[cbl117]

Update:  I will say that the monk's Timbre does beat the earpods
 
[post edited by Moderator]

 

[Saoshyant]

@cbl117 I'm kind of curious what your source is.

 

[squallkiercosa]

It reminds me the day I tried the audeze lcd2, the sound was supposedly the best available and, although they sounded pretty good, I didn't think they were worth the 1000$ price tag. Too much hype involved. Keep in mind sound is a very personal thing.

 

[cbl117]

  @cbl117 I'm kind of curious what your source is.

So far I've been listening through an AK Jr loaded with AIFF files @ 16/44.1.  They don't suck as much as I was initially hyping, and considering the price they are decent.

 

[Xamdou]

 
So far I've been listening through an AK Jr loaded with AIFF files @ 16/44.1.  They don't suck as much as I was initially hyping, and considering the price they are decent.

Glad that you calmed down 

These earbuds takes some time to fall in love with, same for me even with the Zen 2.0

 

[waynes world]

So far I've been listening through an AK Jr loaded with AIFF files @ 16/44.1.  They don't suck as much as I was initially hyping, and considering the price they are decent.

 
Let them burn in. Try different foam configurations (such as double thin).
 
Don't worry.. in a while you'll be firmly on board the correct hype train

 

[cbl117]

Let them burn in. Try different foam configurations (such as double thin).

Don't worry.. in a while you'll be firmly on board the correct hype train

How much time do they need to burn in? Also are the foam inserts different thickness, or just extras of one type?

 

[danmlr]

They really shouldn't require any time for burn in. Mine sounded good right out of the box. 
 

Also, I tried the thick foamies. The sound is too bassy, the bottom end is a bit overwhelming. Not the sound signature I was looking for. It seems like the thin foams and rubber donuts work best for my tastes: slight v sound signature, but still a decent amount of detail. 
 
These earbuds are very fun and addicting. The sound quality is noticeably grainy; sound quality is not super refined. Nonetheless, the combination of good sound quality, low cost and the convenience and lightweight of small lightweight earbuds is unmatched by any other manufacturer. 

 

[Danneq]

It reminds me the day I tried the audeze lcd2, the sound was supposedly the best available and, although they sounded pretty good, I didn't think they were worth the 1000$ price tag. Too much hype involved. Keep in mind sound is a very personal thing.

Good thing it's only $5 this time. In my mind the hype is real. But I don't compare Monk+ to stuff that costs hundreds of dollars. I think they can compete with most other earbuds between $30-50. And the fact that they perform as well as earbuds that cost up to ten times as much is good enough for me...

 

[Danneq]

  I just got my pair from the latest massdrop...
 
These things suck.  Like literally suck ass.  What the hell is wrong with this forum??  A old crappy pair of apple earpods sound slightly better, and that is not saying much at all.  
 
Oh well, perfect example of hype taking over and causing undue exposure.  

It depends on what type of sound you like and what you are expecting. Are you an IEM person? Or do you prefer headphones to IEMs and earbuds? It's pretty much impossible to get the same sort of open and airy sound in IEMs as in earbuds. Sure, with earbuds you lose a lot of bass and microdetail, but the sense of openness compensates for that (at least in my opinion).

You can compare earbuds to open headphones and IEMs to closed. And then what sort of sound you like.

I think that old Apple earbuds suck ass. Still I think Monk+ is pretty good, especially for the price. They could easily be sold for at least $30. With Apple earbuds you get zero depth in the soundstage, bad instrument separation, no bass and harsh upper mids and highs. Monk+ gives you quite a neutral sound with good soundstage depth and a sense of 3D soundstage, okay bass with some actual sense of bass depth, non harsh upper mids and highs. 
I would pay $30 or even $40 for the sound that Monk+ gives me (although not much more).

I wouldn't even accept a pair of Apple earbuds for free.

Some people compare Monk+ to headphones that cost hundreds of dollars and that's just silly. They are really good for the price but they are not the best thing since sliced bread...

 

[musicday]

I just got my pair from the latest massdrop...

These things suck.  Like literally suck ass.  What the hell is wrong with this forum??  A old crappy pair of apple earpods sound slightly better, and that is not saying much at all.  

Oh well, perfect example of hype taking over and causing undue exposure.  

They are cheap,but they sound better than many more expensive one.
And no, you don't need to wait 200 hours burn in for the best sound out of them.
Straight out the package i could hear the difference.Now go back and try them again,close your eyes and enjoy the music. But you need to be relaxed if you are not they won't sound good.

 

[tommo21]

In this pricerange there's three very good alternatives.
It's the Monk +, the Philips SHE3800 and the Ty Hi-Z 32. They all got they're strengths and weaknesses, and will also be source dependant. For me I would rank the as follows: 1. Ty Hi-Z, 2 She3800 and 3 Monk +. But that's only for me and my preference and source and it's still very close. They are all cheap and I'm stocking up an all three because of this. I got more Monk's on the way as well as the other two.

 

[Brooko]

[Mod comment]
 
I just had to clean up a number of posts.  it's OK to have differing opinions, it is not OK to get abusive or call someone's sanity into question if their views differ with your own.

 

[fredhubbard2]

they aren't very durable are they?! I ve only had mine since Monday and they've blown already.
 
I will need to get another pair but not boost the vol. too much !!

 

[vapman]

  they aren't very durable are they?! I ve only had mine since Monday and they've blown already.
 
I will need to get another pair but not boost the vol. too much !!

Damn dude what kind of amp are you rocking?
I run all my monks on high gain with so much volume and bass boost it makes Lee cry.
(not really, but definitely enough bass to the point where he said it can cause driver damage

)
 
but in all seriousness, i'm ctually surprised i''ve managed to not blow any Monks up.