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Monster Turbine in-ear headphones, review

H

HiFiGuy528

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Jul 24, 2008
1,876
65
I've searched high and low for high quality headphones for iPod & iPhone use. Something that will give me big sound in a pocket size form. Coming from long exposure to high-end equipments like McIntosh and Focal (JM Lab), my expectations are a bit high and I am willing to spend a few hundred dollars to get there. I came across these Monster Turbine in-ear headphones during my search. I know the name Monster Cable so I know they are at least well made.* I couldn't find much on the web because they are very new.* At $179, they are not cheap, but not too expensive so I was willing to try it.
Unboxing:
The headphones came in a package like no others.* You can tell much thoughts and time were spent on the design. Flip open the box and you'll noticed a beautiful black soft interior.* On the right side are the earphones, properly display along with a nice carrying case.* The other side is a message from the Head Monster “Life is too short to listen to bad headphones”. Underneath the heafdphones are several ear-tips ranging in size and a user manual.* The headphones are made of aluminum and the fit and finish is first rate. The cords are a “Y” shaped design with a gold plated 3.5mm jack. The cord is soft to the touch and feels sturdy. I started with the (standard) size ear-tips that were already installed. The fit was comfortable, blocking most of the background noise. I know proper break-in is important so I set it off running for three days straight.*
 

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More unboxing pitures
 

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The Sound:
Using my 160GB iPod, I noticed the music came through in a big way.* Music sounded full and dynamic. The lows are tight and three dimensional.* You can hear different levels of low frequencies and almost feel the extreme bass.* Certainly something I have never experienced before in an in-ear headphone.* The highs and mids are well balanced.* There was no hint of over EQ.* I spent some time going through albums and I noticed I could actually hear the recording differences, from much compression to little.* Something I didn't noticed before with my Etymotics Hf2 in-ear headphones. All my CD rips are AIFF (uncompressed) to the iPod so I know I am getting CD quality sound.* I now know what handicapped the iPod's performance, it was the earphones I was using.* The Turbine gave me speakers like sound from my iPod.* I enjoyed it so much I couldn't put them down.* The music sounded full of life even at low volume levels. The lack of listening fatigue is evidence that the Turbines are well designed.* I was actually hearing music, not CDs.* I then moved on to my iPhone. I wanted to see if the Turbines can bring me some excitments in watching movies and TV shows. The TV show Top Gear came through loud and clear. You can almost smell the burnt rubber from the tires. All I can say is WOW. The Turbine really makes it enjoyable to watch movies/TV shows on the iPhone.
 

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Conclusion:
The Turbine gave me speakers like sound in a very small protable package. My search is finally over, these are definitely the best in-ear headphones I have ever used. I would recommend the Turbine to anyone who desires the best musical experience from an in-ear headphone.
 

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Wirelessly posted (Nokia 5800 Tube XpressMusic : Mozilla/5.0 (SymbianOS/9.4; U; Series60/5.0 Nokia5800d-1/10.0.010; Profile/MIDP-2.1 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 ) AppleWebKit/413 (KHTML, like Gecko) Safari/413)

You're talking about the same company that make the overpriced cables? It would take some major convincing or me to buy Monster products. :eek: And I'm just curious, but what other IEM earphones and headphones would you recommend. I'm looking into this as well.
 
Abstract said:
Wirelessly posted (Nokia 5800 Tube XpressMusic : Mozilla/5.0 (SymbianOS/9.4; U; Series60/5.0 Nokia5800d-1/10.0.010; Profile/MIDP-2.1 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 ) AppleWebKit/413 (KHTML, like Gecko) Safari/413)

You're talking about the same company that make the overpriced cables? It would take some major convincing or me to buy Monster products. :eek: And I'm just curious, but what other IEM earphones and headphones would you recommend. I'm looking into this as well.
Click to expand...

