Monoprice Retro Review: $30 Headphones That Beats Wished They Were; And You Are Dumb if You Don't Own Them

[Skanky Sylveon]

52 minutes ago, Max_Settings said:

Beyer only on their low end stuff. Once you hit the 1770, 1990 range they are detachable. Audio Technica is the worst. They make $1000+ stuff with attached wires.

I thought they had a 1000+ pair that had non detachable cables.

But yeah, Audio Technica is pretty bad as well.  Their newest ATH-ADX5000 has detachable cables though, but at that price point, there may be better options.

52 minutes ago, Max_Settings said:

I don’t see how anyone could put the K702 on the same level as the 650.

That's the thing, when it comes to judging the audio, it's all highly subjective.  There's no right or wrong, just good taste, and poor taste.

With that said, when it comes to overall detail, the HD 650 defiantly has the K702 beat, there are just certain qualities to the K702 that I really like.

Qualities that make me prefer them for gaming and certain genres of music.

 

Interestingly, some have recommended the HD700 to me since they apparently have some of the same qualities that I really like in the K702s.

39 minutes ago, Daniel Z. said:

@Max_Settings @Cinnabar Sonar you guys know of a place where I could try the HD 6xx/650s? I want to know what the hype is about. Most people that have the K7xx and HD 650 say the K7xx has wider soundstage and is slightly worse in every other place.

I found a real nice spot in a Best Buy where I used to live.

Where I live now, I don't have that luxury anymore.

 

As far as i'm concerned, the K702 has a wider sound stage, and faster decay (making them overall quicker).  The HD 650 has better imaging, heavier bass, and laid back treble.  The midrange is also quite detailed,

I had a recording comparison up, but I took it down due to it receiving a copyright ID match.

It's only being recorded in mono, and with an AT2020, so not the best of recordings, but if you are still interested, DM me, i'll give you a download link.

[Daniel Z.]

1 hour ago, Max_Settings said:

There aren’t a ton of audio stores in the U.S. NYC has the most by far. That would be the only place I know of besides CanJam or a headphone meet. As someone who has both the K7XX and HD6XX I can tell you that what you describe is true. K7XX sounds like a muddier and grainier 650 with more sound stage and low end.

I'm in Canada so that's probably worse haha.

[kokakolia]

These Monoprice headphones are really cheap...if you live in the USA

 

Yes, Monoprice ships internationally. BUT, they do not include tax during checkout. As stated here:

Spoiler

https://www.monoprice.com/scripts/disclaimer_international.html

So you could be billed $10, $20, $30 extra (who knows?) upon receiving your package. 

 

Fortunately, Canadians can purchase the Monoprice Retro on Amazon for $56 Canadian. So that's not too bad... Keep in mind that this is a "sale" price. The regular price is $70. But that's just a dirty Amazon trick to make you believe that you're getting a juicy deal when you're just paying (more than) the standard price. 

Spoiler

https://www.amazon.ca/Monoprice-116150-Modern-Retro-Headphones/dp/B01M7Z0VKR/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?ie=UTF8&qid=1523983817&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=monoprice+retro&psc=1

 

However, there are several things that irk me with this Monoprice Retro headphone:

 

- The non-removable cable that's 3m long and very "in the way". I know for a fact that this headphone will be garbage when the jack gives away. I give it 2 years. 

- The self-adjusting headband. I have a huge melon. I wear a XXL motorcycle helmet. I am worried that the self adjusting headband will be too tight and cause me huge discomfort by pulling my ears up and squeezing my melon. This was the case with the Superlux HD 681 (the worst headphone ever made) which looks just like the Monoprice Retro. 

- The awful pads. You have to factor in the cost of aftermarket pads in the price. I mean you have to be a masochist to use terrible pads. A set of XL Brainwavz pads costs $37~$40 Canadian. This means that the Monoprice Retro "really" costs $94~$100 Canadian. 

Spoiler

https://www.amazon.ca/Brainwavz-Large-Replacement-Memory-Earpads/dp/B076SGPZ2D/ref=pd_sbs_23_2?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=880HH77DJEWS46EPDR3X

- The Status Audio CB-1 comes with proper pads and a removable cable. It costs $89 Canadian. 

 

So for us Canadians, the Status Audio CB-1 is cheaper than the Monoprice Retro and comes with a removable cable which is a must. AND the CB-1 is compatible with the V-Moda BoomPro Mic:

Spoiler

https://www.amazon.ca/V-MODA-BoomPro-Gaming-Headset-Headphone/dp/B00BJ17WKK/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1523985496&sr=1-1&keywords=v-moda+boompro

 

 

[3 Minute Reviewer]

Have you ever used the sheepskin pads before? Thinking I might get these cans and do a mod and have a $100 amazon gift card - debating if I just make them as great as they can be. EDIT: Also if I ever get another pair of headphones (maddogs, beyerdynamics) I could use these pads with them right?

[Max_Settings]

2 minutes ago, kmathieu2220 said:

Have you ever used the sheepskin pads before? Thinking I might get these cans and do a mod and have a $100 amazon gift card - debating if I just make them as great as they can be. EDIT: Also if I ever get another pair of headphones (maddogs, beyerdynamics) I could use these pads with them right?

I think the Alpha pads would work. The Sheepskin pads are very nice. They are a popular pad to put on the Mr Speakers Ether headphones.