As I type this, I am enjoying a sonic experience I have never obtained through in-ear headphone listening. After owning my new Monster Turbines for a couple days, I thought I would share my findings. At $149.99 retail, I was pleasantly surprised.

How do they sound?

The bass is extremely well defined; it is large and focused, without being hyped out of proportion. The highs are bright and present, without being too sibilant or harsh, and allow for a great stereo image. Finally, the mids are what really surprised me: They are so open and detailed. Punchy snare drums take on a three-dimensional smack, and vocals sound ideal. The detail is so good that I even noticed new minute nuances in my neurotically-studied copy of the hiphop mix engineer’s bible: Dr. Dre’s “Chronic 2001″. More subtle things, such as the delicate picking of an acoustic guitar, translate extremely well and give you the sense that the instrument is right there with you.

Any flaws?

The only flaw I have noticed thus far is that the cables and the plug-in seem a little lightly built, which is surprising from a company that primarily sells high-end audio and video cabling.  I also had a bit of a tough time deciding between the 5 different sizes of earphone tips to use, as the fit is crucial to the quality of the sound.

In conclusion…

I never really took the earbud-style headphone seriously; after all, I have my expensive studio monitors and headphones for my audiophile listening needs. As a diehard hiphop enthusiast, I am genuinely excited to own these headphones, which provide a fresh perspective that my studio monitors or large headphones do not give me. It feels good to have my eyes (ears) opened to the fact that earbuds can sound amazing, too.

These are just my two cents.  For other details & reviews please read more about the turbines here.

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