The Monster Clarity 101 AirLinks Truly Wireless are in-ear headphones suitable for those on the move. They're good for sports or commuting due to their portable and stable design. Unfortunately, they sound dark and dull. While the bass has added thump and rumble, it also lacks punch and body, which may disappoint fans of EDM and hip-hop. The seven-hour battery life might be a deal-breaker for those who work at the office, too, although their unique 360-degree rotating case offers five additional charges.
Our Verdict
The Monster Clarity 101 AirLinks are okay for mixed usage. They're very portable, making them easy to take with you when you're on the go. They do an alright job of reducing noise, like talking around you. They're also decently comfortable, although their deep in-ear fit might not be suitable for everyone. However, if you're looking for a pair of headphones for neutral listening, these aren't it: while the bass will add some thump and rumble, it'll lack punch and body. The mids and treble are reduced, so they aren't the best choice for more vocal-centric audio. Like most Bluetooth headphones, system compatibility is limited, and the mic performance is mediocre.
- Good passive noise isolation.
- Unique rotating charge case.
- Great build quality.
- Dull, dark sound profile.
- Controls aren't very intuitive to use.
The Monster Clarity 101 AirLinks are disappointing for neutral sound. They have a dark and dull sound profile. While the bump in bass adds thump and rumble, their sound profile still might not please fans of EDM, as it'll lack punch and body. Their reduced mids and treble will also make these earbuds less ideal for listening to genres like classical or jazz.
The Monster Clarity 101 AirLinks are good for commuting and traveling. While they don't have active noise cancelling, they do an alright job of reducing noise like chatter. They struggle more with low sounds like bus and train engines, but they'll still cut some of this noise. Although reasonably comfortable and easily portable, they might not be the best choice for long listening sessions as some may find the deep in-ear fit fatiguing.
The Monster Clarity 101 AirLinks are great for sports and fitness. They're easily portable, lightweight, and fairly stable earbuds. They come with three sets of tips so you can find the best fit for you. They also have an IPX5 rating for water resistance.
The Monster Clarity 101 AirLinks are acceptable for the office. These earbuds are decently comfortable; however, their deep fit might not be suitable for everyone. They do a good job of reducing chatter at the office. If you need a little more isolation, you can also turn up the volume - these earbuds won't leak much sound, so you don't have to worry about others hearing your music.
The Monster Clarity 101 AirLinks are Bluetooth-only headphones and aren't recommended for wireless gaming. You can't use them on the PS4 or Xbox One. While you can use them on PC, their high latency may slow down and frustrate your gameplay.
The Monster Clarity 101 AirLinks are Bluetooth-only earbuds, and you can't use them wired.
The Monster Clarity 101 AirLinks are mediocre for phone calls. The recording quality is okay. In quiet environments, you'll still be understood, but your voice won't sound deep or full-bodied. However, if you need to take calls in louder environments like on the train or in a cafe, whoever is on the other line with you might not be able to hear you so clearly.
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Popular Headphones Comparisons
The Monster Clarity 101 AirLinks are unremarkable, truly wireless earbuds. While their 7-hour battery life is alright, their 360-degree rotating case is a unique, standout feature. However, their dark, dull sound profile lacks punch and body and isn't as well balanced as other headphones like the Anker SoundCore Liberty Air 2 Truly Wireless. They also don't have a companion app with product-specific features.
If you're still shopping around, take a look at our recommendations for the best truly wireless earbuds, the best earbuds and in-ear headphones, and the best Bluetooth earbuds.
The Jaybird Vista Truly Wireless are better performing earbuds than the Monster Clarity 101 AirLinks. If you like running and working out, the Jaybirds are designed with stability in mind. Unlike the Monster, the Jaybird also have a companion app with a parametric EQ and presets to customize your sound profile. However, the Monsters are better suited for passive noise isolation.
The Apple AirPods (2nd generation) and the Monster Clarity 101 AirLinks Truly Wireless are quite differently designed, so they each have their own pros and cons. The Monster have a more traditional in-ear design that's not always the most comfortable, but they provide good bass and isolate quite a bit of noise. The Apple, however, have an open-back earbud design that struggles to deliver much bass and lets a lot of ambient noise in, but they're more comfortable for many people.
