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We've recently released our Test Bench 1.8 update for Headphones! Read the R&D Article to learn more.

Monoprice 10799 Headphones Review

Tested using Methodology v1.0
Reviewed Feb 26, 2016 at 12:00 am
Latest change: Test bench update Aug 10, 2017 at 11:33 am
Monoprice 10799 Picture
7.2
Mixed Usage
6.8
Critical Listening
7.4
Commute/Travel
7.2
Sports/Fitness
7.2
Office
6.9
Home Theater

The Monoprice Enhanced Active are a superb set of in-ear earbuds, with great noise isolation performance and balanced audio reproduction. The in-ear design is not always the most comfortable fit and build quality could be slightly improved, but those are the only drawbacks to an otherwise outstanding pair of headphones.

Our Verdict

7.2 Mixed Usage

The Monoprice Enhanced Active are a versatile pair of earbuds, with a decent enough sound and isolation performance to handle most use cases.

Pros
  • Excellent noise isolation.
  • Accurate audio reproduction.
  • Tight seal, low sound leakage.
Cons
  • In ear fit not always comfortable.
  • Thin cabling.
6.8 Critical Listening

Average for critical listening. The closed back in-ear design is not ideal for long listening sessions and limits soundstage.

7.4 Commute/Travel

Good for commuting. The in-ear fit coupled with decent noise cancelling is sufficient for most loud environments involved in commuting.

7.2 Sports/Fitness

Above-average for sports use. They're compact and easy to carry around on your person. They also have a stable in-ear fit and a good sound, but they might not be comfortable for everyone.

7.2 Office

Above-average for the office. They barely leak even at high volumes and they block a surprising amount of office chatter with their in-ear seal.

6.9 Home Theater

Above-average for home theater use. They have no latency but they also have a short audio cable. They have the range to watch TV from your couch unless you have an extension cord for the audio cable.

  • 7.2 Mixed Usage
  • 6.8 Critical Listening
  • 7.4 Commute/Travel
  • 7.2 Sports/Fitness
  • 7.2 Office
  • 6.9 Home Theater
  1. Updated Aug 10, 2017: Converted to Test Bench 1.0.
  2. Updated Feb 26, 2016: Review published.

Test Results

Design
Design
Style
Type In-ear
Enclosure Closed-Back
Wireless No
Transducer Dynamic
Mic Yes

The Enhanced Actives look great. Their design is understated, simple and appealing. The angled ear buds are also well designed and match the overall color scheme, which is accentuated by the glossy metallic brown.

6.5
Design
Comfort
Weight 0.09 lbs
Clamping Force
0 lbs

Comfort with an in-ear design is always an issue. They will feel quite comfortable if you can get the right fit, especially since the angled design of the earbud fits snugly to the shape of the ear. However, they may sometimes fall out from a gentle tug on the cable, which can be frustrating.

6.2
Design
Controls
Ease of use Subpar
Feedback Mediocre
Call/Music Control Yes
Volume Control Yes
Noise Canceling Control No
Talk-Through No
Additional Buttons No

Button layout is quite good on the Enhanced Active. The noise control module is simple and easy to use, with only one button to enable isolation. The rest of the controls are relegated to the inline controls, which although flat, offers control over volume, a multipurpose play/stop button and a mic.

7.0
Design
Stability

The Monoprice Enhanced Active are decently stable in-ear headphones. They stay in place during casual listening sessions and are stable enough for moderate physical activity. However, the control module and long cable can easily get hooked on something and yank the headphones out of your ears. They also don't offer any special tips to help maintain a stable fit, which is slightly disappointing.

8.5
Design
Portability
L 1.57"
W 3.54"
H 1.18"
Volume 6.66 in³
Stand required N/A

The Monoprice Enhanced actives are very portable headphones. They comfortably fit into most pockets, purse or bag and don't take up too much space. The control module makes them a little larger than basic in-ear headphones, but not enough to be cumbersome or reduce their great portability.

6.5
Design
Case
Type Soft case
L 3.74"
W 5.91"
H 1.38"
Volume 30.38 in³

Comes with rugged, fabric soft case that will protect the headphones from scratches and from getting tangled while transporting them. It adds a bit of bulk but will still fit into most pockets. However, the fabric will not shield the headphones from water damage or high physical stress like accidently walking on them.

6.5
Design
Build Quality

Build quality is quite good. The noise cancellation generator is small, very portable and built out of tough, durable plastic. The cable could be a little more rubberized and the in-ear design may not be for everyone.

9.3
Design
Breathability
Avg.Temp.Difference 0.7 °C

Design
Cable
Detachable No
Length 4.89 ft
Connection 1/8" TRRS

Design
Front

Design
Angled

Design
Side

Design
Rear

Design
Top

Design
In The Box

  • Monoprice Enhanced Active Headphones
  • Airline adapter
  • Extra Earbud tips (x2 sizes)
  • AAA Battery
  • 1/8" stereo adapter
  • Carrying case
  • Manual

Sound
8.9
Sound
Bass
Std. Err.
1.59 dB
Low-Frequency Extension
25.57 Hz
Low-Bass
-2.32 dB
Bass
-0.44 dB
High-Bass
1.82 dB

7.2
Sound
Mid
Std. Err.
3.68 dB
Low-Mid
5.03 dB
Mid
1.1 dB
High-Mid
-2.3 dB

8.0
Sound
Treble
Std. Err.
3.44 dB
Low-Treble
0.27 dB
Treble
0.33 dB
High-Treble
-2.27 dB

9.5
Sound
Frequency Response Consistency
Avg. Std. Deviation
0.11 dB

1.3
Sound
Soundstage
PRTF Error
12 dB
Openness
2.1
Acoustic Space Excitation
1.3
Correlated Crosstalk
-0.04 dB

9.1
Sound
Imaging
Phase Error
23.65°
Driver Mismatch (Amplitude)
0.14 dB
Driver Mismatch (Frequency)
0.81 dB
Driver Mismatch (Phase)
4.69°

6.8
Sound
Total Harmonic Distortion
Weighted THD @ 90
1.907
Weighted THD @ 100
182.361

Isolation
8.5
Isolation
Noise Isolation
Overall Attenuation
-23.06 dB
Noise-Cancelling Yes
Bass
-19.31 dB
Mid
-19.79 dB
Treble
-31.08 dB
Self-Noise
15.22 dB

Excellent isolation performance. With noise-cancelling set to Off, these headphones outperform some other headphones with noise cancelling enabled. Overall, these headphones provide about 20dB of reduction in the bass region, 20dB in the mids, and reach -50dB at 20KHz

8.7
Isolation
Leakage
Overall Leakage @ 1ft
29.4 dB

In-ear headphones usually excel at leakage, and these are no exception. Leakage should not be an issue, even at high volumes. The profile of the leakage is quite narrow-band also, limited to 3KHz-7KHz.

Active Features
0
Active Features
Wireless
Type
N/A
Obstructed Range
N/A
Line of Sight Range
N/A
NFC
No

10
Active Features
Latency
Base Latency
0 ms
aptX Latency
N/A
aptX(LL) Latency
N/A

8.1
Active Features
Battery
Battery Type
AAA
Battery Life
49.2 hrs
Charge Time
N/A
Auto-off
No
Audio while charging
N/A
Passive Playback
No

The Enhanced Active deliver more than two days of continuous play time at average volumes. This makes them a good option for long flights or road trips. They also can continue playing audio when the battery is completely drained by switching off the noise-cancelling. Unfortunately, they do not have any battery saving features like an auto-off timer

0
Active Features
App Support

No compatible app.