Design
The Monster DNA Headphones feature an on-ear triangle speaker housing and a two-tone colour design. The soft cushions are comfortable even for the longest of music session. They are designed to noise Isolating which means they keep the noise from the world around to a minimum and prevent your music from disturbing others. In real world testing they do a moderate job of both, remembering that these are an on-ear design, not over-ear which can provide real noise isolation.
We’ll get to audio quality in a moment, but it’s just as important to look good in the heaphones and music lovers will enjoy a decent collection of colours which include White Teal, Cobalt Grey, Black, and White Grey. The US however have some seriously creative custom designs, for an extra $35.
One of the most unique features about the Monster DNA headphones is the dual audio input jacks, initially I thought this was simply to allow you the flexibility of choosing which side your cable runs. It turns out there’s a much more intelligent reason.. you can link your headphones together and share the audio. Called ShareMusic, you simply daisy chain heaphones and experience music and movies with your friends. While this will likely work best for a couple, it’s possible to link up to 5 of them. Seriously that’s an awesome feature.
As with most headphones in this category, the DNA’s will fold for easy travelling, although they’ll be much more comfortable massaging your neck than shoved in a suitcase.
Sound
With a premium brand like Monster the expectations of great audio quality was high. The good news is they deliver. The DNA Headphones deliver strong bass and crystal clear vocal frequencies. This means they’ll perform for a wide range of audio tastes, everything from the hardest Dubstep to soft acoustic live performances.
Don’t think it’s always just about music either, there’s always podcasts and movies. Headphones are also not just about accurate sound reproduction, good headphones are also about delivering that sound at all volumes, especially loud ones. Don’t worry about distortion, you won’t find it, in fact your ears will very likely be bleeding before you max out these guys.
Issues
While the in-line controls worked flawlessly when connected to an iPhone, the same could not be said for the other platforms. On Android the play/pause button worked fine, as did voice controls via the microphone, unfortunately the next and previous track buttons don’t work. On Windows Phone the situation gets even worse with the microphone also not supported, this leaves just the play/pause control.
Price
The DNA headphones range by Monster is now available in JB Hi Fi, Myer and Harvey Norman stores, with a recommended retail price (RRP) of $229. For more information on the Monster DNA Headphones, visit www.monstercable.com/headphones.
Overall
Many people often mistake Monster as being a fashion brand, but all the looks in the world mean nothing without performance. Thankfully the Monster DNA Headphones are seriously great at doing their job of delivering great audio to your eardrums. As with any product that comes in at a premium price, I wish it was cheaper, not to dilute the feeling of exclusivity from buying such a product, but so more could enjoy them.
Before pulling the trigger on these, take a look at other on-ears as the space is a very competitive one and you may well find a cheaper, satisfactory alternative.
