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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.

Monoprice 110010 Headphones Review

Tested using Methodology v1.3.1
Reviewed Mar 11, 2016 at 12:00 am
Latest change: Test bench update Nov 21, 2019 at 11:23 am
Monoprice 110010 Picture
6.1
Mixed Usage
6.9
Neutral Sound
6.1
Commute/Travel
5.9
Sports/Fitness
6.0
Office
5.2
Wireless Gaming
6.8
Wired Gaming
6.4
Phone Call

The Monoprice Hi-Fi Active Noise Cancelling are an overall decent pair of headphones. They look stylish and deliver solid bass and mid-range audio reproduction. Noise isolation is not the best but is sufficient for office-like environments, provided you can achieve a good seal with the small earcups.

Our Verdict

6.1 Mixed Usage

Monoprice Hi-Fi Active Noise are average-at-best everyday, casual headphones.

Pros
  • Great bass and mid-range audio reproduction.
  • Simple, efficient button layout.
Cons
  • Creaky headband.
  • Small ear cups for an over-ear design.
6.9 Neutral Sound

Average for neutral listening. They have a decent sound quality, with a moderately well balanced audio reproduction. Instruments sound a bit distant, and the mid-range is slightly boomy. They also have a closed design, which is not ideal for neutral listening but overall their sound should be good enough for most listeners.

6.1 Commute/Travel

Average for commuting. They're moderately comfortable but the noise isolation is not strong enough for loud environments like being on a plane.

5.9 Sports/Fitness

Mediocre-at-best for sports. They're moderately comfortable and relatively lightweight. However, They're a bit cumbersome and unstable for strenuous exercises.

6.0 Office

Mediocre for office use. The isolation is barely enough to block the chatter of a busy office. They also leak at high volumes.

6.8 Wired Gaming
  • 6.1 Mixed Usage
  • 6.9 Neutral Sound
  • 6.1 Commute/Travel
  • 5.9 Sports/Fitness
  • 6.0 Office
  • 5.2 Wireless Gaming
  • 6.8 Wired Gaming
  • 6.4 Phone Call
  1. Updated Nov 21, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.1.
  2. Updated Nov 21, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.
  3. Updated Feb 16, 2018: Converted to Test Bench 1.2.
  4. Updated Oct 02, 2017: The microphone has been tested with our new methodology, as explained here
  5. Updated Aug 10, 2017: Converted to Test Bench 1.1.
  6. Updated Mar 01, 2017: Converted to Test Bench 1.0.
  7. Updated Mar 11, 2016: Review published.
  8. Updated Mar 09, 2016: Our testers have started testing this product.

Test Results

Design
Design
Style
Type Over-ear
Enclosure Closed-Back
Wireless No
Transducer Dynamic

The Monoprice Noise Cancelling are a decent looking pair of headphones. They have a dark gray color scheme with black accents on the ear cups, headband and padding. The back of the oval ear cup has a glossy finish with subtle Monoprice branding. The top of the headband is rubberized, giving them a more premium look.

6.5
Design
Comfort
Weight 0.51 lbs
Clamping Force
0.7 lbs

These headphones are moderately comfortable. The headband is relatively flexible and does not apply too much pressure to the head. The ear cups are lightweight, decently padded and swivel for an optimal fit. Unfortunately, the headband is not that well padded, and the small size of the ear cups may not fit around every listener's ears. This may cause discomfort after long listening sessions and is not ideal for an over-ear design.

5.7
Design
Controls
OS Compatibility
Not OS specific
Ease Of Use Mediocre
Feedback Mediocre
Call/Music Control Yes
Volume Control Yes
Microphone Control No
Channel Mixing
N/A
Noise Cancelling Control No
Talk-Through
No
Additional Buttons No

Button layout and functionality is above average, with some minor flaws. There is only one easy-to-use noise cancelling switch on the ear cups. The other controls - call/music and volume buttons - are relegated to the in-line controls of the provided cable. However, the in-line controls are very flat and don't provide good tactile feedback.

7.1
Design
Breathability
Avg.Temp.Difference 3.8 °C
6.1
Design
Portability
L 7.48"
W 7.09"
H 1.77"
Volume 93.93 in³
Transmitter Required N/A

The Monoprice NC are mid-sized over-ear headphones. They are moderately portable thanks to the ear cups that swivel and lay flat to take up less space. However, they do not fold up into a more compact format which makes them a little too bulky for some and too large for pockets, even larger jacket pockets.

7.5
Design
Case
Type Hard case
L 8.46"
W 7.87"
H 1.97"
Volume 131.13 in³

Comes with a hard case that will protect the headphones from scratches, hard falls, and mild water damage. However, it does add a bit of bulk to the headphones which means you may need a bag to carry them in.

6.5
Design
Build Quality

Build quality for the Monoprice NC is just average. The rubberized headband has a metal frame which strengthens the overall build. However, the metal frame is thin, the headband creaks a lot under stress and the joints are made of plastic, which is susceptible to breaking. The plastic used for the earcups also feels a little cheap, which lessens their build quality.

6.0
Design
Stability

These headphones are stable enough for regular casual use but will quickly fall off your head while running. The headband is not broad enough to prevent, the slightly heavy ear cups from swaying, during physical activity. They're not ideal for gym use but on the upside, the cable will detach if its hooked by something. Preventing the headphones from being yanked off your head.

