Customer Reviews

Monster Miles Davis Tribute Jazz In-Ear Headphones

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Ok so I thought it was important to provide a review of my own for these headphones because a. there are very few other reviews online for the Miles Davis Monster Turbines and b. the product really does deserve a typed out review.
First let me say that for a long time (like many others) I searched for the best pair of headphones money could buy, and these were the ones I ended up selecting. I began my search for new headphones (preferably ones that were in-ear) that provided excellent base response and to put it bluntly, sounded good. After gathering information and sampling the Beats by Dre (out and in-ear), Sony Bass Boost in-ear Headphones and the Etymotic ER6i Isolators, I was still not fully content. Eventually I arrived at the Monster Turbine Pros, and because I attempted to buy the best of the best, I leaned towards these babys. In all honesty, although I could not sample the Miles Davis Monster Turbines (pretty sure its impossible to unless a friend of yours owns them), I was too curious to let the chance of not hearing them slip by. So here's what I feel are the pros and cons for these headphones:

Pros:
- Sound quality is amazing. Ive noticed pianos and guitars especially sound extremely clear (almost like someone is playing right next to you).
- Built with a lot of sense. These headphones are not only sleek looking (gold-plated), but very durable. The cord functions to de-tangle on its own, and after about a month of using it, I cannot see any weak spots along the cord that are liable to break, tear or rip in the future.
- Ear tips are built for comfort. The rubber is "insulated" with some type of gel which conforms to the shape of the inside of your ear.
- Clarity of Bass Response. It is refreshing to hear the bass in songs actually surface correctly outside the studio with these headphones.
- The entire package that comes along with these headphones is ridiculous. Miles Davis CD's, some 20 different types of earphone tips, earphone tip spin wheel, 3 different carrying cases, etc.
- Lifetime Warranty. Pretty sure that says it all.

Cons:
- Obviously the cost. Most people are outraged at a price tag of $400 for a pair of headphones. For most of us, that's more than we paid for our i-pod or maybe even computer.
- Amount of Bass Response. Now this may prove to be very different for most of you out there, but I listen to music which calls for heavy bass (hardcore music if you must know). Still I would not say I was disappointed with the amount of bass output, but it just would have been the ultimate package if the bass was boosted a little.

So that's my review guys. I hope it was helpful in some way. I really think these headphones deserve all of the hype they get. They are pretty much everything I have ever wanted in a pair of headphones (minus my one little con of a heavier bass response). And let me just say, if you are hesitant simply because of the price tag then remember "Life is too short to listen to bad headphones", it truly does make a difference in the listening experience.

P.S. I gave it 5 stars because I dont think you can find anything better out there on the headphones market.

after paying $300.00 For these top of the range in ear headphones less than 25 hours use. one speaker stopped working. take in to consideration the cost of postage from the u s a to australia $38 and the same to return them
AMAZON also deducted $60 for the pleasure of using them. a total cost to me of $100. and on the case it says. (life is to short for bad headphones) I Know!..

I have earphones and ear-buds from BOSE, SENNHEISER, ETYMOTIC, SHURE, and these MILES DAVIS TRIBUTES. Each of these has good qualities and are certainly worthy for your consideration - so much of listening pleasure is a subjective matter. For me, the MILES DAVIS TRIBUTES are above and beyond the others for the simple reason that I can listen at a relatively soft level and still hear all the nuances in the music. They come with a large selection of earpieces to custom fit them to your ear so that you get both sound isolation and comfort. I feel that there is something of a "burn-in" time for them to settle in to their full richness, but they are spectacular right out of the box. Close your eyes and you are there in the studio or on the stage with the musicians. The soundstage is stunningly accurate and ALL of the music is there to hear. I am hearing things in music I have listened to for years that I had not heard before. For reference purposes, when I am listening on speakers it is with BELLES electronics and MAGNAPLANER speakers. The MILES DAVIS TRIBUTES are simply wonderful. A bit pricey, but how many times have you paid less and not been satisfied after a short time listening. These are the opposite - they just keep getting richer!

Ok the headphones themself are amazing, but after 2 months of use, (everyday at the gym) they seperated, pretty much fell apart, for that much money they shouldnt just fall apart. i ended up using glue to put them back together. The sound alone is very good i wont lie about that.

I kind of shocked myself plunking down the four bills for this. Especially for a Monster product, whose marketing focus I abhor. Sound is what it is, and all kinds of hype and fancy packaging have a shallow, psychological effect. But I had an instinct about these Miles Davis earbuds. Maybe--I have to admit--I just thought the marketing was cool, like, Monster finally gets a clue. The Miles Davis Estate doesn't go around putting his name on everything. Basing the concept around the Kind of Blue record was very smart; many people haven't heard the magnificent remaster put out a few years back.

