First Listen: Monster Cable Miles Davis Tribute In-Ear Headphones
Some months ago I did an AVguide news piece to preview the arrival of a Miles Davis Tribute in-ear headphone from Monster Cable, which was billed as “the ultimate jazz experience headphone.” At the time I wondered, as perhaps many of you did, whether the product was intended primarily as a collector’s item for those who appreciate Miles Davis memorabilia, or as something more.
Now that I’ve had a chance to log some quality time with the Miles Davis Tributes, I’m pleased to report that, while the package is without a doubt a desirable piece of memorabilia, it also quite definitely offers that elusive “something more” in terms of pure sound quality. But let me put that remark in context. Up to this point, I’ve reviewed Monster’s original Turbine in-ear headphones (~$150, and a fine mid-priced effort) and also the Turbine Pro Gold model (~$300, and a worthwhile step forward from the standard Turbine in terms of more extended frequency response and improved definition). But now, the Miles Davis Tribute model (~$500) has arrived on the scene, and let me tell you that the performance gap between the Turbine Pro Gold and the Miles Davis model is even bigger than the gap between the standard Turbine and the Pro Gold. Truth: the Miles Davis model really is that much better than the Pro Gold.
Of course part of what you are paying for in the Miles Davis package are the tasty extras and intangibles that make it such a collectible product. Among those extras are:
* Three carrying cases including a Miles Davis signature canvas pouch with a spring-clasp closure (perfect for pants pocket use), a suede Miles Davis signature case with a magnetic closure flap (ideal of jacket pocket use), and—get this—a miniature black Miles Davis “trumpet case” (said to be a good model of the case Miles used for his horn) complete with a blue satin lining bearing Miles’ signature. Frankly, the latter is way too cool (and delicate) for day-to-day use, but it sure makes a neat desktop knick-knack for show and tell purposes.
* A splendid 2-CD Columbia Legacy Edition set of Davis’ classic Kind of Blue, complete with outtakes, alternate versions of songs, and a booklet that discusses in depth the impact Kind of Blue has had over the years on the music world.
* An extensive (and I mean really extensive) set of various eartips—including Monster’s very sophisticated dual-layer Supertips—for use with the Miles Davis Tribute ‘phones.
* …and, of course, the Miles Davis Tribute headphones themselves, whose earpieces bear Miles’ signature plus a silhouette of the great trumpeter playing his horn.
These extras are tastefully executed (though some might find them a bit “over the top”) and a lot of fun in their own right, but—please trust me on this one—the main event is the headphone itself.
Earlier today, I spent about 40 minutes on the phone with Head Monster Noel Lee to talk about Monster Cable’s headphone lineup in general and the Miles Davis model in particular. Here’s what I learned.
According to Lee, the standard Turbine is meant to establish a solid benchmark as a mid-priced headphone, while the upscale Turbine Pro Gold is intended as a significantly higher-end step-up model. In fact, he likened the sound of the Pro Gold to that of B&W’s popular 800-series loudspeakers (one of the most popular high-end speaker families of all time), observing that while the Pro Gold offered a good measure of accuracy, it also offers—in a very subtle way—a euphonic quality that flatters most types of music.
By contrast, Lee pointed out, both the Miles Davis Tribute model and Monster’s new Turbine Pro Copper models use somewhat different technology and are cut from different cloth, in that they strive to be extremely revealing—offering sufficiently high levels of resolution that they will make great recordings sound great and mediocre recordings sound, well, like what they are. Lee likened the sound of the Pro Copper headphones to that of very high performance electrostatic loudspeakers, such as the MartinLogan CLX. In short, both the Turbine Pro Copper and the Miles Davis Tribute model are tell-the-truth headphones that let sonic rough edges, if any, fall where they may. And that, in a nutshell, is pretty much exactly what I heard when plugging in the Miles Davis Tribute ‘phones for the first time.
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Comments
Chris, this is not a review; It's an advertisement! You never even try to describe what youb heard, or what you listened to. You don't compare these buds to anything other than cheaper ones from Monster. Other than announcing the product and describing all the goodies that come with it, what have you done to serve your readers?
Once again, please write a review, NOT an advertisement.
You are unfortunately correct. This is not a review. I wanted to read a review and got an advert. Sad to see TAS and Playback sink to such obvious marketing lows.
No one says it is a review. Read the frigging title! It says "First Listen." It is essentially an preview of a review not an advertisement of a product. The last line says "Watch for an upcoming full-length review in Playback."
The idiocy one could find on these comment sections is just pure stunning.