The Apple AirPods Pro are better Bluetooth in-ears than the Monster Clarity 101 AirLinks Truly Wireless. The Apple are more comfortable for most people, have an active noise cancelling feature to help block out more noise, and have a much better-balanced sound profile. The Monster still isolate a decent amount of noise passively, though, and the lack of ANC helps give them a couple of extra hours of battery life too, but their dark sound profile can be a deal-breaker.
The SoundPeats TrueFree/True Wireless are slightly better performing earbuds than the Monster Clarity 101 AirLinks Truly Wireless. The SoundPeats have a sound profile that's more balanced than the Monster. The controls on the SoundPeats are also fairly limited as they lack volume control but they offer decent feedback. However, the Monster's unique rotating case is more sturdy and magnetically holds the earbuds in better.
The Anker Soundcore Liberty Air 2 are much better-performing earbuds than the Monster Clarity 101 AirLinks Truly Wireless. While the Anker's battery life is slightly less than the Monster's, if you're charging the Anker one earbud at a time, you can still listen to audio. The Monster also don't have a companion app, but Anker's app support comes with 20 preset EQs, making it easy to find the right sound profile for you.
The Monster Clarity 101 AirLinks Truly Wireless are more versatile Bluetooth earbuds than the Razer Hammerhead True Wireless 2019. Mobile gamers will appreciate the Razer's unique low-latency 'Gaming Mode' on iOS and Android, but the earbuds have a poorly balanced sound profile and mediocre fit. The Monster earbuds don't have the most balanced sound, but aren't as boomy, have a much longer battery life, and isolate against more noise.
The Bose SoundSport Free Truly Wireless are better sounding earbuds than the Monster Clarity 101 AirLinks Truly Wireless. The Bose have a well-balanced sound profile compared to the Monsters. However, the Bose have a semi-open back design so they don't isolate noise well, unlike the closed-back Monster.
We've upgraded our Headphones Test Bench to 2.0! This update brings several key changes to our tests and usages, making it easier than ever to interpret our sound results based on your personal preferences. You'll also find a brand-new interactive graph tool featuring multiple targets (including our own!) for you to explore and compare.
For a full breakdown, check out our changelog, which includes detailed commentary from our test designer explaining the rationale behind our update.
We'd also love to hear your thoughts: your feedback helps us keep improving, so join us in the comments!
Test Results
These earbuds are stylish, sleek earbuds. The silver Monster logo centered on the touch controls and the matte stability fins make these earbuds look sleek and minimalist. These earbuds have a blue ring around the controls, giving them a slightly futuristic look.
These earbuds are decently comfortable. As the Monster Clarity 101 AirLinks sit a bit deeper than regular in-ears, they can put a bit of pressure on the inner ear. The stability fins can also be uncomfortable for some as they don't sit flush to the ear but stick out.
The Monster Clarity 101 AirLinks have mediocre controls that aren't very intuitive to use. Located on both earbuds, the touch controls have the same double-tap action for volume and voice assistant. While it should trigger volume control when you're listening to music, our tests opened voice assistant half the time we tried to change the volume.
These earbuds are very portable. Their small, sleek size makes it easy to take them with you, and they should easily fit into most pockets.
These truly wireless earbuds come with a unique charging case. To open it, you have to turn the black knob until the earbud compartment clicks into place. It has a 360-degree rotation, so it doesn't matter what side you turn from. The earbuds are magnetically kept in place, and while the case is completely made of hard plastic, it seems very sturdy.
These earbuds feel very well-built. While they're all made of plastic, they're solid and could take a few falls without suffering too much damage. They're also rated IPX5 for protection against direct water contact.
These earbuds are fairly stable. The stability fins don't really improve the stability of these earbuds as they don't sit flush with your ear but stick out. However, the three included tip options should help find a better fit if you need them to stay put in place.
- Monster Clarity 101 AirLinks headphones
- 3x tip sizes
- Charging case
- Micro-USB charging cable
- Manuals
The Monster Clarity 101 AirLinks' sound profile is dark and dull. The slight emphasis on bass adds rumble and thump, but it's not enough punch and body for fans of EDM and hip-hop. The treble is also noticeably weak, making these earbuds poor for genres like classical and jazz that rely on instruments like the violin or flute for their melody.
