Today at Monster’s press event, they announced a new product that you may or may not know: Monster Turbine in-ear headphones. You may scoff at the idea of earbuds (we’ve all heard the iPod ones), but these are different.

First off, it should be known that the Turbine Pro are just that: professional standard earbuds. I would mix on these before I’d mix on any of my Sony headphones.  It sounds weird, I know, but they sounded pretty great. I’d personally use these for referencing mixes on and not so much straight mixing.

There’s two versions: Copper and Gold. Copper is the “pro” standard, meant for extreme audiophiles and recording/mix engineers. Gold is supposedly a half-step down from Copper, meaning it’s a little cheaper and made more for audiophiles/your everyday iPod listener.

Sanjay and I both had a chance to listen to a wide range of music on these (from hip-hop to salsa). Here’s my impressions of the Gold earbuds:

• First and foremost, even the Gold line blows any iPod earbuds out of the water, no contest. If you’re at all serious about the quality of your music and you’re on the road a lot, I would strongly suggest looking into these before anything else.
• Stereo imaging is present in these earbuds, whereas it seems relatively lost on traditional iPod earbuds. When listening to a Tito Puente song, I heard the panning loud and clear; there was no question when I heard a piece of percussion panned hard right. When switching it up to a classic rock song, the stereo image was still there. It was unlike anything I’d heard in earbuds before.
• The isolation that comes with wearing these things was awesome. Even at relatively low volumes, I heard little outside noise (and it was a noisy room). No longer will you need to blast your iPod/iPhone to not hear the guy next to you rapping on the train.
• The only thing I noticed from the Gold version was a slightly hyped low end, most notable on the hip-hop tracks. I think this tends to be an issue with any sort of “pro-sumer” brand monitors or headphones.

All-in-all, a positive experience. Let’s hope we get a pair or two for further review. I’d really like to hear some of my mixes/masters on these things.

Press release after the jump.

P.S.: Check Sanjay’s post for some video and further insight on these new headphones.

MONSTER TURBINE^™ PRO “IN-EAR SPEAKERS^™”:

PROVIDING MUSIC PROFESSIONALS AND AUDIOPHILES

AN IN-EAR LISTENING SOLUTION OF UNPRECEDENTED QUALITY

– Musicians and Engineers Report Novel Uses for Turbine Pro Headphones, Including as Onstage In-Ear Monitors and in Sensitive Studio Situations –

NEW YORK, NY, October 9, 2009 – The recent introduction of “Turbine Pro In-Ear Speakers” from Monster, a world leader in advanced consumer electronics accessories, is poised to change the way many music professionals and discriminating audiophiles think about the entire concept of in-ear headphones and the sound quality they are capable of delivering. The first high-performance in-ear headphones engineered specifically to deliver true reference-quality sound, Turbine Pro In-Ear Speakers have already been met with excitement in pre-launch trials by many music professionals, several of whom have told Monster that thanks to their superior sonic capabilities, they’ve been using them onstage as in-ear monitors, or for other sonically sensitive tasks such as for use in the recording studio with digital signal processors/amplifiers.

The new Monster Turbine Pro headphones will be available in November 2009 in two beautiful designs, gold with black chrome, and copper with bright chrome. In addition to the different cosmetic styles, each version will offer astute listeners a choice in audio dynamics. For instance, with its slightly more pronounced low-frequency response, the gold version is geared toward audiophile listeners who prefer extraordinarily punchy, impactful bass, while the copper version provides unsurpassed accuracy for an ideal professional reference listening experience.
Noted Head Monster Mr. Lee: “We’re all critical audiophiles and music lovers at Monster, and our goal with Turbine Pro was to create a compact in-ear listening solution for audio professionals that would literally deliver the same sound that recording engineers, performers and producers hear in the studio on their big wide-range monitor speakers. We wanted to replace this high end listening experience with something portable that could be put in your pocket – affording music pros and discriminating audiophiles a brand new type of listening solution.”

“Imagine the speed and delicacy of an electrostatic speaker, with the power that only dynamic speakers can deliver, coupled with a subwoofer that can reproduce a true 20Hz tone. That’s what you get with Turbine Pro. Thanks to the use of new materials, proprietary driver design and other engineering improvements, Turbine Pro delivers this sound, providing the very best listening solution, regardless of price. It’s a clean and tight sound that feels alive and lifelike, bringing a richness of audio detail to the music that you may have never even noticed before.”

Renowned audio engineer David Hampton is among the music industry professionals already using Monster Turbine Pro headphones in their work. He notes: “As audio engineers we need to reference every potential way our mixes will be heard. I’ve been in the industry for 20 years, and Monster’s Turbine Pro is the first product that answers the professional mobile monitoring needs of today’s engineering community. These ‘in-ear speakers’ are precision instruments that every engineer should own, because whether it’s onstage as in-ear monitors, or mixing a song on a long flight home, Turbine Pro’s get the job done.”

Monster Turbine Pro: A Revelation in Great Sound

Mr. Lee personally designed the new Turbine Pro headphones to deliver a “revelation in great sound.” They utilize Monster’s patented design, with advanced engineering and technologies to offer a new level of portable audio performance geared toward serious audiophiles and audio professionals. The new headphones represent the consummation of Monster’s approach to headphone design, which is to create advanced personal listening solutions that offer users the same sonic impact, power and performance as reference quality high-end loudspeakers – allowing them to hear all their favorite music the same way the artists and producers originally heard it in the studio.

Along with Turbine Pro, Monster is also introducing its new high performance “SuperTip^™” eartips that offer superior noise isolation, while improving the overall performance by preventing sound leakage. The key to the effectiveness of SuperTip eartips is a specially engineered material that provides a secure custom seal to help eliminate unwanted noise. The end result is astoundingly clean, tight audio response and great-sounding music that can be listened to without fatigue for hours and hours.

One of the advantages of SuperTips with Turbine Pro headphones is that thanks to their snug fit and sound isolating abilities, they’re an ideal and affordable alternative to expensive custom-molded in-ear stage monitor products. They literally block out extraneous sound like no other eartip available, allowing musicians to immerse themselves in the music they’re creating. For added onstage security, the snug-fitting Turbine Pro headphones can be used with on-ear “hooks” that ensure they won’t come dislodged even during vigorous onstage performances.

SuperTip eartips are being offered with Turbine Pro headphones in two sizes, small and large. For those who love the traditional Monster eartips, three sizes are also included, along with traditional foam tips, and two sets of triple-layered eartips, so a perfect fit is virtually guaranteed.

Monsterous Extras…

To add to the Turbine Pro audiophile experience, the headphones come packaged with an attractive, super soft sewn pouch and a matching clip pouch that will also house the eartips or headphones.  For those who want to carry several kinds of eartips, Monster has engineered soft silicon, “revolver” style holder that neatly fits into the clip pouch.

Notably, Turbine Pro headphones come with the industry’s most unique guarantee. Knowing that professionals and travelers abuse their gear, the company offers a one-time Lifetime Replacement Guarantee – even if users break the headphones themselves. With its all-metal construction and robust strain relieve, Monster believes Turbine Pro is one of the most durable in-ear headphones ever made.

Monster Turbine Pro In-Ear Speakers will be available for a suggested retail price of $299.95 per pair or $329.95 with Monster’s ControlTalk^™ headphone cable, which can be used with iPhone^™, iPod^® and most other smartphones for full music playback control as well as to take hands-free calls.

The debut of Turbine Pro In-Ear Speakers is part of Monster’s ongoing commitment to improve the quality of the portable audio experience.

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