with a 75 ohm adapter added.
Lows: Well these having a big dynamic driver at their heart the bass is pretty abundant. Actually it’s not anywhere near as abundant as I feared it might be. It’s clean and gives a good amount of punch but seems a little more restrained at holding a smooth low note. It’s much happier smacking out a fast snappy bass line than it is the lows of a double bass. It does feel as though these are a little mid bass happy and combined with their punchy nature can either make you a very happy chappy or piss you off. For me I can’t decide but erring towards the irritated. The styles of music I prefer don’t respond well to randomly and powerfully smacking me round the head. However I have not any doubt that a great many out there will utterly adore this. If you’re all about fast paced high impact bass then these are for you. Not unlike the bass of a Triple.Fi 10. The thing is I can’t help but want it to just calm down, it a really dynamic fun bass but like the Pop’s it gets tiring and right now I just want to give it a couple valium.
Mids: Those that know me know I’m a big mids fan and as such these are not wowing me. The mids while of a high quality are just too peaky. Sometimes they feel recessed then they will sibilantly jump out and stab me in the ears. I can’t say I like how these deal with mids and nor do I think for its high price that its performing how it ought to. The mids are just too all over the place and uncontrolled. While I can see many finding this wild dramatic sound to be very fun and engaging (and it really can be) I find it exhausting on the ears. There is a high degree of quality and resolution here but not matching that of its price tag. Guitars however do work much better here than voices.
Highs: Being a dynamic I really hoped this would be where it can shine as I never feel BA stuff gets the highs quite right. This can give high highs and a reasonable amount of shimmer but like the rest of its sound there is too much dymanasism. Crash boom bang. The cymbals can blast out of nowhere with a bright hard edge to them. Are some going to love that? Oh hell yes. Do I? Erm not so much. The highs are just too splashy and grainy. Too “WAAAA LISTEN TO ME!!!!!!!” As I mentioned at the beginning these do remind me of the Radiopaq Pop’s. Crazy fit sensitive and dependant and too over dramatic. With the Pop’s it was not all that unexpected at its price but the Coppers are in a different league. They are priced to run with the big boys and they are more than a little uncouth. These, when compared to the treble on the IE8 just sound so brash and wild. While I can see why many would find this appealing the lack of any finesse and delicacy in the highs makes these rather disappointing for me.
Soundstage: When the fit wasn’t right it was tiny and narrow. Once I got the fit right they did open up much more as is common with dynamic based things. While it is reasonable it’s nothing to write home about.
Comfort: For all my moaning about the fit and the trouble that gave me, the comfort of something so heavy was actually not a bother. However before I caved and used complys the fit issues caused notable discomfort and by that I mean pain.
Fit: Well the fit for me wasn’t good. The coppers are unvented and I had a whole barrel load of trouble with the fit and air pressure issues. The faffing about pulling these out then pushing them back in an attempt to get the air pressure equalised (same issue I had with the Ortofon e-Q7) irritated my ear so much it was painful. When using complys and rolling them before inserting got around this problem but I hate complys. Complys look so dirty after just a few days use I hate it and they are so expensive to be constantly replacing them every week. So while I know many don’t have the trouble I had I know there others who have. For me it made me glad these were loaners otherwise they would go the same way the e-Q7 went. As always fit is a personal thing and just because I had problems it doesn’t mean you will.
Cable: The cable is really very nice, not perfect but pretty close. Its flexible, sturdy and both the jack and cable splitter smacks of quality (very very shiny quality.)
Microphonics: I wore these up and I never had any at all. Which is how it should be.
Amped/Unamped: While the coppers did benefit from amping what I felt helped them more was the addition of an extra 75 ohms. It helped them calm down a bit and made them not so splashy and all over the place especially in the highs. It didn’t make them anywhere near as calmed as I would have liked but the difference it make did really clean up the highs adding a level of refinement they were hitherto lacking. I only wish it had made even more of a difference.
Isolation: For a dynamic these was a huge amount of isolation, far more than I was expecting. However id happily trade it to have these vented and fit me properly. The isolation really is very good for a dynamic and is heading towards equalling the less isolating BA stuff out there. Not sure I’d be picking these for tube or plane use but I bet I could and not want to kill myself.
Build Quality: Oh no doubts its top notch, these feel chunky and solid all over. You know you have something of value in your hand here.
Accessories: As this was a loaner pair I didn’t get the full package. They did come with a nice range of tips that I’m sure many will find useful. I however did not.
Value: Erm, well I can’t say these are good value. They aren’t terrible to listen to and you get an amazing warranty on them. The trouble is on just sound quality alone they just do not deserve to cost what they do. In the UK these are £200 yet the IE8 cost no more than £180 (I’m not hunting for the best price possible) and when you put them side by side I cant say I love the sound signature of either of them but its blatantly apparent that the IE8 spank the Coppers up and down the place. If these were sat around the price of the IE7 I could argue a case for getting them but at £200 I’m sorry but I just can’t except under certain circumstances.
Conclusion: It’s hardly going to take a savant to have worked out by now I’m really not feeling the love for the Coppers. I can understand why they have gotten much love on head-fi in the same way I got that people liked the S4. People out there like a powerful abundant and aggressive sound. I could see many dismissing my failure to love the Coppers as an expression of my dislike of their bombastic sound signature but there is the problem of the IE8’s. For those who can remember back I was and still am no great lover of them. I have often said I much prefer the sound of the IE7 but yet I can recognise that the 8 is the superior of the two. The Coppers for me have been like an upgraded Radiopaq Pop. They have a wild aggressive exuberant ebullient sound that can be lots and lots of fun. If these were maybe £100 - £120 these would be a clear and easy choice for many. The thing is they cost double that, making them compete with some seriously stiff competition and they just fall short. They may look the part but when they go toe to toe with the IE8 or Triple.Fi 10 they just cannot keep up with the resolution and finesse they possess. The random spikes in the highs and the random sibilance left me reaching for the next track button with alarming frequency.
I can’t say I found these to be wholly unenjoyable; there was the occasional song that would come on and work really well, mostly songs that are quite restrained. The trouble is the number of songs that had me demanding I hit next was overwhelming. At this price point I demand a little more poise and control and the coppers just don’t have it. They are a splashy acoustic jumble that while many may find fun in the short term I cannot help but feel these won’t have the legs to last the long term. These strike me as being the “chav’s” of the higher end IEM world. All blingy, loud mouth exuberance that may be fun for a bit but after a while grows very tiresome.
The SM3 is pretty good, but I would not say it's the end of the quest.
