- Built tough to endure active lifestyles.
- In-ear clip design for long term comfort.
- Splash and water proof (Up to 30 minutes at 1 m.)
- Sweat proof and sand proof to ensure your music doesn''t get interrupted during activity.
** Beware of Fakes **
The first unit I purchased was fulfilled bu Amazon but sold by "TLinc". I returned them after two runs ... they had real issues:
* They sounded horrible. No bass. I figured I had to tweak the fit more.
* The buttons were VERY difficult to push, especially if you try to "double-click" a button.
* The unit was not waterproof ... it wasn''t even sweat-proof. Both times I used it, the ControlTalk unit started shorting out within 20 minutes. The music would start skipping forward and backward ... it would pause and start over ... and my iPod Nano 6G would start announcing track names playlist names on its own.
I promptly returned the unit for a refund, and noticed the packaging did not match the images on the Monster website or Amazon. Wrong graphics on box, Packaging was different, the inner box was black vice white, and the case was different. I sent pics to Monster and they were complete counterfeits. I ordered another pair, this time from Amazon, and they were genuine.
The genuine iSports work great, once you get them sized correctly. I have finally found a set of headphones that I can use on my long (sweaty) runs with my iPhone or iPod. The little clip thingies keep them in my ears, and they do not budge while running. Great product, just be sure you get real ones. Compare the packaging with the images on the Monster website!
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I''m a Cyclist/Triathlete and an Industrial Designer, so I''m a geek when it comes to product performance and design. I cross-train an hour a day, and listen to music two-three hours a day while working and commuting by bike and train.I''ve been looking for a sport alternative to my stock iPhone headset ever since I trashed them with sweat. I discovered the hard way that sweat likes to drip down the iPhone cord and straight into the microphone electronics. This is what appealed to me the most with these--the whole set is waterproof and washable. My iPhone is jealous.
Like:
* Innovative design locks into your ear using an internal ear-loop and pivoting ear-tip. No more tape, and no hassle with my helmet or glasses. This is a similar approach to the Bose IE2, but more seems more ergonomic and clearly designed for sports.
* Look cool, and the color options let you match your kit. Yes, cool enough that they''re a worthy upgrade over those iconic white buds, the symbol of Apple design zealots like me. I personally love the electric-blue model because it matches my kit, is the hot color in cycling right now, and matches the ear-loops of my eyeglasses (I told you I''m a designer!)
* Custom-fit with a ton of included tips and ear-loops. Being a big guy, I just assumed I''d need the bigger ones, but I actually discovered that the small loops did the job just as well and were more comfortable. (Either my inner ear is small, or their sizes run large.)
* Great sound. These are the best in-ear headphones I''ve ever used! The bass-response rivals the SONY over-ear headphones I use at work--and even let me crank the volume higher since they''re more isolating and won''t disturb my neighbors as much. I can almost feel the bass.
* Rugged, truly tangle-free flat cable design is so much better than the iPhone headphones. It removes the hassle of constant tangles, and just looks better since they hang flat.
* Mic-remote is great for controlling music, talking on the phone, or commanding Siri, so I can keep my iPhone in my jersey.
* Waterproof and washable. Crazy. I haven''t tried swimming with them because I don''t have a waterproof MP3 player, but I like the idea.
* Isolating--by blocking out the environment, I can really focus on what I''m doing and retreat into the music.
* Compatible with Gel and Foam ear-tips available from Monster and third-parties like Comply.
Dislike:
* Essentially ear-plugs, these can be overly sound-isolating during certain activities like cycling where you need to be more aware of your environment, or talking on the phone, where you can''t hear yourself talk. The ear-plugging also creates some unfortunate sound-transferrance affects. You''ll immediately notice the booming effect you get from the cable--which is basically a plucked string hooked to your skull. You''ll also hear the sound of your own breathing and booming footfalls. That might be a deal-breaker for some runners.
* They become uncomfortable after about 15 minutes of use, especially with the removable ear-loops. I tried smaller sizes, but ultimately just removed them altogether. The plugs cause my inner ear to itch, and my ear feels sore for a while after I''ve taken them out. I''d like to experiment with the aftermarket foam tips, because obviously a lot of people like this in-ear style--maybe I just haven''t found the right fit.
* The in-line remove is heavy and bulky. It tends to catch on my collar and tugs at my ear. It''s also hard to find the right button on the remote by feel. It would be faster to zero-in if only the center button was raised instead of all three.
* The retail package fails because it doesn''t know what it wants to be. This is obviously where some of the cost is going because it''s incredibly well-built, and even includes a fabric pull loop and magnetic clasp, suggesting some sort of regular re-use. But unlike eyeglass cases which are portable, durable and elegant, this is still just a giant cardboard box covered in marketing material. You can''t even remove the store-hanger. Plus they include a bag, so what''s the box for? I wish they put everything in a zippered hardcase like I''ve got for my Oakleys.
