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Product Description
A Celebration of Real Music
Great headphones celebrate the richness and complexity of music with the same passion you feel listening to it. We appreciate that passion and devotion above all else, and it's inspired Monster to partner with the legendary Earth, Wind & Fire to create something for true music fans: GRATITUDE high-definition in-ear headphones.
Hear Your Favorite Songs for the First Time
Great music deserves to be heard exactly the way the artists intended. We've created headphones that act as an instrument, specifically tuned to reproduce the warmth and intimacy of analog performances. The result is pure, perfect sound. Nothing added. Nothing left out. And thanks to a revolutionary Monster design, sound this incredible fits right in your pocket.
Unique Technology for In-Ear HeadphonesDetails matter, and the advanced Monster headphone technology powering GRATITUDE turns your music into a concert-quality experience. Dynamic sound that instantly reproduces transients and instrument harmonics with perfect clarity. Because for Monster, the Music Matters.
Inspired by the Music of Earth, Wind, & Fire
The natural sound of vocals, percussion, and brass – that's what makes the music of Earth, Wind, & Fire special. Personally tuned by Philip Bailey, Ralph Johnson, Verdine White, and Head Monster Noel Lee, GRATITUDE accurately reproduces your favorite songs by keeping that vibrant feel intact. You'd have to stand onstage to get closer to the real thing.
Two Protective Carrying PouchesProtect your headphones and tips from damage and keeps them looking brand new.
Right Angle Connector
Hugs the player to stay out of your way and reduce wear. Perfect for airline jacks.
Monster ControlTalk™
Inline mic with iPod® and iPhone® control plus volume and track up/down.
Monster SuperTips™ Sound Isolating Eartips
Multiple eartip sizes provide the perfect fit to seal in sound and seal out noise.
Rose Gold Finish
A stylish look you can take anywhere.
Product Replacement
One Year Limited Warranty
*Remote and mic supported by iPod® Nano (4th/5th gen), Classic (120GB), Touch (2nd gen), iPhone™ 3GS and newer, but not all Blackberry.™ Remote supported by iPod Shuffle (3rd gen). Requires software v. 1.0.3 for iPod Nano (4th gen), 2.0.1 for Classic (120GB), and 2.2 or later for Touch (2nd gen). Support for Blackberry varies by model. Subject to change. Find complete music phone compatibility: ControlTalk Compatibility for MP3 Players/iPhones
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
Highly tuned headphones great for some vocal music, not great for instrumental - build quality superb, but overall I'll pass
December 29, 2011
Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
I'm sure you are reading this review because you are dying to find out if $200 is worth it to pay for a pair of ear-bud headphones. Before I begin my review, I must note that while sense of value is quite subjective, I do factor it into my reviews. This review will be long, but I wish to be thorough with such a big purchase.
My daily use headphones (both in my office and when on an airplane) right now are a pair of Audio-Technica QuietPoint ATH-ANC7b that I chose over the Bose, both for sound quality and for overall value. While the Bose might have had a slight edge in some types of sound, I couldn't stomach the cost for something I could lose or break on an airplane. I also own a cheap pair of $10 plastic earbuds bought at an airport kiosk for when I don't want the bulk of the full headphones. These were also used for my comparison.
When I first got the Earth Wind Fire box, I was literally stunned by the quality of the packaging. While I resent paying for the packaging for myself, it would make quite a nice gift and show how much you spent to the recipient. The outside box has a soft felt covering, and on the inside the headphones are beautifully presented with a leather case below them. This leather case appears to be a belt-clip, designed to hold a small MP3 player like an iPod Nano along with the earbuds. The build quality of the case is spectacular with a divided inner pouch and a magnetic closure. A case like this could easily sell for over $20 on its own. The case does have a huge Earth Wind Fire logo on it, so you'd better be a fan before you clip this on your belt.
Below the tray with the earbuds and the combo MP3 player/headphone case is a leather bag for just the headphones (with a coin-case type squeeze opening), and a set of 11 pairs of ear cups (plus an additional one pre-installed). I quickly found that the pre-installed one just did not fit my ear (it fell out), so I tried to find my right fit. Amazingly, you really do need 12 different sizes. There are 2 catch-all conical buds that work if you're in a hurry. One of these should fit, but you'll want to figure out which of the round ones is your size. Indeed, I tried all 10 round buds and only 1 wedged perfectly in my ear. Not only are they different sizes, but also different shapes. Once inside my ear, I was amazed at the noise isolation - these would be great on an airplane. I've never had a pair of earbuds that sealed out the world so well. I am concerned with losing the earbud tips - Monster has a kit of 6 replacement tips for $10 on their site, but since there is no labeling on the 12 tips, I have no idea if my size is included.
