Monster Cable’s second foray into the in-ear monitor area is much, much better than their first go-around with the Turbines. Knowing that Monster Cable loves to gouge folks on overpriced cables, one has wonder if their headphones are overpriced as well? Perhaps, but it depends on who you’re asking.
The Beats Tour in-ears look great with a matte red cable that doesn’t seem to tangle, as advertised. They also come with three mushroom-type silicone tips and two sets of tree-like tips. A circular carrying case is also included. It’s well packaged, but overly packaged at the same time. For a pair of in-ear monitors, Monster wasted a ton of resources and money packaging these things. The same could be said for their Turbine in-ears too. This isn’t to say that Monster Cable is the only company guilty of such a travesty, but it’s all so frivolous that I just had to say something.
Aside from the packaging, the Tours perform admirably. But like the Turbines, the tips that come with the Tours degrade the overall listening experience. They simply do not isolate well enough for one to hear the drivers pump out the jams, which they seem to do quite well. Yes, I know how to properly insert in-ears. And I’m even using the biggest mushroom tips and tree tips that come with the Tours. They stink. When I snap my fingers I can hear them clearly even when I have music playing. Monster really needs to focus on improving the tips they provide because they’re 0/2 so far.
I don’t like having to turn up the volume beyond a comfortable level but I’m forced to do so with the Tours. And it all boils down to the seal. The drivers are loud and clear and don’t distort when they get cranked up. The overall sound quality from the Tours seem to be good, but I can’t give a full and honest review when I can’t get a proper seal. They hit on the low-end and snap on the highs, but I have to crank up the volume to really tell, and I don’t like having to do that. To give you a sense of scale, I have to hover around level seven or eight on my MacBook whereas with my Ultimate Ears, Shures, and Etymotics I set it around level two or three to get the same output.
Maybe my ears aren’t meant to mesh with the tips that Monster provides, but I don’t have any issues with all of the other aforementioned manufacturers. The Tours are really nice in-ear headphones and the wiring is crazy cool, but without proper isolation they’re probably not worth the $150 price tag. Monster Cable should consider cutting costs on the packaging and opting for better tips.
For more info on Beats By Dre Headphones go to www.beatsbydre.com