I've tried a few from the Apple store. None compares to these, honest. Many on the web liked the Etymotic Hf2. I have those and they sound like $2 earphones compared to these. No bass and no soul. You can try the Dr. Dre Beats, but they are made by Monster Cable too. Those are a bit too flashy for me. I don't want me ears cut off on the bus. :D
 
Wirelessly posted (Nokia 5800 Tube XpressMusic : Mozilla/5.0 (SymbianOS/9.4; U; Series60/5.0 Nokia5800d-1/10.0.010; Profile/MIDP-2.1 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 ) AppleWebKit/413 (KHTML, like Gecko) Safari/413)

Well there's that, and the fact that the Dre phones are supposed to suck. ;) But I agree. I'd be afraid of theft than sound quality.
 
Abstract said:
Wirelessly posted (Nokia 5800 Tube XpressMusic : Mozilla/5.0 (SymbianOS/9.4; U; Series60/5.0 Nokia5800d-1/10.0.010; Profile/MIDP-2.1 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 ) AppleWebKit/413 (KHTML, like Gecko) Safari/413)

Well there's that, and the fact that the Dre phones are supposed to suck. ;)
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Have you heard the Dr. Dre Beats? If you haven't, I urge you to try them out. The Apple store has a GREAT return policy if you don't like them. I've tried a few. I like the Beats, but I don't want to get robbed on the bus. The Turbines are not as flashy.
 
kaybeee said:
Westone 3s or Senn IE8 are way better. And NOT OVERPRICED
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I second this opinion. I own the Monster Turbines, the Sennheiser IE8's, and the Westone es3x customs, and the Monster Turbines are an "ok" pair of IEMS for the money. The bass/low end is really overwhelming, even after 150 hours of burn in. I would equate them to a cheaper, less refined version of the Sennheiser IE8's. Both are IEM's with dynamic drivers, and the sound signature is similar on both, but the Senn's are just leaps and bounds more refined and don't really have any areas (lows, mids, highs) where they tend to suffer, unlike the Turbines (have spotty quality in the high frequencies, from my experience). If you're accustomed to lower quality earphones such as the stock Apple buds, or even the Bose junk, you'll love the Monsters. If you are more familiar with high end IEM's, you might not like them as much, and will notice the slightly lesser audio quality.
 
I got a Shure SE530 recently, after my disappointment in my SE210 gradually grew too large to keep me happy. I must say it's everything I wanted it to be. Very good sound. And also the Ultimate Ears Triple.Fi 10, Sennheiser IE8, Westone3 and Westone UM3X are all said to be excellent IEMs.

Having stated that, for headphone and earphone reviews and information, there's probably no better community than Head-Fi.
 
The margin Monster makes on their cables and headphones is amazing. So if you're an employee, you definitely get an awesome hook up. I myself bought the Monster Turbines as well and they are the best headphones I've ever had. They're amazing.
 
I have listened to these, and I must say that while they were pretty good, they are certainly overpriced, and I am sure that after a while they will start to fall apart and be just as crappy as all of their other products. I personally will never buy Monster products. But that is just me.
 
prodigee said:
I have listened to these, and I must say that while they were pretty good, they are certainly overpriced, and I am sure that after a while they will start to fall apart and be just as crappy as all of their other products. I personally will never buy Monster products. But that is just me.
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Where did you hear these?
 
kindashoulda said:
Still waiting on some news about those turbine pros? Anyone test them out?
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Yes: http://www.headphone.com/headphones/monster-turbine.php

It's also a great site for headphone/EB/IEM reviews. The Turbines provide an extreme overemphasis on the bass frequencies, so if you're after thump, these may work well for you. If you're looking for tonal accuracy or an honest representation of your music, you'll likely want to look elsewhere.

For instance, compare the frequency response of the Turbines to the Etymotic ER 6i: http://www.headphone.com/headphones/etymotic-er-6i-white.php

Edit: I just realized you said "pro". Here's the appropriate link: http://www.headphone.com/headphones/monster-turbinepro-gold.php
 
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