* The angle-plug is a hassle. I don''t understand the point because it means it''s never oriented flush to fit into your pocket, and when it is, it''s in the way of the buttons. It also means that it''s rotating a lot and scraping on the contacts inside the phone. And finally, there''s less to grab when inserting and removing it.
Overall, I recommend these phones because they sound great, look great, and in my experience, are the best phone out there for active use.
I have a feeling I''ll be using them a lot, and for a years to come based on their durability.
Read Best Reviews of Monster iSport Immersion In-Ear Headphones with ControlTalk (Blue) Here
I had high expectations for these before testing them out. Sitting at my desk and listening to music, I was very happy with the headphones. They fit very snug and the music quality was surprisingly better than I expected. Also felt like they did a great job cancelling out back ground noise.Then I went to the weight room to test them out. Lifting with them was great, didn''t have to listen to the guy next to me breath extra hard, however I felt having the volume controls so high on the cord was a bit annoying. Then came my run, and this is where I was left wanting more from the headphones. The first thing I noticed while running with these is how much of an echo there was. I heard every footstep I made. I make it about a quarter mile before the left headphone pops out, and with in a few minutes they both had popped out. Eventually I took the headphones off and finished the run without them.
Overall the headphones are built with great quality and the music is superb. I will continue to use these while lifting, but will choose to skip the headphones while running.
Disclaimer: I received the iSport headphones at no cost in return for giving a fair, honest and unbiased review of the headphones, with no expectation of a favorable review.
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While I would hardly consider myself a "top athlete," I am very hard on headphones. For the last several years, I''ve been running with some variation of the Sennheiser PMX 680 Sports Earbud Headphones, which are currently the best option I''ve found that don''t die after 10 hours of heavy use and getting saturated with sweat on a long run. For the most part, I haven''t had any problem with them, except the design limits headgear, which is a problem in the winter. That''s why I was so excited to see the Monster iSport Headphones. After my initial groan at seeing another product insert "i" before their name for ambiguous practical but understandable marketing reasons, I took the phones out of the fairly nice packaging and surveyed what was before me. Like most high-end phones, the iSports come with five pairs of eartips and five pairs of "ear hooks" for customizing them to your ear type. The ear hook goes inside the ridge of your ear and springs up and rests against your hear to hold the headphone in place. The ear hooks are labeled small, medium, large, extra large, and extra extra large. The eartips are not labeled. I like that they give you different options, since you always want the best fit possible, and after much too long of a time spent trying the different options, I finally settled on the middle set of bulbs and the large ear hooks. Monster says it is vital to select the best fit for isolation of outside noise, and that snapping your fingers next to your ears should produce a dull sound. I never quite got that, but this was the only combination that felt comfortable in my ears. But since the phones are designed to be waterproof, obtaining the best fit is very important. It does take a little bit of work to get the headphones into your ears. The iSport also comes with a sport clip, which is useful for attaching the line to your shirt to keep it out of your way. Lastly, a small nylon bag comes with it to store the headphones when not in use.This being a Monster product, I tried to ignore my predisposition against their brand name (based on years of seeing them produce ridiculously overpriced products such as $100 HDMI cables) and I also ignored all the hype in the product description about gold-plated connectors and "flux capacitor technology" or whatever, and just concentrated on whether they sounded good. At rest, the iSports are very comfortable, and the sound was surprisingly crisp and clear. I used them with my iPod Nano and found the ControlTalk very useful, especially since the newest generation of Nano is a touch screen, and it is very difficult to skip tracks while wearing gloves. The ControlTalk makes this very convenient and I started to wonder how I ever got along without it. Next, I took them out on a six mile trail run in the rain, which is a pretty good litmus test for me, since I''m jumping up and down a lot. Sound remained clear and was much different than what I''m used to with the Sennheisers. An hour later the iSports were still in my ears and I had no discomfort at all. The rain didn''t seem to have any effect on the usability of the iSports and didn''t diminish the sound at all. The best part however, is that I didn''t have to adjust the earbuds once during my run. Usually after I start to sweat and it gets in my ears, I am constantly adjusting my headphones to move water away and to get more comfortable, but I didn''t have to do that at all with these, which is almost worth the price alone. When I am running and get into a groove, I don''t want something that will constantly distract me and throw me off my pace. Lastly, I tried these out in a forty minute plyometrics session, which is pretty much nothing but jumping up and down, and again had no problems with them coming out (though I did have to adjust them a few times). I have not had a chance to try out the waterproof claims of these phones, since I don''t have a waterproof player, and can''t ever really see myself needing that anyway, but given that I sometimes run through streams, it''s nice to know I don''t have to worry about the headphones during really heavy rains.