Listening to that record through these will be a treat. For now I'm listening to a range of music, including recently recorded jazz of mindblowing power and subtlety, and the Miles are up to the test. Piano is tough to reproduce for any speaker, and in acoustic music like jazz, it's like there's a perfect speaker for every instrument. The trumpet sounds shockingly real through the solid metal horn tweeters of British Tannoys. Many speakers are designed specifically for the human voice. I think the Miles reproduce piano better than anything I've ever heard, and I've been listening critically for over 30 years.

I'm not going to talk about sources or break-in, because speakers can show as much character reproducing a mediocre source as an all-Krell stack like Fabio's ridiculous setup. And as for break-in, the reality is it's mostly our minds that get "broken in" not the gear. Listening to a new transducer of any kind is challenging. Subtle cues we relied upon are lost. New information is misunderstood or not even perceived.

Headphones and earbuds are tough for me because my mind doesn't want to believe a soundfield this large or bass this deep can be coming from something so tiny and close to my ear. Also, jumping from the control booth or your living room to the inside of your ears totally wipes out what the producer and engineer had in mind for the stereo image. Loudspeaker sound waves interfere with each other, softening the pans. Stereo pans are rock-solid in buds or cans because there's zero interference, not to mention all the acoustic properties of a listening room, mainly reflections and the resulting screwed-up equalization. If engineers could record for cans their jobs wouldn't be as fantastically difficult. But we try our best to record for rooms, and we end up panning HARD to make up for interference and reflections. So this "overengineered" sound is totally abrupt when you put on your first pair of cans. It's pretty annoying to me sometimes, and I vastly prefer loudspeakers.

But over the years I'm learning there are many things cans can do that rooms can't. Buds and cans blow away loudspeakers in nuance, for instance. If your mind can get used to the bass all seeming to come from the hard right, when the piano kicks in front you're ready for a treat.

The Miles exceed in this scenario. I'm still getting used to them but already I can hear there's a lot to play with. Relaxing with the Miles, eyes closed, I can start to get that rush you get when a live soloist bursts out of the jam with something sparkling, spectacular. I'll add to this one later when I've had more time to think, and listen.

To start, I am a consumer of quality products and usually do not take price into consideration unless it is completely out of my price range. I look at the value of the product, and always favor quality over quantity. For the list price these are great, but expensive to the point that I am not sure they are worth it for "most" people who cannot tell subtle differences in sound. That being said, if you can find them on sale (which I did) they are a STEAL and you should not hesitate. I am not a fan of anything "in" my ears and really wanted over ear headphones. My previous understanding was that over ear headphones always sounded better. I read a lot of reviews about these MDT Monsters and thought I would give them a try. I wanted something that I could wear at work and figured over ear would look ridiculous. Cutting to the chase... these are amazing. It only took me 2 days to find the right tip and get used to the "in ear". The only negative is that the noise isolation works too well that I have to take them out to have a conversation with people, not just simply stop the music (this is not really a negative). As people have mentioned in other reviews, you do hear things that you never have before in songs that you know well. These headphones have actually changed my preferences in music as I tend to now listen to music with strong instrument sounds such as piano. Rock and electronically altered music sounds good on these, but where they really shine is Jazz, Classical, Acoustic, Voice, etc. Any Miles or other jazz is obviously great, but I have a new appreciation for Ben Folds, Norah Jones, and other music where there is an emphasis on a specific instrument (piano, voice, etc.). Also as other people mention, bass is not pumping on these, but you do truly "hear" the bass, especially when it comes to bass instruments like a stand-up bass or bass guitar, or bass drum. I am a fan of almost all genre of music so this is an un-bias opinion from someone who likes everything from 1940's jazz to classic rock, classical, and hip hop. (30 year old white male if that helps or means anything). It took me a bit to get over the colors/materials as I am a minimalist architect who usually buys slick design black/stainless steel products (apple freak). These DO NOT look great with the iPhone, unless you have a phone case that better matches. They are truly Miles' style, and I can appreciate that, and got over it because they are simply amazing! I am warming up to these being plugged into my iPhone... gradually.

Background:
I have a home recording studio and i freelance as a recording engineer.

Cons:
The only bad thing about these headphones is that the housing for the driver came apart but i put Gorilla glue on it and it solved the problem(if they break Monster will send you a new pair no questions). The graphics will start to come off with high usage.

Pros:
Great Warrenty, but didnt have to use it, ill wait till they really break to get my new pair! they come with about a million ear tips(more like 30) and they come with 3 carrying cases for transport and protection in you pocket or where ever you store them.

