Drag0n
Headphoneus Supremus
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- Jun 11, 2004
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Review - Monster Turbine Pro Copper IEMs: "They sound like large floorstanding speakers!"
I was at the Spring 2010 Bayside Queens meet, and John from Monster let me listen to the
Monster Turbine Pro Copper IEMs. I was impressed right from the start with the sound.
At the end of the night he gave me a set of Turbine Pro Golds to take home and review,
and i did http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/480665/review-monster-turbine-pro-gold-iems .
It was a number of hours after a drive home before i got to hear the Golds, and they had
that similar warm and full sound as the Coppers and i had wished i had them both to compare
at the time.
Well, my wish came true. Soundmatters12, a member of the www.head-fi.org forum and
part of the Monster team chose me as one of the people to review the Pro Copper IEMs.
Thank you so much Soundmatters12 for a chance to finally compare!
Unboxing:
The Coppers came in the same style packaging as the Golds. Nice black hardcase
with a magnetically fastened lift-top, and velor interior.
It really feels like youre opening an expensive jewelry case.
Inside the box is the Coppers IEMs, 2 leather-like cases. One snaps closed
and the other opens sort of like a change purse where you push in the sides and it opens.
Also inside is an assortment of tips! Lots of tips! I got about 16 pair divided into 3
packs. There is a silver/grey rubber thing that i later found out, is a holder for
carrying ear-tips with you.
They include a clip to manage the wires so you dont hear microphonics so much (sounds
from the wires scraping and banging around that travel up the cable).
The 1/8" to 1/4" adapter is also included and looks gorgeous and has alot of weight
and quality feel to it. This is great for when you want to monitor sound from a
mixing board or home stereo setup.
There is an included polishing cloth for keeping all the jewelry-like shiny
metal parts glistening also, and some papers which include a booklet about ear-tips,
a page that tells about listening safety, warranty information, and a quick-start
guide about how to use the Pro Copper IEMs, a small catalogue, and a silicone desicant pack
to help keep moisture out of the box.
Sorry, it doesnt include a kitchen sink, but Monster does seem to have included ALOT of stuff!!!
Target Consumer:
Monster made these IEMs for the Pro-Consumer and also the Audiophile Enthusiest, and
I think they hit it right on the head! Ive tried these on my Pro Mixing setup on my pc, and it
let me hear how recorded live master CDs sounded. I was able to hear the venue and clicks
on the guitar as the guitarist picked strings and other details.
Sound:
Monster hit it on the head again!!! These sound alot like large floorstanding speakers!
They dont have the thin,detailed, digital-sound , that alot of other IEMs and headphones
have. They sound full, round, smooth, clear, natural, and speaker-like.
They sound the way high-end analog audio sounded before the CD digital age came and supposedly
"improved" sound forever. I can listen to these for hours and they dont fatigue my ears at all.
I find they are at home used portably with or without a headphone amp, or used in a studio
as a monitor or just home stereo enjoyment. They show differences in equipment used, but not
to the point that crappy recordings get annoying. Theyre very detailed, but not overly so.
Its very hard to describe something that really has no faults. Its much easier to describe
a set of phones that has too many highs or has bloated bass etc., but when a product
comes along like this and just lets you hear natural sounding music without interfering
with your enjoyment of it, it makes it hard to explain. I really dont find myself
listening to the IEMs, but rather just listening to music.
Bass:
To get good bass from IEMs, you really must have a good seal. These arent just ear-buds.
Try all the different tips until you find what works for you.
When i dont get a good seal, it seems like the bass drops right out and they sound thin and tinny.
When you find the right tips, they seal easily and stay put and sound great.
Dave Mathews - Crash - #41... On this song, theres lots of things going on and you can
follow the bass line well and still hear all the other little sounds and drum beats going on.
It never over-powers and still has an acoustic sound to it. Drums have impact, but not overly done
and the bass never intrudes on the rest of the spectrum.
RadioHead - Hail to the Theif- A Punchup at the Wedding... This song also has a constant bassline
and alot of natural piano and voices. You can hear the bass extend pretty low and follow the bassline here also. Its tunefull musical bass, not one-note boomy bass.
Jumping from the rock/pop genra to Rap & R&B,
Jay-Z - The Black Album - Change Clothes... Bass has enough punch to enjoy it,
but its not huge bombastic bass thats overly done. Even in R&B genres, i dont find the bass
intrudes on the music. You still hear details while being able to follow the bassline.
50 cent - The Massacre - Candy Shop ... This sound has bass that extends down well
and the Coppers show it. On this song the upper edges sound warm. Maybe a crisp edge
to it would define it more, but i like this sound. Plaing with EQ settings really
brings out the bass, and i find i can satisfy some bass-head tendancies if i push it up
but for this review im keeping everything flat.
Jazz... Tom Scott - The Best Of - Spindrift... This song has a natural bass guitar feel
and you can follow it while the cymbals and brush strokes remain light and natural.
Jazz is fun to follow percussion on. This sound is alot of fast acoustic sounds mixed
with some electric piano, and the Coppers perform it well.
Mids:
Vocals sound natural on most songs.