My intense dislike for Monster aside, I have to say that these are some very high quality headphones that do what they claim, and are great for running. One problem I have with that is that they isolate noise more than I''m used to, so for most runs I have to leave one bud out so that I can still hear traffic and potential dangers. The only other thing I really dislike is that the ControlTalk switch is about 5 inches below the left earbud, so you have to reach up to your face to use it. It really should have been positioned below the left/right speaker wire split, and toward your chest or belly button. The current location might be more useful for surfing, but it''s very inconvenient for running and almost any other physical activity.
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IMPORTANT NOTE: These headphones were received for free from the manufacturer in exchange for testing out the product and writing an unbiased review. Had to say that. :)I''m a DJ and my ears are very in tune, but apparently not as good as I thought they were. I''ve been using the Bose headphones for years, and wow, was I ever missing out on the true range of sound that music provides our ears. I have listened to several kinds of music with these today. By far, the best way to test a good sound system (or headphones) out is to listen to something like Andrea Bocelli where you get goose bumps from the power of his voice, and now goose bumps x2 with these. His voice is amazing, and it just comes alive with these headphones like none of my other headphones (or my Levinson audio system in my car) could do. Electronic dance music sounds amazing as well with crisp highs, great mids, and a nice punchy bass that makes you feel like you''re at the club! Pop music was also beautiful, listening to Neon Trees, Maroon 5, and Adele. Speaking of which... when Adele beats out "We could have had it allllllll" you''ll get goose bumps... OMG! Then jump on over to Maroon 5 Hands all Over and listen to their live version of If I Ain''t Got You... WOW.
With that said, I''ve never been a fan of in ear headphones. I don''t like that feeling that something is pushing in my ear canal (kind of like you want to pop your ears). I had to futz around with these quite a bit to find the right fit for my ear, they come with several different sizes and for me I ended up having to put the Small in my left ear, and the extra small in my right ear. They stay in all day while sitting at my desk at work. Unfortunately, I still have not been able to get a good seal when I run. They STAY in my ear, I''ll give them that. No worries about them popping out like other in ear buds do, BUT they loose their seal and then you don''t get as much bass or full range sound as when they are perfectly sealed. When lifting weights at the gym I also found that they loose their seal and I had to push them back inside my ear canal several times during my work out. The other thing I didn''t like is that even though the cord is flat, it still got twisted up quickly after taking my phone in and out of my pocket several times during my work out. Keep in mind, I have NEVER found a pair of in ear headphones that fit. Maybe I need custom molded ones for my ears... So I guess that''s just how this is going to be. Another problem for me with in ears (especially when running) is the THUMP THUMP you HEAR in your ears. I''m not sure if that''s the ear bud picking up the shock of your feet hitting the pavement, OR is it movement in the ear buds from bouncing up and down during the run? Never the less, you do get used to it and eventually don''t notice it as much. Or, you can turn the volume up a little to drown that sound out more.
The Control Talk is really cool, but because they supposedly sealed it, the buttons do have to be pressed down pretty hard. Unfortunately, while at the gym tonight I discovered that only the play/pause button works, the volume buttons no longer work. Such a shame because that''s ALWAYS been a problem with the white Apple ear buds due to perspiration from working out, and now it looks like these "Sealed" ones from Monster have the same problem or maybe I just got a defective unit. One thing I wanted to note for iPhone 3GS, 4, and 4S users holding down the play/pause for 2 seconds DOES activate voice control (or SIRI if you have the 4S) pretty cool. These also work as a headset for talking on the phone. I made 2 phone calls with them and they sounded crisp and clear, and the person on the other end could hear me very well. Unfortunately, I don''t think it''s practical to talk on the phone with these, because they are sealed in your ear canal you''ll find yourself talking louder then you really should be (like those rude people on their cell phones in public that are shouting at their phone LOL).
Last thing I wanted to note, I did some research on the safety of this product as it pertains to hearing loss. I find 50% volume to be sufficient for most music I listen to with these headphones. With the previous headphones I used, Bose on ear, and the Apple white ear buds, I usually had to turn it up to 80-90% to really hear the music. As it turns out, because these seal out all the outside noise, you don''t have to turn them up as loud, so they are MUCH safer for your ears as long as you keep them down to a reasonable volume, don''t get tempted to crank them or all hearing safety goes out the window.
Overall, I wanted to give these 5 stars for the sound quality, but here''s how it all pans out:
Sound Quality: 5* AMAZING one of the best headphones I''ve ever listened to
Looks: 5* The flat cord and blue color really make these stand out
Fit 2* Couldn''t find the right fit for running
Function 4* They do everything I want in a pair of headphones and come with all the necessary accessories
Build quality 3* Volume controls already broke after only one week
Overall review: 3* (would have been a 4 if the control talk didn''t break)
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