As for actual sound performance--using my iPhone4, I tried to listen to my Antonan Dvorak's Symphony No 9 in E minor, otherwise known as the New World Symphony. While the violins sounded nice initially, disappointment quickly set in as the deep brass started to boom. The Monster earbuds sounded hollow and empty, like listening to classical on AM radio! I tried my $10 cheap earbuds and they were great, as were my Audio-Technica headphones. I tried Mozart, Beethoven, Haydn, even Philip Glass - everything sounded hollow on the Monster headphones.
Thinking I must be missing something, I decided to try out some vocal music, playing Michael Buble ("Home" and a few other pieces). Here is where the headphones could shine. Indeed, there was a light snare brush during the intro I had never heard before that played crystal clear. Buble's voice was more distinct and defined than I have ever heard him. His music was a new experience in these headphones. Ditto for other male crooners like Sinatra, Bennett, and Tyrell.
As best I can tell, these headphones greatly enhance voice and the mid-range at the expense of bass response. I also played some collegiate a cappella. Suddenly I was transported back to the college quad standing under an arch listening to vocal harmonies. The voices were sharper and as advertised, sounded "live".
Country music didn't turn out as well. I decided to test a vocal-heavy artist by listening to some Taylor Swift, and I found her voice harsh and frankly unpleasant (whereas normally I enjoy her music). It seems that there is a bit too much treble response here.
My conclusion for sound quality is that the advertising is true - they really did tune these for a live sound, and perhaps one optimized for certain types of music. I tried a few other pieces and it seems that not only are these tuned for vocals, but only male vocals as female vocals sound harsh. I would say they are quite unique headphones and cool for some sounds, but not good all-around.
I also tested the iPhone integration. A tiny control on the cord controls volume, pause, and enables voice control. I was amazed at the small size of the control - many of these are bulky, but this one is almost as thin as the non-tangle cord. I tried some voice dialing and was quite pleased with the quality. It's a nice and well-executed feature of the headphones.
So how do I rate the headphones? First, you must understand what you are getting. These are not good for classical music or heavy rock. They are marginal even for some vocal albums depending on how the sound is mixed. The built quality feels stunning, but I can't help but feel much of the $200 is paying for the names Monster and Earth, Wind, and Fire.
With a heavy heart, I need to rate these 3 stars to indicate I would not purchase these myself and would have been dissatisfied if I had spent my own money here. I found the fuller performance of my $10 airport earbuds more satisfying to my ear and even my Audio-Technica active noise-cancelling headphones cost less. On the plus side they have a quality feel, a great non-tangle cord, amazing accessories, and are comfortable in my ear. But should you buy it? I am not saying you should not - read the details of my review and decide the value yourself because the headphones have a lot going for them, just not for my own taste.
My daily use headphones (both in my office and when on an airplane) right now are a pair of Audio-Technica QuietPoint ATH-ANC7b that I chose over the Bose, both for sound quality and for overall value. While the Bose might have had a slight edge in some types of sound, I couldn't stomach the cost for something I could lose or break on an airplane. I also own a cheap pair of $10 plastic earbuds bought at an airport kiosk for when I don't want the bulk of the full headphones. These were also used for my comparison.
When I first got the Earth Wind Fire box, I was literally stunned by the quality of the packaging. While I resent paying for the packaging for myself, it would make quite a nice gift and show how much you spent to the recipient. The outside box has a soft felt covering, and on the inside the headphones are beautifully presented with a leather case below them. This leather case appears to be a belt-clip, designed to hold a small MP3 player like an iPod Nano along with the earbuds. The build quality of the case is spectacular with a divided inner pouch and a magnetic closure. A case like this could easily sell for over $20 on its own. The case does have a huge Earth Wind Fire logo on it, so you'd better be a fan before you clip this on your belt.
