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Review on 🎧 Monoprice 116150 Modern Retro Over Ear Headphones with Comfortable Ear Pads – Ideal for Mobile Devices, HiFi, and Audio/Video Production – Black by Brian Olson

Revainrating 4 out of 5

Pop for Your Pennies

Not enough money? Don't despair. Monoprice Retro is here! First off, I don't think anyone would expect budget Monoprice phones to last more than a year. Your plastic building materials are not intended for long-term use. It was the same with my model 8323. After about a year of continuous use, doink! The left speaker cracked and broke right where it was attached to the headband. I decided to replace them with the retro Monoprice 116150 model. At the recommendation of others, I replaced them with XL Brainwavz foam pads. The phones are very light and feel great with the new pads. But for the sound. Need extra bass? have these. And if they're not as detailed and clean as more expensive phones, then they're more than enough. The mids are okay, but the highs can be a bit harsh on the ear at higher volumes. I'm still new to sampling different types of music, but so far I'm impressed. I'm not sure you can beat them for $26.99. It would be unfair to compare them to the many great headphones I have: Sennheiser 660S, Audio-Technica Air 1000, Audio-Technica M40, Philips Fidelio X2hr, Philips SHP 9600, Fostex. T50 and others. In fact, they are not designed to compete with these models in frontal combat. But if you're on a budget and need a solid set, this might be the way to go. Samples so far: Tim Timmermans - "Seven Bridges" (a lot of trumpet and deep bass) Space Odyssey) - Rudolf Kempe / Staatskapelle Dresden (headphones process many deep string passages very well) Maurice Ravel - Ma Mere L'Oye (Charles Dutoit) / Montreal Symphony Orchestra) Pat Metheny Group - The Road to YouPaul & Linda McCartney - Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey Queen - A Night at the Opera: Bohemian Rhapsody Donald Fagen - Nightfly - IGY; Walking Between Raindrops Dennis Rollins - Gate 11 - Samba Galactica (cymbals are incredibly crisp) To sum it up: processing quality - eh soundstage - great for the price highs - can be a bit shrill mids - mediocre bass - pronounced price - can't be better

Pros
  • Professional sound in headphones suitable for everyday use. Looks good everywhere
Cons
  • Definitely a bad product