When I was looking for good quality headphones, there were two things I sought out: Comfort and Quality. Over the years, I have used many headphones and earphones for my personal use. No matter the product, I always found myself stumbling upon two main issues. First, my ears would immensely hurt after short uses of around 1-2 hours. Secondly, the headphones would usually get damaged and/or break due to the wire being caught on something and the plug being ripped off the socket. Inconvenient, unnecessary issues added to a long day of work. As a designer/illustrator, my job involves me sitting at my computer table for many hours at a time: creating new, fresh content, making phone calls, listening to informational videos, researching new techniques and so on. What keeps me going during long work hours is listening to music, playing video games or even seeing small comedic cat videos. Without a doubt, having a set of good quality headphones is an essential piece of technology that creatives need to get through a typical, long working day.
Then I found Monster Elements. Monster, one of the leaders of creating high performance audio systems, made a product that was designed to redefine the wireless category of headphone technology. After owning one recently, I can summarize the product with two words: Comfort and Quality. A lot of care and attention to detail has been exercised when designing this product. From the crafted appearance of the box, to the microfiber cleaning cloth which they provide, and even the hard cover zip case for headphone and wire storage. I love the attention to detail, the thought that went into their packaging, all of which complement the actual functions and features offered by the headphone itself.
Jumping right into it: Monster Elements can be used as both a wired and a wireless device, which is amazing! It allows me to work freely and not run the risk of tripping or accidentally pulling the plug while the headphones are still on. On the flip side, I am still given the option to use it as a wired device. The amazing sound quality is something I will not go in depth about as it is best to experience it for yourself. However, for me personally, I recently watched my all-time favourite movie, The Lord of the Rings, with these headphones. If that movie was my love, then I consider Monster Elements to be cupid. In addition, the memory foam cushions on the ear pieces provide comfortable padding over the ears for up to 3-4 hours. It also has excellent sound control functions, and options that can be operated with the gentle touch of your finger. The control surface, with all the control functions, is located on the right side of the headphones. Another great thing is how easy it is to setup. You press the power button which turns on a light to indicate that the device is ready to be paired with any Bluetooth-enabled device. After syncing, you are asked to choose an option from a list of sound profiles. A lot of people have certain preferences on how they want to hear music, so having the option to play around with the settings is always neat. One final point to discuss is the battery life. Now the company advertises that this pair of headphones can last 20 hours and realistically, I cannot wear it that long to find out. However, I did put this to the test in a different way: I left it on for 12 hours straight with the volume set to 60% and it still had a lot of battery left! Works for me.
Now I have been using these headphones for three weeks prior to writing this article and I can honestly say this: I can feel a real difference when I am working. The major drawback I can see with these headphones is the price. The retail price is $349 on Monster’s website. I agree that at that price, it is definitely expensive. However, after using these headphones, I can say that you are not just buying a product, you are investing in something that will add value to your everyday activities. This product fulfilled my two major criteria, but I didn’t expect that it would exceed my expectations in other areas as well. With its amazing quality and great comfort, it’s allowed me to be efficient at my work while not being a burden on my ears. What more can one ask out of headphones?