This week I had the opportunity to try the new line of Monster ADIDAS Sound Isolating Headphones which includes over-ear headphones (available in blue, white and black) and blue in-ear headphones. Overall, they are some of the best sport-specific headphones I’ve ever tried! They have high-quality sound and their design makes them well suited to working out!
Monster ADIDAS Over-ear Sound Isolating Headphones
Overall Look: I love the simple design of these headphones. Available in blue, white or black, all the headphones are one solid colour with the iconic three Adidas strips along the top of the strap and the Adidas symbol on the earpieces, which almost gives them a vintage look. Each pair comes with two bright blue rubber cords, one is an audio cable and the other fits into the dual audio input jack. This dual audio input jack is a unique Monster feature that allows you to link your headphones with another pair of Monster MusicShare headphones and share what you’re listening to! Gone are the days of sharing one measly pair of headphones, now you can share your music without having to sacrifice the sound. Lastly, I love that these headphones fold up! Both cords are plastic making them easy to clean. Another style aspect that I liked was that these headphones fold. Many people are reluctant to invest in a pair of over-ear headphones because they’re bulky. These headphones fold neatly into three pieces, making them easy to pack away into a gym bag or backpack.
Sound Quality: Since these headphones are Monster, it’s no surprise that the sound quality is fantastic! To test this, I first listened to a song with my middle of the line over-ear headphones and then switched to these ones without changing anything. I noticed the difference in sound right away, the sound become richer and finer details of the song immediately
became more noticeable. What I loved most about the sound was how balanced it was. Monster over-ear headphones tend to be quite heavy on the bass, but these headphones are advertised to give completely balanced, “live concert” sound. This makes it a great headphone for anyone who listens to predominantly folk or rock. In regards to sound 
isolation, these were some of the most effective sound isolating headphones I have ever tried. I had someone try to get my attention while I had them on and I couldn’t hear them until they were right beside me!
Lastly, these headphones are equipped with ControlTalk, a feature allows you to answer calls, talk on the phone through the speaker in the cord, and disconnect the call all without taking off your headphones. The sound quality of the caller’s voice was great, but I always find it weird when I use ControlTalk with sound cancelling headphones because I’m not able to really hear my voice so I feel like I can’t gage my talking volume.
Comfort: I decided to look at comfort from two perspectives: “office” comfort and comfort when working out. One of the first thing I noticed when I unpacked these headphones were how light they were. Because they were so light, I barely noticed I was wearing them and the plush earpieces fit completely around my ears for added comfort! I was able to do work for hours on my computer without any discomfort. When running, I often find that overear headphones can quickly get heavy and start to hurt my neck, but because these headphones were so light I found that I could run for much longer before they became even slightly uncomfortable. When doing weights and stretching I found that headphones stayed securely on my ears even when they were jostled.
Accessories and additional features: Since over-ear headphones tend to sit at a higher price point, people tend to worry about packing them in a bag in fear they’ll break. To avoid this, these Monster ADIDAS headphones come with a padded bag. In addition, I also already covered the ControlTalk feature on the cord, but this plastic component also allows you to stop, start and change tracks or volume. I think this component is key in a pair of workout specific headphones because no one wants to stop, dig out their iPod and adjust the volume when out for a run!
Monster ADIDAS In-ear Sound Isolating Headphones
Overall Look: Like the over-ear headphones, I liked the style of these headphones at soon as I opened the packaging. The actual earpieces are black, with the Adidas symbol featured prominently on each. The headphones comes with 5 earpieces and 3 SportClips. The SportClips fit in the crook above your earlobe and help to keep the headphones in place when running or doing other activities. I really noticed the difference the SportClips can make when I tested them right after using a pair of inear headphones I already own. Normally, when I’m running my headphones tend to pop out after a while, but the SportClips stop them from shifting or turning in my ear, which results in them not falling out. I also found them better when I was doing weights as well because they didn’t come out as easily when the cord got tugged or tangled.
Like the over-ear headphones, the cord is bright blue, however the top portion of the cord is made of a rope material rather than plastic. I found that this material and design resulted in the cord being nearly impossible to tangle! However, I
found that once the cord didn’t dry as quickly and the rope material made the headphones impossible to wipe clean, like you can with plastic cords.
Sound Quality: The sound quality was what you would expect from Monster. When sized correctly, these headphone truly make you feel immersed in the music. Like the over-ear headphones, I compared these headphones with a cheaper pair by switching headphones mid song. I immediately heard a richer, striated sound. The sounds were clearly separated in vocals, instrumentals and bass and they were balanced equally. As with many components of inear headphones, the quality of the sound cancelling is also effected by whether or not you have properly sized the headphones. Like the over-ear headphones, when fitted correctly, these were some of the most effective sound isolating inear headphones I’ve ever tried. A word of warning, be careful when running on the road with these – the sound isolation could lead to communication issues with cars and bikes. Lastly, like the overear headphones, these headphones are also equipped with ControlTalk, and the sound quality of the caller was great!
Comfort: From my experience, the comfort of in-ear headphones is directly linked to finding the proper sized earpieces. These headphones come with 5 different sizes of earpieces and 3 sizes of SportClips and I recommend you try multiple different sizes before settling on a combination. When I tried them, I found that the size I originally thought fit me ended up being too big because after a few minutes running in them, my ear drums started to hurt.
However, though these headphones are far more comfortable when they are sized correctly, I still found that they were not nearly as comfortable as the overear ones when used for a long time. Because they fit so snug, after a while, regardless of sizing, your eardrums will start to ache. I felt like the comfort limit for these headphones was about two hours.
Accessories and additional features: In addition to the 5 earpiece and 3 SportClips, these headphones also come with a soft carrying case to protect them when they’re in your gym bag. Also, like the over-ear headphones, this headphone cord has ControlTalk with volume control. Lastly, these headphones are also advertised as being completely sweat proof. I have an inkling to trust Monster with this guarantee because the last pair of Monster in-ear sports headphones I reviewed were also sweat proof and I actually watched a video of them being dunked in water and still working afterwards!
Whether you choose in-ear or over-ear, the new line of sound isolating headphones from Monster and ADIDAS are a great choice for anyone looking for a stylish pair of high-quality sport headphones. The in-ear headphones have antimicrobial sweatproof earpieces with SportClips that will keep your headphones secure while working out. The over-ear headphones are lightweight and the plush earpieces let you wear them comfortably for hours. When you’re done with them, you can fold them up and place them in the cushioned carrying case to protect them from damage. Lastly, both types offer a balanced, high-quality sound with a “live concert” feel, making them perfect for any rock or folk lover!
You can find a large selection of Monster headphones online at Best Buy