Below the tray with the earbuds and the combo MP3 player/headphone case is a leather bag for just the headphones (with a coin-case type squeeze opening), and a set of 11 pairs of ear cups (plus an additional one pre-installed). I quickly found that the pre-installed one just did not fit my ear (it fell out), so I tried to find my right fit. Amazingly, you really do need 12 different sizes. There are 2 catch-all conical buds that work if you're in a hurry. One of these should fit, but you'll want to figure out which of the round ones is your size. Indeed, I tried all 10 round buds and only 1 wedged perfectly in my ear. Not only are they different sizes, but also different shapes. Once inside my ear, I was amazed at the noise isolation - these would be great on an airplane. I've never had a pair of earbuds that sealed out the world so well. I am concerned with losing the earbud tips - Monster has a kit of 6 replacement tips for $10 on their site, but since there is no labeling on the 12 tips, I have no idea if my size is included.
As for actual sound performance--using my iPhone4, I tried to listen to my Antonan Dvorak's Symphony No 9 in E minor, otherwise known as the New World Symphony. While the violins sounded nice initially, disappointment quickly set in as the deep brass started to boom. The Monster earbuds sounded hollow and empty, like listening to classical on AM radio! I tried my $10 cheap earbuds and they were great, as were my Audio-Technica headphones. I tried Mozart, Beethoven, Haydn, even Philip Glass - everything sounded hollow on the Monster headphones.
Thinking I must be missing something, I decided to try out some vocal music, playing Michael Buble ("Home" and a few other pieces). Here is where the headphones could shine. Indeed, there was a light snare brush during the intro I had never heard before that played crystal clear. Buble's voice was more distinct and defined than I have ever heard him. His music was a new experience in these headphones. Ditto for other male crooners like Sinatra, Bennett, and Tyrell.
As best I can tell, these headphones greatly enhance voice and the mid-range at the expense of bass response. I also played some collegiate a cappella. Suddenly I was transported back to the college quad standing under an arch listening to vocal harmonies. The voices were sharper and as advertised, sounded "live".
Country music didn't turn out as well. I decided to test a vocal-heavy artist by listening to some Taylor Swift, and I found her voice harsh and frankly unpleasant (whereas normally I enjoy her music). It seems that there is a bit too much treble response here.
My conclusion for sound quality is that the advertising is true - they really did tune these for a live sound, and perhaps one optimized for certain types of music. I tried a few other pieces and it seems that not only are these tuned for vocals, but only male vocals as female vocals sound harsh. I would say they are quite unique headphones and cool for some sounds, but not good all-around.
I also tested the iPhone integration. A tiny control on the cord controls volume, pause, and enables voice control. I was amazed at the small size of the control - many of these are bulky, but this one is almost as thin as the non-tangle cord. I tried some voice dialing and was quite pleased with the quality. It's a nice and well-executed feature of the headphones.
So how do I rate the headphones? First, you must understand what you are getting. These are not good for classical music or heavy rock. They are marginal even for some vocal albums depending on how the sound is mixed. The built quality feels stunning, but I can't help but feel much of the $200 is paying for the names Monster and Earth, Wind, and Fire.
With a heavy heart, I need to rate these 3 stars to indicate I would not purchase these myself and would have been dissatisfied if I had spent my own money here. I found the fuller performance of my $10 airport earbuds more satisfying to my ear and even my Audio-Technica active noise-cancelling headphones cost less. On the plus side they have a quality feel, a great non-tangle cord, amazing accessories, and are comfortable in my ear. But should you buy it? I am not saying you should not - read the details of my review and decide the value yourself because the headphones have a lot going for them, just not for my own taste.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
The first thing that I noticed while unboxing Monster's "Gratitude" earbuds was the seemingly oversized felt-covered box that it was packaged in. After opening this box, that looks like a carrying case for a large-print bible, you see the good-looking brown and bronze earbuds as well as an Earth, Wind, & Fire carrying case for them. (No, I don't know why they got their own earbuds either.) Once you go a level deeper into the bottomless case, you discover a stunning 11 pairs of gummy in-ear earbuds. That's 22 individual `buds so you can find a fit perfect for your inner ear. There's another little bag in there for these gummy tips, which is nice. What I'm saying is that the packaging is sort of awesome. Now it's time to talk about the actual headphones.
