Monster - DNA On-Ear Headphones - Black Carbon Fiber

These are great headphones, i use them every day. They can get really loud or really quiet and can cancel out a all other sounds. They seem expensive when you by them but eventually become worth every penny.

It's the year of Monster, after purchasing my Inspirations (read my review#, I bought the DNAs #Teal# for my daughter #who hates both in ear and over ear# and she has since stopped bothering me to get her anything else. I got these for her because some of the other on ear headphones looked inexpensively made and not as durable. I tried these out in store on the Monster display and was blown away #literally) by how much louder they were than anything I had heard before. The sound was so clear despite being loud and the bass was actually quite good, not drowning like with most others I have owned in the past. She had Beats before which were good and so do most of her friends, but now she's the trendsetter with this new pure Monster sound. She's happy, I'm happier, 'nuff said. -Big B

COMPARISON: These headphones will be compared to my experience with the Beats Solo HD. These headphones I bought two Christmases ago for my wife. I have owned the DNA headphones for over six months. Let's get down to the nitty gritty shall we? The sound quality on these headphones is excellent! I have never experienced such great sound quality before when it comes to headphones. The noise cancellation is terrific. I work in an office and I usually like to listen to my music when I want to focus on my work, well... I've own in your ear type buds and those do not provide great cancellation of noise when you're around other people, especially with the type of music I play (EDM, Hip Hop, Rock#. My co-workers cannot hear anything when they're on my head and when I do take it off I can provide some music for the rest of the floor because of how loud they are. I love the option of using two 3.5mm cords to connect your headphones to a music device, and just on the other side you have another port to share your music with someone else with headphones. I like the idea, but maybe some people would not feel like listening to the same type of music at the moment, but that's no fault of Monster for trying to do the sharing thing. The weight of the headphones is also perfect. Almost everything I own I like a particular heaviness to it and this one feels like premium headphones compared to the beats solo. Now... This is where Monster lost two stars from me. If I would have rated these headphones six months ago I would have given it five stars, but after six months my headphone started to chip, crack, and break apart. I don't know if I just got the luck of the draw for a lemon, but the headphones are now useless. In fact I got so frustrated I broke them apart to see what it's inside of it and I've never dropped them, mistreated them, or stepped on them. I would feel a bit robbed if not for Best Buy selling it at $99.99 and I had a gift card that brought it down to $89.99. If you buy these headphones I'd probably insure it just in case, but the build on my headphone was pretty cheap. I am pretty bummed out that I cannot listen to my music with the great sound quality that these headphones provided. If this was just a lemon I would recommend these headphones, but if they're all fragile like mine then I would tell you not to waste your money and buy Beats instead. My wife's Beats are still in good condition. NOTE: The picture I uploaded is actually a picture of where the headphones started breaking on both sides #notice the tape).

I went to Best Buy to take a listen to headphones I was looking at for myself (B&W P5), and my son said he wanted new headphones for his birthday. He was about to turn 12, and he received a pair of inexpensive bluetooth headphones for Christmas from his grandmother, so I knew this could only mean one thing - he wanted cooler headphones. His bus is full of kids who perpetually have their Beats by Dre around their necks, as much as for fashion reasons as actually listening to their iPods. So we looked at the Beats Solo HD that they all seem to have, and neither of us was particularly impressed. Next were the Beats Studios, which were better, but I wasn't prepared to spend $300 on headphones for a 12 year old. Not sure why $200 was acceptable, but I digress. So we looked at Sony's, Soul by Ludacris SL300 (which I bought for myself, but that's another review) and a few others. As we were leaving, we saw the Monster DNA display, and I thought they looked pretty cool. Remembering that Beats were engineered by Monster originally, I decided to take a listen. I was actually shocked by how much louder yet clearer the sound was compared to the Beats Solos. My son then tried them on, and he was equally impressed. He came across a pair that were "Digital Camo" colored, and he was sold. They were $179 at that time, so I considered them a deal compared to the $199 Solos. I think we definitely made the correct choice. Monster took what they learned from engineering the Beats and improved on it in every way. They headphones sound better, they're built better and they don't look cheap like the Solos (IMO). They come in a nice box with a carrying back with a carabiner, two cables (one with iPod controls and a right angle jack connector, one without) and a cloth to clean them. So if you're in the market for headphones and you're not buying them just for social status, I highly recommend the DNAs. Monster has made a superior product to Beats in every way, and hopefully will gain good market traction with these. I'm personally planning on buying a pair of Monster Inspiration headphones (to supplement the SL300s I bought for myself because the deal was so good) because they may be the best I've listened too under $500. Monster's reputation for audio equipment is definitely validated with their headphone line.

