$22 Monoprice headphones takes on $150 Bose and Audio-Technica rivals

I imagine I'll stick to my Grados at home, but we have been going through a lot of sealed back cans at church. That detachable cord feature will be really helpful in an environment where lots of paws end up on the gear.

I will be getting these, thanks for the tip.

 

They sound like a great deal for the price. I've not heard them, but I have no doubt they're a much better value - and probably just as good-sounding - as Bose cans. Bose = Most Overrated Brand Ever.

 

Bought a pair based on the recommendations here.

Overall, an outstanding value for DJ-type applications. Very comfy, great isolation, very good sound (as noted above), nice detachable 1/8-inch plug at the headset (plugs into the source with a 1/8-inch male to 1/8-inch male cable, two of which are included along with a 1/8-1/4 inch adapter), nimble and easily adjustable mounts so you can position them over one ear as needed.

I'm going to try and get my radio station to buy 10-20 pairs of these to replace the awful on-air headphones we've been using.

Easily, EASILY, worth the $25 or so.

 

Read the thread, and the cnet review, pulled the trigger and ordered a pair. If I like, I'll order another pair and try the "Head-fi" mods on them.

 

Please give us your thoughts here as well. I'm dangerously close to buying these as well, even though I absolutely don't need them. If you convince me, I'll have you as my scapegoat!

 

I'm gonna run them via my computer thru my old Marantz 2220b Receiver. Nothing fancy, but the 2220b makes for a pretty sweet headphone amp. Had to sell my Senn 600's a few years (which paired up great with the 2220b), using old Koss 4AAA's now. Sadly, the earpads are going bad on the 4AAA's, and Koss no longer sells replacements for that model.

Anyway, they just processed my order, and will ship out tomorrow. I should have them by next week. Will update then.

 

These are apparently rebranded Kicker HP541 headphones. I bought mine a few months ago, shortly after the Head-Fi thread appeared, but am a bit disappointed with them.
I've only used them without an amp. Extremely comfortable, though.

 

Just as a side note, for those who use iems, MP also has these which are actually pretty darn good sounding , especially for the $$. Rolling some different ear tips is a good idea to get them dialed in to your hearing.

http://www.monoprice.com/products/p...=10823&cs_id=1082303&p_id=8320&seq=1&format=2

 

Got the phones today. First impression listen to tracks off "David Bowie - Aladdin Sane" (80's RCA - Japan CD) and (hooked up to my Marantz 2220b receiver): Treble is a bit goosed up/tinny, so I had to turn down the 'Treble' control. Larger/wider 'soundstage' for a closed phone than I expected, however it doesn't match a open can (as to be expected). Bass doesn't extend as low as it does with my Koss 4AAAs, however it's still impactful. Mid-range seems less 'cluttered' compaired to the Koss phones.

I tried watching a minute or 2 of modern "Doctor Who", and it was easier to make out the dialogue than it is with my Koss phones. So, they ain't audiophile quality (not accurate), but they're fun phones to listen to. Easily worth double or triple what I paid. Good build, very comfortable, isolates out 85% of the noise from my AC. Perfect for Youtube and other videos on the computer, not for any serious album listening. Could be if I tried a 'darker' IC from the computer to the Receiver, it might tame down the treble. Also might try some of the mods as suggested on the 'Head-Fi' boards.

 

My Audio Technica M50s are some of the best sounding headphones out there in that price range. Destroys my friends' Dr Dre and Bose headphones.

 

Funny,the upper detail 'signature' reminds me of a "poor man's" MDR-V600.

 

I just received mine and, I must say, I don't understand what the fuss is all about. The bass and mids are fair, but the treble is rather etched and unpleasant. Not much detail at all either.

They also make my ears sweat and are somewhat uncomfortable due to their weight. They sound about as good as expected for the price. I will be returning these to Monoprice.

 

Don't rain on the parade.

There have been a number of inexpensive (some would say cheap) headphones popularized because they're cheap and don't completely suck. Something to recommend to people who consider $50 for a headphone to be crazy extravagance. Or something for people who just want a beater headphone to keep next to the computer for emergencies when you don't want to disturb other people just to watch a YouTube video. The goal isn't hi-fi sound quality. The goal is just don't suck too much.

I haven't heard the Monoprice headphones yet. I have heard some of the other bargain favorites. None of them actually sound good. They manage to not be completely awful.

