Monster Cable, the makers of cable, just sent the new Beats by Dr. Dre, a pair of noise cancelling “studio” headphones aimed at the mid-range audio consumer. At $349, these are priced at exactly the same point as the Bose QuietComfort 3, these headphones closest competitor. I’ve been wearing them for the past hour and found them on par with the QC3s in terms of noise reduction. They have very crisp tight bass and a nice separation as well. Best of all the, the Beats use AAA batteries instead of the QC3′s battery pack, which means you’re not stuck if you forget to recharge. I’ll be taking a flight tomorrow and I’ll bring these along to test – I’m just about sold on the QC3s when it comes to noise reduction but I’m game to try these out in a real-world scenario. The ear cups are quite nice and isolate the ear well and the styling is slightly younger and cooler than other massive headphones out there. Monster is entering a wireless age and they have to excel at stuff that doesn’t get electrons from point A to point B just to survive. In my brief testing, I’m willing to give them the benefit of the doubt on these. → Read More
It’s no secret that I love my Monster Outlets To Go power strip. It’s the most used gadget in my gear bag no matter where I am. Such a simple device with so many perks like instant friendship with the hot girl waiting at your gate. It won’t get you laid, but you’ll look cool in front of the other nerds. The release isn’t very clear on how many USB ports there are, but I’d assume it’s just one. There is no image attached either, so we’ll have to wait on that. However, the Outlets To Go 3 USB will retail for one penny less than $30 and comes in black. → Read More
I’m trying to find the source on this, but someone compared Monster Cable speaker wire to audio run through coat hanger wire and, in a blind listening test, found no noticeable difference. The jury is out on this topic — and gets very enraged when you talk about it — but let’s just say I’m leaning towards the “wire is wire” camp unless you’re dealing with supercolliders. UPDATE – Here’s the thread. Speaker Wire discussion Do coat hangers sound as good as Monster cables? [BB] → Read More
[photopress:24121.jpg,full,left]So the Consumerist published a post about how Monster Cables are overpriced and unnecessary, and don’t really add that much, if anything, to the listening experience. So Monster wrote back, drafting a letter detailing that it’s the retailers who set the very high prices, not Monster. Sadly, Monster doesn’t do any damage to the (true) claim that the cables are just hogwash, but that’s another post. Head over to the Consumerist for the whole rundown. Monster Responds To “Monster Cables, Monster Ripoff” [The Consumerist] → Read More
What’s the best way to deal with having way too many cables running around, tripping you, so that you fall and crunch your teeth together in a bone-jarring bite? Why, make them into one, giant cable, of course! Or so thinks the monsters at Monster Cable, who have put together the Cable•It (their dot, not mine) cable clutter management system. It’s a tube that you run all of your favorite cables through, and has ports along the side to let them out at the appropriate destinations. Genius! And because it’s monster cable, you know it’ll cost them $2 to make, but of course they’ll sell the piece of plastic tubing for $20! Get yours today! Monster Cable Cable•It [Product page] → Read More
Confusion about HD components and interconnects has spawned so much misinformation from all sides — including retailers, journalists, manufacturers, and forum-posting electrical engineers — that it’s time to set the Blu-ray discrecord straight. Monster Cable is the current target of somewhat misguided accusations because of this lack of understanding. The issue is: Does a better HDMI cable give you a better picture on your HDTV? The answer is that a high-end cable has absolutely nothing to do with improving the quality of your HDTV picture in the way that audiophile-grade cables can improve the sound of your high-end home stereo. For the most part, high-end cables are about future-proofing rich people’s custom installations and supporting technologies that aren’t even available yet. Does that mean Monster is justified in selling hyper-expensive cables to the rest of us? Of course not. That falls under consumer responsibility; you wouldn’t buy expensive racing tires for the family minivan. But does that justify people being up in arms about claims Monster is not making? No. → Read More
Monster Cable, the company that charges insane amounts of money for copper wires, actually came up with a fine idea for its iFreePlay headphones, silly name notwithstanding. The ‘phones are designed for the second generation iPod shuffle and connect directly to the diminutive portable audio player. That means there’s no cords to deal with, something that joggers will no doubt appreciate. The headphones wrap around the back of your head, further eliminating the need for clips and other widgets that get in the way of high intensity aerobic exercise. That they’re only $50 is most surprising. I didn’t think Monster Cable made anything that cost less than a small fortune. Product Page [Monst Cable via iLounge] → Read More
A few days ago we brought you word about an essay Apple’s Steve Jobs wrote, calling for an end to the DRMing of music, a practice his company has been forced to participate in by the music industry. Mr. Jobs wants to put an end to copy protection of music files, to create greater interoperability between computers, music stores, and portable devices. In the aftermath of the essay, which sent shockwaves through the digital media industry, one of the major music labels, EMI, has said that it is considering dumping DRM altogether. This announcement was met with hurrahs from the anti-DRM public. Likewise, Yahoo!’s CEO Dave Goldman said to USA Today that he foresees a DRM-free future for his company’s store, as well. Not to be outdone, CEO of Monster Cable, Noel Lee, has also publicly backed Jobs. Wait, Monster Cable? Yes. As it turns out, Monster sells a type of high-def audio disc format called Monster Music, which it sells DRM-free. If the labels can get around the idea of DRM, then it means more potential customers for the service. Way to milk it, Noel. We like your style. Jobs gains support of Yahoo!, Monster on DRM issue [Apple Insider] → Read More