Design
Headshots 1
Design
Headshots 2
Design
Top
Design
In The Box

  • Monoprice Noise Cancelling headphones
  • Carrying case
  • AAA battery
  • Audio cables (x2)
  • Airline adapter
  • 1/8" to 1/4" Adapter
  • Internet calling adapter
  • Manual

Sound
Sound
Sound Profile
Bass Amount
-0.89 dB
Treble Amount
-4.98 dB
8.1
Sound
Frequency Response Consistency
Avg. Std. Deviation
0.37 dB
Sound
Raw Frequency Response
7.9
Sound
Bass Accuracy
Std. Err.
2.94 dB
Low-Frequency Extension
19.71 Hz
Low-Bass
-0.34 dB
Mid-Bass
2.59 dB
High-Bass
4.66 dB
7.5
Sound
Mid Accuracy
Std. Err.
3.37 dB
Low-Mid
4.35 dB
Mid-Mid
2.79 dB
High-Mid
-1.02 dB
6.9
Sound
Treble Accuracy
Std. Err.
4.42 dB
Low-Treble
-3.81 dB
Mid-Treble
-5.59 dB
High-Treble
-2.35 dB
8.3
Sound
Peaks/Dips
Peaks
1.06 dB
Dips
1.05 dB
7.4
Sound
Imaging
Weighted Group Delay
0.44
Weighted Amplitude Mismatch
1.3
Weighted Frequency Mismatch
3.19
Weighted Phase Mismatch
8.3
3.9
Sound
Soundstage
PRTF Accuracy (Std. Dev.)
4.4 dB
PRTF Size (Avg.)
-0.01 dB
PRTF Distance
5.8 dB
Openness
3.8
Acoustic Space Excitation
5.8
6.6
Sound
Weighted Harmonic Distortion
WHD @ 90
0.296
WHD @ 100
0.802
Isolation
6.1
Isolation
Noise Isolation
Isolation Audio
Overall Attenuation
-16.25 dB
Noise Cancelling Yes
Bass
-3.42 dB
Mid
-11.89 dB
Treble
-34.07 dB

Average performance. The passive isolation starts around 400Hz and continues until reaching -38dB at 20KHz. The active mechanism, however, seems to only kick in at 90Hz (not doing much at lower frequnecies) and reaching -16dB at 250Hz.

5.3
Isolation
Leakage
Leakage Audio
Overall Leakage @ 1ft
48.18 dB

Average performance. The leakage is both rather broadband (500Hz-4KHz) and relatively loud, which is probably related to the poor seal of the cups. With these headphones, if you listen to loud music in a quiet environemt, the leakage might be audible a few feet away.

Microphone
Microphone
Microphone Style
Integrated
No
In-line
Yes
Boom
No
Detachable Boom
N/A
Mic Yes
7.3
Microphone
Recording Quality
Recorded Speech
LFE
479.46 Hz
FR Std. Dev.
3.85 dB
HFE
16,021.94 Hz
Weighted THD
1.015
Gain
22.69 dB
6.1
Microphone
Noise Handling
Speech + Pink Noise
Speech + Subway Noise
SpNR
13.21 dB
Active Features
7.9
Active Features
Battery
Battery Type
AAA
Continuous Battery Life
52 hrs
Additional Charges
N/A
Total Battery Life
52 hrs
Charge Time
N/A
Power Saving Feature
No
Audio While Charging
N/A
Passive Playback
No
Charging Port N/A

The Monoprice Noise Cancelling deliver up to 48 hours of continuous playtime at average volumes. They're good headphones to take on long flights or road trips as you won't have to change the AAA battery as often. However, they do not have any battery saving features like an auto-off timer, but on the upside, they can continue playing audio passively even when the battery is completely drained.

0
Active Features
App Support
App Name N/A
iOS N/A
Android N/A
macOS N/A
Windows N/A
Equalizer
N/A
ANC Control
N/A
Mic Control N/A
Room effects
N/A
Playback Control
N/A
Button Mapping N/A
Surround Sound N/A

No compatible app.

Connectivity
0
Connectivity
Bluetooth
Bluetooth Version
N/A
Multi-Device Pairing
NFC Pairing
N/A
Line of Sight Range
N/A
Default Latency
N/A
aptX Latency
N/A
aptX(LL) Latency
N/A
0
Connectivity
Non-Bluetooth Wireless
Non-BT Line of Sight Range
N/A
Non-BT Latency
N/A
9.5
Connectivity
Wired
Analog Audio
Yes
USB Audio
No
Detachable Yes
Length 4.58 ft
Connection 1/8" TRRS
Wired Latency
0 ms
Connectivity
PC / PS4 Compatibility
PC / PS4 Analog
Audio Only
PC / PS4 Wired USB
No
PC / PS4 Non-BT Wireless
No
Connectivity
Xbox One Compatibility
Xbox One Analog
Audio Only
Xbox One Wired USB
No
Xbox One Wireless
No
0
Connectivity
Base/Dock
Type
N/A
USB Input
N/A
Line In
N/A
Line Out
N/A
Optical Input
N/A
RCA Input
N/A
Dock Charging
N/A
Power Supply
N/A