Bottom Line
The Monster NTune headphones are a very good pair of headphones that offer excellent sound and true value for the money.
If you’re looking for affordable headphones that pack a punch, the NTune model by Monster Cable may very well be your ideal pick.
The ‘NTune’ part is a bit generic, but the ‘Monster’ part is an excellent indication of what these headphones are all about. Whether you’re a gamer or a music enthusiast, these headphones won’t leave you feeling indifferent.
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Specifications
| Name | Monster NTune |
| Type | On-ear headphones |
| Connection | Wired |
| Noise-cancelling | Above-average |
| Dimensions | 3.8 x 6.8 x 10 inches (9.6 x 17.3 x 25.4 cm) |
| Weight | 1.48 pounds (0.67 kg) |
| Driver size | 40 mm |
Design
The outward appearance can make or break your decision to buy any product, no matter how good it is.
However, that’s not something you need to worry about with these headphones. There’s nothing off-putting about the simple design. Also, seeing as there are well over a dozen colors to choose from, we’re positive everyone can find a model to their liking.
But there’s a catch:
The exterior is made mostly from plastic. The benefit to this is the overall light weight of the headphones. All things considered, they feel very durable, and they have a good few years in them, but they’re still plastic, so breaking them is always a worry.
Comfort
The NTune headphones are a simple but effective one-size-fits-all example. The adjustability may be limited to extendable sidebars, but the swiveling ear-cups will ensure that the headphones fit nicely on any head.
Speaking of the earcups, it takes only a quick glance to see that they feature extensive padding. This is always a plus, but be aware that the thick layer of padding on the NTune isn’t as soft as you may imagine. This goes both for the earcups and the headband padding.
This shouldn’t be a problem for most users, but it might annoy gamers who indulge in prolonged gaming sessions, as you can expect slight ear pain and sweat after an hour or two of use.
Cable
What’s unique about the NTune headphones, however, is the cable.
Judging by the pictures alone, you might think that these are wireless headphones. They’re not. They also don’t have a cable sticking out of them. Instead, they come with a detachable cable. While it may seem gimmicky at first, the detachable cable is actually ingenious, and we would love to see more headphones featuring it.
The reason for this is very simple:
Most headphones meet their demise when the cable gets damaged. It can get run over by the office chair, stepped on, tangled, or pulled… the possibilities are endless. But if you think about it, the headphones themselves should still be functional. It’s just that the cable renders them completely unusable.
With a detachable cable, however, you don’t have to worry about this. It’s incredibly practical and convenient. Instead of the headphones flying off your head when you turn around while the cables are all jumbled up, it’ll simply unplug.
And, should it truly get damaged, it’s still much cheaper to buy a new cable than new headphones.
Features
Of course, you don’t get just any old cable with the NTune headphones. No, this cable is packed with in-line features.
The cable itself is unique in that it doesn’t get tangled. It also features a button that you can use to answer and end calls as well as to change songs. On top of that, it has a neat in-line microphone with self-correcting volume.
If only it didn’t lack convenient volume controls, the cable alone would’ve gotten a 10/10. These are nowhere to be found, even on the ear pads. This definitely feels like an oversight, and it’s an inconvenience that many don’t want to deal with on PC and consoles, so just be aware of that.
Sound
Finally, we have sound quality.
Everything else is useless if the sound quality isn’t up to snuff. And while the 40 mm sound drivers are great when it comes to instrument separation, they’re also extremely bass-heavy.
Of course, this is not an oversight – it’s a feature! This makes the NTune headphones excellent for gaming and modern bass-heavy music genres.
On top of that, the passive noise canceling is very good. They noticeably mute outside noises even when they aren’t playing anything, so if you like to completely tune out the outside world when listening to music or immersing yourself in video games, these headphones will not leave you wanting.
Nevertheless, know that the base can get a bit overwhelming when used for other things. So if you’re looking for a more faithful sound reproduction with cleaner vocals, it’s best to steer clear of the Monster NTune.
Price
In addition to all the pros we’ve mentioned, what makes the NTune headphones truly one of the best budget solutions out there is their cost efficiency. Believe it or not, the MSRP for these headphones is just short of $170. It’s debatable whether they were ever worth that much, but you can now find them for as little as $40 on sites like Amazon.
One thing to note, however, is that the price will vary depending on the color, with some versions like ‘dark titanium’ being much closer to the MSRP. Still, that one’s an exception; most versions hover around the $50-60 mark.
So if you opt for one of these or ones that are even cheaper, you’re essentially getting decent mid-range headphones for around a third of what they’re worth.
Conclusion
The Monster NTune headphones are definitely one of, if not the best, budget headphones for gaming and music.
But while they’re certainly not a niche product, they definitely have a specific target demographic. So if you’re not particularly big on modern, bass-heavy music genres that are light on vocals, such as dance or club music, then all the great reviews in the world won’t make it a better choice for you.
On the other hand, if you enjoy these genres or simply need affordable but powerful headphones for gaming, you can’t go wrong with the NTune.