After the almost bizarre amount of packaging and accessories, I was more than ready to rave and rave about how much I loved these headphones, but I'm not finding an incredible love for them just yet. They seem almost indestructible, which is great for me, since I rarely go more than a few months with one pair of headphones, but some sounds don't come out of these little Monsters like I would hope. They block outside sound about as well as you would hope, and I tested the sound of many different parts of many different genres, and this is what I found:
Modern Rock music tends to come out a little screechy and electric guitars come off sort of flat, with the lows being not-quite-low enough, and the highs being somewhat annoying. The music loses an incredible amount of intensity, and that's a shame.
Rap music seems to lose almost all of the bass that gives it the head-bobbing beat needed to maintain its listening appeal. Vocals and verses still maintain most the passion they have in bass-heavy speakers, but the beat definitely doesn't. (Though a song like "Handlebars" comes through great, with a jazzy backdrop with more strings than synthesizers.)
Instrumental tracks and soundtracks seem to play nice with these headphones, and they're one of the only genres that can claim that. String instruments sound totally pleasant, but the deep poundings of The Dark Knight's soundtrack still fail to come out as intensely as I know they can.
Techno and electronic sounds seem to be the best-sounding through these headphones, and I'm not sure it's close. Everything from Family Force 5 to Daft Punk to Owl City to the Tron: Legacy soundtrack sounds exactly like it's supposed to. Even the more "crunk" side of FF5 sounds amazing.
Acoustic tunes sound a whole lot better than I had expected, which makes me very happy. They seem to avoid the chronic screech-factor that lives in these headphones when it comes to guitars, and it also doesn't fall into that "flat" category.
The final grouping of songs I tested were all Beatles tunes, and they all sounded fantastic. They clearly didn't use any big bass sounds, and their songs are simply a pleasure to hear through these headphones due to that fact.
These headphones are certainly clear, but for $200, you want more than "clear." All things considered, it's like the bass nob was turned down, and the treble one was turned up far too high. However, when I switched these buds out with some of my other headphones of middling price and quality, I was a little disappointed with my oldies. Maybe I've been too harsh on these buds. The bottom line for me is this: they're very nice earbuds, but they still seem far flawed to spend $200 on.
After the almost bizarre amount of packaging and accessories, I was more than ready to rave and rave about how much I loved these headphones, but I'm not finding an incredible love for them just yet. They seem almost indestructible, which is great for me, since I rarely go more than a few months with one pair of headphones, but some sounds don't come out of these little Monsters like I would hope. They block outside sound about as well as you would hope, and I tested the sound of many different parts of many different genres, and this is what I found:
Modern Rock music tends to come out a little screechy and electric guitars come off sort of flat, with the lows being not-quite-low enough, and the highs being somewhat annoying. The music loses an incredible amount of intensity, and that's a shame.
Rap music seems to lose almost all of the bass that gives it the head-bobbing beat needed to maintain its listening appeal. Vocals and verses still maintain most the passion they have in bass-heavy speakers, but the beat definitely doesn't. (Though a song like "Handlebars" comes through great, with a jazzy backdrop with more strings than synthesizers.)
Instrumental tracks and soundtracks seem to play nice with these headphones, and they're one of the only genres that can claim that. String instruments sound totally pleasant, but the deep poundings of The Dark Knight's soundtrack still fail to come out as intensely as I know they can.
Techno and electronic sounds seem to be the best-sounding through these headphones, and I'm not sure it's close. Everything from Family Force 5 to Daft Punk to Owl City to the Tron: Legacy soundtrack sounds exactly like it's supposed to. Even the more "crunk" side of FF5 sounds amazing.
Acoustic tunes sound a whole lot better than I had expected, which makes me very happy. They seem to avoid the chronic screech-factor that lives in these headphones when it comes to guitars, and it also doesn't fall into that "flat" category.
The final grouping of songs I tested were all Beatles tunes, and they all sounded fantastic. They clearly didn't use any big bass sounds, and their songs are simply a pleasure to hear through these headphones due to that fact.
These headphones are certainly clear, but for $200, you want more than "clear." All things considered, it's like the bass nob was turned down, and the treble one was turned up far too high. However, when I switched these buds out with some of my other headphones of middling price and quality, I was a little disappointed with my oldies. Maybe I've been too harsh on these buds. The bottom line for me is this: they're very nice earbuds, but they still seem far flawed to spend $200 on.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By M. Wong
Monster Gratitude In-Ear Headphones
When I first received this box, I was extremely excited for the headphones. The ascetic of the box was very detailed and the boxes compared to many of the other beats headphones are much more durable. When you open the box you see your new headphones nicely displayed along with pretty neat headphone holder that has the Earth, Wind & Fire logo.