-Performance:
These are some special earbuds i heard things i have never heard before in songs ive listened to for years on an ipod. They are warm in the mid range, crip in the high hats and have a lot of volume with the base. Although i am an admit hiphop listener i love the fact that the base does not overpower the rest of the music. These are not hiphop earbuds. I found that when i listen to more live music songs vs synthesized music these earbuds are like non other.

Overall:
Overlooking there build issues which are offset by the warrenty. I could Mix and Master with these earbuds. Its that simple. They are that good and your going to pay for that quality cause they are expensive.

Super great! The headphone with such quality is ridiculously cheap! I have bought 6 headphones up to now, and none of them fulfills my expectation except this one. I listen music from classical(piano, orchestra) to rock, heavy metal, and they all sound so good in this headphone. Highly recommend for someone who likes music and take it seriously.

Although I am not too-too picky about the sound that goes to my ears, I can confidently say I have pretty well trained ears when it comes to music. When I listen to music, I pay attention to all the tiny little details the average listener doesn't care to appreciate. With that being said, I must say that the Miles Davis Tributes have redefined for me what kind of sound is possible from tiny in-ear drivers. I have a pair of Quincy Jone's Tributes as well (that perform VERY well for their price) and some Etymotics ER4-p's, and the MDT's absolutely demolish them both respectively in a massive mushroom cloud of awesomeness.

First of all, I love all the extra stuff it comes with. You not only get these top of the line headphones, but also an all time classic album by none other than Miles Davis himself, as well as all the ear inserts you can possibly want. The packaging is also very tastefully done. For me, what makes a great product, regardless of anything, is the attention to detail put into it. The Miles Davis Tributes separates itself from the pack by giving people what they pay for and not cutting corners.

The sound is simply incredible, even for being straight out of the package and not being broke in. The very 1st thing I noticed was the incredible, responsive, and 'thumping' bass. The bass blasts your ear drums with a wonderful display of raw power, this is especially true when listening to any sort of electronic music or rap, both of which especially rely on the bass to drive the beat. The second thing I noticed were all the 'textures' that were brought to life that I have never heard before. Even when compared against my other top line in ear headphones, the MDT's stand alone in it's ability to replay digital music with the same clarity and 'crispness' as a live performance. The mids and highs were almost equally as amazing as the bass is and the MDT's do incredibly well with vocals, acoustic, and jazz (kind of no brainer there). Vocals (especially female vocals it seems) are brilliantly reciprocated and you can hear their voices so clearly you could probably tell if they need a drink of water or even to clear their throat.

Overall, there's nothing negative I can possibly think to say about these amazing headphones. They will deliver amazing, beautiful audio to your ears. The MDT's absolutely shine in every category, across all sound ranges, and across all music genre's. If you are looking for the absolute best in digital audio experience of your life, look no further....this is it.

When I got these earbuds, I plugged them in. I wanted to test them to compare with the iTunes mp3 256kbps 16bit tracks. I already saw a huge improvement. Further interested, I used the AAC Monster-enhanced CD. I was blown away and started crying "oh my God" several times.
These earphones beat all non-studio headphones that I have ever had the pleasure to listen to. Every little nuance comes out. If you listen to Autotuned songs, too bad for you...you'll have to hear how mediocre Autotune really is (but if you're buying these, you probably already know). Everything is balanced. The bass won't blow you away, but that's because they're looking for accuracy and not for a bass-booster. Sounds is highly accurate and full, little whitening of sound. It especially shines with lossless or uncompressed tracks, where it has the capacity to really bring out the extra effects that other earbuds or even headphones would be unable to reproduce, even with the uncompressed data.
Everything feels premium, although occasionally delicate, especially the cable, but it's long enough that you shouldn't have any concerns. Studio types used to 21' cables will be disappointed, but they are long enough to go from your iPod to your head, no matter how tall you are, though I do grant that the cable is shorter than most earbuds I've worked with, by somewhere around 2-3".
Though they are studio quality earbuds, I still wanted to have a mic and play/pause button like on the Beats. It also has the same problems as other Monster earphones, where you hear a tiny click as you push the earphones in. It is, however, insignificant and unrelated to the high build quality.
So, here's the kicker for every Monster product: is it overpriced? If you are a jazz fan, no. If you are not a jazz fan, it probably will be. Not only does this carry the absurd "Monster premium," but also the cost of all the extra goodies (which, for a Miles fan like myself, made the unboxing an entire experience in and of itself). They are still fantastic headphones, but Shure probably has something comparable somewhere for a lower price, fewer goodies, and ultimately lower quality than this headset.
I end up highly recommending this item.