Jars Of Clay - The Eleventh Hour - Something Beautiful... Voices have just a little
siblance on this song, but remain clear even though theres harmonies and lots of things
going on. Its very busy, but the voices remain distinct.
New Found Glory -Sticks and Stones - The Great Houdini... Voices clear and up front, no siblance,
sound as clear as glam punk style vocals can sound really. Just up front and clear. This song wasnt produced
for quality, so thats about all you can say about it...lol.
Joe- And Then...- Ride Wit U... This R&B Rap song has some harmonies, and singing, and some rap.
All come through clear with the lead vocalist up front. The harmonys having some width. I can hear
some breath pops and throaty sounds but not as much throatiness and chestiness as i can detect with
some fullsized phones i have.
Erykah Badu - Baduizm - Sometimes... This female voice is really clear and stands out.
Her voice always has a piercing quality that cuts through, and you can hear it on the
Coppers. I can hear the reverb in the recording and decay and some siblance which may be in
the recording. All instruments in the mids remain distinct and apart from the lead voice
and harmonies. This is like a jazz/R&B fusion. Jazz vocals with an R&B beat.
Mids in all songs remain natural even on electronic music. If you like your Techno,
Electronica,Trance, to sound digital, then the Coppers might sound a little
more natural than youre used to.
Highs:
Linkin Park - Reanimation - My December... On this recording im getting more highs
than usual and less organically natural sound. Its recorded digitally and sounds it.
Im getting some tizziness on the highs as well. The Coppers are either revealing the recordings
short-comings or i have to readjust my seal.
Ok , switching to the comply foams tips, bass picked up, tizziness is gone. Seal makes
a big difference with these, so if they ever sound thin and bass anemic, change tips
or adjust your seal.
Daughtry - Daughtry - There and Back Again... Electric guitars and drums, vocals,
vocal harmonies, bass,......this is a drivey song thats loud with strong rock vocals.
The highs are meshing together a bit, but alot of loud rock seems to do this.
The harmonic distortion gives excitement to this genre and the Coppers show it
and dont leave the rock enthusiest wanting for more fun.
The Allman Brothers Band - Decade of Hits 1969-1979 - Little Martha... This song
is an amplified acoustic guitar song with alot of finger picking. It was recorded well,
and you can hear fingers squeeking across the strings and guitars sound natural.
Dave Matthews -Crash - Let You Down... This song has alot of little things
going on, and i can hear bongos, and squeeks on the guitar and tinkling sounds and siblance
in the voice which they emphasize a little in the recording for effect. I can also hear some breath
in the vocals. The highs have some reverberation with decay and the tinkle sounds reverb and
decay. He also whistles in this song and you can hear the reverb and decay also.
On most songs the highs are smooth, but the Coppers will reveal if a recording
has some siblance. These are not tinny sounding phones at all, theyre very natural
and smooth, but if its in the recording it may show it. Theyre not overly detailed,
but show enough. Revealing without being clinical.
Other:
I find the Coppers can play loud and still sound natural, so be careful
with the volume control. They get very loud driving with just an MP3 player.
Theyre built very well, which is why Monster has a Limited Lifetime Replacement
Garrantee on them.
I did a comparison between the Pro Gold model and the Pro Coppers.
I find the bass on the Golds to be slightly more forward with less extention, the mids
to be more forward and less refined, and highs not as extended and detailed, but its not
something you would notice if you didnt directly compare, because they both have a
speaker-like organic natural sound. The Copper is slightly more laid-back and refined though upon direct comparison, and better for acoustic music and pro monitoring, although
i feel both can be used in the professional field.
The included Cable Management Clip works well to keep from hearing the wires moving
against clothes and other microphonics.
The round rubber ear tips provide a good seal and balanced sound. When i switched to
Comply foam tips, i got slightly better bass, probably because of a better seal.
If you use flanged tips, then the sound is pushed further into you ears and it seems
to provide more punch and presence. Id say if you like punchy music like rock and
R&B, you may prefer these tips, but on laid back acoustic music, you may prefer
the round rubber tips and Comply foam.
Im not hearing a difference between the different coloured rubber round tips.
I thought i wouldnt like the Comply foams, but i seem to like these best lately, and theyre comfortable.
I think the Copper IEMs have more soundstage than Most ive heard, but not as much as full sized phones.
Its mostly left and right stage and some is in the middle of your head.
I dont notice alot forward and behind or above and below, but on some music
i notice a little. Most IEMs dont stage well really anyway, but these are pretty good.
I think the Copper IEMs work well for all music genres and really dont find them lacking
anywhere. Id easily recommend them to anyone without hesitation. They can play loud if needed,
can punch but also be laid back, used for pro monitoring and mixing, audiophile listening,
they show difference when amped and show differences in equipment used.
My live recordings sound live and natural, and being i was actually at the venue when
it was recorded i can also say theyre accurately portraying how it sounded that day.
The Pro Turbine Coppers sound more like full sized floor speakers than any IEM
ive heard thus far!!! Theyre now my favourite IEMs and sometimes i even choose
them over my $600 fullsized audiophile Headphones.
Thankyou to Monster for letting me have this opportunity to audition the
Monster Turbine Pro Copper Ear Speakers!!!!
Pictures hopefully coming soon, if i can figure how to display them...lol
