Damage:
R3699.00 at Superbalist
What you need to know:
- Over ear headphones
- Available in Blue, Black & White
- Comes with two audio cables
- Comes with carry pouch
What we think you should know:
I’m a headphone snob. My absolute favourite gadget is over ear headphones and I don’t own a pair – I’m that fussy. When the Adidas Originals by Monster dropped on my desk I was skeptical. My first impression was that the Adidas brand blazoned on the box and the cans was simply a way to justify a ridiculous price hike.
Straight out the box:
The headphones come in three colours. I received a black pair to review. I liked that the unit came with two sets of cables. There’s a straight connection or one at a right angle. The snob in me comes out here – right angle connections are a nightmare and if you spend a lot of time plugging your phones in and out of sound sources you can find that after time the cable begins to wear or (God forbid) break. This is such a ridiculously personal thing (and usually one that only seems to be an issue for the obsessed, like me) that I thought it was a nice touch that they gave you a choice. The added benefit is that if one breaks you have a replacement cable.
The headphones also allegedly come with a really funky Adidas carry pouch that includes a smaller attached pouch for cables. Along the way someone had swiped the bag from the review unit so I can’t tell you much more about this mysterious bag. Sorry.
But are they pretty?
The Adidas Originals by Monster are plastic. However, they feel extremely sturdy in hand and I liked the build. They fold up for transport (still pretty clunky but it won’t bug you all that much) and have that Adidas logo emblazoned on them for good measure. The actual ear cups offered some rotation so they fitted really well. Sometimes if you wear earphones for long periods of time they can get pretty uncomfortable. I’ve got to be honest, like a decent pair of sneakers, the Adidas Originals by Monster were uber comfy and I loved the fit.
How did they sound?
Ignoring the sports brand promotions – these babies are Monster headphones at the heart of it. As I mentioned before, I was incredibly skeptical about them at the get go but the moment I blasted Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody (my go to test headphones track) at fall blast I was impressed. When it comes to sound tweaking I prefer Monster to Beats. I find Beats headphones to be really bass heavy where as Monster seems to be designed to give you that live music concert type effect. The sound was crisp and clear.
These aren’t noise cancelling headphones but the comfy cushioned cups did a good job at blocking out most of the outside noise.
A few extras:
Other than the Adidas brand (which I still don’t get if I’m honest) the headphones have a cable input on each ear cup. It means you can choose which side you want to be connected and also allows you to share with a friend. Your mate is able to plug their cable in to the other ear and listen to the same sounds. It’s a tiny little add on but one I like because no one wants to share headphones – yuck!
Should you buy them?
The sound is fab. The headphones look the part. I’m still not sure what role Adidas has to play in this other than possibly funding their manufacture to ensure they have walking advertisements in New York subways. However, other similar offerings – including Beats – come in cheaper and sometimes offer a few extra add ons. So it really comes down to how much you love that sneaker brand?
So rad:
- I love Monster’s live performance quality sound
- Really comfortable
- Monster music share offering
Makes us sad:
- I can’t decide if they’re really worth that price. Jury’s out!
Disclaimer: The Adidas Originals by Monster over ear headphones were a review unit which means they go off to the next media person now. We don’t keep them.