The Monster Clarity 101 AirLinks' frequency response consistency is almost perfect. Once you find the proper fit and seal with one of the three included tips, you'll likely get consistent bass and treble response every time you use these earbuds.
The bass accuracy performance is great. You get a little more thump thanks to the bump in the low bass; however, the dip in the mid to high bass means mixes lack punch, warmth, and fullness.
The mid accuracy performance is okay. The negative tilt of the mid-range results in leads and instrumentals getting pushed to the back of the mix. Leads and vocals sound weak and distant.
The Monster Clarity 101 AirLinks' treble accuracy performance is terrible. The negative tilt, which starts in the mid-range, continues into the treble range, making these earbuds sound dull and dark. Leads and vocals lack detail, and although the rise in mid-treble reduces the dullness overall, the treble is still weak.
The Monster Clarity 101 AirLinks' peaks and dips performance is decent. The peak in the low-bass provides some rumble and thump, while the immediate dip between mid to high bass reduces the overall warmth of your audio. Another peak in the low mid clutters instruments concerning the bass range. The deepest dip in between the low to mid-treble also reduces the clarity of notes from leads and vocals found in this range.
The Monster Clarity 101 AirLinks' imaging performance is excellent. The group delay response, although it slightly peaks in the low bass above the audibility threshold, the rest of the group delay response falls below the audibility threshold, which should result in a tight bass and a transparent treble production. Our unit's L/R drivers were also well-matched in amplitude, frequency, and phase, so there were no gaps in the stereo image: objects, like voices or footsteps, were accurately placed. However, these results are only valid for our unit, and yours may perform differently.
These earbuds have a poor passive soundstage. Just like other in-ear headphones, these headphones can't create a spacious, out-of-head soundstage by design: the pinna or outer ear needs to be activated by different resonances. Since the in-ear design bypasses the pinna altogether, the soundstage feels small and within the listener's head. The Monster Clarity 101 are also closed-back, so their soundstage won't feel as open as open-back headphones.
The Monster Clarity 101 AirLinks don't have a virtual soundstage feature.
The weighted harmonic distortion performance is decent. While there's a peak in the low treble and again in the high treble, this might not be noticeable to all listeners. The frequencies otherwise fall within good limits, which should result in clear and pure audio reproduction.
The Monster Clarity 101 AirLinks' results are only valid for these settings.
We were unable to determine the firmware version. If you own these headphones and know where to find it, let us know in the discussions.
The noise isolation is good. While they don't have active noise cancelling, they can slightly muffle low sounds like the rumble of planes and car engines. However, they do a better job of cutting noise like chatter and high-pitched hums like ACs.
The Monster Clarity 101 AirLinks have superb leakage performance. Low bass sounds like rumbles or thumps will be the most of the leakage, but even then, this is below the noise floor of most offices, so your coworkers shouldn't notice it.
These earbuds have an integrated microphone.
Their microphone recording quality is okay. While you should still be understood, your voice won't sound deep or full to the person on the other line. Your voice might not be picked up well if you're whispering in a quiet environment like a library, either.
The Monster Clarity 101 AirLinks' microphone's noise handling is disappointing. This microphone struggles to separate background noise like car engines or traffic from speech. If you need to talk to someone, you'll be heard best in a quiet environment.
The battery performance is fair. At just over seven hours of continuous battery life, these earbuds should get you through most of your workday. If you need to charge them, the case comes with five additional charges and is charged with a micro-USB cable.
The Monster Clarity 101 AirLinks have an app but can only be used to play music. It's also only available on iOS. Because this app doesn't offer features specific to these earbuds, we don't consider this a companion app.
The Monster Clarity 101 AirLinks don't support multi-device or NFC pairing. Like most Bluetooth headphones, the PC latency is high, so they might not be the best choice for binging TV shows or playing video games. The high latency on Android also makes them less than suitable for videos or games. They have impressively low latency on iOS, though. However, your mileage may vary during regular use since apps on both iOS and Android both seem to compensate for lag.
The Monster Clarity 101 AirLinks are Bluetooth-only earbuds.
You can't use these earbuds wired.
The Monster Clarity 101 AirLinks aren't compatible with the PS4, and you can only use them on PC with a Bluetooth connection.