Underneath it all, all the ear buds are nicely lined inside and it also comes along with nifty bag to keep them altogether. I would definitely give the box a 5 star review.
However, when it came to the headphones quality it is a different story. The earphones are definitely built very well with the voice control which adjusts the music and answers calls. The headphones have a very crisp quality of music. However, what it is lacking is the bass and treble feature that other headphones have. I have compared the Bose IE2 (item which is a cheaper) to these headphones and they simply do not compare. The clarity of the gratitude are nice however, I feel that if I turn my headphones any higher (in volume), I will probably very soon.
Overall, I would not recommend spending the money on these headphones. For the price, there are many other headphones out that are better in sound and provide better base and treble.
When I first received this box, I was extremely excited for the headphones. The ascetic of the box was very detailed and the boxes compared to many of the other beats headphones are much more durable. When you open the box you see your new headphones nicely displayed along with pretty neat headphone holder that has the Earth, Wind & Fire logo.
Underneath it all, all the ear buds are nicely lined inside and it also comes along with nifty bag to keep them altogether. I would definitely give the box a 5 star review.
However, when it came to the headphones quality it is a different story. The earphones are definitely built very well with the voice control which adjusts the music and answers calls. The headphones have a very crisp quality of music. However, what it is lacking is the bass and treble feature that other headphones have. I have compared the Bose IE2 (item which is a cheaper) to these headphones and they simply do not compare. The clarity of the gratitude are nice however, I feel that if I turn my headphones any higher (in volume), I will probably very soon.
Overall, I would not recommend spending the money on these headphones. For the price, there are many other headphones out that are better in sound and provide better base and treble.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Hear, touch, and feel the music.
Truly amazing sound signature. Have yet to listen to something that sounded bad. From Jazz to alternative, classic rock to classical and rap to laptop techpop - it all sounds... Read more
Published 5 days ago by E. Emery
3.0 out of 5 stars
Great Sound - Cheap-Feeling Quality
Although the sound quality is superb, the overall construction and feel to the headphones felt of lower-quality than numerous less expensive pairs I own, at vastly cheaper prices. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Ryan Miller
3.0 out of 5 stars
Decent headphones
Given the large variety of headphones out there in every price range and style these do stand out on the looks and packaging aspect, but the sound quality is not necessarily on par... Read more
Published 10 months ago by Vivek Gupta
5.0 out of 5 stars
AMAZING HEADPHONES! AMAZING!
These headphones are some of the best I have ever used! THe packaging was top of the line. I loved how it was displayed in the package. It was so neatly organized. Read more
Published 10 months ago by TuAmo
4.0 out of 5 stars
Amazing "Live" Sound
These headphones are amazing for listening to "live" concert or studio recordings. It really transports you and makes you feel as if you were there in person like no other... Read more
Published 10 months ago by nowann
4.0 out of 5 stars
Classy Quality
"Gratitude" doesn't even begin to express how I feel about these in-ear headphones. They are by far the highest-quality audio ear buds I've ever sampled and that includes several... Read more
Published 13 months ago by P. Kingsriter
4.0 out of 5 stars
treble sounds too high, good eq will fix that.
This is one hell of an earphone.
All nicely packaged, with an assortment of ear tips.
Sadly my ears are weird so the only ones that would fit were the 'christmas tree'... Read more
All nicely packaged, with an assortment of ear tips.
Sadly my ears are weird so the only ones that would fit were the 'christmas tree'... Read more
Published 13 months ago by iKevin
3.0 out of 5 stars
Nice design, but overpriced
This is a decent set of ear buds that's unfortunately a bit overpriced for the quality they deliver. Read more
Published 14 months ago by Stefan
4.0 out of 5 stars
Yeah - but will they fit?
I have issues with ear buds. They don't fit my ears. They pop out all the time. I have resigned myself to buying the "retro" earphones and am happy with them. Read more
Published 14 months ago by ScrabbleMaven
5.0 out of 5 stars
Unique
These headphones are coustomizable to fit individual ear sizes. The packaging is classy featuring a suede box to hold the various ear pieces and the cable. Read more
Published 15 months ago by new yorker
