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We've recently released our Test Bench 1.6 update for Headphones! Read the Latency R&D Article to learn more.

Monster Inspiration 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
Monster Inspiration Picture
6.1
Mixed Usage
6.6
Critical Listening
6.1
Commute/Travel
5.9
Sports/Fitness
5.7
Office
6.5
Home Theater

The Monster Inspiration are sub-par-sounding headphones. They're sturdy and offer a unique and customizable headband design. Unfortunately, the poor noise isolation and below average audio reproduction leaves much to be desired.

Our Verdict

6.1 Mixed Usage

The Monster Inspiration are mediocre everyday headphones. They leak a little too much for office use and have an average at best sound quality that's not ideal for critical listening.

Pros
  • Sturdy build.
  • Interchangeable headband.
Cons
  • Poor noise isolation.
  • Heavy.
  • Poor audio reproduction.
6.6 Critical Listening

Average-at-best for critical listening. They have a skewed, bass-heavy sound and a poor soundstage because of their closed back design.

6.1 Commute/Travel

Below average for commuting. They have a decent control scheme, and they're moderately comfortable, but their noise isolation is too weak for noisy commutes.

5.9 Sports/Fitness

Mediocre for sports use. They're moderately stable a have a decent control scheme. However, they are a little too cumbersome for strenuous exercise.

5.7 Office

Subpar for office use. They leak a lot and don't block much ambient noise. You will be able to hear the rest of the office, and they will be able to hear your audio.

6.5 Home Theater

Average for home theater use. They have a decent enough sound for watching movies, and they also have no latency since they're wired. However, their short audio cable won't be ideal for watching tv from your couch, unless you have an extension cord.

  • 6.1 Mixed Usage
  • 6.6 Critical Listening
  • 6.1 Commute/Travel
  • 5.9 Sports/Fitness
  • 5.7 Office
  • 6.5 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 Over-ear
Enclosure Closed-Back
Wireless No
Transducer Dynamic
Mic Yes

The Inspirations are available in many colors. The silver version we reviewed looks great. Their rectangular ear cups, highlighted by the faux metal finish, give them a unique and premium feel. The headband is thick, heavily padded and offers multiple unique designs that can be clipped on, so you can change the look to suit your style.

6.0
Design
Comfort
Weight 0.73 lbs
Clamping Force
0.83 lbs

These headphones are a bit heavy, and you are likely to feel their weight on your head. They also feel a little stiff overall and don't have the best fit.

6.8
Design
Controls
Ease of use Good
Feedback Average
Call/Music Control Yes
Volume Control Yes
Noise Canceling Control No
Talk-Through No
Additional Buttons No

Simple, functional design with only one button on the headphones. It provides track skipping and music/call functionality but no volume control which is a little disappointing.

6.5
Design
Stability

These headphones are moderately stable. They stay in place during casual listening sessions. Unfortunately, they feel too bulky and heavy for gym use. The slightly heavy ear cups sway a lot while running and will slip off your ears during high-intensity activities. On the upside, audio cable is detachable and won't yank the headphones of your head if they get hooked on something.

6.3
Design
Portability
L 4.13"
W 6.89"
H 2.56"
Volume 72.85 in³
Stand required N/A

The Monster Inspiration are moderately portable headphones. They fold into a compact format that will easily fit into a backpack but may be a bit too cumbersome for smaller bags. They're too big to carry around on your person as they won't fit in most pockets, even larger jacket pockets.

7.0
Design
Case
Type Soft case
L 4.72"
W 7.48"
H 2.95"
Volume 104.32 in³

Comes with a soft case that doesn't add too much bulk to the headphones and protects them from scratches and mild water damage. However, the case is not robust enough to shield the headphones from hard falls or high physical stress.

7.0
Design
Build Quality

The headphones are fairly solid and well-built. However, the headband does not to retain its position and the hinges where the ear cups meet the headband could be weak points susceptible to breaking. Also, not all the parts that look metallic are made out of metal.

Design
Cable
Detachable Yes
Length 4.25 ft
Connection 1/8" TRRS

Comes with three cables; 1/8" TRS-TRS with no in-line controls. 1/8" TRRS-TRS with in-line mic and call/music control. And a 1/8" TRRS-TRRS with call/music control and volume up/down.

Design
Front

Design
Angled

Design
Side

Design
Rear

Design
Top

Design
In The Box

  • Monster Inspiration Headphones
  • Extra interchangeable headband
  • AAA battery (x2)
  • Audio cables (x3)
  • Carrying case
  • Cleaning cloth
  • Manual

Sound
7.1
Sound
Bass
Std. Err.
4.26 dB
Low-Frequency Extension
25.2 Hz
Low-Bass
-1.31 dB
Bass
5.24 dB
High-Bass
5.03 dB

5.7
Sound
Mid
Std. Err.
5.73 dB
Low-Mid
-2.68 dB
Mid
-8.27 dB
High-Mid
-1.92 dB

7.5
Sound
Treble
Std. Err.
3.88 dB
Low-Treble
3.91 dB
Treble
-1.8 dB
High-Treble
1.07 dB

8.3
Sound
Frequency Response Consistency
Avg. Std. Deviation
0.33 dB

6.0
Sound
Soundstage
PRTF Error
6.9 dB
Openness
6.9
Acoustic Space Excitation
4.2
Correlated Crosstalk
0 dB

5.1
Sound
Imaging
Phase Error
73.85°
Driver Mismatch (Amplitude)
0.8 dB
Driver Mismatch (Frequency)
3.59 dB
Driver Mismatch (Phase)
338.11°

7.1
Sound
Total Harmonic Distortion
Weighted THD @ 90
1.573
Weighted THD @ 100
10.548

Isolation
5.6
Isolation
Noise Isolation
Overall Attenuation
-11.3 dB
Noise-Cancelling Yes
Bass
-2.36 dB
Mid
-10.83 dB
Treble
-22.66 dB
Self-Noise
14.36 dB

These headphones don't provide any isolation from 20Hz - 100Hz and only a modest amount of isolation above that. Most of the isolation is provided passively by the ear cups and not the ANC (Active Noise Cancelling).

5.8
Isolation
Leakage
Overall Leakage @ 1ft
46.03 dB

These headphones leak a considerable amount of sound, starting from around 300Hz and up to 6KHz (from low-mids to mid-treble).

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

8.5
Active Features
Battery
Battery Type
AAA (X2)
Battery Life
75.5 hrs
Charge Time
N/A
Auto-off
No
Audio while charging
N/A
Passive Playback
No

The Monster Inspiration use two AAA batteries to deliver an excellent battery life of 75.5 hours. They can also continue playing audio passively once the batteries are dead. This means you won't have to change the batteries for a couple days, which is great for long flights or weekend trips where you don't have access to a store to purchase new AAA cells. Unfortunately, they do not have any battery saving features like an auto-off timer.

0
Active Features
App Support

No compatible app.