InnderFidelity has measurements for the Monoprice 8323 as well as many other headphones. The Monoprice 8323 has a big upper-midrange dip or hole. That's going to result in a loss of clarity for vocals (the sounds for hard consonants are in the upper mids). Not ideal if you want to use them for TV, movie, or YouTube use. You're going to want more vocal clarity for those uses so you can understand the dialog more easily.

For kicks, compare the measurements and frequency response graph for the Monoprice 8323 to the stock Fostex T50RP. Kinda similar. Weird coincidence. The difference there is the Fostex has detail and resolution while the Monoprice absolutely will not. And the Fostex can be modded to have a much better frequency response than the stock version.

 

OK, fair enough. I'm just disappointed because I was expecting something better than "doesn't suck too much" considering how much buzz these have gotten around the web. Oh well...

 

Maybe they need some burn-in.

 

I have a pair of these headphones and I use them daily on my commute from work with my iPod and I am very happy with them for what they do. They take a little time to burn in so the sound improves over time. They are awesome $25 headphones however I feel that they would be average/mediocre $150 headphones. If $25 is all you want to spend these are the phones to get otherwise you may not be happy with them.

 

Not a fan of cheap headphones. Even Sennheiser cant pull off a good cheap headphone. I've had the best Senns and tried to find something lower in their line that might be a money saving alternative. Nope. Headphones are a very delicate affair, IMO, and hard to pull off as audiophile gear on the cheap.

 

I use these guys for everything and I for one am very, very happy with them. I use them pretty much everyday with my Sansa Clip, my Sony portable CD player, iPod, my Rockman Bass Ace to practice, and my computer. All of those things have never sounded better than with my Monoprice headphones.

I generally don't use headphones with my regular stereo, but when I do, they sound great as well. I'm not a hardcore audiophile or anything, but I like good sound, and my Monoprice headphones make everything sound good to my ears anyway. I also find them very sturdy yet comfortable.

 

From what in the review did you come to that conclusion? I only see one mention of the Bose, and it is just something to the effect that the Monoprice "seem" sturdier...or words to that effect. I see nothing even mentioning the sound...or comfort...or appearance. A couple of tin cans tied together with a 2X4 would even be more sturdy!

Steve Guttenburg's credibility has just taken a major hit as far as I'm concerned. Either that, or practically all headphones are grossly over-priced (not just Bose). Which is entirely possible, I admit.

And for the record, yes I do own Bose 'phones. AE2's to be exact. And if I had to only keep one pair of phones, I would choose them over my Sennheiser HD580's and HD380's.

 

I have a pair of these and they sound great for the money IMO. Recommended.

 

Here's a positive review of these Monoprice headphones in the new issue of Tape Op magazine (issue #91).

http://www.tapeop.com/reviews/91/dj-style-pro-headphones-item-8323/

It's written by Joseph Lemmer, who appears to affiliated with the sound recording industry in some way (though his job title is listed here as "Marcom Manager").

Craig.

 

20% off sale this weekend!!! Now $18.56

http://www.monoprice.com/home/promo...s&utm_campaign=expert_picks_september_q3_2012

 

A friend bought these on the basis of all the hype.

I listened to them a few nights ago...

They're OK...They aren't great. The treble is goosed and unpleasant. They are (thankfully) not goosed in the midrange (a la Monster stuff), but there's something lacking in the midrange. Bass sounds fine to me.

Did an A/B comparison with Sennheiser HD600s -- no comparison at all. (Not surprising).

Also compared them to my Altec Lansing UHP336 in ear phones (rebadged Ultimate Ears .3), which I paid $33 for. No comparison at all there, either. Not even in the running against Sony MDR-V6 phones.

Listening to good phones in comparison really emphasizes how inaccurate these Monoprice headphones are. They aren't bad for the money, but that's it.

On the whole, they're fine for the price, I guess, but all the assertions that these are audiophile quality are nonsense.

 

Although leaving the Monoprice phones behind in the backseat pocket of an airplane would leave you much happier than leaving the Sennheiser's there. About $400 happier (not surprisingly) I know I did it!

 

Really???

Oh man...

I left some ~$120 Sennheiser noise cancelling headphones in the backseat pocket of an airplane. I figured that out about 3 minutes after I got off the plane. They wouldn't let me back on the plane to check, and assured me that the cleaning crew would turn them in...which of course they never did...