"First Listen" *is* also a review, idiot.
troll harder, numbnut.
I agree with TheArt. I am cluesless as to th sound quality of these phones.
Well guys, go to www.headfi.org. Under Portable headphones forum is a Miles Davis Appreciation thread. They will give it to you straight. Most head-fiers who have heard the MDs (as they are affectionately called there) love them! I am an MD owner and I never been Monster fan until now. Now, I am a believer! I was blown away. The reviewer did tell you that the MDs concentrate on the midrange, and he's correct. The details are stunning. You hear great separation and depth between instruments. It's almost like sitting in an intimate jazz club and hearing your favorite artist upclose (regardless of genre). The MDs reproduce strings better than any IEM (or cans) I've heard, giving the cello and vioin depth and weight - along with great separation and detail. Yet, there is great almost sub-woofer like bass coming out the MDs and very detailed highs (you can really hear the intricate ways the drummers taps the cymbals or plays triangles for instance). There you go, your many review. Relax guys. Oh, by the way, I have owned the Shure ES530, Etymotic HF5, Ultimate Ears TF10 and Sennheiser IE8. So I am a top tier owner of IEMs. I also own the the elusive-in-the-USA Japanese Ortofon e-Q7. I rank the MDs almost equal, but a little less than the Ortos for my pure sound enjoyment.
TheArt and shane55,
It seems to me the art that's missing here is the lost art of reading what's actually presented on the screen.
You're right that this is not a review; it's a blog. That is why the article appears in the Blog section of our site and is NOT listed as a Review. My practice is to give readers first impressions of new products in blog form, and then to offer in-depth findings in full-length Playback reviews later on.
Nevertheless, it is inaccurate to say the blog contains no comments on the sound of the Miles Davis model.
I wrote that, "both the Miles Davis Tribute model and Monster’s new Turbine Pro Copper models use somewhat different technology and are cut from different cloth, in that they strive to be extremely revealing—offering sufficiently high levels of resolution that they will make great recordings sound great and mediocre recordings sound, well, like what they are."
Expanding on that point, I added that "both the Turbine Pro Copper and the Miles Davis Tribute model are tell-the-truth headphones that let sonic rough edges, if any, fall where they may. And that, in a nutshell, is pretty much exactly what I heard when plugging in the Miles Davis Tribute ‘phones for the first time."
Finally, I stated that, "the Miles Davis model provides a slight, deliberate, and very well-judged touch of midrange forwardness, whereas the Pro Copper is the more textbook-neutral design."
You can expect more in-depth analysis of the sonic character of the Miles Davis Tribute model when I do the full Playback review several weeks from now.
TheArt asks, "Other than announcing the product and describing all the goodies that come with it, what have you done to serve your readers?"
The answer is that I finally explain, among other things, exactly how Monster Cable positions the Miles Davis model relative to its other top-tier in-ear headphone offerings (a point that Monster's own marketing materials do not address very clearly at all). If I were considering a purchase of the Miles Davis Tribute headphones, I would certainly want to know what the designers' intentions were, wouldn't you?
Ciao for now.
Chris Martens
Editor, Avguide.com/Playback/The Perfect Vision
I won't purchase any Monster Cable products simply on the basis of what they tried to do to a local independent cable company, Blue Jeans Cable. Clearly, their pricing for many of their products are a sham, dictated primarily by what the market will bear rather than based on any actual R&D and manufacturing costs. What's sad is that, because Monster Cable is such a conglomerate, they are able to wield a lot of influence over magazines (both paper and web)--not saying this is happening here, but *ahem*, just saying...
Monster Cable = sham; nuff said
You're wrong when it comes to earphones.
The Monster Turbine Pro copper I own is a very, very solid product with excellent sound.
comment=bigotry; nuff said
As a new MD earbud owner, I can tell you that the sound quality is astonishing. These earbuds are also the most comfortable out there. One problem: the patented Monster Ear Tips were not included in the early packages. I had to contact the company and request that they be sent separately. But the standard tips are perfectly fine; I can't even imagine how good the sound will be with the Monster tips. (Note: I bought the MDs at the early-adopter price of $300. Though I can't imagine laying out the full price of $499, the MDs are absolutely worth every penny. If you're unsure, buy from Amazon, so you'll have the option to get a refund if you don't agree that listening to music with the MDs is a transforming experience.)
I'd rather have Mack Davis earphones because I bet they'd sound just as good and the tie-in would cost practically nothing.
We need to know the comparison to standards such as the 530 SE's. Until we do know what that will be any comments are a waste of my time and the writer's.