This was my first set of on-ear headphones. I had reservations about buying these headphones, but the minute I took them out of the box and listened to music on the way home, I discovered that my fears were not warranted. (I was not driving.) I got a great price because they had them on sale. I saved nearly $90. I would suggest you check regularly--not just the weekly ad specials, but the website. These went up by $50 the week after I bought them and now are about $100 more than I paid. I read nearly every review I could find and decided I would go to a store that had a good selection of working headphones in the store to listen to the sound of each one. The Mayfield Road store in the greater Cleveland, OH area was the only store locally to have a great display of working headphones with a wide variety of brands at different prices. I would strongly suggest you go to a location where you can listen to any headphones BEFORE you decide to buy based on the reviews. The young man (Tayvonne sp??) who helped me was very knowledgeable, well-spoken, open and honest about sharing his personal experience with different headphones and why he preferred certain ones and which ones he would suggest for me based on my needs and the type of music I wanted to listen to. He actually suggested some that were less expensive than the ones I went there to buy and explained why he thought each one would be good for me. He pointed out special offers on different phones I had not even considered because they were well above my budget, but with the special deals they were within my budget. After reading the reviews, I had narrowed my search to Sol Republic, Sony, Bose, and Sennheiser and I had pretty much made up my mind to buy the Bose, Sony, or Sennheiser - MOMENTUM before going to the BestBuy to listen. I took my phone with me to listen to MY music instead of just their display music. After doing that and comparing 6 different sets, I ruled out the Beats--They had great sound and a terrific special rebate deal going on, but I did not want really big headphones and these were very noticeable on my head and big looking on me. They also required batteries to cancel noise which made them heavy. I did not really want or need that feature even though they were the best deal. The bass was very strong and I did not really like that feature so much. I liked the Bose, but they were very quiet and my music at full volume was not as loud as I would have wanted for those times when I would want to block out the noise around me. They were OK, but I did not really think the sound quality was there for the price and I could not get over how limited the volume level was. I really liked the Sol Republic, but the sound was not remarkable and I did not love them enough to pay nearly $100 more. So I ruled them out. After I heard these DNA by Monster, I just liked the sound much better with my music than the others I was considering. I compared and then compared again and again using the same music for each one and listening to three different types of music Beyonce, Classical, and Rock. I really struggled with NOT buying the Bose and Sol Republic because I knew of their reputation for quality and great sound, but these DNA sounded so much better to my ears I knew these were the ones for me. I cannot stress strongly enough how important I think it is for you to listen to headsets in the store with your music BEFORE you buy. Had I not tried each of them, I probably would not have known the difference, but I probably would have had to make a second trip to the store to take the Bose back due to their low volume. Only your ears can tell you what you will enjoy. I must say that these do make my ears a little sore feeling after 4-5 hours, but then again, I guess I should not expect them not to. I really enjoy the sound and for the first 3 hours I do not feel them on my head at all. I can block out the sound of football games on Sunday without cranking these up. In fact, that is another good point about these. I barely have to put the volume up to have it be loud enough to block out surrounding noise. It is only when I hit the 4 hour mark that I notice discomfort--but it is not pain, just an uncomfortable feeling. Hope this helps those who are struggling with making a decision.

These are great headphones for someone who is not a hard-core audiophile. In the past, I usually bought the cheap < $30 ear buds for listening to music on my iPhone. I decided to demo some of the higher end headphones for use at work and at home. I was blown away by the sound quality of the Monster DNA headphones. The on-ear pads are plush but do not make my ears sweat and they isolate outside noise very well. The downsides that I have experienced with these are: 1) Durability - I have never spent more than $30 on headphones prior to these, so I worry about breaking or damaging them. They are made out of plastic so they feel like they can snap in half if too much pressure is applied. Additionally, the ear cups do fold in, but I worry that if they get compressed too much the headband will break. This might be paranoia because these are the most I've ever invested in headphones before. 2) No hard case - These do come with a soft pouch for carrying around, but I am still worried about these getting crushed inside my bag. 3) Comfort - Some of the other reviews I read mentioned that these get a little uncomfortable after wearing them for an extended period of time. I have found this to be true as well, especially if the head band is placed squarely on top of the head.

My daughter received beats for her birthday and they started messing up so we brought them back we were going to just replace them but after listening to the Monster-DNA headphones she didn't want the beats anymore they have such a better sound quality. Seems ridiculous to pay for a name (beats) when something a little less known is FAR better!!!

This is my first pair of headphones in the 100+ price range. I was very skeptical about buying them at first, but eventually talked myself into buying them. I don't regret this at all!!! Very excited with the performance of the Monster Cable DNA. Best headphones I have owned. Sound quality far exceeds beats I hear things that I have never heard before in songs & lets all be honest the looks of the DNA are head and shoulders above the beats. If you are looking for overpowering bass that distorts some of your sound quality get the beats, but if you want great overall sound quality with beautiful highs & deep loud bass then look no further. You have found them. The best mixture of sound quality and style I have seen on any headphones. I wear these each day to class & people are always stopping me to ask what kind of headphones I am wearing. Also, they cancel out almost all of the outside noise. While wearing all I hear is my music, not what is going on around me. Overall, I am 100% satisfied with my purchase. I couldn't ask for a better product!! If you want an excellent mixture of sound quality and style then look no further. BUY NOW!! You won't regret it.